A Toledo Blade article shed light on a growing problem facing carpenters and other building trade unions in Northwest Ohio.
Lack of skilled construction workers remains the biggest concern facing contractors and unions alike throughout Ohio – especially in the Toledo metropolitan area, where a number of large projects over the next few years will put an increased demand on the need to attract workers to the trades.
According to the article, “More than 70 percent of U.S. contractors recently surveyed by the Associated General Contractors of America say they are struggling to fill carpentry positions. The problem is even more acute in Ohio, with 90 percent of contractors reporting similar problems.”
The Blade noted that carpentry is the area’s most extreme case of need, but nearly all other trades are coming up short on talent.
“The trade group found 86 percent of contractors have had difficulty filling some position.”
It is for this reason that the Northwestern Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council has embarked on an aggressive, nationwide recruitment campaigned called Great Work-Great Life, geared to bring skilled workers to greater Toledo for the next few construction seasons.
Construction crews, which include pipefitters, plumbers, welders, insulators, electricians, boilermakers, ironworkers, operating engineers and carpenters, are needed to work on major projects for BP-Husky, Oregon Clean Energy and Pro-Medica.
While the Northwestern Ohio Building Trades Council will rely on traveling tradesmen and tradeswomen to help with the shortage, the ultimate goal is to develop more homegrown talent.
For this, they need to attract high school and college-aged individuals into their apprenticeship programs.
UA Local 50 is one of the trades aggressively recruiting young men and women into its ranks.
As one of the nation’s premier UA locals, Local 50 has turned to the internet, radio and television marketing to attract people to its apprenticeship program. They are also working to recruit experienced construction workers into their ranks as well in order to help shore up the shortages they face in HVACR technicians, welders, pipefitters and plumbers.
If you are interested in learning more about the services we provide at BMA Media Group, click here.
LaborTools powered by BMA Media Group is used to help strengthen our union client’s organizations. From working with unions from the local level to the international, with training funds and labor management partnerships, as well as other labor organizations, BMA has experience with organizations of all sizes. We are here to create and implement unique and customized marketing campaigns for our clients.
At BMA, we offer services in the following categories: union event services (from writing the history of your union to executing the logistics of an event,) video production, website design, union marketing campaigns, print and broadcast advertising, social media management, development of print materials, building trades industry education, labor public relations and crisis management, union merchandise, as well as strategic branding and marketing of union organizations.
BMA Media Group is a Union Building Trades Contractor, signatory with International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union Local 673 and International Union of Painters and Allied Trades DC 6 / Sign Display and Allied Trades Local 639. BMA Media Group is also signatory with AFTRA and an affiliate contractor of the Cleveland Chapter of NECA.
