http://www.snlecet.com/blog/rss/feedsSouthern Nevada Laborers-Employers Cooperation and Education TrustMon, 04 May 2026 17:52:22 -0700http://www.snlecet.com/blog/post/what-the-2019-nevada-legislature-did-for-youhttp://www.snlecet.com/blog/post/what-the-2019-nevada-legislature-did-for-youThe State Legislature meets for 120 days every other year. The hard work of volunteers during the campaign season got Labor allies like Governor Steve Sisolak Elected. The hard work paid off when bills were passed that will bring more jobs and better pay to the entire State’s workforce. Labor has a big part in setting the agenda in Nevada because of the positive impact on job security, equitable pay, and economic development has on the entire Community. The best way to ensure more jobs in Nevada is to register to vote and participate in the process.Assembly Bill 385Assemblyman William McCurdy took leadership of Assembly Bill 385. This bill requires the Executive Director of the Office of Economic Development to meet with the Southern Nevada Enterprise Community Board. Created in 1994, the Board is directed by a designation by President Clinton to identify projects that may be eligible for government funding, and request appropriations for those projects from the Clark County Board of County Commissioners, the Las Vegas City Council and the North Las Vegas City Council or the governing boards of their respective redevelopment authorities. The Board ensures that the needs and opinions of the residents of the Community are reflected adequately by the Project and any additional projects assigned to the Board. Increasing communication between the Southern Nevada Enterprise Community Board and the Governor’s Office will help identify new opportunities.Senate Bill 358Many members are working on renewable energy projects. Senate Bill 358 sponsored by Senators such as Chris Brooks and Nicole Cannazzaro will bring more jobs like these. Passing Senate Bill 358 makes it official State Policy to encourage and accelerate the development of new renewable energy projects for the economic benefits provided to the people of Nevada.Senate Bill 207Also Supported by Senators Brooks, Cannazzaro, and Denis too, Senate Bill 207 directly addressed Nevada’s Workforce. Senate Bill 207 affirmed that a skilled workforce in construction is essential to the economic well-being of this State. Continuing, to express that apprenticeship programs are a proven method of training a skilled workforce in construction. The legislation enacts requirements for using apprentices on the construction of public works to ensure the availability of a skilled workforce in construction in the future. This means there will be more opportunities to improve membership involvement on public works.Senate Bill 350The Nevada Promise Scholarship provides financial aid to students attending any of the state’s four community colleges: College of Southern Nevada, Great Basin College, Truckee Meadows Community College, or Western Nevada College. In order to be considered for an award, interested students must complete the Nevada Promise Scholarship application, apply for admission to their college of choice, file a FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), and work with mentors and perform 8 hours of community service all by set deadlines.Assemblymen Edgar Flores, Richard Carrillo, and others joined Senator Mo Denis’ efforts to improve the Promise Scholar by no longer requiring the scholarship to be renewed each year of eligibility, and changing the required amount of community service from 20 hours to 8 hours before receiving a scholarship and 8 hours each semester among other clarifying changes. To earn a promise scholarship, a student must be a Nevada resident when enrolling at the Community College in which the scholarship is being used and must have a high school diploma or General Equivalency Diploma (GED) before starting College, by age 20. Once enrolled in the program, students must participate in mentorship, training meetings, and community service to stay eligible. Applicants are strongly encouraged to file the FAFSA documents at studentaid.ed.gov as soon as possible. Students receiving the Promise Scholarship need to enroll in at least 12 credit hours in an associate degree program, a bachelor’s degree program, or a certificate of achievement program.Mon, 30 Sep 2019 15:15:00 -0700http://www.snlecet.com/blog/post/traffic-safety-priorityhttp://www.snlecet.com/blog/post/traffic-safety-priorityCounty Commissioner Micheal Naft is joined by other local government leaders to sign the Traffic Safety Pledge. Pictured: Mayor John Lee, Clark County Chair Marilyn Kirkpatrick, Deputy Chief Andrew Walsh, Commissioner Micheal Naft, Mayor Debra March, & Mayor Carolyn Goodman.Clark County Commissioner Micheal Naft hosted County Commission Chair Marilyn Kirkpatrick, and Mayors from North Las Vegas, The City of Las Vegas, and Henderson to sign a Traffic Safety Pledge. The newest County Commissioner raises awareness and recognizes the value of well constructed safe roadways because “as a western state we have wide roads, we have long roads and we have fast roads.” The goal of the Traffic Safety Pledge is to “promote safe, healthy, and equitable mobility for all.” The challenges of maintaining the high standard of infrastructure that Southern Nevada is known for comes down to a quality of life issue for many Nevadans and guests who use it every day according to Andrew Bennett of the Nevada Department of Public Safety’s Office of Traffic Safety.