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Works Initiative News
Building Union Diversity Program, News

BUD program featured in theSTL

Story By Matt Sorrell
Visuals By R.J. Hartbeck

As seen in STL Made

When Aurora Bihler decided to pursue a career as a union iron worker, she didn’t know where to start. Originally from Joliet, Illinois, she came to the St. Louis area to study fine art and sculpture at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville. After graduating, she searched for a career where she could put her creativity to work and get her hands dirty while still making a good living. The idea of working with iron was intriguing, but she had no family or friends in the construction trades to give her advice or direction on how to pursue that career.

“When I first got into the trades it felt like I was an anthropologist dropped into a foreign country,” she says. “It was like ‘How do I survive and respect this culture? I don’t speak the language, this is all new to me.’”

AURORA BIHLER, COORDINATOR FOR THE BUILDING UNION DIVERSITY PROGRAM.

Bihler’s experience isn’t unique. Each construction trade has its own apprenticeship process, and trade unions haven’t always had the reputation of being the most welcoming of places, with underrepresented minorities and women making up just 6 percent of the construction workforce. While Bihler did go on to find success in her career as an iron worker, she’s now part of the effort to make it easier for others to enter trade careers in St. Louis through the Building Union Diversity program.

BUD’s union construction pre-apprenticeship program was born in 2014 with the goal of getting more St. Louisans into the construction trades, focusing specifically in expanding diversity within those fields. It’s part of the Missouri Works Initiative, a nonprofit whose goal is creating economic opportunities for Missourians.

“It’s important for our union workforce to look like the neighborhoods they work in,” says Jake Hummel, president of the Missouri AFL-CIO (a federation of unions affiliated with the national American Federation of Labor – Congress of Industrial Organizations), which sponsors and supports the Missouri Works Initiative.

THE SPRING 2023 BUD COHORT VISITS TILE, MARBLE & TERRAZZO WORKERS – LOCAL 18 OF MISSOURI AFL-CIO.

To create the BUD program learning materials, several trade unions came together to craft a comprehensive curriculum. It covers basics in construction, math, blueprint reading and tape measure reading, as well as soft skills helpful to launching a successful career.

“The curriculum also covers some life skills about how to have a good attitude at work and how to present well in an interview,” says Megan Price, executive director of the Missouri Works Initiative. “Then throughout the cohort, we’re also taking them to the various apprenticeship training centers. And that is what students really find to be the most exciting part of the course.”

The six-week BUD program is held four times a year at no cost to students, and gives participants a taste of all the building trades so they can find which one suits them best. In addition to hands-on sessions with carpentry, bricklaying, electrical, sheet metal, plumbing and pipefitting, and cement masonry, BUD also focuses on wellness and personnel issues, with classes on subjects from financial literacy to fighting racial and sexual discrimination on the job site.

“The benefit of a cohort is that we continue to find that the model of bringing students together to go through this similar experience creates a lot of synergy, a lot of organic connections for people who are also starting their career and maybe encountering challenges,” says Price. In addition to building networking connections, the cohort also helps establish a peer support system – one way to help combat the high rates of mental health issues among construction workers.

MEGAN PRICE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE MISSOURI WORKS INITIATIVE.

The first week of BUD is a full five days, but the remaining weeks are only four days long, giving students time to work or take care of getting the documents together they’ll need for their apprenticeship, like birth certificates and social security cards. Students also receive a $100 weekly stipend to help with expenses, and they’re supplied with necessary equipment like boots, high-visibility shirts and vests, work pants, ear and eye protection and a hard hat so they can hit the ground running once the program is completed. Transportation to the various training locations is also provided. Once a BUD graduate is accepted into an accredited apprenticeship program they get a $150 tool stipend as well.

Since its inception, 92 percent of BUD participants have graduated from the program, with 26.5 percent of those graduates being women and 79.2 percent being underrepresented minorities. One of those graduates is Raine McDevitt, who completed the program in November 2022.

“I went to a local private high school and they were like ‘You go to college, you get your fancy degree and you make a lot of money so you can give it back to us,’” says McDevitt. “I wish I’d known about BUD earlier.” McDevitt has a degree in graphic art and tried her hand in that field, then gave coding a shot, all the while supplementing her income with bartending and serving jobs. She heard about the program from a BUD graduate she met at a Women In The Trades meeting and decided to apply.

“I consider BUD one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” says McDevitt, who now works as a tile finisher with Stutte Tile Flooring.

SPRING 2023 BUD COHORT.

Another crucial part of the program is to give students an overview of all of the trades so they can get a clear picture of which one would be best for them. Bihler plays a key part in mentoring the students to help them find the right career path.

“I think the BUD program did a great job of painting that picture overall,” says Shay Jones, who graduated from the program with McDevitt. “You feel informed and responsible for your decision.”

Jones spent years behind a desk in the home health care industry, while longing to be in a role where she could tap into her creative side. She found her fit as a glazier apprentice with Industrial Walls & Roof North America.

“I’m a baker, and caulking reminds me a lot of icing,” says Jones. “So I found it really easy to work with. I wanted to do something more hands-on, and something where I could see results of my work immediately, something more visible and tangible.”

Jones was also attracted by the competitive wages and benefits trade unions offer. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there’s about a $10,500 net difference between typical trade union and non-union annual salaries.

Once participants find a trade to pursue, often the biggest hurdle they face is finding out how to start the process to become an apprentice. One of the main focuses of BUD is to help students navigate those waters.

“I’d always been interested in the trades, but I didn’t know anything about that world,” says Jones. She feels BUD was invaluable in helping her figure out the necessary steps to successfully apply for her apprenticeship.

Bihler strives to help students realize they have what it takes to succeed in the trades, regardless of their background, and to advocate for themselves, using her own experiences coming up through the union ranks as an example.

“I felt like I was constantly standing up for myself or for other people who did not fit the mold,” Bihler says.

“Now I tell my students, ‘You need to set your limits and don’t let other people do it for you.’”

March 20, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png 0 0 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-03-20 18:24:432023-03-20 18:24:43BUD program featured in theSTL
Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights March 19

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of March 19, 2023

 

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from the mental health of workers and students to Moms seeking work-life balance to how to grieve in a healthy manner. Today, I wish to shed some light on how apprenticeships are now being viewed by high school students as legitimate alternatives to the “college-for-all” mantra the US has hitched its wagon to for the past 30+ years. Having served on the US Secretary of Labor’s Advisory Committee on Apprenticeship (ACA) from 2003-2010, I can attest that the seeds we planted 20 years ago are finally bearing fruit. If one reviews the details of the student debt issue, you will soon find that a good portion of this debt is from community college students…most of which never earned an Associate’s degree. While college may not be for all at the age of 18, I for one, do believe that most workers “eventually” gain much needed leadership skills by attending college once they hone in on their career choice. This is why I have advocated for emulating the European model of apprenticeships since 2004 (Google: Bayless Floor Layers Middle Apprenticeship Program). Wherein, the focus is on apprenticeships at the secondary level of education. Thus, graduating high school students with job-ready skill sets! In closing, I suspect with the rise of STEM at the secondary and post-secondary levels, it has become less bitter (and less costly) for many parents to accept the importance of hands-on education which, in turn, helps temper the age-old stigma of vocational education.

 

Sources: https://www.wsj.com/articles/more-students-are-turning-away-from-college-and-toward-apprenticeships-15f3a05d

https://www.wsj.com/articles/student-loan-bills-are-set-to-come-due-adding-pressure-on-younger-americans-1738b6e0

 

US-DOL seeks input on workers’ MH

 

Young women & MH

 

Students & MH

 

Trials of being young

 

MH guide for college students & families

 

Period products in MO schools

 

US maternal mortality rate

 

Toxic workplace culture: Men v Women

 

Canadian moms & Work-Life balance

 

Millennials & Unkept promises

 

COVID & What worked?

 

Meth forces new protocols for CO libraries

 

New CDC opioids guidelines / Too little, too late?

 

On solving our opioids crisis

 

Testing for fentanyl?

 

Opioids in the construction industry (14:38 min mark)

 

Finns / Death / Drug abuse

 

Marriage & Technology

 

Marriage / Long term health / Happiness

 

Women / Sex / Cancer

 

How to meditate?

