On 5th Apprenticeship Awareness Day, Tartaglione Says New Laborers Key to Better PA

by | June 9, 2015 | News Releases

HARRISBURG, June 9, 2015 – Before a sea of colored t-shirts donned by union apprentices, state Sen. Christine Tartaglione once again celebrated the 5th Annual Apprenticeship Awareness Day today in the Capitol Rotunda.

Known throughout Pennsylvania as a leading supporter of labor unions, Tartaglione said apprentices are learning great skills that will help turn around local and regional economies.

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“From our roads and bridges to our building structures, we have a lot of work to do if we want Pennsylvania to remain competitive nationally and globally,” Tartaglione said. “The apprentices, workers, coordinators and instructors standing with me here are the ones who are going to help us achieve this.

“They are the heartbeat of this commonwealth and they represent our future progress.”

Apprenticeship Awareness Day is sponsored by the Pennsylvania Apprentice Coordinators Association. Apprentice programs are operated by the Pennsylvania State Building & Construction Trades Council.

While the pay for apprentices is somewhat less than that of “journeymen,” PACA says apprentices receive pay increases as they advance through their programs. Some increases happen every six months or every year.

The state Department of Labor and Industry says there are about 11,000 active apprenticeships in Pennsylvania; about 7,700 of those are in a construction-related trade.

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Tartaglione Lauds Labor Union Apprentice Programs

by | June 12, 2012 | News Releases

HARRISBURG, June 12, 2012 – State Sen. Christine M. Tartaglione praised the hundreds of union apprentices lining the Rotunda steps today and urged them to help convince lawmakers to rebuild the middle class.”Apprenticeships through organized labor not only prepare students for jobs, but they help ensure that the jobs can support families and communities,” she said. “We do a lot of talking in Harrisburg about creating jobs but there isn’t enough talk about whether the jobs we are creating will sustain families without the need for government support.”

The Pennsylvania State Building and Construction Trades Council organized the Capitol rally that drew trades people from across the state.

Tartaglione told the workers that, despite thousands of structurally deficient bridges dotting the state and hundreds of miles of obsolete roads, many lawmakers have lost the courage to build.

“At the same time we wonder why the economy is slow to recover,” she said. “So, while you are here in Harrisburg and the legislators are listening, try to instill in them the courage to build. We already know we have people trained and ready to do it.”

According to the Pennsylvania State Building and Construction Trades Council President Frank Sirianni, Pennsylvania currently has more than 8,000 apprentices in the construction industry. He said the graduation rate from these programs is 75 percent in the union sector, compared to 50 percent in the non-union sector.

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