Millwrights are part of a high-demand, high-stress industry. Construction workers are SIX TIMES more likely to die by suicide than in a workplace accident, and millwrights have the second HIGHEST suicide rate of all construction trades. At a rate of 78 suicides per 100,000 workers, millwrights have almost double the construction industry’s rate of 43.5 suicides per 100,000 workers and are FIVE TIMES more likely to die by suicide compared to the general population.

As part of Mental Health Awareness Month, the SSMRC is teaming up with Domain Wellness Partners to provide information, tips, and guidance to help members stay strong mentally and live more satisfying and fulfilling lives. The framework for the information and resources we’re offering is a set of mental-wellness domains.

Click the button below to learn about the eight domains – and stay tuned as we provide more information about each one throughout the month of May.

Work across the Western Region is still going strong. We have continued to work several power-generation projects in each local’s jurisdiction, and we will soon begin our first wind-turbine-maintenance project in South Texas. We have ongoing and emergent work in the petrochemical industry across the Gulf Coast, keeping our members busy in that area. We have ongoing work at Tesla in Austin and Toyota in San Antonio as well. We have also recently started back to work at George Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston, and we are working on a new project at Will Rogers Airport in Oklahoma City. It appears that work will remain steady as we head into the summer months.

Millwrights are in high demand. If you are available, please reach out to your business agent and put yourself on the out-of-work list. If you are traveling outside of your home local jurisdiction for work, check in with the local that has jurisdiction where you are procuring work. Please take advantage of all opportunities to enhance your skill sets (for example: forklift, welding, aerial lift, rigging) through the training department.

The last three outages of a successful spring season are winding down and should be completed by the time you receive this newsletter. To review, there were 10 scheduled outages and one emergent at Grand Gulf, which we covered on short notice. Once again, the success of every outage season is contingent on our members, to whom I owe all the credit. Your dedication to our trade and the nuclear industry are highly recognized by our contractors and utilities.

At the end of every season, I do an analysis, and I would like to share some of the data. This spring, the total manpower requested for the 11 outages was 542. Four slots spread over three outages were not filled. This was mainly due to members dropping out for various reasons late in the report dates, and site management opted not to replace them.

Of the members dispatched, 75% were from the SSMRC and 25% were traveler members from outside our council. That is the highest percentage of travelers since the fall season of 2016, when the Nuclear Office was opened. Over that span of years, the combined average utilization of SSMRC members was 81%. One hundred and six members were able to work two outages, with approximately 80% of those being SSMRC members. The average percentage of apprentices utilized was 32%.

In summary, the average of travelers utilized this outage season was slightly higher than usual. I attribute this to a high demand for millwrights in various industries throughout the SSMRC jurisdiction.

Overall, I give all our contractors’ high marks for collaborating with us to use as many SSMRC members as possible during these trying times of high demand. I appreciate their efforts as well – thank you!

The fall season also will have it hurdles as many of the outages are overlapping. The eight outages are: Vogtle, Arkansas Nuclear One (AN0), St. Lucie, Watts Bar, Turkey Point, STP, Comanche Peak, and Sequoyah. I have tentative schedules for most but expect changes. Unless there is a forced outage, I hope everyone has a safe and prosperous summer! Thank you again for your hard work, your sacrifices, and your support of the SSMRC and the SSMRC Nuclear Office.

Thanks to donations from SSMRC members, Millwright Local 1192 provided 100 meals on April 20 to miners on strike in Brookwood, Alabama. Local 1192 members Mitch Howton, a former coal miner, and Jack Wadkins, who heads Local 1192’s political operations, spearheaded a collection for the Brookwood miners. Read more.