 

On meditating before sleep

 

Embracing the “dark side”

 

A good death?

 

Healthy grieving

 

Feeling alive…again

 

On chiros & neck manipulation

 

Never getting together?

 

Meetings: In-person v Tech

 

Student debt & Added pressure

 

Apprenticeship v College

 

Promoting Canada’s skilled trades education

 

Local community colleges expand mfg curriculum

 

Fixing child care: A work-around

 

The anti-Girl Scout cookie

 

Build housing = Attract workers?

 

What’s your next career?

 

Why trust science?

March 20, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-03-20 18:18:042023-03-20 18:18:04Wellness & Well-being Highlights March 19
Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights March 12

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of March 12, 2023

 

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from how perks in the workplace are about to change to how one religion has incorporated Yoga into their Lenten practices to the March 8th celebration of International Women’s Day. Today, I wish to shed some light on how a rare conviction in a Brooklyn court recently charged a (non-union) contractor with the (homicide) death of an immigrant construction worker. The district attorney made it clear that when contractors cut corners and allow workers to work in unsafe conditions, they will face criminal repercussions! To this end, I have 2 thoughts I want to leave you with: 1) I am thankful for the working relationship our unions and signatory contractors have with OSHA at the national and local levels; and 2) Hopefully, “Carlos’ Law” will reinforce the importance of the professional-level safety training delivered to our future workforce via our jointly-trusted US-DOL Registered Apprenticeship Programs across this great nation.

 

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/03/03/nyregion/brooklyn-homicide-construction-worker.html?searchResultPosition=1

 

New work perks?

 

Managing MH accommodations in the workplace

 

MH & Supportive workplaces

 

Gearing MH services towards our youth

 

The “Youth” MH great resignation?

 

Young women & MH

 

Mindful breathing

 

Sleep & Suicide?

 

Superpowers & Highly Sensitive People

 

Self-confidence vs Self-esteem

 

Self-care & Laughing more

 

Moods & Essential oils

 

Yoga / Religion / Lent

 

Update: Opioids & Sacklers

 

Update: Mexico & Fentanyl

 

Update: Long COVID

 

NY / Homicide / Construction

 

NY / Immigrants / Plans?

 

Unions & Scabby Rat

 

Migrants & Child Labor

 

Afghan Women & School

 

Iran’s Girls & Poisoning

 

International Women’s Day (1)

 

International Women’s Day (2)

 

Finding the “missing workers”

 

Surviving a layoff?

 

WARNING: Mexico’s Medical Tourism

 

Upcoming seminars:

Dementia 101

 

Brain & Body

 

 

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact johngaal@moaflcio.org with related questions or comments.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 13, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-03-13 17:22:352023-03-13 17:22:35Wellness & Well-being Highlights March 12
Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights March 5

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of March 5, 2023

 

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from addressing if AI (artificial intelligence) can help treat Mental Illness to the benefits of sleep to how one should continue to exercise regardless of age. Today, I wish to shed some light on how one school district is now requiring ALL teachers to be trained in administering NARCAN. Since the beginning of the blog, nearly 2 years ago, I have included numerous articles pertaining to the opioids crisis in the USA. In fact, you may recall seeing an article a couple of months ago where I was part of a team of first responders on a SWA flight to Las Vegas that revived an opioids overdose victim…while 35,000 feet off the ground. Had my spouse NOT been carrying NARCAN in her purse on October 22, 2022, I fear, for him and his family, that young man would no longer be with us today. To this end, people from ALL walks of life—social standing be damned—are dying on a daily basis from opioid overdoses. As such, I have 2 “immediate” asks of you:

  1. Demand that your workplace stock NARCAN on site; and
  2. PLEASE check your local resources and get trained sooner rather than later!

 

Sources: https://www.cbsnews.com/video/teachers-trained-to-administer-narcan-amid-opioid-crisis/#x

https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/columns/tony-messenger/messenger-st-louis-man-who-saved-overdose-victim-pushes-airline-to-carry-narcan/article_54ced5c1-9d10-5867-9101-979b08e9bc3e.html

 

Training teachers to use NARCAN in schools

 

GA opioids trial

 

MH & Obstacles to Accessing Benefits

 

Improving Worker Well-being

 

Supporting MH Builds Resiliency

 

Update: Suicide Data

 

Insulin pricing?

