New buildings trades training center opens to enthusiastic crowd
TC Palm, June 5, 2010
FORT PIERCE — The atmosphere: joyful, with a big splash of hope. And this in a room filled with people who make their living in the building trades — a group that hasn’t seen much reason to be happy in an economy turned sour on construction.
The St. Lucie County Green Collar Task Force building trades training center opened Saturday to a standing-room-only crowd and standing ovations from more than 300 would-be trainees, trainers, employers, partners and participating union members.
The center, on U.S. 1 in Fort Pierce in the former Sam’s Club, will provide apprentice and certification training for the building trades. The apprenticeship programs will last four to five years. Cross-trade certification training such as safety for individual workers is expected to begin this month.
The center in St. Lucie County, built with volunteer labor, donations and a grant, will make it possible for workers to get training that otherwise would cost them a 120-mile or more round-trip several times a week.
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My Word: This Labor Union Favors Rail
Orlando Sentinel, December 8, 2009
This week, legistlators are in Tallahassee working to finalize a commuter-rail deal in a special session. Although many obstacles remain toward accomplishing this long-awaited goal, opposition by those who are supposed to favor job creation should not be one of them.
Unfortunately, our brothers and sisters in some of Florida's largest labor unions are threatening to derail a commuter-rail pact, which could mean tens of thousands of jobs for skilled workers throughout our state.
Those of us who are on the front lines of Florida's unemployment crisis have a hard time understanding why a few union officials would want to play politics with a plan that could mean good jobs and good wages for thousands of their members.
We're union proud, but we're also common-sense smart.
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Miami-Dade's stadium OK is final hurdle for Marlins
Sun Sentinel, March 24, 2009
The Florida Marlins won the political equivalent of Game 7 Monday and should be able to begin construction of a new ballpark this summer. Miami-Dade County commissioners voted 9-4 to finance a $515 million ballpark and $94 million in parking lots at the former site of the Orange Bowl in Little Havana.
Approval was just about assured when commission chairman Dennis Moss, a stadium supporter, told his colleagues only "friendly" changes that didn't substantially alter the deal would be accepted and commissioners voted 9-4 to go along with Moss' requirement. Commissioner Bruno Barreiro, who pushed for the ballpark deal, rejected several proposed changes.
The county meeting began just after 1 p.m. Monday. Earlier, union carpenters, who support the stadium for the jobs they expect it to bring, held a lively rally in front of the Miami-Dade County government center, holding signs reading "We are here, we are ready, we'll work," and "Unemployed Voter." Inside, stadium opponents wearing signs that read "No Marlins Bailout" stood in a line snaking around the lobby waiting to fill the commission chambers.
Florida Rebuilds to Train Workers
Miami Herald, December 14, 2005
TALLAHASSEE - Reeling from two years of hurricanes, Florida has a critical shortage of roofers, carpenters and other construction workers needed to help rebuild homes and businesses, state officials said Tuesday.
To try to fill the gap, Lt. Gov. Toni Jennings announced the state will spend $6 million in the next few months to provide training to up to 4,000 people so they can enter the construction industry. The money will also be used to provide additional training to 1,000 workers already in the field. The program, called Florida reBuilds, will be limited to U.S. citizens.
A state survey of job needs taken this summer from 50,000 Florida employers showed nearly 14,000 vacancies statewide in the construction business -- long considered one of the mainstays of the state's economy -- with the highest number of vacancies in the Orlando area. Florida's housing industry had been riding a boom even before two years' worth of storms damaged thousands of homes across the state.
''We had a huge shortage before any of the hurricanes came through and that just amplified the whole problem,'' Jennings said.
When broken down by region, the survey, which was completed before Hurricane Wilma savaged South Florida, showed that Miami-Dade and Monroe counties did not have the same chronic need for construction help. At the time the survey was done, the largest single occupation needed in Miami-Dade and Monroe counties was elementary school teachers. There was also huge demand for nurses, office and administrative support as well as cooks, waiters and waitresses.
But survey results for Broward County did show that it has a need for roofers and construction workers, as well as nurses, office and administrative help, cashiers and financial services.
Florida will use $5 million in federal emergency grants to help pay for the training initiative and Gov. Jeb Bush will ask state legislators this spring to include an additional $12 million for the program in order to keep it going until 2007. Jennings said most of the programs will last from two to eight weeks.