We should all take a moment from our activies on this Labor Day to think about what this day means, other than the last day of summer, and about the role labor has played in the past, present and future development of natural gas.

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, September 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. Labor Day, the first Monday in September, is a creation of the labor movement and is dedicated to the social and economic achievements of American workers. It constitutes a yearly national tribute to the contributions workers have made to the strength, prosperity, and well-being of our country.

Here in Ohio Energy in Depth – Ohio, over the last year, has met many leaders and members of many labor unions across the state.

On Thursday in Youngstown, some might say the labor capital of Ohio, the Youngstown – Warren Regional Chamber of Commerce held their annual “Salute to Business” Early Bird Breakfast. Among the many local leaders recieving awards and reconigation that day for their efforts was Mr. Roland “Butch” Taylor, Jr.

Mr. Taylor serves as the business manager for the Local 396 Plumbers and Pipefitters union. He is a leader in the industry for creating training programs like P.I.P.E which stands for Piping Industry Progress Education. The mission statement for P.I.P.E is – To assist its signatory contractors and Local Union 396 members by providing the highest quality construction services and products though education, public relations, legislation, and resource information.

Local 396 and the P.I.P.E training program the many needed welders that will find work with in and because of the growning natural gas exploration and transmission industries. Trainees recieve hands on training to prepare them for the work they will see in the field.

In addtion to the Plumbers and Pipefitters the Operating Engineers Union of Local 18 is also seeing growth because of Utica shale development. The leaders of Local 18 also have a training program in place to supply the oil and gas industry with the heavy equipment operators to build the road, well pads and contruction sites. Both Local 18 and Local are part of an overall approach in Ohio to build and develop a workforce that will meet current and future demands.

Energy in Depth – Ohio thanks our many new friends we have who are members of local unions for their hard work on behalf of Ohio’s industries. They are a large part of Ohio’s workforce who are seeing direct and indirect benefits of oil and gas production.  We wish well on their well deserved day off of work!

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