‘Permit Workers’ – What they are and how they Register for Insulating Work through the Local 110 Insulator union in Alberta

1. This will explain how someone who is not a member of the Local 110 Insulator union can register to start to work or continue to work insulating as a ‘Permit Worker’ through Local 110 throughout Alberta on industrial and or commercial construction and maintenance projects.

2. Most all members of the Local 110 insulator union started working through the union as a ‘Permit Worker’. A ‘Permit Worker’ is only put to work insulating if and when the union does not have enough Local 110 members available to be dispatched to work for the number of different apprentice, helper or journeyman positions its signatory contractors need workers for on a given job. ‘Permit Workers’ are then temporarily put to work on that job until there is a shortage of work there which necessitates layoffs and they are laid off. They are laid off ahead of Local 110 members. There are opportunities for them to possibly become Local 110 members before that happens.

3. Local 110 has to date been dispatching ‘Permit Workers’ to work insulating in no particular order as they make themselves available on a day to day basis. To make that dispatch more efficient, the union has now created three lists for them to register on for this work. Anyone interested in registering on one of these three lists can click on the appropriate option shown below. That will take them to a page that will ask for information, including what experience they do or don’t have in the Trade of insulating. When they have provided all of the information asked for, they can then click on ‘submit’ and the Program will reflect that they are registered. It will also reflect what category of worker they are deemed to be based on that information and what position they are on the list they have been put on.

4. The union will keep a ‘C’ list of ‘Permit Workers’ that people at an ‘entry level’ with no insulating experience will be registered on chronologically (in order, starting with who on that ‘entry level’ list registered for work first with the union). They are properly referred to as ‘helpers’ rather than ‘apprentices’ – they are dispatched at 1st year rate of pay – they have the option to become registered/ indentured apprentices to upgrade themselves and get a higher rate of pay.

5. The union will also keep a ‘B’ list of ‘Permit Workers’ that people with insulating experience will be registered on chronologically (in order, starting with who on that ‘experienced’ list registered for work first with the union). The ‘B’ (experienced) list will include categories of Permit Workers as follows:

  • Certified Journeymen Insulator (certified by: NAIT or SAIT on behalf of the Alberta Apprenticeship Board; or by some other Technical Institute or other Province’s Apprenticeship Board; or by Local 110 if the worker can prove enough time in the Trade, can pass a union written journeyman exam and pass a hands on the tools test while working for a signatory employer on the job; or by some other Local union affiliated with Local 110 using whatever process that union uses to determine journeyman status – they are all dispatched at journeyman rate of pay by Local 110)
     
  • 1st Year Registered Apprentice Insulator (indentured with the Alberta Apprenticeship Board after making a written application to do so – they are dispatched at 1st year rate of pay)
     
  • 2nd Year Registered Apprentice Insulator (indentured with the Alberta Apprenticeship Board after making a written application to do so – they are dispatched at 2nd year rate of pay after completing first year technical training)
     
  • 3rd Year Registered Apprentice Insulator (indentured with the Alberta Apprenticeship Board after making a written application to do so – they are dispatched at 3rd year rate of pay after completing second year technical training)
     
  • 4th Year Registered Apprentice Insulator (indentured with the Alberta Apprenticeship Board after making a written application to do so – they are dispatched at 4th year rate of pay after completing third year technical training – Note: August 1, 2013 the Alberta Apprenticeship Board will be making the Insulator Trade a three year Program instead of a four year Program)
     
  • Experienced Insulator (someone with insulating experience, but is not a ‘certified Journeyman’ or ‘registered Apprentice’ – they are properly referred to as ‘helpers’ on the job rather than ‘apprentices’ – they are dispatched at 1st year rate of pay, with a recommendation by the union for the employer to at its discretion assess their skill level and experience to possibly pay them a higher level of pay – they have the option to apply to become registered/indentured apprentices to upgrade themselves and get a higher rate of pay)

6. The union will also keep an ‘A’ list of ‘Permit Workers’ that the ‘C’ (inexperienced) and ‘B’ (experienced) ‘Permit Workers’ referred to above will eventually have opportunity to get onto. That will be the list that is used to dispatch from unless there are not enough workers on it to fill a given Work Order for manpower.

