plumbers and steamfitters local 43, chattanooga, tn—a l · plumbers and steamfitters local 43,...

A L Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 43, Chattanooga, TN—

10 The UniTed AssociATion | UNION PLUMBERS, PIPEFITTERS, SPRINKLERFITTERS, STEAMFITTERS AND SERVICE TECHS

Abbreviation Key:IR International RepresentativeSR Special RepresentativeBM Business ManagerBA Business AgentTD Local 43 Training DirectorBD Business Development/OrganizingJ JourneymanAp ApprenticeLGF Lead General ForemanGF General ForemanF Foreman

JaredRoberts

(third-yr. Ap)

Joe Collins (BA), Dave Tolley (BM), Bechtel Site ManagerDale Morgan, Tim Cooper (SR), and Dave Posey (IR)

SF Shop ForemanJS Job StewardVIP Veterans In Piping programOP Office Professional

UA Journal April_2014:UA Journal Aug 3/28/14 3:16 PM 0

A Local Union Success Story

11| APRIL 2014journal

Tucked between the mountains of southeast Tennessee, along the beautiful Tennessee River,the city of Chattanooga and Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 43 are quietly making a name for themselves.Contributing factors that have helped cultivate new businesses in Chattanooga are its location, infrastructure,workforce, institutions of higher learning, abundant water supply and quality of life. The city’s growth canalso be attributed to its leadership taking some bold initiatives and forging strong relationships with thebuilding trades. The leadership and members of Plumbers and Steamfitters Local 43 have been part of theteam in this right-to-work state that has brought this city’s success to fruition.

UA Journal April_2014:UA Journal Aug 3/28/14 3:16 PM Page 11

The UniTed AssociATion | UNION PLUMBERS, PIPEFITTERS, SPRINKLERFITTERS, STEAMFITTERS AND SERVICE TECHS12

Timothy A. McCoy (J, Local 102),Bechtel

James Worley (J,Local 421), Bechtel

Jose Allen (J, Local 102), Bechtel

Donald “Ed” Ring (J), Bechtel

Michael Warren (J, Local 498),Bechtel

Warfield Edwards (J), Bechtel

Michael B. Medley (J), Jimmy Simmons (fifth-yr. Ap),Justin Janow (third-yr. Ap),Matt Yates (J), Bechtel

John Mahoney (J), William Phillips(J, Local 72), Robert Smith (F), MarkClark (J, Local 102), Bechtel



Local 43 Business Manager DaveTolley is a second-generation UnitedAssociation member. His dad, 61-yearmember Bobby “Sonny” Tolley, was thestate plumbing apprentice contest win-ner in 1960. Through the generations,Brother Tolley has firsthand knowledgeof the growth in this region. In Septem-ber of 2013, the Brookings Instituteranked Chattanooga’s growth in the topthird of large U.S. cities. With a city ex-panding twofold, the majority of themembership of Local 43 has reaped thebenefits of steady employment. BrotherTolley and his team, which includesBusiness Agent Joe Collins, a third-generation member; Training DirectorLarry Morrison; and Tennessee Busi-ness Development Representative JohnBrown, who is also a Local 43 member,have all been proactive, flexible and re-sponsive to their contractors’ and own-ers’ objectives, creating one of GeneralPresident Bill Hite’s top initiatives—true tripartite relationships.Local 43’s home base of Chattanoogawasn’t always a shining star. In the1960s and 1970s, like so many otherAmerican cities, the city was devastatedby industrial decline. It was reportedthat in 1969, Walter Cronkite once re-ferred to it as the “dirtiest city in Amer-ica.” Today, the locals revel in its latestaccolade—being named “the best cityever” by Outside magazine. The city needed a facelift, and firston its to-do list was addressing its no-torious air quality, which stemmedfrom being an industrial town for so

