June 17, 2011_NWLP 6/14/11 10:10 AM Page 3
Construction unions have been training green for decades
SALEM — Green jobs are all the
rage now, but construction unions have
been training members to work green
for decades.
That’s the message a dozen union
locals delivered to Oregon lawmakers
June 2 with displays set up in the gal-
leria of the state Capitol.
“We don’t need training grants to
teach new workers in green industries;
we have people fully-trained and ready
to go to work. We just need the jobs,”
said John Mohlis, executive secretary
of the Oregon State Building and Con-
struction Trades Council.
Construction unions and their sig-
natory contractors operate state-of-the-
art facilities that train apprentices and
journey-level workers in retrofitting
buildings, installing solar panels, prac-
ticing energy- and water-saving tech-
nologies, clearing asbestos and mold,
and more. And they do it on their own
dime, without any taxpayer dollars.
Stan Danielson, business manager
of Heat & Frost Insulators Local 36,
said insulators have been green since
1913.
“We’re greener than trees,” he said,
pointing to a chart showing carbon
dioxide (CO2) emissions reduced by
2,308 pounds a year when wrapping a
foot of 3-inch diameter steam pipe run-
ning at 350-degrees Fahrenheit with 2-
inch-thick insulation. A tree, on the
other hand, cuts only 50 pounds of car-
bon emissions a year, while a compact
fluorescent light bulb reduces CO2
emissions by 130 pounds annually.
Clint Mapes, director of the Oregon
and SW Washington Roofers & Water-
proofers training program, said his
trade has been installing green roofs
(vegetation) since the 1970s. “You still
have to put down a solid base. It’s UV
(ultraviolet rays) that kills a roof,” he
said. “You can get more years with a
plant roof.”
The Laborers Union also was there
promoting its “Weatherize for Good”
program with The High Road Contrac-
tors & Community Alliance. The pro-
gram offers homeowners low-interest
loans through Clean Energy Works
Oregon to make home energy im-
provements. In addition, the program
pairs homeowners with pre-qualified
contractors that are committed to cre-
ating quality jobs and investing in lo-
cal community organizations. For
more information, call 503-893-9240.
One bill that construction trades of-
ficials are eager to see come to fruition
this legislative session is HB 2960. The
“Cool Schools” Initiative directs the
State Department of Energy to estab-
lish a program to provide grants and
loans to support energy efficiency or
clean energy projects, including proj-
ects to weatherize, upgrade or retrofit
public schools. Studies show that for
every $1 million invested in energy ef-
ficiency upgrades, as many as 15 fam-
ily-wage jobs are created.
Mohlis said the legislation will put
people back to work in every corner of
the state, free up dollars for classrooms
that would otherwise be spent on en-
ergy bills, all the while lowering the
state’s carbon footprint and reducing
the overall impact on the environment.
HB 2960 passed unanimously in the
House June 13. At press time, it was
still awaiting action in the Senate.
Ron Copenhagen, an instructor at the UA Local 290 Training Center, tries his hand at a virtual spray painting
simulator as Harry Kalin, an instructor at the Western Oregon/SW Washington Regional Training Center of Painters,
Drywall Finishers and Allied Trades, looks on. The computerized program helps train painters to spray paint more
efficiently and in a more environmentally-friendly manner by completely eliminating paint wastage and chemical
toxins. Marci Wichman, assistant training coordinator at Local 290, is sitting in the background.
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