7. The ‘Permit Workers’ on the ‘B’ (experienced) list and ‘C’ (entry level) list can only get on that ‘A’ (interviewed) list after the union’s Training Coordinator has conducted an interview with them to determine if they are suitable to be dispatched. They will be on that ‘A’ list in chronological order (starting with who was interviewed first). The decision to put them on the ‘A’ list or not after an interview will be based on a person’s attitude, education, communication skills, past issues at work if they’ve been dispatched through the union before, and any other useful information the interviewer discovers that influences that decision. For those workers who are on the ‘B’ list, the Training Coordinator will verify that they have the qualifications they claim to have. That verification will be decided on the basis of documentation they present to prove their experience and on how they answer the Trade related questions.

8. The union will ensure it keeps a long enough list of all categories of ‘A’ (interviewed) insulators to liken that Work Orders being placed by signatory employers will be filled with manpower, to the extent there are enough workers available from the ‘B’ (experienced) and ‘C’ (inexperienced) lists. The union will announce on its website when it will be doing interviews and will then interview first those ‘B’ list workers who call in to have one, giving preference to those who registered first as ‘Permit Workers’ on that list. When all of those on the ‘B’ list who’ve called in have been given the opportunity to be interviewed and there is a need to interview more workers for ‘entry level’ positions, the same above process will be used calling through the ‘C’ list. Workers can click on ‘Permit Workers’ on the union’s website daily to see these interview announcements.

9. When there are positions available for ‘Permit Workers’ in one or more categories, up to three of them will be dispatched to work by the union off of the ‘A’ (interviewed) list from amongst those who bid for a job they qualify for. The jobs they can bid on are posted on the union’s website under the heading ‘Dispatch’ in the Work Orders shown there. ‘Permit Workers’ who were interviewed ahead of others on the ‘A’ list will be dispatched first after they have all bid for a job. They can bid for more than one job, indicating which is their first preference and each successive preference. They can only bid for the category of work they qualify for. The union’s website is the one you are on now: www.insulators110.com.

10. For every three ‘Permit Workers’ that are dispatched to work on the above referred to basis, one ‘Permit Worker’ can be dispatched off of the ‘A’ (interviewed), ‘B’ (experienced), or ‘C’ (entry level) insulator lists by a Business Agent regardless of what position that person has on those lists. An employer can ask a Business Agent to consider a ‘name request’ for a ‘Permit Worker’ they want off of one of those lists, but the Business Agent will have full discretion to allow that or not.

11. After registering on the ‘B’ (experienced), or ‘C’ (entry level) lists of ‘Permit Workers’, a person must repeatedly re-register on this site within 30 days in order to stay on one of those lists and eventually advance to the ‘A’ (interviewed) list. They must continue to re-register in that way on the ‘A’ list as many times as it takes before they are eventually dispatched. *Important: Any ‘A’, ‘B’, or ‘C’ ‘Permit Worker’ who does not re-register within 30 days from the last time they did so, will automatically lose their position on the list. This is expected to greatly reduce the amount of time union office support staff will have to take calling people who have probably moved on to do other things. If a registered person loses their position on the list, they may choose to re-register at a later date.

12. ‘Permit Workers’ who have registered on line here for work through the union can log on again later to forthwith remove their name off of the list they are on.

13. If a position in a given category has not been filled in the above way because not enough ‘Permit Workers’ have called in or come in to bid for it, union dispatch staff will start at the top of the ‘A’ (interviewed) list and call each person who is qualified for it, to request them to take it.

14. Each ‘Permit Worker’ on the ‘A’ (interviewed) list may decline taking a job unless it is within the area they reside. If they have not restricted themselves to jobs in the area they reside, they can refuse to take a job in an area away from where they reside unless the employer is providing free temporary accommodations and meals. They can also choose to do only commercial or industrial insulating work. They must declare any such limitations when they are first put on that ‘A’ list in order to decline jobs on that basis.