many years. With the help of Local 43signatory contractors, it then launcheda $120 million revamp of its riverfront,which now touts a venue for outdoorenthusiasts and a world-class aquar-ium. Brother Tolley stated that the in-flux in commercial work broughtincreased competition to the area thatwould bring new challenges. Next onthe city’s agenda was to revitalizedowntown—a project the membershipmonopolized, is very proud of, and isongoing today. Restaurants and store-fronts complete the landscape of Chat-tanooga and are within a short walkfrom the riverfront. Riverfront condo-miniums and townhouses now dot thebackdrop, creating an urban living en-vironment that has recently becomeChattanooga’s center stage. Everywhereyou look downtown the footprints ofworld-class construction completed bymembers of Local 43 are evident. Dave Posey stated, “When I first vis-ited Local 43 as an International Repre-sentative, I was amazed at theinitiatives put in place in several areasby the leadership team to grow thelocal. At the 2011 General Convention,the delegates adopted General Presi-dent Hite’s five-year strategic plan,which included skills training andworkforce development, industry rela-tions, political action and governmentaffairs, and union administration. TheLocal 43 leadership team and themembership have incorporated all ofthese initiatives as a strategic plan fortheir local. They continue to build on

Kevin Abney (F), Bechtel

Burce Morgan (J), Jake Marshall Fab



these core ingenuities on a daily basis.”Brother Tolley stated that in 2007,

several announcements were made thatwould mold Local 43’s future. The Ten-nessee Valley Authority (TVA) an-nounced it would resume constructionat Watts Bar 2 (WB 2) with the help ofa Bechtel workforce. Bechtel Labor Re-lations Manager Charlie Duckworthsaid, “WB 2 is a one-of-a-kind projectdoing first-of-its-kind things. It is theonly project in the world that stoppedconstruction and restarted the project20-plus years later, with a single-focusedobjective in mind—to be the first U.S.nuclear power plant completed and li-censed to operate in the 21st century.”WB 2 would be TVA’s largest project in25 years.

UA Special Representative TimCooper, TVA, commented, “The UAhas been a leader in the Tennessee Val-ley, working with TVA and its partnercontractors for over 50 years. The localhas been a huge contributor to the val-

ley by completing construction onthree nuclear units in the early 80s andlate 90s (Sequoyah 1 and 2 and WattsBar 1) and is now looking at havingfour operating units in its jurisdictionwith the completion of WB 2 by year-end. Not only were these plants built bythe members of Local 43, they are alsomaintained by Local 43 members.”

Dale Morgan, Bechtel Site Manager,WB 2, stated, “Watts Bar 2 has beenchallenging not only from a projectcompletion standpoint, but in makingsure that construction activities onUnit 2 do not disrupt the operation ofUnit 1. Adherence to nuclear safety isheightened when working at a nuclearplant that eventually will become adual-unit operating facility. Given theattention to detail we’ve asked the pipe-fitters and all our craftsmen to followin their daily work activities, I’m proudof the way they’ve done it with thehighest standards for safety (sinceMarch 2010, 25 million safe hours

worked without a lost-time injury) andquality (97 percent first-time qualityacceptance rate). Bechtel representsover 19 million of those hours, and theUA represents over 3 million of thosehours (Bechtel pipefitters recordablerate: 0.86).”

Shortly after TVA’s announcement toresume construction at WB 2, Volks-wagen (VW) announced it was build-ing a plant in Chattanooga. The Local43 workforce is rightfully proud of thework it did on the $1 billion LEED®Platinum certified Volkswagen factory,which started production in 2011. Asof February 2014, Chattanooga is thefrontrunner in the bid to build VW’snew SUV. Hundreds of new jobs andseveral hundred million dollars of in-vestment are at stake. Volkswagen’sChief Executive stated, “This would bepart of the $7 billion that VW wants toinvest in North America in the nextfive years.” The final decision should bemade soon (Chattanooga is competing

Eugene Henderson Jr. (J), BechtelJeremiah C. Love (J, Local 102), Bechtel



Jayson Manley (J), Bechtel

Local 43 team working for Bechtel at the Watts Bar Unit 2 project.

