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Together Pittsburgh Day and Project Heats On, and by supporting such organizations as the Veterans Administration and many others, union building trades and contractors routinely give back to the community, often with little recognition or fanfare.
"We don't volunteer our services because we have to," said Steamfitters Local 449 Business Manager Ken Broadbent. "We do it because we care about our community and we have been blessed with a particular skill and ability to help our neighbors.
"When so many of our communities were flooded in 2004, there was a great ~demand and need for new water heaters, furnaces and other household appliances. "When the call for help went out, the response we received from our members was overwhelming."
There are more than 20,000 union building trade workers in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area including carpenters, electricians, plumbers, laborers, ironworkers, operating engineers, steamfitters, drywall finishers, cement masons and many others, each of whom possess and practice a unique skill as a result of the area's outstanding union apprenticeship and journeymen training programs.
These programs, which are funded by local unions and their affiliated contractors, provide excellent opportunities for men and women interested in a life-long career in the building trades and construction industry. The education is tuition free and the training centers are valuable resources for the local community.
"Our members and contractors are an integral part of this community," said Jason Fincke, Executive Director of the Builders Guild of Western Pennsylvania. "Many of us have our roots here. When we reach out to help someone, we're not helping a stranger. We're helping our neighbors, many of whom don't have the financial means or ability to help themselves.
"When a special call goes out for help to repair or rebuild someone's home that has been damaged by fire, flooding or just because of age, it is often union building trade workers and their contractors who respond. The spirit of being a part of the community and giving back to the community is what helps make this area so special."
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House Captain Steve Mazza, right, of the Greater Pennsylvania Regional Council of Carpenters works with 15 year journeyman Mark Simpronio on preparing ceiling panels for installation.
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