News release –
The International Iron Workers Union is pleased to announce that they have developed the very first SolarWall® installer training program for their members.
The launch of a certified solar air heating training program for commercial and industrial applications is the first-of-its-kind in the world. It is generating a tremendous amount of political and industry interest, and the Iron Workers are pleased to be on the cutting edge of this new and exciting green technology.
The SolarWall® technology has always been synonymous with solar air heating and the widespread endorsement of the technology from government agencies and past clients is spurring significant uptake. This represented an opportunity for the Iron Workers Union to establish their members as essential contributors to the solar air heating sector in the United States and Canada, while at the same time providing SolarWall® clients with the highest quality installation. The certification program will also create a trained labor-force across the country to help with more widespread deployment of the SolarWall® technology.
SolarWall® systems are building integrated and therefore require a skilled installer to ensure proper integration into the building envelope. SolarWall® was developed by Conserval Engineering, who partnered with the International Ironworker’s Union and Pennsylvania contractor G.M. McCrossin to develop the curriculum.
“SolarWall systems are part of the exciting and emerging green economy and it is a great thing that Iron Workers are an integral part of the workforce making the world a better place to live for future generations” said General President Joseph Hunt. “Adding this new technology to existing buildings and erecting it on new construction projects will not only help put Americans back to work but it can also help this country in the battle to achieve energy independence and reduce the greenhouse gases produced by using conventional means to heat buildings. The Iron Workers have the training in place across North America and we are positioned as the workforce which is trained to properly install this new technology.”
About The International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Union
The International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Union, AFL-CIO, is a proud trade union whose roots go back to the 1890′s. Their current membership is well over 100,000, with about 12,000 apprentices. Ironworkers have worked on nearly every major construction project you can think of – The Golden Gate Bridge, The Sears Tower, The St. Louis Arch, The Oil Sands Plant Expansion in Alberta, The World Trade Center, and the World Trade Center recovery effort, to name a few.
The Ironworker’s are committed to quality construction by providing a productive, skilled, and drug-free workforce, maintaining strong labor-management relations, following fair and ethical business practices, and finding new and innovative ways to help their contractors to successfully compete in the construction business.
About G. M. McCrossin
G.M. McCrossin, Inc. is a full service union contractor, with planning, scheduling, budgeting, permitting and design-build capabilities. They maintain comprehensive general, mechanical, foundation and electrical construction divisions. For over fifty years, GMM has been providing a multitude of specialized heavy construction services for a wide variety of commercial, institutional and governmental clients throughout the mid-Atlantic region. GMM is proud of their formal safety program, outstanding safety record and the numerous safety awards they have earned.