Bruce Burgess (GF), Bechtel

Ronnie Dahon (F), Bechtel

Farrell “Peanut” Cochran (F),Bechtel

Justin Walker (F), BechtelDavid Kudla (F), Bechtel

Thomas Shipley (F), Bechtel

Leslie “Chop” Swanson (LGF), Bechtel



Bill Flippen (GF), Bechtel Keith Nichols (J), Bechtel Michael Jenkins (J, Local 102),Bechtel

Benjamin Fitzgerald (J, Local 440),Bechtel

Local 43 Bechtel startup team

Gary M. McDonald (J, Local 119), ScottD. Parenteau (fifth-yr. Ap), Bechtel

Rueben Gage (JS, Advanced WeldingInstructor), Jake Marshall Fab

UA Bechtel Scope of Work on WB 2 Pipe, hangers, instrumentation, and valve quantities installed:• Large bore hangers added/removed/modified: 3,249• Large bore valves: 370• Small bore pipe: 6,914 linear feet• Small bore instrumentation pipe: 14,173 linear feet• Small bore instrumentation pipe supports: 2,459• Small bore hangers added/removed/modified: 3,442• Small bore valves: 817• Mechanical instruments: 1,016• Instrumentation tubing: 18,278 linear feet• Instrumentation tubing supports: 2,290

Non X-ray pipe welds made and performance accomplishments:• Large bore pipe welds: 868• Small bore pipe welds: 4,560• Pipe support welds: 9,492• Orbital (automatic welding) instrumentation tubing welds: 738• Quality control acceptance rate: 99.4 percent



against the carmaker’s facilities in Mex-ico), because VW would like the cardistributed by 2016. With an expansionto its current facility being considered,the leadership of Local 43 is watchingthis news closely. It was stated that Local 43’s work-

force was significantly ramped up onceTVA announced it was going aheadwith the construction of WB 2. Housedon the 1,700-acre site on the northernend of Chickamauga Reservoir, WB 2is designed to have two Westinghousepressurized water reactors. Watts BarUnit 1 received its full-power operatinglicense in 1996 and was the last powerreactor to be licensed in the U.S. Bech-tel, the predominant contractor on site,has employed Local 43 piping profes-sionals to complete the job at WB 2.Mr. Duckworth added, “We’ve had

the need for strong labor/managementcooperation to get us through themany challenges on this project, andthe UA has stepped up when we askedfor its help and support.” At peak, there

have been a total of 456 pipefitters onthe job, 250 of those have been Local43 members. Business Manager DaveTolley and Business Agent Joe Collinsdid an outstanding job of manning thisjob with 206 travelers, representing 51UA locals. In addition, Bechtel em-ployed 45 apprentices for a portion oftheir apprenticeship training, with 13graduating to journeyman status dur-ing their employment. AdditionalLocal 43 workforces are working forWilliams Plant Services and Day &Zimmermann (D&Z). “We have had many challenges in re-

suming construction at WB 2,” saidSpecial Representative Cooper. “Thisplant has been sitting idle for 20 years.One thing is that many of our memberswho once worked on the constructionof nuclear power plants have now re-tired. This is the first time many of ourmembers have ever worked on the con-struction of a new nuclear plant, sotraining plays a huge role in the successof this project. One thing that the Gen-

eral President implemented is that allUA members on this project must com-plete and sign the UA Standard for Ex-cellence policy. With the help andsupport of John Yale (the UA’s consult-ant responsible for implementing theStandard), we went through this policy,not only with 350 UA members, butwith Bechtel and TVA managementteams as well, completing the programin a four-day period.”Mr. Duckworth said, “When I speak

of doing first-of-its-kind things, the UAStandard for Excellence comes immedi-ately to mind. A truly breakthroughlabor/management initiative was un-dertaken to teach leadership and super-visory skills to the pipefitter andelectrician Foremen and General Fore-men on the project. I say ‘breakthrough’because we put the electricians and pip-efitters in the same classroom and usedthe UA Foreman Training program asthe core curriculum. We formed a plan-ning team that included local and Inter-national Representatives from the UA;

Dave Posey (IR), Dan Swanson (VIP fifth-yr. Ap,class of 2009, Lacey, Washington), Bechtel

Dave Tolley (BM), Office Manager Jennifer Smith, DeniseHill (OP), Joe Collins (BA)

John Brown (BD, TN State Pipe Trades), Kate Dalton (OP),Tori Williams (OP), Larry Morrison (TD)



