In 2022, a new criminal justice center will open its doors in Indianapolis thanks to the hard work of Central Indiana IKORCC members. Its focus will be on diverting people from jail and furnishing them with mental health services. It’s the largest construction project in Indiana in recent years.
The new campus is replacing the existing jail and courthouse in downtown Indianapolis that was built almost 60 years ago. The new campus consists of four main structures totaling more than 1.3 million square feet. On the 140-acre site there is a four-story 3,000 bed detention center, an eleven-story courthouse, an Assessment Intervention Center and a professional office building. In addition to the structures, two 1,000 space-parking garages will be constructed on the campus.
IKORCC members completed the foundation, concrete, bridge work, interior systems, case and millwork, scaffolding, welding and floor covering for the project. At its peak, almost 200 members worked on the project creating very significant manhours from Locals 301, 1076, 364, 1016 and 133. Nearly 20 signatory contractors secured work on the justice center.
In addition to building major projects, the Greenwood team has also heavily focused on building stronger relationships with school corporations. We now have responsible bidder ordinances with six central Indiana school corporations. In the coming years, these schools plan to do over $525 million in construction projects. In addition, these partnerships give us access to students and create a strong pipeline for our apprenticeship.
“It’s a no brainer. When you’re trying to put together quality construction projects, you want the very best. So, it was very easy to convince us that having this as a part of our bidder process was in our best interest,” said Dr. Shawn Smith, Superintendent MSD Lawrence Township.
https://www.cmwcarpenters.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/rsw_1300h_800.jpeg8001199Kameron/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/CMWCarpenterslogoFIN.pngKameron2022-01-11 11:35:022022-01-11 11:35:02Building a Solid Foundation – Indianapolis-Area Update
The Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters has two Health & Welfare Funds, one for Indiana/Kentucky and another for Ohio. Both Funds are healthy with growing net reserves.
As of June 30th, 2021, the Ohio Plan’s net reserves are at seven months of reserves, up from five months last year. Net reserves are monies in the fund, which have no obligation against it and are used to pay our healthcare costs and fund expenses. The Indiana/Kentucky fund as of June 30, 2021 has 9.9 months of net reserves, up from 9.1 last year (a month of net reserves is equal to the average cost of healthcare expenses for one month). Both funds are operating well and expect continued growth of net reserves.
Effective September 1, 2021 the trustees of both funds were pleased to announce, that regardless of the amount of contributions received, all apprentices will be credited for all hours s/he attends school to receive training required by a training program affiliated with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. The apprentice shall be credited with an amount equal to the actual number of hours the apprentice attends school per week.
The Indiana/Kentucky fund’s Board of Trustees is pleased to announce that effective September 1, 2021, it has reduced its bank threshold (point at which monthly contributions received above required premium are allocated to participant’s bank) from $200 to $150. The ability to do this is a direct result of improving net reserves.
The UBC continues to work to provide the best prescription drug program available in the marketplace. Currently, the IKORCC and Ohio Health plans participate in a pharmacy benefit program negotiated on a national basis with Express Scripts, known as Level Care Pharmacy Program. This program covers over 30 participating Carpenter Funds throughout the country. In early 2021, after many months of review, analysis and negotiation, a new five-year agreement was finalized covering mail order, retail, and specialty drugs. The program is projected to save over $362 million over these 5 years for the participating Carpenters Funds, with over $40 million in projected savings for the IKORCC and Ohio plans.
You won’t want to miss all the great content inside our annual IKORCC magazine. Inside you’ll find a letter from EST Todd Pancake, updates from hubs across the council, important information on your pension and healthcare, infrastructure information, Sisters in the Brotherhood, training updates, recruitment efforts, and stories on the incredible impact IKORCC members have […]
“Congratulations to the newest journey level carpenters,” said UBC General President Douglas McCarron in a video address to graduates. “You’ve reached a milestone in your careers and you did it during some very difficult times. The pandemic affected your training, but you stayed strong and completed your apprenticeship.”
EST Todd Pancake congratulates the newest journey level carpenters at the IKORCC JATF apprenticeship graduation.