15. If ‘A’ (interviewed) list workers decline to take a job that they did not limit themselves from taking in the above referred to way when they went onto the ‘A’ list, they will be removed from the ‘A’ list forthwith after they decline it. They will automatically be positioned at the bottom of the ‘B’ (experienced ) or ‘C’ list, whichever is applicable, to go through the process of moving up one of those lists until they get onto the ‘A’ list again. If they are going to be unavailable for work while they are on the ‘A’ list because of vacation or because of extenuating circumstances, they will be allowed to decline taking a job for a reasonable period of time for as long as the union dispatcher agrees they may do so. If a particular job is offering terms and conditions of employment that are seen by an ‘A’ list worker as substandard relative to what the majority of jobs have to offer (for example, no overtime when all of the other jobs offer overtime), the dispatcher will have discretion to allow that worker to decline taking it and stay on the list.

16. The union dispatcher might choose to reflect on the Local 110 website the evening before dispatch that ‘B’ (experienced), or ‘B’ and ‘C’ (inexperienced) list workers can bid for a job they qualify for if the dispatcher anticipates there is going to be a shortage of ‘A’ (interviewed) workers. In that case, any ‘B’ list or ‘C’ list workers who bid for a job will be dispatched instead of calling through the ‘A’ list of workers who are showing as available and didn’t bid for the job.

17. If a position has not been filled in the above referred to way calling through the ‘A’ (interviewed) list of ‘Permit Workers’, dispatch staff will then start at the top of the ‘B’ (experienced) list, calling through it in the same way as they did the ‘A’ list, to those who are registered as ‘available’, until they fill all of the positions. ‘B’ list workers will lose their positions on the list if they do not take a position offered to them when they are registered as ‘available'. They will then be automatically moved to the bottom position of that list and show as ‘unavailable’.

18. If a 1st year apprentice position has not been filled in the above referred to way calling through the ‘B’ (experienced) list of ‘Permit Workers’, dispatch staff will then start at the top of the ‘C’ (inexperienced) list, calling through it in the same way as they did the ‘B’ lists, to those who are registered as available, until they fill all of the positions. ‘C’ list workers will lose their positions on the list if they do not take a position offered to them when they are registered as ‘available’. They may re-register at the bottom of the list at a later date.

19. No one who is registering as a ‘Permit Worker’ should indicate they have experience as an industrial/commercial insulator if they don’t have it. That would prompt the computer program to place them on the ‘B’ list of experienced insulators. When they then get to the top of that ‘B’ list and go for an interview to get onto the ‘A’ (interviewed) list, the interviewer will find out they have no experience and put them on the bottom of the ‘C’ (entry level insulator) list. They would then have to work their way through that list before they can get to the ‘A’ list. That would be a waste of everyone’s time.

20. When ‘Permit Workers’ have finished working for a signatory employer, they will start the above referred to process over again if they have not by that point in time become a Local 110 union member. ‘Permit Workers’ or prospective ones can call the union’s Marketing Director at 780 426-2874 to enquire about how to apply to become a union member. They can also call him with questions about the above.

21. ‘Permit Workers’ who demonstrate poor performance at work, for example: those who are fired for cause; or those who quit jobs for no good reason; or those who miss a lot of time at work; or those who do poor quality of work; or those who are dispatched but do not report to work for no good reason; or those who conduct themselves in ways that discredit themselves and the union; will at the discretion of a union Business Agent/Manager be refused access onto a ‘Permit Worker’ list until and unless the Business Manager reverses that position taken.
 

Click here to complete a registration page to become a Permit Worker.

Click here to review your status as a Permit Worker if you are already registered, to find out what number on the list you are.

Click here to re-register on the list you are on within 30 days of having last registered, to ensure that you remain on the list and move up on it.

Click here to log off.