Brian Howe (Jake Marshall Operations Manager), Dave Tolley (BM),Rick Pollard (Jake Marshall owner), Tim Cooper (SR), Dave Posey (IR)

Gary Bates (J), Jake Marshall Fab David Muir (J), JakeMarshall Fab

Mark Vandergriff (J), Jake Marshall Fab

Cody Powers (fifth-yr. Ap), JakeMarshall Fab

Jeffery Tollett (J), Bechtel


19journal

Chris Haslinger, the UA Director ofTraining; local and International Repre-sentatives from the IBEW; and theBechtel site management team. Instruc-tors from both the UA and Bechteltaught the individual modules. Wetrained 113 electrician and pipefitterForemen and General Foremen. At theconclusion, the participants filled outevaluations. One stated, ‘This was one ofthe best and most informative trainingsessions I ever attended,’ and another, ‘Iappreciated everyone taking the time tomake me a better Foreman and a betterperson.’

“Every person involved had a role inthe success of this training program,and they deserve recognition. The UAled the way on this important initiativeby helping Bechtel bring the electriciansand pipefitters together. The traininginitiative also demonstrated a deep-rooted commitment by the UA, IBEW,and Bechtel, which reflects, ‘It’s not onlythe right thing to do, but it’s imperativefor union labor and contractors in today’smarketplace in order to remain competi-tive.’ The WB 2 project owes John Yale,UA Director of Training ChrisHaslinger, UA Special RepresentativeTim Cooper and Local 43 BusinessManager Dave Tolley a sincere thanksfor their outstanding efforts.”

“We organized over 300 members inthe last five to six years,” Brother Tolleystated. “In 2006, we had 1,037 mem-bers. When TVA announced it wasgoing ahead with WB 2, we startedplanning on how we would man thework. We knew welders would be criti-cal. After numerous meetings withBechtel, we devised action plans andimmediately got to work. I would beremiss if I said at times it has not beena challenge, especially manning the job

with qualified welders, but today wehave over 1,270 members with over450-plus working at Watts Bar.”

Bechtel Lead Field Welding EngineerMark Pitre, stated, “I consider thisproject to be the most challenging nu-clear project I’ve worked on. The weld-ing program at WB 2 and the resultantquality are the most robust for a projectof its size and complexity.” In the end, aportion of Bechtel’s success on thisproject will depend on the success of itsworkforce. In April 2013, The Ameri-can Society of Mechanical Engineers(ASME) stated in a report associatedwith the certification of the service airsystem (a WB 2 and nuclear industrymilestone), “The pipefitters’ work onthe service air system made a signifi-cant contribution to the first ASMEcertification of a system at WB 2 andthe nuclear industry in nearly twodecades. The ASME certification (N-stamp) assures that the plant is beingbuilt in accordance with strict safetystandards.” This milestone laid thegroundwork for the certification of fol-low-up systems at WB 2.

Training Director Morrison stated,“As work really started to ramp up inthis area, we took a hard look at ourtraining programs and the number ofapprentices we had enrolled. With theanticipation of the Watts Bar job, thefirst step was to upgrade our weldingportion of our school, and we workedwith Brother Brown to heavily recruitwelders. Once we finished the weldshop, we ended up remodeling the en-tire school, purchasing 6,000 squarefeet to include advanced training for allLocal 43 members. At the time, we had57 apprentices. Today, we have 154. Inthe last few years, we have testedroughly 400 welders, most of them

| APRIL 2014

Jeremy Brock (second-yr. Ap), JakeMarshall Fab

William Sears (J), Bechtel

Tim Cooper (SR), D&Z Site Manager Ryan Collins, Dave Tolley (BM)William Bice (JS), Bechtel David Smedley (F), JakeMarshall Fab



coming from the non-union. We havecrippled the non-union by bringing inwelders through organizing. As wecontinue our efforts to organize, wehave found that one out of 10 is quali-fied to pass the required tests. This hasprompted us to increase our weldingprogram to four nights a week, and wecurrently have 50 apprentices in class.”