405 graduates completed their apprenticeship – the most graduates ever in Indiana and Kentucky. IKORCC Executive Secretary-Treasurer M. Todd Pancake told graduates there’s never been a better time to be a union carpenter.
“You may not realize it, but you’ve met a goal. And now it’s time to look ahead and set a new goal. There are more opportunities available today than I’ve ever seen in the industry,” said EST Pancake as he congratulated graduates and shared the plethora of opportunities in the job market for skilled tradespeople.
This year’s graduates overcame many challenges due to COVID-19, including taking portions of their 4th year classes online, in addition to meeting rigorous graduation requirements. These graduates are a vital addition to a workforce desperate for skilled tradesmen. Graduates were trained as carpenters, millwrights or floor coverers.
“Everything we do is about attitude. Everything you do is 100 percent attitude, so always remember that. We are many trades, but one United Brotherhood,” Jerry Burke, Director of Education for the IKORCC JATF said.
16 Veterans Graduate through Helmets to Hardhats
Congratulations and thank you to the 16 Helmets to Hardhats graduates that completed their apprenticeship and honorably served our country.
16 of the graduates honorably served in our nation’s military and took part in the IKORCC’s Helmets to Hardhats program. Helmets to Hardhats puts vets on a fast track to union apprenticeship and a rewarding career in carpentry after their military service.
Helmets to Hardhats graduates represented the US Marines, US Army, US Army Reserves, and the US Navy.
Continuous Training Sets Union Carpenters Apart
In a speech to graduates, Royce Peters, Executive Director of the Carpenters International Training Fund, encouraged graduates to be good mentors and continue their training. “This journeymen class is now walking on paths in the construction industry that are not only unprecedented but unimaginable. Technology is changing. The key to staying competitive in today’s construction world is training.”
A New Generation of Journeymen & Journeywomen
EST Todd Pancake and 2021 IKORCC JATF graduate speaker Brittany Grier of Local 413.
New journeywoman Brittany Grier, from the Warsaw Training Center and Local 413, inspired the room as the 2021 IKORCC JAFT graduate speaker. Brittany is a fourth-generation carpenter, third-generation union carpenter and a second-generation female carpenter. She’s a superintendent for Ziolkowski Construction.
“The union runs in my blood and I believe in its ability to unite and build,” she said. “We are undervalued profession, yet we earn more hourly than the average American. Plus, 100 percent of our benefits are paid for by the contractor out of their pocket.”
She added, “In this room are all new journeyman carpenters. We have this fresh start to strengthen the reputation of the union, raise our worth, which will raise our wage – it all starts here with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters. Uniting together, treating our brothers like family and in turn changing the industry of carpentry.”
View her full speech here:
https://www.cmwcarpenters.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/IMG_1526.jpg13652048Lacey Nix/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/CMWCarpenterslogoFIN.pngLacey Nix2021-10-05 15:36:092021-10-06 10:03:06405 Graduate from IN/KY Apprenticeship Program
Applications are now open for the IKORCC scholarship program. Forty $1,000 scholarships will be awarded in 2022 to eligible member’s dependent children. Twenty of the scholarships are awarded based on scholastics, and twenty others via a random drawing.
SAT or ACT scores. Twenty scholarships will be selected by random drawing.
The scholarship is to be used solely for the purpose of education in the form of tuition, room and board, and or books.
Sons, daughters, and dependent children of members of the Indiana /Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights are eligible for scholarships provided that:
The parent or guardian is now and has been a member in good standing of the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters for at least one year.
The son, daughter, or dependent child is a high school graduating senior.
The son, daughter, or dependent child will be attending a college, university, or trade school as a full-time student.
Application is received at the Council office prior to Friday, March 18, 2022.
All applications must include:
Signed and dated application form
Signed certificate from a local union official
Signed certificate from the high school principal
Official high school transcripts with grade point average
Scholarship applications must be received prior to Friday, March 18, 2022 at the Greenwood Council Office, located at 771 Greenwood Springs Drive, Greenwood, Indiana 46143.
https://www.cmwcarpenters.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Yellow-and-Monochrome-Mothers-Day-Facebook-Post-1.png788940Lacey Nix/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/CMWCarpenterslogoFIN.pngLacey Nix2021-09-22 13:56:232021-09-22 14:09:472022 Scholarship Applications Now Open
It’s Super Bowl week and we are celebrating by looking at the amazing NFL football stadiums union carpenters, millwrights and floorlayers have built in Indiana and Ohio. 🏈
Check out First Energy Stadium (home of the Cleveland Browns), Paul Brown Stadium (Home of the Cincinnati Bengals) and Lucas Oil Stadium (Home of the Indianapolis Colts).
