More than 1,300 members tuned in to our telephone town hall meeting Thursday evening. Thank you to all those attended and those who asked questions. If you were not able to take the call, you can listen to a recording of it that will be posted on our website by Monday. If we did not have time to answer your question, we will respond to you directly in the next week. EST Jennings also answers some additional questions in the video message below.

EST Wayne Jennings has begun recording regular video updates to keep members informed about how COVID-19 is affecting SSMRC, our members, and their work opportunities.

In this first message, he discusses the telephone town hall meeting held April 16, answers questions from members, and provides general updates.

If you have a question related to COVID-19 and our council and would like EST Jennings to answer it in an upcoming video message, please send it to [email protected] or leave a message at 855-57-SSMRC (855-577-7672). EST Jennings will answer as many questions as possible during the recordings, and we will respond directly to additional questions as well.

Despite COVID-19, our members working in the nuclear industry this spring have been part of one of the largest scheduled-outage seasons since we opened SSMRC's nuclear-industry office in 2016. Only one outage has been postponed.

Many of our members left their families for weeks during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic to support scheduled outages across our 11-state region. At the same time, our contractor and facility-owner partners have been taking many precautions to protect our members from the coronavirus. We still have three outages to go before the spring season is complete. David Bonds, SSMRC nuclear representative, thanks our members and partners in the letter here.

Western Region:

 

Local 216

 

Local 729

 

Local 2232

 

Local 1421

 

Central Region:

 



Click here to read a note by SSMRC Central Region Director Jeff Smith about the history and importance of the automotive industry in the central district.

 

Eastern Region:

 

-Because some employees on the Plant Vogtle Units 3&4 construction site have tested positive for COVID-19 and others are in quarantine, management has decided to implement a reduction in force to allow for better social distancing and increased efforts to control the environment on site. Management reached an agreement with the union to start by laying off those who agree to be laid off. Employees who are part of this reduction in force will be eligible for rehire ahead of others on the referral list. Click here to read more about the reduction in force.

-Individuals have the option of staying home if they feel unsafe coming to work. If a member chooses to stay home or is given a quarantine order from an offsite doctor, there is no compensation package. If an onsite doctor tells a member to quarantine, that member is given a compensation package equal to pay for 40 hours and per diem if they received it before.

The U.S. Internal Revenue Service has created an online tool that allows users to check the status of their economic-impact payments.

This application will give you information about:

Due to COVID-19, all SSMRC local meetings in the Central region (Birmingham, Memphis, Nashville, Chattanooga, and Oakridge) have been canceled for April. Local 2411 and Local 1000 also have cancelled their union meetings this month.

Members of other locals should contact their business agents (see contact information below) to inquire about April meetings.

Two new federal laws – the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the CARES Act) and the Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFCRA) – offer financial relief for workers who have been affected by COVID-19 through job loss, reduced hours, illness, loss of child care, and more. Click here to read frequently asked questions and answers and to access resources.

Because people are driving less due to COVID-19, fewer accidents are occurring, and auto insurers are paying fewer claims. As a result, many insurance companies are giving customers rebates. Click here to find out whether your insurer will refund a portion of your premiums.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced that as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the agency is extending by 180 days the expiration date of any Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) with an expiration date between March 1, 2020 and July 31, 2020. TSA indicates that because many states and localities have imposed “stay at home” and “social distancing” measures, it has made untenable the requirement that current TWIC holders seeking to renew their credential must do so in person and only at approved enrollment sites. Click here to read more.

If you need to get in touch with your local health and welfare fund, you can find contact information below.

Local 216:

Southern Benefits: 1-800-831-4914

Local 1421:

Austin Area

Texas Carpenters & Millwrights Fringe

Benefit Fund c/o Zenith Administrators

1300 S. Meridian, Suite 300

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73108

Phone: 1-800-422-6207

Fax: 405-682-2651

Arlington Area

Texas Carpenters & Millwrights Fringe Benefit Fund

c/o Zenith Administrators

1300 South Meridian, Suite #125

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73108

Phone: 1-800-422-6207

Local 729:

Louisiana Carpenters Regional Council Health Benefit Trust Fund

8875 Greenwell Springs Road

Baton Rouge, LA 70814

Phone: 225-927-6068 ext. 101

Phone: 225-927-6068 ext. 102 (To Check on Hours)

Toll Free: 1-888-922-3002

Fax: 225-927-9704

Local 1192:

AFL-AGC Health & Welfare Fund

P. O. Box 1492

Mobile, AL 36633

Phone: 251-438-4765

Fax: 251-432-0590

Local 1554:

Mid-South Carpenters Regional Council Health & Welfare

C/O Southern Benefit Administrators

P.O. Box 1449

Goodlettsville, TN 37070-1449

Phone: 615-859-0131

Toll Free: 1-800-831-4914

Local 1263:

Southern Benefit Administrators, Inc.

PO Box 1449

Goodlettsville, TN 37070-1449

Phone: 1-800-831-4914

Fax: 1-615-859-0818

Local 1000:

Southern Benefit Administrators, Inc.

PO Box 1449

Goodlettsville, TN 37070-1449

Phone: 1-800-831-4914

Fax: 1-615-859-0818

Please tell us about essential work you are performing as a millwright and let us know how you and your family are doing during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Click here to learn how to share your story.

We encourage eligible members to take the 15-minute COVID-19 Preparedness course to learn how to protect themselves and co-workers at job sites. Click here to find out how to access the course.

SSMRC local offices will remain closed through April 30. Please continue to stay in touch with your business agent through the contact information below, and let him know of any COVID-19-related job changes you experience. As always, we will 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.

If you would like to help your community respond to COVID-19, there are many volunteer opportunities:

Many parts of our 11-state region are under shelter-in-place or safer-at-home orders. Click here to see which states, counties, and cities are affected. In addition, Arkansas banned public and private gatherings of 10 or more people effective March 27.

Mississippi Power is helping prepare Camp Shelby, a military post near Hattiesburg, to house hundreds of hospital beds as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Mississippi.

The military installation is being outfitted to house 200 hospital beds as Mississippi nears what what its governor has called “peak resource use” in the fight against coronavirus.

Mississippi Power is providing Camp Shelby with a rented 400-ton, air-cooled chiller and a permanent chiller to keep the facility at a proper temperature and humidity level. Click here to read more.

Scammers are taking advantage of COVID-19-related fear and misinformation. Here are some particular scams to avoid: