FIF 2017 Update: LMCI Building Resources for Suicide Prevention & Substance Use Disorder/Recruitment & Retention

Last December, the LMCI Finishing Industries Forum (FIF) hosted four committees comprised of IUPAT members, IUPAT employers and subject matter experts that are crucial to building IUPAT employer market share and the development of resources to benefit and grow the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades. These initial committee meetings were judged to be a great success, and the LMCI has

On the market share front, the LMCI is bringing IUPAT leaders, employers and industry association professionals together to find new and innovative ways to grow business in the glazing and industrial coatings industries.  The Glazing Committee recently met in Oakland, California (see last edition of the Journal), and the Industrial Coating Committee will meet in July.

In June, the Suicide Prevention & Substance Use Disorder Committee met in Boston.  Over the course of two days, members of the committee created three primary courses of action:

• Design and distribute a survey to both IUPAT members and contractors to get a snapshot of what each groups sees as current options for help and treatment, as well as which resources they would like to be made available to them.
• Create a Peer Advocacy program to help members who are seeking help to navigate the medical and counseling resources available to them.
• Launch an online presence on the web and social media platforms that provides a path to easily downloadable materials addressing these issues, and a central resource for phone numbers and websites for organizations that specialize in providing assistance to those in need for both Substance Use Disorder and Suicide Prevention.

Also in June, the Recruitment and Retention Committee met in Portland Oregon. There, members of the committee further focused on actions the LMCI and the International Finishing Trades Institute (IFTI) should implement in the rest of 2018 and beyond to grow our union.

Committee members outlined a plan to achieve their goals by implementing a mentoring program for IUPAT members who need guidance on enjoying the full benefits of being a union member and in the movement, diversifying our message with special emphasis on women and minorities to grow our ranks, and opening our training centers to our communities for open houses to see what a career in our crafts have to offer. The committee also suggested that opening our training centers to community groups for meetings and gatherings would also assist IUPAT efforts to build partnerships with those groups.

There is more work to be done on work that began just over six months ago at the 2017 LMCI Finishing Industries Forum.  More updates in the next edition of the Journal, but if you don’t want to wait until September to hear more, sign up today for the LMCI BluePrint. The email newsletter that updates you regularly on LMCI news.  Just email LMCI@LMCIonline.org with LMCI BluePrint in the subject line, and say “Sign me up!” in the message box.  You’ll be added to the list.