Working with partnering contractor Boldt, SSMRC millwrights are helping to double the size of a Houston, Texas, medical center that delivers the most advanced and precise form of radiation therapy to cancer patients. The expansion means more people will have access to life-saving therapy.

“It’s one of those jobs where 20 years from now, when advances in proton cancer treatment are being discussed, our members can say, ‘I helped build that facility in Houston that does that,'" said James Rowland, director of the SSMRC's Western Region. Read more about the project.

Get the latest updates on construction of training centers in Russellville, Arkansas, and Nashville, Tennessee. Each center represents an investment of more than $5 million and will give members access to state-of-the-art training in the many industries millwrights serve.

Jeffery Phillips, a recent graduate of the Millwright Military Veterans Program, has experienced a crash course in on-the-job training since he transitioned out of the Army in August. Learn more about him.

Millwright Local 729 president and SSMRC delegate James Perniciaro passed away on Oct. 31 due to complications from COVID-19. He was a kind, compassionate, generous person and will be deeply missed by his family, friends, and union brothers and sisters. Read more about Jamie and see where to share your condolences, stories, and memories here.

SSMRC regional directors networked with representatives of automotive-industry manufacturers, suppliers, and contractors during the Southern Automotive Conference, held Oct. 13-15 in Birmingham, Alabama.

“It was an opportunity to build partnerships and get our name out there,” said Jeff Smith, director of the SSMRC’s Central Region. “Everybody was open and receptive and asked good questions about who we are and what we do.” The directors are following up with several contractors and facility owners who are interested in partnering with the SSMRC. Read more about the SAC event.

The SSMRC will send you a free t-shirt after you complete the online course "101 Constitution: U.S. Government and Labor Law," which is hosted in the United Brotherhood of Carpenters Department of Education and Training's Learning Management System.

At the beginning of each month, the council will mail t-shirts to members who completed the course during the prior month. If you have already taken the course, we will send your shirt in early December. Learn more about the course here.

Wayne Jennings, executive secretary treasurer of the Southern States Millwright Regional Council, has been a millwright for more than 30 years and has been instrumental in the SSMRC’s development. Click here to learn about his career journey and how he plans to keep our organization growing.

Active and non-active military personnel, veterans, first responders, and their families can attend the Nov. 20 Georgia State vs. Arkansas State football game for free. Create an account to request tickets here.

The bipartisan infrastructure plan signed into law Nov. 15 is expected to add an average of 2 million jobs per year in the United States during the next decade. Millwright work will be created through investments of $73 billion in electric-grid and power-generation infrastructure, $55 billion in water and wastewater infrastructure, and $25 billion in airports. In many sectors, the infrastructure plan will make the largest investments in history or in decades. Learn more about what's in the plan.

The White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment recently held a roundtable about improving the collective bargaining power of workers. “Unions are good for workers,” said Marty Walsh, secretary of the U.S. Labor Department and a former union leader. “They’re good for our communities, they’re good for our economy and they’re certainly good for our country.”

The U.S. economy added 531,000 new jobs in October, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics report, and the unemployment rate dropped to 4.6%.

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced on Nov. 4 an Emergency Temporary Standard on COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing. Two days later – after multiple lawsuits were filed – the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals put the new rule on hold until the court system decides its legality.

The rule requires businesses with 100 or more employees to ensure every worker is fully vaccinated – with paid time to get the vaccine – unless they require unvaccinated employees to undergo weekly testing and wear face coverings. Learn more about the rule and legal challenges to it.

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