New Health & Wellness Resources

Local 6 is pleased to announce the development of a new Health Coaching Wellness program for all members. This program is part of our Local’s ongoing commitment to making the health of our members our top priority.

This wellness program (www.wellnessworkdays.com) is being conducted in partnership with Wellness Workdays, and includes access to a full-time health coach, who will be visiting our project sites to offer the following services:

One-on-one health coaching sessions (virtual and on-site)
On-site health screenings where members can learn and track your blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and weight
Guidance and support through lifestyle changes and personal goals
Assistance and resources in all areas of wellness, including nutrition, stress management, exercise therapy, injury prevention, smoking cessation, sleep hygiene, and more.

Please note that our new health coach is an employee of our wellness partner – Wellness Workdays – and will keep members personal information confidential. This program is completely voluntary, but we hope that members will find activities that inspire you to participate.

Additional information on this exciting initiative will soon be available. If you’d like to sign up to hear from our health coach when appointments are available, use the following link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/5HTWK8W.

Honoring Women in the Building Trades at 2022 Conferences

Local 6 is pleased to recognize members who were involved in the Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference and the Women Build Boston Conference last year. We are proud to celebrate the many hardworking women in our union, our state, and across the country. Please visit the links below to learn more about these important 2022 conferences.

Women Build Boston
The first Women Build Boston Conference was held on October 8, 2022. From breakout sessions to networking opportunities, the event brought Boston’s community together to honor women in the trades and discuss opportunities to continue promoting inclusivity. Keynote speakers included Secretary of Labor Martin J. Walsh, and Maura Healey in her prior role as Attorney General.

We were proud to have Gina Ciampa, Jodie Dalton, Tyiesha Thompson, Nicole Dalton, Tia Ferrie, Shannon Guest, Darche Hood, Tonia Lee, Kat Notini, Business Manager Jeff Saliba, President Wayne Ortiz, and Training Coordinator Rick Rothwell in attendance.

Visit this link to read more about the conference.

Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference
The 2022 Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference was held in Las Vegas last October. Attendees took part in workshops featuring topics from child care to union leadership, and heard from speakers including AFL-CIO president Liz Shuler and Secretary of Labor Martin J. Walsh.

We are pleased to share that Local 6 member Tia Ferrie introduced the Secretary of Labor at the conference. Congratulations, Tia on this exceptional honor!

Local 6 member Tia Ferrie introducing Secretary of Labor Martin J. Walsh at the Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference this past October.

Find out more about the conference here: https://nabtu.org/twbn/

2022 Children’s Christmas Party

2022 Children's Christmas Party

Major Victory for Labor – President Biden Orders Historic Mandate Requiring PLAs on Federal Construction

Brothers and Sisters,

President Biden signed a historic Executive Order that will mandate Project Labor Agreements (PLAs) on all federal construction projects valued above $35 million— creating good, union jobs for an estimated 200,000 construction workers across the country.

PLAs are our best tool for guaranteeing that complex construction projects get executed with the highest possible standards of safety and efficiency. They also guarantee that the working people who build these projects reap the benefits of the development, by requiring all contractors bidding on the projects to meet union standards of training, wages, benefits, safety and working conditions. Therefore, PLAs help strengthen unions by evening the playing field competitively with our nonunion counterparts, who may otherwise underbid us by paying workers less or otherwise.

Local 6 is excited to see the Biden administration take an important step towards rebuilding our country’s infrastructure in a way that prioritizes and provides opportunities for working American families.

Fraternally,

Jim Lister

Business Manager/Financial Secretary
Insulators Local 6

Winter 2022 COVID-19 Updates

Brothers and Sisters,

The health and safety of our members and families is our top priority, Local 6 will continue to keep our members up to date with the latest information regarding new COVID-19 guidelines and safety recommendations. Please continue reading below to learn more about the recent changes at the municipal and state level regarding COVID-19 orders.

Statewide Mask Requirement for K-12 Schools

On February 9, the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) announced that the statewide mask requirement for K-12 schools will be lifted on February 28. The DESE and Massachusetts Department of Public Health will only require students and faculty to wear mask if they test positive for COVID-19 or have been in close contact unvaccinated individuals, both asymptomatic and symptomatic.

Read DESE’s February 9 announcement here and visit Doe.Mass.Edu/COVID19/On-Desktop/Protocols to learn more about DESE’s COVID-19 protocols.

City of Boston Vaccine Mandate

Beginning on February 15, all individuals age 12 or older will be required to show proof of full vaccination status to enter certain indoor establishments in Boston. By Tuesday, March 1, children age 5-11 must show proof of one vaccine dose. Finally, by Sunday, May 1, anyone age 5 or older will be required to show proof of full vaccination status. The city is requiring that employees working at these locations be fully vaccinated as well.You can use the following to verify your vaccination status:

Original CDC vaccination card
Photo of your CDC vaccination card
Photo of any official immunization record
Uploaded image of CDC card or immunization record on City of Boston B Together app or any other COVID vaccine verification app

More information about Boston’s vaccine mandate can be found on the B Together Initiative page.

