|
 Printer-Friendly Version
Remarks Delivered by
U.S. Secretary of Labor
Elaine L. Chao
Carpenters Reception
Louisville, Kentucky
July 26,
2006
Thank you, Doug [McCarron, President, United Brotherhood of
Carpenters]. And thank you for the tour of this wonderful training
facility. I am glad to be here today to join you in the dedication of this
impressive facility.
I would also like to thank Bob Yeggy, Vice President for the Midwest
District. And David Tharp, the Executive Secretary-Treasurer for this council.
Monte Byers is also here with us today. Monte, it is always good to see
you.
I have been to many Carpenters training centers. I have spent two Labor
Days with Doug and President Bush in Carpenters training centers — one in
Kaukauna, Wisconsin, and one in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Of course, I have
also been to the state-of-the-art training center in Las Vegas and look forward
to seeing the expansion of the training center later in the year. Doug's stamp
is on each of these training facilities, and the commitment is very clear.
Most recently, I toured the Carpenters training center in Baton Rouge,
Louisiana, where your union is training carpenters in how to be effective
"second responders" following the devastation from a future hurricane or other
natural disaster. The Department of Labor awarded the Carpenters union a $1
million grant for disaster relief training, and I wanted to stop by to see the
progress in the training and encourage the members and the trainers in their
efforts.
I also recently expanded the Department of Labor's Alliance for a
Drug-Free Workplace. Two years ago, the Carpenters and three other unions
partnered with the Department to educate members on the dangers of alcohol and
drug use on the job and to encourage a culture at work that is drug-free.
Earlier this month, four new unions and five contractor associations joined the
Alliance in an unprecedented expansion, which includes not only labor
organizations, but also employers. The Carpenters joined the Department as an
inaugural member of this Alliance, and I thank you for being ahead of many of
the other trades in this effort.
Investing in your members is something that your union's founder, Peter
McGuire, felt strongly in. You will be glad to know that in 2005, I inducted
Peter McGuire into the Department of Labor's Hall of Fame, which pays tribute
to all of his contributions to enhance the quality of life for America's
workers. President McCarron was there to make remarks on behalf of Peter
McGuire, and it was a great day for the Carpenters family.
President McCarron is also known throughout the labor movement as a
leader who believes passionately in investing in safety and skills training for
his members. The United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners puts $100 million
each year into training. It teaches over 300 different courses in 250 centers
across the United States and Canada. These facilities train over 50,000
apprentices and 19,000 journeymen a year without charge.
This center is one of them. It will provide high quality training in
many different skills. It will train union members for carpentry, roofing,
flooring, and drywall. Carpenters will receive the skills and safety training
that they need to do their job well and to do it safely.
This center will also teach millwrights how to set up modern factory
equipment. Many of the millwrights keep our local economy moving by keeping
businesses and factories operational. Keeping them trained on the latest
technology and keeping them safe on the job is imperative.
The old training facility covered about 16,000 square feet, but this
new building that we stand in today covers 112,000 square feet. That means
seven of the old facilities could fit into this new facility. How impressive is
that?!
The old facility concentrated on training carpenters and millwrights in
the Louisville region. This new center, with so much more space, will provide
training for members from as far away as Ashland or across the river in
Southern Indiana. And it will provide courses in the evenings and weekends for
working carpenters and millwrights who want to continually upgrade their
skills. So this is a terrific resource for working men and women in this
region.
This center is critical not only to this region, but to America because
our country is facing a shortage of workers in the skilled trades. Every year,
new tools, new materials and new techniques are changing the way we all do our
jobs. So workers must continually upgrade their skills to build solid career
paths, no matter what their profession.
Finally, let me commend this center for teaching everyone, from the
newest apprentice to the veteran journeyman, the best safety practices. All of
us here — the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners, the U.S.
Department of Labor and the contractors — share a commitment to ensuring
that our nation's workers are the safest and healthiest in the world. Thank you
for working together toward this goal.
You have so much to be proud of with today's dedication of this
impressive, state-of-the-art training facility.
So thank you for inviting me here today.
And God bless you all!
| 
