Using a new technique called “virtual alignment,” Siemens Generation Services and Southern States Millwrights replaced 40-year-old machinery during a spring 2021 upgrade of Unit 1 at Farley Nuclear Station near Dothan, Alabama. The team completed the project, which increased the plant’s output by more than 26 megawatts and improved its reliability, 100 hours ahead of schedule. Read more about the project here.

Gratitude is an overarching theme in Emerson Romero’s life. He says he is thankful to be an adopted son of the United States of America and to count Millwright Local 729 as his family.

Romero was born in Guatemala, grew up in Mexico, and moved to the United States with his wife and son in 2013. He found work as a scaffold builder in Louisiana refineries. “Being there opened my eyes to a new world,” he said. “Inside of that new world was the millwright trade, and that was really appealing to me. I worked very hard to be a part of it and, well, here I am.”

Click here to read more about Emerson Romero.

Mitchell Howton knows what it’s like to work at the Warrior Met Coal mine in Brookwood, Alabama. He hasn’t forgotten being underground 14 hours a day, seven days a week, with the promise that next week he would get Sunday off – a promise that never materialized. “They push and push and push,” Howton said of Warrior Met Coal’s management. “They really only care about production.”

Howton left the Warrior Met Coal mine in 2017 and became a union millwright with Local 1192 in 2019. When he read in spring of 2021 that his former co-workers, who are members of the United Mine Workers of America, were striking for fair pay and benefits and safe working conditions, Howton knew what they were facing, and he wanted to help.

Click here to read more.

On behalf of training and in attendance was Rickey Moore, training director for the Mid-South Carpenters Regional Council Training Trust Fund. In conjunction with the labor-management meeting, the Mid-South Carpenters Training Trust Fund and VibrAlign held a laser-alignment class for any member willing to participate. Contractors witnessed the live training while touring the training facility.

 –Jeffrey Smith, Regional Director

After 45 years as a member of Local 1263 and 31 years as the local's business agent, Michael Hamilton will retire on Sept. 30. Mike will be greatly missed, and we wish him the best in retirement!

The SSMRC and two of its partners presented a scholarship tool package on Aug. 17 valued at more than $1,000 to Asia Lewis, a recent graduate of the Moore Community House Women in Construction Program in Biloxi, Mississippi.

The SSMRC funded the scholarship tools, and DEWALT made an in-kind donation of tools to support the Women in Construction Program and the scholarship package. The scholarship and donation are part of the Southeast Construction Owners & Associates Roundtable’s Craft Trades Scholarship Program.

Lewis is set to join Local 1192 and enter the millwright apprenticeship program in September.

Learn more about Lewis and the scholarship through media coverage here.

National Suicide Prevention Week was held earlier this month, and observing this event is particularly important in our industry. Millwrights are FIVE TIMES more likely to die by suicide compared to the general population. 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.

Now is a good time to check out the information, tips, and guidance the SSMRC and Domain Wellness Partners put together to help members stay strong mentally and live more fulfilling lives.

See the warning signs below and reach out to the resources listed if you or someone you know might be considering suicide.

All SSMRC members now have access to the United Brotherhood of Carpenters' online course "101 Constitution: U.S. Government and Labor Law," which is hosted online in the Department of Education and Training's Learning Management System. The self-paced, five-part course includes sections on:

SSMRC members can play a role in electing candidates who care about issues affecting union workers, our families, and our communities. This course provides valuable information that can shape an understanding of how the U.S. government and its labor laws operate.

You should be able to self-enroll for 101 Constitution at https://ubc-det.carpenters.org/ or by clicking the button below. You will need to log in using your carpen‌ters.o‌rg user ID and password. If you have any issues, please reach out to Ron Fritzemeier, IT director for the SSMRC, at rfritzemeier@ssmrc4070.org so he can help you register.

The Labor Department also honored essential workers this Labor Day. To read more of the department's Labor Day messages and see a video of a conversation between Walsh and third-year carpenter apprentice Joshua Nelson, click here.

COVID-19 deaths in the United States have increased 40% during the past two weeks, with approximately 1,900 deaths reported each day. New cases are declining in most southern states and increasing in the Mountain West and Upper Midwest. The South still leads the nation in average daily cases per capita.

To meet the demands of contractors, the UBC has launched an online portal to upload proof of COVID-19 vaccination through Training Verication Cards. The portal can be accessed through the UBC Mobile App or from your TVC Card.

After you upload a photo of your vaccination card and your local training center approves your submission, the image of your card will be removed from the system and no one will have access to it. Learn more and read answers to frequently asked questions here.