Fast Facts:
First Energy Stadium home of the Cleveland Browns
Cleveland, Ohio
Completed in 1999, renovated in 2013
Turner Construction, General Contractor
Cost: $283 million
Capacity: 67,895
Suites: 143
Square Feet: 1.64 million
Paul Brown Stadium home of the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati, Ohio
Completed in 2000
Turner Construction, General Contractor
Cost: $385 million
Capacity: 65,535
Suites: 144
Square Feet: 1.85 million
Lucas Oil Stadium home of the Indianapolis Colts
Indianapolis, Indiana
Completed in 2008
Hunt Construction, General Contractor
Cost: 720 million
Capacity: 67,000
Suites: 139
Square Feet: 1.8 million
https://www.cmwcarpenters.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/firstenergystadium-1.jpg6951042Lacey Nix/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/CMWCarpenterslogoFIN.pngLacey Nix2021-02-05 15:16:522021-02-05 15:16:52Stadium Super Bowl
For Local 301’s Korey Luttman, the things he learned in his apprenticeship weren’t just a way to make money, they were a metaphor for his life. He shared his inspiring story of courage and perseverance at the Indiana/Kentucky graduation in October.
“It’s important to build your life on a solid foundation and have structure to keep you stable. When all the weight of the world is on your shoulders, this will keep you firm and stable in your life,” Korey said.
Korey’s foundation was not solid. He was raised in a broken home with parents that suffered from drug addiction. He jumped from school to school, without guidance he was angry and eventually started using drugs and getting into trouble with the police. By the age of 20, he was in prison. “During this point in my life, I was so lost and confused. But I knew I wanted more for myself.”
When he was released from prison, he focused on that goal. He got his life together, married his best friend Lindsey, had a baby girl and started building a future. Despite the better direction, he struggled with supporting his family. His landscaping job had low pay and no benefits. Then, a friend introduced him to Gary Trout, an IKORCC business rep.
Korey was nervous on the way to his interview. “It’s hard to find a job when you’ve served time,” he said. Then, Gary told him what the union is about and that was, “not judging people from their past, but accepting who they are in the present”.
Shortly after Korey started his apprenticeship, but the stresses of having a new baby, attending school and working sent him down a bad path. “During the 2nd year of my apprenticeship, the cracks of my foundation started to show and I turned back to alcohol and drugs to help me cope. I was putting a band-aid on something that needed stitches,” he said.
Korey said it was at this time God intervened. He joined a church, found his true identity and truly started building his life on a solid foundation. In February, Korey will celebrate three years of sobriety. Today, he gives back to the community by helping people overcome their addictions and find meaning in their lives.
His graduation speech was truly moving. We encourage you to watch the full video below:
https://www.cmwcarpenters.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/GRAD-02-scaled.jpg17062560Lacey Nix/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/CMWCarpenterslogoFIN.pngLacey Nix2020-12-23 17:07:092021-01-04 17:02:07Korey Luttman Inspires Crowd at Graduation
As states continue to reopen and coronavirus cases surge in many areas, healthcare workers are still battling COVID-19.
To show our appreciation for their continued dedication, we’ve thanked over 60 hospitals across Indiana, Kentucky, & Ohio. To our current and future ICRA (Infection Control Risk Assessment) partners, thank you for working on the frontlines. The importance of infection control during hospital construction has always been an integral part of our training & we are proud to partner with so many amazing facilities that put patient safety first.
Learn more about our Infection Control Risk Assessment training or our 8-hour ICRA classes at ikorcc.com/ICRA
https://www.cmwcarpenters.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/IMG_7605.jpg9601280Lacey Nix/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/CMWCarpenterslogoFIN.pngLacey Nix2020-06-15 08:45:532020-06-15 11:20:12Thank You Healthcare Heroes