Greetings Brothers and Sisters,
I hope you and your families are doing well as we head into the spring season.
The Training Center remains busy with apprentices working toward the end for the school year. We are especially excited for our sixteen, fourth-year apprentices that are quickly approaching graduation from the program. I am looking forward to the expected return of our graduation ceremonies this year. After a couple of difficult years that did not allow for graduations, this year’s graduation will mark Local 4’s 50th Completion Exercises. The first graduation took place in 1968 with a few years without Completion Exercises, including COVID. We are looking forward to getting back to a great tradition and it’s fitting that this graduation will be a milestone.
In addition to our usual schedule of classes, it was nice to be able to add our Worcester Classes back to the schedule in March now that the COVID situation has improved. I would like to thank Business Agent Dave Dobson and President Mike Bowes for their help bringing these classes back to the members from the Worcester area.
There have been some recent changes by the Federal Motor Carriers Safety Compliance Administration. These changes have taken effect on February 7, 2022, and apply to Entry Level Driver Training. In order to test for a CDL license, candidates must now be trained in both classrooms and behind the wheel at a training location that is certified by the FMCSA. The Training Center has been approved as a certified location and will continue to train and test for CDL licenses. Any member that received a CDL permit after February 7 will have to do some additional training and be certified prior to booking a road test.
We were fortunate in February to have members of the State Police Truck team come in and give a presentation to the apprentices. It was a great presentation on what the responsibilities are of a professional driver whether it be in a truck, crane, or heavy dirt equipment requiring a CDL license. They answered a lot of good questions on a variety of scenarios we face as operators. It was an excellent opportunity for them to see what we do at the apprenticeship as well as let us know what they are looking for on the roadways.
If you have been out to Medway recently, you have likely noticed that the tower crane is down. We are working on some maintenance and repairs to the tower crane that required it to be disassembled. We will make all necessary repairs and complete all maintenance before erecting it again so that it will be in good working order and safe for our members going forward. In the meantime, if you are in need of a NCCCO tower crane practical test, please reach out to the Training Center. We have made other arrangements so that this will still be possible.
Lastly, I would like to update you on the Apprenticeship Program application process. The applicants have completed their interviews at this time. We will look forward to welcoming a new class of probationary apprentices in the coming months based on the
work outlook.