“I look forward to educating the community … working together on this … We are committed in NLV to the safety of our residents [by] doing things that everyone can learn [and] bring safety to every community” -Mayor John Lee, North Las VegasTech Solutions Guide Roadway SafetySouthern Nevada is one of the best places for the development of road safety innovations because of its excellently constructed roadways. One approach Planners from the Regional Transportation Commission and Clark County are considering is The Complete Streets Program for street and sidewalk improvements. A specific suggestion is to make both sidewalks and streets wider to accommodate multiple means of transportation and promote pedestrian safety. Clark County Commission Chair Marilyn Kirkpatrick encouraged having a general standard of ten feet for sidewalks as a way to improve traffic issues.Craig Raborn is the Manager of Planning at the Regional Transportation Commission of Southern Nevada and prioritizes job sites as an important safety issue. As he said “In Southern Nevada one of the critical road safety issues for us is all the construction that is happening so we partnered with some technology companies to actually put devices on cones, vehicles and even some workers that are in work zones so that movement is tracked and identified and is able to be signaled out so the traffic control devices can help” make for safer conditions. Innovations like these make it possible for smartphone apps like Waze to be able to alert drivers where road work is being done in real-time to prevent crashes in the first place.“It is about all of you coming together because you are a big part of our community whether you are out there enforcing the law, making the roadways, or you are a constituent you really are on the front line and as our communities grow we need to go back out, we have to re-educate. I am totally committed to working with the Mayors and this is about collaboration … we have a responsibility to make life better” Clark County Commission Chair Marilyn KirkpatrickClark County and the Traffic Safety Coalition agree that there is a need for a new outlook to road safety. The Board of County Commissioners, which Marilyn Kirkpatrick and Micheal Naft are members, directed the Department of Comprehensive Planning to find a new vision to logistics in the County. One way this will be accomplished is a directive to reevaluate a code developed in 2000 to bring Clark County into the 21st Century with new infrastructure developments. Similar to the Complete Streets Program, the Traffic Safety Coalition would like to see the multi-national traffic safety project called Vision Zero implemented. Vision Zero has been successful in other areas and focuses on fixing pedestrian issues because improvements to pedestrian conditions improve the road in most other aspects too. While each Department and entity see different approaches to improving Southern Nevada’s roads, each agrees it will take years of road work to make progress.Mon, 30 Sep 2019 11:30:00 -0700http://www.snlecet.com/blog/post/classes-to-takehttp://www.snlecet.com/blog/post/classes-to-take Signing up for classes at the Training Center must be done IN PERSON in advance of the class. It is important to complete OSHA 10 and 1st Aid classes to be dispatched to any job. It is also required to keep OSHA certifications current to be dispatched to any jobs. Refresher courses are available for individuals to keep an OSHA 10 or 30 card current. If you have received an OSHA 10 and or 30 card within the last 5 years you need to only take the refresher. If your card is older than 5 years you must take the full course. OSHA 10 refresher is 6 hours and OSHA 30 refresher is 24 hours. There is no grace period on expired OSHA cards so preregistration is suggested before a card expires. Taking classes of any kind is the best way to stay competitive and become eligible to be dispatched to more jobs.Scaffold BuilderFrom mudsills up this class teaches how to safely erect, walkthrough, frame, tube, and clamp, system scaffold and be in compliance with OSHA regulations. Identifying hardware components for different job settings is a crucial part of this 40-hour class. Skilled scaffold builders are needed on every vertical building project.Concrete WallsLearning how to safety form and place walls and columns is the emphasis of this class. Proper consolidation and identifying correct hardware will be covered in this 40-hour class. Completion of this class will improve qualifications for both heavy highway and building labor jobs.Pipe PressurizedStudents will learn the responsibilities of being on a crew working on pressurized pipe, correct use, and selection of pipe hardware, pipe flushing, as well as hydrostatic testing procedures. Students will also learn how to mill pipe ends to assure proper fitting of C900 water pipe. Completing this class will help enable individuals to be dispatched to underground utility jobs.Concrete Flat 40 HoursThis class will begin with the safety practices of forming and placing concrete. Proper techniques used throughout the finishing process will be demonstrated. Included elements are concrete estimation, tool recognition and how to apply final finishing. At least one method of curing concrete will also be covered. This is a 40-hour course and will prepare members for work on heavy highway projects and building labor jobs.Pipe GravitySafe procedures and techniques of sewer pipe placement, trench excavation, backfill, compaction, and trench protection will be fully demonstrated. This class will prepare students to mill pipe ends to assure proper fitting of SDR35 sewer pipe. This class will prepare members for work on underground utilities.Mon, 30 Sep 2019 11:30:00 -0700http://www.snlecet.com/blog/post/collaborating-with-veterans-programs-supporting-efforts-to-rebuild-and-reenter-civilizationhttp://www.snlecet.com/blog/post/collaborating-with-veterans-programs-supporting-efforts-to-rebuild-and-reenter-civilizationRandy Couture is a veteran of the U.S. Army 101st Airborne Division and the UFC. Since his first fight in 1997, Randy Couture has won 6 UFC Championship Titles. To this day he is the only UFC competitor to hold titles in both the Heavyweight and Light-Heavyweight divisions. Randy Couture has shifted his focus from fighting to help other Veterans and retired athletes by founding the Las Vegas Chapter of Merging Vets and Players (MVP).Local 872 has joined Randy Couture and MVP supporting a “program designed to address challenges that many combat veterans and professional athletes face when transitioning their service/professional life towards a new mission in their civilian life.” Local 872 and community partners support creating such a place for veterans and athletes. Xtreme Couture MMA located on 4055 W Sunset Rd opens to Veterans free of charge every Thursday to train and help each other continue to build fulfilling lives of service and strength.MVP’s program is geared around Veteran’s and athlete’s shared strengths and experiences.Former Combat Veterans and former professional athletes are matched for “weekly physical fitness and peer-to-peer support sessions … The goal of this is to give them a new team to tackle the transition together.” Randy Couture also thanked the members of Local 872 for their constant support of Veterans issues. While attending the February Monthly Meeting at the Local 872 Training Center, Couture said twenty to thirty Veterans a week benefit from having MVP in Las Vegas. “Getting them working out again breaks down some walls [and] gets them feeling a little better about themselves” according to Couture who has led MVP programs in Las Vegas for the past year.Creating a place that plays to the strengths of Veterans helps reintroduce them to civilian life. When recognizing the Local 872 Executive Board Randy Couture said Veterans “are not broken, [but] are special, [and] telling them they are broke is not the way to get through to them.” The Executive Board of Local 872 has branched out into many Veterans programs ranging from MVP to Veteren’s Village and Local 872’s own Helmets to Hardhats initiative.Mon, 29 Apr 2019 11:30:00 -0700http://www.snlecet.com/blog/post/indepth-interview-with-training-director-waldenhttp://www.snlecet.com/blog/post/indepth-interview-with-training-director-waldenArchie Walden gets a lot of questions. As Director of the Local 872 Training Center, he needs to have the answers. The impact he makes at the Training Center and with members is seventeen years in the making. He encourages everyone to exceed their own potential but remains firmly honest. Unwavering commitments to safety and integrity require him to maintain the highest of standards. The Facility has grown under his leadership all while Archie remains open to members seeking to grow with Local 872.What Does the Director of the Training Center Do?“I schedule classes for members, journeymen and apprentices preparing them for upcoming jobs, getting apprentices especially ready to face the world and their new careers in construction. I also manage the application process.”How do you get in the General Construction Program?“Applications will become available again from March 1st to 30th. For those of you interested in getting an application, the process is simple. You come in and pick up an application and turn it back in at the time printed on the application. When you turn in the application you must have I.D., your birth certificate, a high school diploma or GED or Transcript with a graduation date. Once these are received you will be scheduled for an assessment exam and then an interview. Successful applicants score 70 points or more between all three items to be eligible for the general construction program. Once you are in the program you do your two-week Bootcamp and you become one of the apprentices here for Local 872.”What is Happening at the Training Center?“Right now we are gearing up for a lot of new things. We have new career events, we just finished hosting a career fair event with Western Apprenticeship Coordinators Association (WACA), and Merging Vets and Players (MVP) which is [the fighter] Randy Couture’s program. Carpenters were part of the program and Local 12 Operating Engineers were here for a good turn out. We also hosted a Center Ring Boxing tournament in conjunction with the job fair.We have upcoming events at the OWINN Office [the Governor’s Office of Workforce Innovations) which is the Governor’s Workforce Investment Board, speaking to high school kids who may not be ready to go into college but are ready to find a career right now. We want to offer them that opportunity here at Local 872 getting them involved in construction because they are going to be our future no matter which way we look at it. They are the ones that are going to be building the skyline of Southern Nevada so it is good for us to get them involved in the programs right now.”What are the Benefits of Continuing to Take Advantage of Training?“Continued training for a construction worker makes you more marketable to an employer. If you have one skill you will work on one job if you have multiple skills you will work on multiple jobs. The most important thing about training is that it keeps you employed on the job site. It gives you better opportunities for advancement and better pay. Each step plays a different part of training. When you go out there and learn how to start work with concrete the first thing you are going to learn is how to make the base, then start making the forms and compaction. All before pouring even starts. If you learn each step you have a leg up on everyone at the job site. The most important part of that is learning how to estimate how much concrete you need. There is a formula for it if learned, those kinds of things you will always get yourself on a job site.”How Much does it Cost to Take Classes at the Local 872 Training Center?“As a member of any local trade union no matter if you are going through an apprenticeship program or if you are a journeyman within that Union all the classes are free to you because you are already paying for those classes. Contractors pay into our trust fund which goes into the Training Facility and if you are not taking advantage of those classes you limit opportunities for employment.”“Some journeymen who have been in the field for 20 years did not know this Center existed until recently when they had to take their OSHA 10 classes, but once they came back in they found all these other classes that are available for them and increased their marketability on the job site. These classes are free for you, you should take advantage with every chance you got. If you are out of work just sitting at home with nothing to do come down and take a forklift class, a class on asbestos training, or hazardous worker class. These classes all get you prepared for the new jobs that are coming up here in the future.”Which Classes Fill the Fastest?“A popular class that we have at the Training Center is the asbestos class where you are not only learning to identify the different types of asbestos, but you also learn how to work around it, and also learn how to safely remove asbestos from the worksite. You learn how to identify different types of asbestos such as friable and non-friable. You learn how to set up a containment field, how to work around it, how to dispose of it, and how to clean yourself up after you are finished working around it. Those are some of the most important safety aspects of working around asbestos.Other classes we have are forklift classes. Where you learn how to operate a forklift, which is different from learning how to drive a forklift. You learn how to read a load chart to determine how high you can pick up a load without tipping the forklift over. These are important on a job site because you do not want to have an accident that could not only hurt yourself but also your fellow coworkers out there.When you are in these classes be mindful of what you are there for. Pay attention and be involved in the class to learn as much as you can because these classes are not just for our edification but yours and your coworkers.”Are There New Classes Getting Added to the Schedule?“I would like to mention the traffic control technician and Traffic Control Supervisory classes where already certified Flaggers will learn how to do traffic control setup and maintenance on job sites and on the roads which bring advancement from being a Flagger. We also have the mining program opening back up with Meric Edgel. We had that program years ago teaching the rudiments of working in a mine shaft. So you will need to get your MSHA certification working in that class. We also have the Forman Preparedness class coming up soon. We will be taking Journeymen and Apprentices on the job site that we see have ambition, motivation, and the ability to think forward. We will promote them to some of our contractors as Foreman in the near future.”How Has The Center Grown?“The Training Center has grown lately. We have a few new things coming up. We are starting to teach more classes and our instructors are becoming certified teachers outside of Nevada working through the American National Standard Institute (ANSI). So, kudos to David Pruitt, Anthony Valdez, Leon Harris, and Meric Edgel.We are also becoming a lot more involved in the community. We are working with Center Ring Boxing to rebuild a firehouse. We are working with Merging Vets andPlayers (MVP) getting them involved in the programs. We are working with Hope For Prisoners at the Florence McClure Women’s Prison and High Desert Prison.We have instructors teaching classes to people that are going to be coming out of incarceration over the next three to six months to get them prepared for a career here at Laborers Local 872. These are programs we made available for our community because we want to see our community grow and advance. Through programs like this we give everyone a fair shot at getting involved in the new projects coming up in the next three to ten years.We also work with Entravision / Univision on a few things. We do a back to school drive and a toy drive once a year which has been big for the community. Local 872 has been all over the place lately working with Construction versus Cancer and there are multiple events coming up.”What Opportunities Can a Job in Construction Bring?“The opportunities the come with a career in construction make the world your oyster. I myself started off as an apprentice 17 years ago. A career in construction is the best place any person can look to make a name, to make a career choice, or to make a good decision for themselves. Starting off as an apprentice can lead you anywhere you want to go. There is a college degree available, there is a career path set in stone if you have the ambition, the initiative, the drive, and work ethic to go after it. Apprenticeship is ‘earn while you learn.’ We send you out to work with a contractor and you come back periodically to take classes. From an apprentice, you go to a journeyman, if you have the desire and initiative you can become a foreman, then a superintendent. If you go back for your college degree, as I did, you can become a project manager, you can go into construction estimation if you have further drive you can become a business owner if you decide to. The people who own PENTA were laborers and carpenters but look where they are right now. So, whatever you want out of life in construction, the opportunity is there and available to you but you need the drive and ambition to go after it.”Wed, 24 Oct 2018 11:30:00 -0700http://www.snlecet.com/blog/post/monthly-membership-meetingshttp://www.snlecet.com/blog/post/monthly-membership-meetingsMany important topics are discussed at Monthly Meetings. New investments and jobs are introduced, and special guests also visit with exciting news. Over the past months, Governor Brian Sandoval brought thanks and encouragement for Local 872’s role in bringing the Raiders to Las Vegas. Attorney General candidate Wes Duncan visited the Union’s Thanksgiving Celebration during the November Monthly Meeting. He spoke about his Father’s decades-long Union career, and how it shaped a tradition of public service.In addition to seeing fellow members and enjoying special guests, Monthly Union Meetings are the place to hear the latest Local 872 news first. A lot of work goes into putting these meetings on. In order to host 300 members the Hall needs to be set up and technical preparations need to be made. Many volunteers spend days leading up to the meeting setting up chairs and coordinating refreshments. Others get to the Hall three hours before the Meeting to make sure everything goes smoothly. Meetings are generally the first Monday of each month, except for June which will be on the 11th and September when there is no monthly meeting due to Labor Day. All meetings and contractual holidays are featured in Local 872’s 2018 Calendar. If you did not receive your calendar in the mail call the Local Union Hall to update or confirm your address.Thu, 01 Feb 2018 10:30:00 -0700