Booster Shot Eligibility

Vaccinated individuals ages 12 and older are eligible to receive a COVID-19 booster shot. The CDC has outlined the following criteria for booster shots:

Adults 18 years and older who received the Moderna vaccine are eligible for a booster shot five (5) months after second vaccination date.
Adults 18 years and older who received the Johnson & Johnson vaccine are eligible for a booster shot two (2) months after vaccination date.
Everyone 12 years and older who received the Pfizer vaccine are eligible for a booster shot five (5) months after second vaccination date.

To find vaccination sites, visit VaxFinder.mass.gov.

Individuals who are unable to reach a vaccination site may participate in the state’s in-home vaccination program. Learn more at Mass.gov/Info-Details/COVID-19-In-Home-Vaccination-Program.

Testing Information

COVID-19 testing is widely available in Massachusetts. To find a testing location near you, visit Mass.gov/Info-Details/Find-A-Covid-19-Test. You can also purchase at-home COVID-19 tests at your local pharmacy.

As of January 15, all insurance companies and health plans are required to cover eight (8) free over-the-counter at-home tests for each covered individual per month. Click here for more information.

Free at-home COVID-19 rapid tests are also available for order and shipment through the United States Postal Service. There is a limit of one (1) order per residential address. Each order will contain four (4) tests. Click here for more information.Thank you all for your incredible efforts to keep our job sites and community safe thus far. We encourage you all to continue following the necessary safety measures outlined by the CDC to stop the spread of this virus. Together, we will emerge from this pandemic stronger and more resilient than before.

In addition to the updates provided by Local 6, be sure to regularly visit the Boston.gov, Mass.gov and CDC websites to stay informed of developing COVID-19 updates as well.

Fraternally,Jim Lister
Business Manager/Financial Secretary
Insulators Local 6

Safety Resources – Construction Stops COVID

Heat & Frost Insulators Local 6 encourages members, and all Construction Stops COVID partners and allies, to take a few minutes and watch the following presentation on workplace safety, mandates, resources, and best practices by Dr. Margaret Bourdeaux of Harvard Medical School.

We also encourage you to share this presentation widely with your friends, families, and personal and professional networks to help beat COVID-19 and protect our communities this winter.

Construction Stops COVID: Workplace Safety, Mandates, Resources, and Best Practices Discussion w/ Dr. Margaret Bourdeaux, Harvard Medical School

Thank You for Helping Support Our Veterans!

Thank you to everyone who joined us for MassBTC’s annual celebration honoring the Helmets to Hardhats veterans career pathway program!

The MA building trades unions and union contractors are proud to have raised nearly $40,000 for this model program, which changes the lives of veterans across our city, state, and nation, by allowing them to transfer their skills into new family-sustaining careers in the union building trades.

Jim Lister, Business Manager/Financial Secretary, and Business Agent Jeff Saliba were proud to attend the November 9th event and donate $1,000 on behalf of Local 6. Lister and Saliba were joined by union member Sal Gentile who benefitted from the Helmets to Hardhats program.

At Local 6, we understand that it is through events like these that we support workers from every background as they embark on family-sustaining careers in the union construction trades, including women, people of color, and returning veterans.

Election Day Tomorrow – Important Information

Election Day is tomorrow!

Cast your vote for candidates who will support and foster New England’s building boom, creating good union jobs and building a Boston that works for all. These candidates include Annissa Essaibi George for Mayor of Boston, and Bridget Nee-Walsh and Erin Murphy for City Council.

Make sure to make your plan to vote tomorrow:

Click here to find your polling location.
Polls are open in all precincts from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voters who are in line when polls are closed at 8 p.m. must be allowed to vote.
You may be asked to show identification when you check-in. Bring one just in case!
- Acceptable identification must include your name and the address at which you are registered to vote. Examples of acceptable identification include: a driver’s license, state-issued ID card, recent utility bill, rent receipt, lease, a copy of a voter registration affidavit, or any other printed identification which contains the voter’s name and address.

Thank you for doing your part to fight for working families, and helping build a Boston that works for all. Together, we can make sure our voices are heard at every level of government.

Happy Labor Day From Local 6!

This Labor Day, we celebrate our members and honor the hard-working men and women who have come before us, who paved the way for our rights and freedoms.

This year has marked significant progress for the labor movement — and has also highlighted the work still needing to be done. We won an important victory in New Hampshire, beating back the anti-worker “Right to Work” bill. We also lost AFL-CIO President and labor titan Richard Trumka earlier this summer.

To honor President Trumka’s legacy, we must fight to pass the PRO Act he fought so hard to pass. As Trumka said in an interview to NPR, “If you really want to correct inequality in this country — wages and wealth inequality, opportunity and inequality of power — passing the PRO Act is absolutely essential to doing that.”

The PRO Act would grant working people significant protections, strengthening our collective bargaining rights, and protect our ability to organize no matter the industry. I urge you all to contact your representative and tell them to pass the PRO Act before it’s too late.

Thank you again for all of the hard work that you do!