“Their approach has resulted inmembership growth, as well as theirability to market their membership asbeing a highly educated and productiveworkforce available to the constructionand service industry,” Brother Posey

said, “and their training is really payingoff. In just the last two years, Local 43has sent three apprentices to the Na-tional Apprentice Contest. That is acredit to the entire leadership team.”

Chattanooga is now referred to asGig City, a nickname that stems fromits fiber-optic network that supportsspeeds of one gigabit a second—thefirst of its kind in the nation. Thatalone has helped attract $4 billion inforeign investment since the downturn,and a flock of new tech entrepreneurshave arrived in the city. Utilizing taxincentives and land grants, city leaders

Chuck Branham (J),Jake Marshall Fab

Michael Hopkins Jr. (fourth-yr.Ap), Jake Marshall Fab

Wayne Burchard (J), CaseyHeatherly (first-yr. Ap), JakeMarshall Fab

Todd Browning (J), Josh Ewing (first-yr. Ap),Jake Marshall Fab

Cody Griffith (first-yr. Ap), JakeMarshall Fab

Will Shadden (J), Jake Marshall Fab



made it their mission to woo manufac-turing back. This success has beennothing short of miraculous, and Local43 is engaged for the ride.

Andy Berke, Chattanooga’s mayor,said, “We certainly work hard on ourquality of life. Businesses are lookingfor ways to tap into existing infrastruc-ture, and the web is part of that. Butthey also want to know there are logis-tical opportunities, that the city leader-ship is forward-thinking andcommitted, and that we will provide agreat place for their workers.”

And there is plenty of work to go

around. During the same time as theWatts Bar and the Volkswagen plantprojects, Memorial Hospital an-nounced it would undertake a $349million expansion that would spanover five years. Local 43 members,working for Chase Plumbing, are onthe job completing all of the mechani-cal work at the hospital. In addition,Wacher Chemical announced its plansto build a polysilicon plant, estimatedat $1.9 billion. This project will beramping up in the summer of 2014.

International Rep. Posey added,“These are big owners—Wacher

Chemical, Volkswagen, area hospitals,and TVA, to name just a few. They arereaching out to Local 43 for its work-force, which they know will be highlytrained, certified, drug and alcoholfree, safety conscious and productive,for their project needs.”

These big name projects are not allthat is going on in Chattanooga. Aslarge projects come out of the ground,the need for specialized prefabricationbecomes critical. Jake Marshall, LLC, aLocal 43 signatory contractor, is one ofthe oldest and largest mechanical con-tractors serving Chattanooga and the

Hayes Davis II (J), Jake Marshall Fab

Ricky Griffith (fifth-yr. Ap),Jake Marshall Fab

Michael Belcher (third-yr. Ap), JakeMarshall Fab

Chris Landon (fourth-yr. Ap), JakeMarshall Fab

Steve Wilson (J), Jake Marshall Fab


surrounding area. There are currently75-plus Local 43 members working forJake Marshall completing all of the fab-rication for various high-profile proj-ects. Spread out across 10 pristineacres, this fabrication facility is a visionof excellence, and its workforce is in-volved in a complete array of mechani-cal services, such as plumbing, heating,air conditioning, process piping, andASME pressure vessel repair.

Another fabrication facility that issignatory to Local 43 is W.J. O’NeilCompany (WJO). With its corporateoffices in Livonia, Michigan, WJO hasa regional office located in Chat-tanooga. WJO specializes in solvingcomplex, highly technical projects withoutstanding design-build services andwas instrumental in assisting Volkswa-gen in attaining its LEED® Platinumrating. Local 43 members make up theskilled workforce, and the companyalso offers process piping, HVAC,plumbing, piping fabrication and 24-hour service. At the Volkswagen plant,WJO installed 52 air-handling units forHVAC, built the piping utility mains(chilled water, hot water, city water,welding water, compressed air, naturalgas, high-pressure compressed air andargon), and completed the air distribu-tion ductwork system and exhaust airsystem. Additionally, their scope ofwork included door heaters, gas-unitheaters, gas-infrared tube heaters, rest-room facilities, and three rainwater-harvesting systems. “Volkswagen andW.J. O’Neil have many common val-ues,” John O’Neil Sr., President of WJO,said. “Both are serious about environ-mental sustainability and 21st centurymanufacturing.”

“While things are going well,” Busi-ness Manager Tolley stated, “we have topay attention to areas we consider to beweak, which is currently our commer-cial sector. With the expansion of ourtraining center, we have upgraded ourplumbing and HVAC classes, with theobjective to create a workforce for yearsto come. We want to ensure that wemaintain the plants we are building.This will help us continue to grow,which will create contributions to ourfunds. Training Coordinator Morrisondesigned an indoor plumbing trainingvenue that allows our members to honetheir skills in bringing a plumbing job

out of the ground. It is equipped withstud walls, and the footing is rubberplayground composite that emulatesdirt. When pipe is installed, we bring inLocal 43 city inspectors to conduct afull inspection per city code. Recently,we have added an orbital welding roomwith six machines in a controlled envi-ronment to support our nuclear andspecialty welding requirements. TheHVAC portion of our training wasprobably our most significant challenge,and has been identified as our weakestmarket share. With input from mem-bers, contractors, and end-users, we de-signed a new HVAC training space,which entailed going from 800 squarefeet of training space to 3,800 feet ofspace. We are determined to grow thismarket share.”

The city still has many challenges tomeet as well. Mayor Berke stated, “I be-lieve tech and manufacturing effortsare working in tandem to forge a pathto the future. We need a mix of jobs,and we understand that in advancedmanufacturing today, technology playsa role.” Business Manager Tolley isquick to point out they have an excel-lent rapport with not only Chat-tanooga’s Mayor Berke (D), but theMayor of Hamilton County, Jim Cop-pinger (R), as well.

“An open-door policy exists withboth offices,” Brother Tolley said.“Mayor Berke is a former U.S. Senatorwho did not seek re-election. Instead,he wanted to give back to the city heloved by running for mayor. MayorCoppinger came from the Chattanoogafirefighters, and his wife is involved ineducation. Both have promoted our or-ganization for its training and highlyskilled workforce. We have discoveredthat when we talk to anyone about ourtraining, we are in the door—whetherthey are Democrat, Republican, or anIndependent. The mayors have told us,when they meet with a potential client,and the question is asked, ‘Where dowe get the workforce?’ their response isalways, ‘the building trades.’”

Bechtel’s Charlie Duckworth agrees.“The completion of WB 2 is critical tothe nuclear industry. TVA, the coun-try’s largest public power supplier, isunder a spotlight to see if the first newU.S. commercial reactor of the 21stcentury can be constructed safely, on


Cota Talley (J), JakeMarshall Fab

Nathan Dickey (first-yr. Ap),Jake Marshall Fab



time, and on budget. TVA is currentlydoing an estimate to complete costanalysis on units at its Bellefonte site innorth Alabama that have been sittingidle since 1988. With an aging coalfleet and tougher environmental stan-dards, nuclear plants may be the wayof the future once again, and we willneed a highly trained workforce tobuild them.”

Brother Tolley attributes the Chat-tanooga workforce’s work ethic to the

fact that, in the South, a lot of hismembers have grown up helping outon family farms, which has taughtthem the meaning of hard work. “I alsothink one of our biggest assets is oursouthern hospitality—we are justfriendly people,” he said.

International Rep. Posey cited aquote that he believes adequately de-scribes the mission of Local 43:“Courage is the strength to stand andpersevere in the face of difficulty, fear,

or hardship. Courageous leadership de-livers bad news, confronts challengeshead-on, and leads profound change.”The leadership of Local 43 has donejust that, and the members have em-braced the strategic plan, resulting in abusiness model for other UA locals toemulate. Working together, the city ofChattanooga and Local 43 are succeed-ing, and both are becoming Americansuccess stories.

Dave Tolley (BM), W. J. O’NeilGeneral Manager Jeff Brown,Joe Collins (BA), Dave Posey (IR)

Zane Brodie (J), W.J. O’Neil Co.

Brian Cash (J), W.J. O’Neil Co. Mike Dalton (SF and 2013 InternationalApprentice Contest Pipefitter finalist,Ann Arbor), W.J. O’Neil Co.

Greg Swofford (J), W.J. O’Neil Co.


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