Across the UBC’s 11-state Southern District, membership is up 13.5% in 2019. Work opportunities are diverse and plentiful. Union contractors are winning work and getting reliable manpower from carpenter and millwright union halls - professionals who complete projects with unsurpassed skill, attention to safety, and productive job sites. Training programs are hosting full classes and piloting innovative programs to keep pace with, and anticipate the needs of, employers and project owners.

All of this positive news is the result of consistent communication and solid teamwork among the four regional council ESTs and their staffs, the six training program directors and their staffs, and the signatory contractors who employ union carpenters and millwrights every day. At the third consecutive UBC Southern District Labor-Management Conference, held recently in Orlando, this collaboration was not only highlighted, but celebrated and re-committed to continue well into the future.

“We are enjoying this level of success because of the shared commitment to collaboration between employers and the carpenters union,” said UBC Southern District Vice President Dennis Donahou. “We regard each other as partners in every sense of the word.”

Partnership was the overriding theme at the Conference, which featured information sessions and networking opportunities over a two-day span. A group of about 250 labor and management representatives worked through an aggressive agenda to cover a variety of topics. Presentations included reports on emerging industries, market-share expansion projects, recruitment, training and leadership development program updates, and political and marketing reports.

The Conference also welcomed UBC General Vice President Frank Spencer, who stressed the importance of Labor-Management collaboration and congratulated the model of teamwork that exists throughout the Southern District.

A vast amount of contractors in attendance were repeat participants from the 2017 and 2018 Conferences.

“This event is a critical strategy to ensure we understand what our employers may need at any given time, on any given job site,” DVP Donahou said. “Likewise, coming together to discuss issues is also an effective way to expand marketshare and put more members to work. We look forward to the next Conference."