UA Local 56 - Dartmouth Nova Scotia

UA LOCAL 56 COVID 19 UPDATE

June 8 / 2020

I hope that all members and their families are healthy and safe in these challenging and changing times that have fallen upon us with the Covid pandemic. We have seen hundreds of layoffs putting our members out of work due to collateral damage of the virus, some projects closed their doors completely while others made adjustments to support “social distancing” and other Health Canada recommendations to ensure the projects continued to move forward.

Recently we have seen some light at the end of the tunnel with some of the state of emergency restrictions being lifted to allow more everyday activity to resume. We look forward to more work opportunities in the coming months for our membership, sites are opening up and tenders are actively being bid.

There have been some hard decisions to make, some of the things we cherish dearly here cannot be done responsibly and safely with Covid restrictions in place and we cannot take risks that could jeopardize any ones health.

-All Recreation Events have been cancelled for the rest of the 2020 calendar year.
- Local 56 Golf Tournament is cancelled for 2020
- Years of Service Banquet for 2020 is cancelled.

UA Local 56 has remained open throughout this pandemic, we have closed the office doors to members and the public but have been on hand to run the day to day operation of both facilities. We will be opening the doors to allow members back on June 22 /2020. Please be mindful that we will have precautions in place to protect our staff and our members.

The Training Center will resume safety training and welder testing for members who have expired or due to renew certificates in the coming months. Class sizes will be much smaller to adhere to the Health Canada guidelines, our staff will diligently work towards maintaining a safe environment for learning.

At this time we cannot safely host a membership meeting. We are looking for a solution to this and hope to have something in the near future.

In closing I hope that all members and their families have a great summer. It will be different but at least we’ll have each other. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions or concerns.

Fraternally
Darren Muise
Business Manager / Financial Secretary
UA Local 56

Guidelines for a Safe Workplace

https://mainlandbuildingtrades.ca/blog/guidance-to-reduce-transmission-of-covid-19

EI benefits and support for workers impacted by COVID-19

Please use the below links to view information on EI benefits and support for workers impacted by COVID-19

https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei.html

https://www.canada.ca/en/department-finance/economic-response-plan/covid19-individuals.html#apply_employment_insurance

About the UA

The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada or "UA" as it is commonly known is a multi-craft union whose members are engaged in the fabrication, installation and servicing of piping systems. There are approximately 326,000 highly-skilled United Association members who belong to over 300 individual local unions across North America.

The United Association has been training qualified pipe tradesmen longer than anyone else in the industry. The UA boasts the premier training programs available in the industry today, including five-year apprenticeship programs, extensive journeyman training organized instructor training, and certification programs. Read more ...

Why UA?

UA Canada National Wellness Program

Your National Wellness Program provides financial support for expectant mothers, maternity and parental supplementary unemployment benefits. The program also includes immediate and confidential help for any work, health or life concern anytime and anywhere. Please review the below information for details about the program. Read more ...

History of Local 56

Halifax Local Union #56 was granted its UA charter in August 1908, as a Plumbers & Steamfitters combination local in the building, construction and metal trades divisions.

In August 1941 the charter was revised so as to include marine pipefitters and helpers because our members often branched out into the Dockyards as a means of sustaining steady employment. In early 1954, the Dockyard Trades and Labour Council became a bargaining agent for all trades in the Dockyard. The pipe shop members could not have Local 56 as their bargaining agent. As they wanted to remain UA members, they applied for and received a charter and formed UA Local 282. Read more ...

The Local 56 Training Centre

In 1992 United Association (UA) Local 56 built a combined administration/training facility and meeting hall. Prior to this, training was limited and usually done on an as needed basis. Space was rented from the local Community College, which was costly and constantly put a strain on local training funds. There was no access to welding shops, which was needed to provide upgrades, and pre-test practicing was non-existent.

In early 1993, the new building was completed with a welding shop and classroom space. With these facilities the quality of our welders improved through continued availability of upgrade training, as well as providing accessibility to members for practice. Read more ...