The United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada (UA) is a multicraft union whose members engage in the fabrication, installation and servicing of piping systems. UA members â welders, pipefitters, plumbers, sprinkler-fitters and HVACR (heating, ventilation, air-conditioning and refrigeration) technicians â are involved in just about every aspect of construction involving piping, from the space program to nuclear power plants to refineries to shipbuilding.
There are approximately 340,000 highly skilled UA members who belong to 278 individual local unions across North America. Founded in 1889, the UA is one of the most respected and influential building trades unions in the U.S. and Canada today. It serves as a collective voice for workers through negotiation and collective bargaining with employing contractor groups such as the Mechanical Contractors Association of America and the National Association of Plumbing- Heating-Cooling Contractors. The UA is also a key member of the Building and Construction Trades Department, the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations, and the Canadian Federation of Labour.
For over a century, the UA has been training the most highly qualified workers in the U.S. and Canada and boasts the premier training programs available in the industry today. Over the past several decades, the UAâs training programs have produced a stable, skilled workforce responsible for building and maintaining piping systems in the various industrial and residential facilities that make up the North American landscape. No one can match the UAâs commitment or investment. The UA spends over $200 million annually on training program efforts for its journeymen and apprentices in over 300 local training facilities at any given time.
In 1936, the UA had the first nationally registered joint apprenticeship program in the U.S. and is now proudly entering its eighth decade. UA apprentices learn through both classroom and on-the-job training in what is considered by many to be the best construction industry apprentice program in the world. The five-year apprenticeship period is divided into one-year segments, each of which includes 1,700-2,000 hours of on-the-job training and a minimum of 246 hours of related classroom instruction. All UA apprentices receive a strong general education background in the trade, with core courses in basics such as mathematics, mechanical drafting, and related science. At an appropriate juncture, apprentices can choose a specific curriculum to pursue with the goal of becoming a journeyman plumber, pipefitter, sprinkler fitter or an air-conditioning/ refrigeration service technician.
Once UA members complete their five-year apprenticeships, they become full-fledged journeymen. However, their education in the trade is by no means over at this point. In fact, UA members are very serious about pursuing lifelong training, and most of them take advantage of the many opportunities they have to update and expand their skills. In addition, all UA members are eligible to earn college degrees as part of their training. UA apprentices earn 32 college credits through Washtenaw Community College upon successful completion of their apprenticeship. These credits can be used to earn an associateâs degree in construction supervision, industrial training, HVACR or general studies. Students with prior college experience can transfer their credits into the program as well. And it doesnât end there. UA associateâs degree graduates can transfer into bachelorâs degree programs offered through various colleges and universities.
Certification programs
Certification is an integral and essential component of the piping industry. With the increasingly complex and challenging work that must be done by the modern pipe mechanic, it is almost required that craftsmen seek some form of official validation of their skills. The UA provides certifications in multiple areas, which guarantee the craftspeople its contractors and users hire have been tested and meet the highest standard of the industry. In addition to the considerable prestige and knowledge that comes with being a UA journeyman, UA members can also pursue these certifications in a variety of specialized areas, such as welding, industrial valve maintenance and repair, instrumentation and industrial rigging.
Welder Training and Certification Program
To provide comprehensive training and qualification of its member welders, the UA established the UA Welder Training and Certification Program (WCP), which is without parallel in the building and construction industry. There are more than 340 training schools owned and/or supported by the UA throughout North America. Since its inception in 1993, the UA's WCP has provided over 350,000 welding tests.
Welders are tested on the welding processes most commonly used on the majority of construction projects. Welders can choose to seek certification in any or all processes. The flexible program can accommodate special requirements of users and contractors. A user can request welders be tested and certified for a specialized procedure that may be needed on a new or unique process. The program provides fully trained, pre-tested, certified and immediately available journeymen welders throughout the U.S. and Canada at no cost to the construction user. The UA WCP is accepted by owners and contractors such as American Electric Power, BP, Entergy, ConocoPhillips, Fluor, Ashland/ Marathon, Commonwealth Edison, Shell Chemical, Black & Veetch, and Bechtel. As a demonstration of industryâs recognition of the significant benefits of the program, the WCP received the Construction Users Roundtableâs prestigious Workforce Development Award in 2005.
Accelerated welder training program
To address the shortage of trained and qualified welders in the construction industry, the UA established an accelerated welder training program. Students are invited to participate in the training program at no cost on a voluntary basis. The training program is approximately 18 weeks in duration, consisting of 40-hour weeks and eight-hour days. Classes are administered by UA instructors and are held daily Monday-Friday at a designated UA training facility. Participants who complete the requirements of the welder training program are eligible for the UA Apprenticeship Program. To date, over 1,500 individuals have successfully completed this program and are working as UA-certified welders.
American Welding Society Certified Welding Inspector (AWS-CWI) certification
The AWS-CWI certification is widely recognized both nationally and internationally in the welding industry. Individuals becoming CWIs help ready the unionized workforce to fulfill current and future welding industry needs. Many UA CWIs are currently putting their skills to work by ensuring the integrity of welded assemblies, assisting contractors in reading project specifications, and assisting in evaluating projects to determine compliance to applicable codes and standards. In this time of incredible growth and demand for highly qualified welders in the construction industry, it is only fitting the UA show the world it holds its testing and qualification processes to the highest standards.
To help members obtain the AWS-CWI credential, the UA offers a CWI training program. This intensive course is designed to prepare participants to successfully complete the AWS-CWI examination. The UA CWI course provides a more personalized instructional environment, in which fellow UA members already certified as CWIs participate as instructors during the course seminars. The seminars also provide an opportunity to meet and share experiences with other seasoned UA professionals from a variety of industries. This interactive format offers the opportunity for individuals to share and learn from their peers, who collectively have many years of experience. To date, there are over 900 UA members who have obtained their AWS-CWI certification through the UA CWI training program.
UA instructor training program
Educating the instructors who teach in local union training programs is just as important to the UAâs training efforts as the apprentice and journeyman training the instructors will provide to others. UA instructors must be kept abreast of any technological changes, such as the newest methods and latest equipment, as well as any codes and regulations that affect what they teach. The UA has developed a well-respected and highly effective college- accredited program of instructor education consisting of five one-week sessions over a period of five years.
Mobile training trailers
The UA currently operates a fleet of mobile training trailers. Twenty of those trailers are specifically designed for training and testing welders. The newest weld trailer is equipped with state-of-the-art welding equipment consisting of automated and mechanized weld machines used in the power and petrochemical industries. The other types of trailers are âgreenâ trailers equipped with the very latest equipment for training members in todayâs green technology. The UA has process piping, instrumentation, plumbing, sprinkler fitting and HVCAR trailers. These trailers are in use throughout the U.S. and Canada, and several of the weld trailers are located at multibillion-dollar jobsites to provide additional support for training and testing on site-specific welding processes. The use of mobile trailers provides the UA with the capabilities to train its members wherever and whenever they are needed.
