EST Wayne Jennings has mandated the closure of all local union offices until April 6, 2020. At that time, we will determine next steps. We will continue to provide all forms of service and support to our members. For locals that do not have an online dues payment system in place, a staff member will go into the office one or two days a week to process dues payments. Local leaders will inform members of scheduled operation days.

Please use the contact information below to get in touch with your local representative. If you must visit an office to pay dues, please practice social distancing of 6 feet or more and wash your hands or complete hand sanitization upon entering and exiting the building.

Let your local union rep know if jobs are delayed or cancelled due to COVID-19 concerns. See below for further guidance on steps to take if your employment is affected.

Because local training classes and sessions at the Carpenters International Training Center are temporarily suspended, the Carpenters International Training Fund is extending qualification and certification credentials run through CITF for up to 90 days for members whose credentials are set to expire during the closures. This will allow affected members to remain on job sites. The extension includes rigging and building envelope certifications. CITF will monitor the situation and reevaluate every 30 days. If you have questions or concerns regarding the extensions, contact your business agent or training department.

Western Region – While work has slowed down significantly in some areas, it is picking up in others, and we need members to get on the available-for-work list if they aren't employed. Dallas County and Harris County in Texas are under shelter-in-place orders, and several other Texas cities and counties are facing similar orders. However, unless otherwise notified, members are allowed to leave their homes to work on our partners’ job sites. 

 

Eastern Region – Georgia's governor issued a shelter-in-place order March 23 for groups with “increased risk of complications” from COVID-19, and Atlanta's mayor has issued a citywide shelter-in-place order for all residents. (Click the link to the map below to see other affected areas of our region.) Members can still report to our partners’ job sites. The UPS St. Croix job site has postponed any new hires traveling to the island until further notice. The following information regarding Georgia Power’s Plant Vogtle Units 3 and 4 project was released March 24:

 

Through a voluntary program beginning later this week, if you self-identify with a high-risk condition, you may be offered certain precautions or paid leave after a review of your request. You will not be forced to leave the site or stop working because you self-identified.

Electric utilities and construction projects, such as the construction of Vogtle 3&4, are exempt from Georgia’s shelter-in-place order. The expanded on-site medical clinic in the main craft parking lot will is open to all badged Vogtle 3&4 team members as of March 24. It is open 24/7 and staffed with medical professionals who can administer tests for illnesses such as flu, strep, and COVID-19, if necessary.

 

Central Region – Members, contractors, and owners are having to operate outside of our everyday operations. Contractors and owners are making adjustments to maintain services while also trying to keep crews and workers’ loved ones at home safe. The central region is seeing some temporary plant closures and temporary layoffs. The Toyota/Mazda project in Huntsville, Alabama, is still underway. Toyota, Blue Springs, Nissan, Canton, GM, Honda, and Bridgestone have shut down production temporarily. Southern Company has implemented contingency plans and crews in response to the pandemic. Some upcoming power-generation projects are being pushed to the fall.

 

Birmingham, Alabama, is under a shelter-in-place ordinance until April 3. Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Mayor Walt Maddox issued a curfew (10 p.m. until 5 a.m.) that will be in effect through April 3. Nashville, Tennessee, Mayor John Cooper announced a “Safer At Home” order for Nashville residents lasting through April 6. Memphis, Knox County, Sumner County, and Chattanooga also are under safer-at-home orders. See the link to the map below for up-to-date state and local orders. Members are allowed to report to our partners’ job sites.

 

Click here for a map showing which states and cities are under shelter-in-place or safer-at-home orders.

 

Job Sites Note: We expect contractors and owners to make changes and requests to address the COVID-19 situation and safeguard their projects and facilities. Our Council and UBC will review these requests, provide guidance on how to respond, and communicate information to affected members.

Please consult the specific order(s) in place in your area, but, in general, these orders mean you should:

Several states in our region are changing their unemployment rules regarding waiting periods, job searches, etc. Click here to see updates from each state (alphabetically) as of March 23 at 10 a.m. Central Time.

If your job has ended or you have been laid off because of COVID-19, immediately contact your business representative. If there are no additional opportunities for employment through your union, then file for unemployment benefits as soon as possible. On March 18, President Trump signed into law a bill that expands unemployment benefits.

 

The resources below can help you begin the unemployment application process.

 

Please contact your  local training center for detailed policies and procedures.

Scammers are taking advantage of COVID-19-related fear and misinformation. Here are some tips to help keep malicious actors at bay:

Learn more at https://www.consumer.ftc.gov/features/coronavirus-scams-what-ftc-doing.

If you or a millwright you know is assisting your community, retired members, contractors, or facility owners in relation to COVID-19, please let us know. Helpful actions include taking food to retired members, organizing a drive to gather N-95 masks from job sites and take them to hospitals, and more. Keep your business agent and our communications director, Olivia McMurrey ( [email protected]), updated.

On March 18, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act was signed into law in the United States, and it gives new benefits to many workers whose families have been affected by the COVID-19 crisis.

Effective April 1, employees who cannot work or telework are quarantined due to a suspected COVID-19 infection, or because they were in contact with someone who has COVID-19, may be eligible for two weeks of paid sick leave from their employer. They may also be eligible for paid sick leave if they are forced to miss work and cannot telecommute in order to care for someone in their household who is sick, quarantined, or unable to attend school or daycare because it has been closed.

Click here to read more from the UBC’s analysis of the Families First Coronavirus Response Act.

COVID-19 symptoms include fever, cough, and shortness of breath and may appear 2-14 days after exposure. Learn more at the CDC’s COVID-19 Symptoms page.

Currently, no vaccine exists to prevent COVID-19. The best way to prevent the illness and avoid spreading it is to reduce exposure risks. Please follow these guidelines from the CDC: