Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 119

MEMBER AND LOCAL UNION RESPONSIBILITIES:

 

·       To ensure the UA Standard for Excellence platform meets and maintains its goals, the Local Union Business Manager, in partnership with his implementation team, including shop stewards and the local membership, shall ensure all members,

 

·       Meet their responsibilities to the employer and their fellow workers by arriving on the job ready to work, every day on time (Absenteeism and tardiness will not be tolerated.)

 

·       Adhere to the contractual starting and quitting times, including lunch and break periods (Personal cell phones will not be used during the workday with the exception of lunch and break periods.)

 

·       Meet their responsibility as highly skilled crafts workers by providing the required tools as stipulated under the local Collective Bargaining Agreement while respecting those tools and equipment supplied by the employer

 

·       Use and promote the local union and international training and certification systems to the membership so they may continue on the road of lifelong learning, thus ensuring UA crafts workers are the most highly trained and sought after workers

 

·       Meet their responsibility to be fit for duty, ensuring a zero tolerance policy for substance abuse is strictly met

 

·       Be productive and keep inactive time to a minimum

 

·       Meet their contractual responsibility to eliminate disruptions on the job and safely work towards the on-time completion of the project in an auspicious manner

 

·       Respect the customers' property (Waste and property destruction, such as graffiti, will not be tolerated.)

 

·       Respect the UA, the customer, client and contractor by dressing in a manner appropriate for our highly skilled and professional craft (Offensive words and symbols on clothing and buttons are not acceptable.)

 

·       Respect and obey employer and customer rules and policies

 

·       Follow safe, reasonable and legitimate management directives

 

 

EMPLOYER AND MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBLITIES:

 

MCAA/MSCA, PFI, MCPWB, PCA, UAC and NFSA and their signatory contractors have the responsibility to manage their jobs effectively, and as such have the following responsibilities under the UA Standard for Excellence.

 

·       Replace and return to the referral hall ineffective superintendents, general foremen, foremen, journeyworkers and apprentices

 

·       Provide worker recognition for a job well done

 

·       Ensure that all necessary tools and equipment are readily available to employees

 

·       Minimize workers' downtime by ensuring blueprints, specifications, job layout instructions and material are readily available in a timely manner

 

·       Provide proper storage for contractor and employee tools

 

·       Provide the necessary leadership and problem-solving skills to jobsite supervision

 

·       Ensure jobsite leadership takes the necessary ownership of mistakes created by management decisions

 

·       Encourage employees, but if necessary be fair and consistent with discipline

 

·       Create and maintain a safe work environment by providing site specific training, proper equipment and following occupational health and safety guidelines

 

·       Promote and support continued education and training for employees while encouraging career building skills

 

·       Employ an adequate number of properly trained employees to efficiently perform the work in a safe manner, while limiting the number of employees to the work at hand, thereby providing the customer with a key performance indicator of the value of the UA Standard for Excellence

 

·       Treat all employees in a respectful and dignified manner, acknowledging their contributions to a successful project

 

·       Cooperate and communicate with the job steward

 

 

PROBLEM RESOLUTION THROUGH THE

UA STANDARD FOR EXCELLENCE POLICY:

 

Under the UA Standard for Excellence it is understood, that members through the local union, and management through the signatory contractors, have duties and are accountable in achieving successful resolutions.

 

 

MEMBER AND LOCAL UNION RESPONSIBILITIES:

 

·       The local union and the steward wilt work with members to correct and solve problems related to job performance.

 

·       Job stewards shall be provided with steward training and receive specialized training with regard to the UA Standard for Excellence.

 

·       Regular meetings will be held where the job steward along with UA supervision will communicate with the management team regarding job progress, work schedules, and other issues affecting work processes.

 

·       The job steward shall communicate with the members about issues affecting work progress.

 

·       The business manager or his delegate will conduct regularly scheduled meetings to discuss and resolve issues affecting compliance of the UA Standard for Excellence policy.

 

·       The steward and management will attempt to correct such problems with individual members in the workplace.

 

·       Individual members not complying with membership responsibility shall be brought before the Local Union Executive Board, which will address such members' failure to meet their obligation to the local and the UA, up to and including filing charges. The local union's role is to use all available means to correct the compliance problem.

 

 

EMPLOYER AND MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBLITIES:

 

·       Regular meetings will be held where the management team and UA supervision will communicate with the job steward regarding job progress, work schedules, and other issues affecting the work process.

 

·       Management will address concerns brought forth by the steward or UA supervision in a professional and timely manner.

 

·       A course of action shall be established to allow the job steward and/or UA supervision to communicate with higher levels of management in the event there is a breakdown with the responsible manager.

 

·       In the event that the employee is unwilling or unable to make the necessary changes, management-must make the decision whether the employee is detrimental to the UA Standard for Excellence platform and make a decision regarding his/her further employment.

 

 

ADDITIONAL JOINTLY SUPPORTED METHODS OF PROBLEM RESOLUTION:

 

·       In the event an issue is irresolvable at this level, the local or the contractor may call for a contractually established labor management meeting to resolve the issues.

 

·       Weekly job progress meetings should be conducted with job stewards, UA supervision and management.

 

·       The local or the contractor may involve the customer when their input is prudent in finding a solution.

 

·       Foremen, general foremen, superintendents and other management should be educated and certified as leaders in the UA Standard for Excellence policy.

Standard_for_Excellence_Logo2a_5188.jpgStd_for_Excell_pres_messageb.jpgRed_line_BD21318_.GIFStandforSafety-front.pngStandard_for_Excellence%2C_p1.jpg

 

"Safe practices should be second nature to every UA member,

and all UA members should demand such practices of one another.

If you see someone doing something that is unsafe, call them on it.

Don't ignore it. Demand that they do what's safe, not just what's

convenient at the time."

 

 

 

BROTHERS AND SISTERS:

 

            As we've said so many times before, every worker has a right to go home from the job in the shape as when he or she arrived at the workplace. That right can be destroyed in the blink of an eye.

 

            The United Association has always had a strong safety program, and it continues to be a top priority of my administration. We now have a UA Standard for Safety which is based on common sense issues and is intended to compliment contractor or owner safety programs. This Standard is part of our ongoing commitment to protecting the health and safety of our members. The Standard is intended to help meet the contractor's responsibilities to provide a safe workplace. To me, this Standard for Safety is as critical to our organization as the Standard for Excellence. The very lives of our members depend on it.

 

            This is an outline of what you can do to keep yourselves safe, to help promote safe jobsite habits, not just in yourselves but in others, and to create a workplace culture that puts safety first.

 

            When I talk about creating a culture of safety, I mean that I want UA worksites throughout the U.S. and Canada to have safety at the forefront at all times. Safe practices should be second nature to every UA member, and all UA members should demand such practices of one another.

 

            A safe workplace is also a productive workplace. Smart contractors know that if they promote a jobsite culture that puts safety first, they will ultimately be more profitable.

 

            Owners today want safe jobsites, and they are demanding that their contractors place a priority on safety. When we tell contractors that we have the best-trained workforce in the world and that's why they

should employ UA members, we have to include safety in that equation. Our Standard for Safety will show our contractors and their customers that we are serious about safety, that we are intent on making the best

safety practices an inherent part of the craftsmanship that goes with being a UA member.

 

            I ask you to support this effort in the months and years ahead. Your own life may someday depend on it, too.

 

Fraternally yours,

 

William P. Hite

General President

 

 

 

MEMBER AND LOCAL UNION RESPONSIBILITIES:

 

·                 Take pride in working safely

·                 Never take shortcuts or chances

·                 Always wear the proper personal protective equipment

·                 Pay attention at safety meetings

·                 Don’t try something if you don't know how to do it

·                 Make Sure your work area is clean and well lit

·                 Keep walkways clear

·                 Focus on your task at hand

·                 Know where the exits are

·                 Lift with your legs and push rather than pull a heavy load

·                 Inspect all rigging equipment prior to use

·                 Remove defective equipment from service immediately

·                 Never work under a suspended load

·                 Use and place ladders carefully

·                 Never stand on the top two rungs of a ladder

·                 Fall protection to be worn when exposed to a fall of 6 feet or more

·                 Never attempt to move a person who has fallen unless they are in immediate danger

·                 Learn CPR, first aid and emergency procedures

·                 Don’t overload electrical outlets

·                 Report near misses

·                 Keep hazardous substances off of skin and clothing

·                 Report exposures to your employer

·                 Know the hazards of the materials you work with

·                 Never take lunch boxes into work areas where chemicals may contaminate your food

·                 Carry sharp tools with the points down

·                 Lock out Tag out machinery before repairing it and prove that it is de-energized

·                 Inspect tools for damage and repair or remove from service

·                 Check for fraying on power cords

·                 Have properly guarded tools

·                 Dress right for heat or cold

·                 Long hair should be tucked away under hard hat or cap, especially when working around moving

equipment

·                 Always wear long sleeved shirts when working with welders or around steam

·                 If you wear prescription glasses, have your eyes checked annually

·                 Stay alert and get the proper amount of sleep

·                 When taking medications, know the side effects such as dizziness, etc.

·                 When working shift work, never drink alcohol within 8 hours of your shift

·                 All UA jobs have zero tolerance for drugs and alcohol

·                 In the hot summer months, drink plenty of water to stay hydrated and avoid heat stroke

·                 Cell phones are to be used at break and lunch time only

·                 Always put caps on oxygen and acetylene bottles when transporting them

 

 

EMPLOYER AND MANAGEMENT RESPONSIBILITIES:

 

·                 Store flammables correctly

·                 Lock out Tag out machinery before repairing it

·                 Check for fraying on power cords

·                 Remove unsafe tools from service

·                 Have properly guarded tools

·                 Provide adequate sanitary facilities

·                 Supply first aid kits with periodic inspections

·                 Treat injuries promptly

·                 Provide safety training

·                 Require pre-task planning for potentially hazardous tasks

·                 Provide proper ventilation

·                 Plan the job before you start

·                 Provide Material safety data sheets

·                 Have basic, standard personal, protective equipment available for use

·                 Require fall protection to be worn when exposed to a fall of 6 feet or more

·                 Maintain rigging equipment in safe operating condition

·                 Remove defective equipment from service immediately

·                 Encourage all foremen and general foremen to advance and take OSHA 30 when available. (This will increase their safety awareness, like recognizing if a scaffold is built properly before they ask their UA brothers and sisters to get on a dangerous scaffold.) "UA 10 & UA 30 are available at no charge in many Local Unions.”

 

 

In Canada the above safety regulations fall under either the Workers Compensation Board or the Provincial Safety Authority.

Standard_for_Safety_logo1.png