Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust (LMCT) Executive Director Pete Ielmini joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast (AWF) and gave an update on the status of the Federal Mechanical Insulation Act (FMIA). He also discussed the combined efforts of the LMCT and the International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers (IAHFIAW) to spread mental health awareness in the construction industry.
FMIA update
Reintroduced by Rep. Linda T. Sánchez (D-Calif.) and Rep. Randy Weber (R-Texas), the FMIA would require all energy audits of federal buildings to include an audit of the mechanical insulation.
The IAHFIAW and LMCT have worked to educate building owners about the many benefits of well-maintained mechanical insulation in their structures. Ielmini pointed to the LMCT’s new Mechanical Insulation Audit Energy Program as one example of the work to help highlight the benefit of mechanical insulation.
It is initiatives like these that are helping Ielmini gain FMIA co-sponsors in Congress. Currently, the legislation has 10 co-sponsors in the House, and he believes more legislators will sign on in the coming months, which will make the bill more likely to pass.
If it is passed and signed into law, the bi-partisan bill would increase the number of man-hours and improve working conditions for Mechanical Insulators.
Mental health awareness
The construction industry has one of the highest suicide rates of any other sector, as construction workers commit suicide at a rate of five times higher than the rate they sustain on-the-job accidents.
As a part of Suicide Prevention Awareness Month, Ielmini discussed efforts by the LMCT and Insulators Union to increase mental health awareness in the construction industry, specifically in the union mechanical insulation industry.
Ielmini said that this past year, the LMCT purchased green poker chips that contained general union contact information on one side and the National Suicide and Crisis Lifeline phone number, 988, on the other side. Each union member was given two, one to pass on to a family member or Union Brother and the other for themselves.
If you or a loved one is suffering from mental illness and have contemplated taking your life, please call the suicide hotline at 9-8-8 for professional help.
Listen to the entire interview: