Fannie Lewis Law’s employment mandates help Cleveland residents
secure union construction jobs & journeyman status
by Chuck Hoven

(Plain Press, March 2010) Eighteen individuals have achieved journeyman status in their unions through participation in the Union Construction Industry Partnership –Apprenticeship Skills Achievement Program created to facilitate the implementation of the Fannie Lewis law in Cleveland.

In 2003, Cleveland City Council, led by then Council President Frank Jackson, passed the Fannie Lewis law. The landmark legislation, named after longtime Ward 7 Councilwoman Fannie Lewis, required that Cleveland residents receive 20% of the jobs on projects when the City of Cleveland contributed $100,000 or more to the project.

At the time, the construction trade unions and Cleveland City Council discussed whether there would be enough Cleveland residents in the unions to meet the demand. As a result of these discussions, the City of Cleveland and the unions agreed to create a pre-apprenticeship program called Union Construction Industry Partnership-Apprenticeship Skills Achievement Program. The City of Cleveland agreed to help fund the program. Cuyahoga County later joined in supporting the program, allowing Cuyahoga County residents to participate in the program. The city and county pay the full tuition for eligible UCIP-ASAP participants.

This current fiscal year, demand for the program was so great that both the city and county ran out of funds in October 2009 and the program was suspended, said UCIP-ASAP Executive Director Cindy Marizette. She said the City of Cleveland’s new fiscal year does not begin until July 1st. However, UCIP-ASAP is hoping a grant from the United States Department of Labor will come through so classes can continue in the interim. If the grant is received the next class will begin on March 22, 2010.

UCIP-ASAP Executive Director Cindy Marizette says the City of Cleveland Fannie Lewis Law, which is now undergoing a review by Cleveland City Council, “is helpful to our program.” She credits the law with helping Cleveland residents in the program to obtain more work hours. Each union requires a certain number of hours on the job to achieve journeyman status.

The Cleveland Municipal School District Board of Education has also passed resolutions setting goals for employment of minorities and Cleveland residents. UCIP-ASAP is currently surveying its graduates to determine the number who have obtained some employment on Cleveland Municipal School District construction projects. Preliminary results (158 of 172 surveys returned) show that 3 UCIP-ASAP graduates, all Cleveland residents, have thus far received some employment on Cleveland Municipal School District projects.

UCIP-ASAP held its first classes in October 2003. The program features eight weeks of job readiness classes. Up to three sets of classes have been held each year since the inception of the program with a goal of about 20 participants in each class. Those participating in the classes learn about the various construction unions. The program helps students to choose an appropriate union where they are promised a place in that union’s apprenticeship program.

If the apprentices stick with the program and complete the necessary classroom hours and on the required job hours, they can get their union card and become a journeyman in that union. The apprentices are paid when they are placed in jobs and their pay increases according to union rules. When they achieve journeyman status, they are full members of the union and can work on union jobs throughout North America.

As of the end of 2009, 258 individuals have graduated from Union Construction Industry Partnership –Apprenticeship Skills Achievement Program. Of those UCIP-ASAP graduates 172 were placed into union apprenticeship programs: 22 Iron Workers, 29 Laborers, 37 Carpenters, 10 Roofers and Waterproofers, 11 Sheet Metal Workers, 11 Electricians, 12 Painters and Glaziers, 14 Floor Layers, 1 Millwright, 20 Pipefitters, 2 Bricklayers, 1 Plumber and 2 Operating Engineers.

Out of the 172 UCIP-ASAP graduates placed in apprenticeships, 53 have had their apprenticeships terminated, cancelled or suspended or they decided to quit the program. Of the remaining 119 individuals who continued in the apprenticeship programs, eighteen have now achieved journeyman status: 2 Iron Workers, 8 Laborers, 2 Roofers & Waterproofers, 2 Electricians, 2 Glaziers, 1 Pipefitter, and 1 Bricklayer.

Marizette says UCIP-ASAP started a mentoring program last May. The program has about twenty participants. She hopes the participants and mentors in the program will help UCIP-ASAP to learn reasons why apprentices drop out of the program or have their apprentices terminated or suspended. She hopes this will help identify issues that participants have and allow more participants to achieve journeyman status in the unions they join as apprentices.

UCIP-ASAP offers its pre-apprenticeship training classes to Cleveland and Cuyahoga County residents, ages 18 and older, who have a high school diploma. Those interested in applying for the program can call UCIP-ASAP at 432-7037 or download an application from their website at www.ucip-asap.com.

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