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About Northwest labor press. (Portland , Ore.) 1987-current | View Entire Issue (July 6, 2012)
Laborers Local 296 signs two home energy contractors Abacus and Faison are the first to sign long-term union contracts Portland-area homeowners now have a union option when they’re ready to save money and the planet with a “home-energy retrofit.” On June 1, two general contractors, Abacus Energy So- lutions and Faison Energy Solutions, signed a two-year contract with Labor- ers Local 296, agreeing to pay the new union scale for weatherization: $16.48 an hour, with 3 percent annual raises, health insurance, and four paid holidays and a week of paid time off per year for full-time employees. The retrofits usually begin with an “energy audit” to determine where a home is wasting energy. In older houses especially, money often goes up the chimney and out the window. Insulat- ing is relatively inexpensive and brings the biggest bang for the buck, not to mention increased comfort. Those who want to go the extra mile look at more efficient furnaces, tankless water heaters, energy-efficient windows, even rooftop solar panels. Abacus and Faison manage all phases of the retrofit, and TAKING THE HIGH ROAD: From left, Faison Energy Solutions manager Dave Hammond, Laborers organizer Ben Nelson, Abacus co-owner Jim Plantico, and Laborers Local 296 Business Manager Ken Morgan can help get financing as well, with a state program known as Clean Energy Works Oregon. Locally and nationally, the Laborers Union has been pushing home energy retrofits as a growth industry. But break- ing into the largely nonunion residential remodel sector has been slow going. In early 2010, the Oregon Laborers Train- ing Center trained workers in weather- ization, only to see most of them fail to find employment. Later that year, the union’s patient involvement yielded what seemed like a promising result: Six contractors signed the equivalent of a project labor agreement to retrofit homes in Portland’s Cully neighbor- hood. But when the project ended, so did the union affiliation. Now Abacus and Faison — two of those six contractors — have decided to throw their lot in with the union. Part of the appeal is a commitment by the La- borers — joined by community allies like the Metropolitan Alliance for Com- mon Good and Ecumenical Ministries of Oregon — to aid in generating busi- ness. The partners formed a group, the High Road Contractors and Commu- nity Alliance, and meet every other week to strategize on marketing. Faison and Abacus have 12 employ- ees total. For now, the work is too er- ratic to enable the contractors to enroll in the union-sponsored health trust, which requires 130 hours a month of work. But the contract commits them to pay for health insurance for their em- ployees, and half the cost of dependent health care. That sets them apart from nonunion competitors, they say. The home energy retrofit market it- self has enormous potential, but growth has been fitful as incentives come and go and federal grants are awarded and spent. A city-wide pilot project, now rolled out statewide as Clean Energy Works Oregon, takes away the biggest obsta- cle, though — financing. Qualifying homeowners get financing for the retro- fits, and can repay the loans on their en- Teamsters Dental Center 1890 NE 162nd Ave. Portland, OR ergy bills. Homeowners can plug into the pro- gram and get a union-signatory energy audit at weatherizeforgood.org or by calling 503-893-9240. $17 a month coverage includes: www.legalshield.com/info/randallnix You don’t have to be a Teamster to enjoy the benefits of our dentists 503-257-9836 WE OFFER A COMPLETE RANGE OF QUALITY SERVICES WITH LITTLE OR NO OUT OF POCKET COSTS TO YOU *: PHOTOSTOCK • Comprehensive Exam and Diagnosis • Tooth-Colored Fillings • Porcelain Veneers • Crown & Bridge • Dentures & Partials • Root Canal Therapy • Invisialign • Implants • Oral Surgery, IV & Oral Sedation • Cosmetic Dentistry • Complimentary Second Opinion * Depending on your insurance plan $100 credit towards any dental procedure (Limit one per person) JULY 6, 2012 Expires 7/31/2012 11103 SE Main St., Suite B, Milwaukie 503-654-0613 9 Monroe Parkway, Suite C Lake Oswego 503-635-3431 NORTHWEST LABOR PRESS serving you at four additional locations 8070 SW Hall Blvd. Beaverton 503-644-1110 570 SE Baseline Rd. Hillsboro 503-844-0777 PAGE 5