AI / Doctors / Patients

 

AI & Treating Mental Illness

 

Are you a “fixer”?

 

Caregivers & Burnout

 

Kids & Screen Time

 

Sleep Benefits

 

Sleep Discipline

 

Loneliness / Workers / Costs

 

Grief & Ignoring Advice

 

Beating Brain Fog & MH

 

The 11-minute Walk = Longer Life

 

Aging & Exercise

 

The Ongoing Alzheimers’ Debate

 

Missing your work spouse?

 

Biden’s nomination for Walsh’s replacement

 

Supreme Court weighs in on Student Debt Relief

 

UMWA strike ends

 

STL nursing home closes

 

Firms losing worker w/o layoffs

 

5 Generations in the Workplace

 

Women & Title IX (1)

 

Women & Title IX (2)

 

Another NFLer passes: Stage 4 CTE

 

 

Upcoming Trainings:

QPR & MHFA (FREE – Onsite)

 

 

Past webinars:

Tale of 2 Surgeries

 

Opioid Risk Reduction & Minimizing Claims

 

Holistic Approach to Campus Mental Health

 

 

 

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact johngaal@moaflcio.org with related questions or comments.

 

March 13, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-03-13 17:10:202023-03-13 17:10:20Wellness & Well-being Highlights March 5
Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights February 26

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of February 26, 2023

 

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from the failure of the US War on Drugs to how a “phone call” can help cure loneliness to stories on the links between depression & inflammation as well as exercise & pain. Today, I wish to shed some light on the podcast touching on the Forgotten Mothers of Civil Rights’ Leaders. As Black History Month soon comes to a close it would be remiss on my part not to share such an impactful this piece. It reminded me that NONE of us are self-made! Most of us have had people in our lives who have been there to support & guide us through the good times and bad times during this journey we call life. PLEASE find 50 minutes during this coming week to listen to these three moving stories. You will NOT be disappointed!

 

Source: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ted-radio-hour/id523121474?i=1000597760729

 

On the USA losing the Drug War

Harm reduction in the USA

 

US resistance to effective treatments

 

More on harm reduction

 

Fentanyl / Smuggling / Mexico Border

 

Mexico / Law / Bribery

 

Emojis / Kids / Drugs

 

MH & 988 progress

 

Girls & Sadness: What parents should know

 

College / Discrimination / Depression

 

Depression & Inflammation

 

Are you at risk for loneliness?

 

A Loneliness Cure: The Phone Call?

 

When is best time to exercise?

 

Exercise & Pain

 

Lower back pain?

 

IBS & Anxiety/Depression/Suicide

 

Running out of time?

 

Slowing time down?

 

On “saving” others

 

Update: US COVID Death Toll

 

COVID & Kids’ Learning Loss

 

A School Counselor & Kids’ Anxiety

 

Spirituality & Well-being

 

Benefits of Music Therapy

 

MH Workforce Shortage

 

HC Apprenticeships

 

Labor’s Spring Rising

NLRB & Severance Packages

 

Forgotten Mothers of Civil Rights’ Leaders

 

Seattle & Banning Caste

 

Happiness & Work

 

Tailoring benefits to the employee’s needs?

 

MH in the Workplace

 

MH & Better Managers = Better Workers

 

The 4-day Workweek?

 

Tracking your brain @ work?

 

Does implicit bias training work?

 

Men’s Soccer joins AFL-CIO

 

MLS Union / FIFA & Concussion Subs?

 

Female athletes / Head injuries / Suicide

 

 

Upcoming webinars:

https://www.slcl.org/content/virtual-program-compassion-fatigue

 

https://www.slcl.org/content/virtual-program-chair-yoga

 

February 28, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-02-28 18:21:112023-02-28 18:21:11Wellness & Well-being Highlights February 26
Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights February 20

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of February 19, 2023

 

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from emergency rooms not being able to adequately accommodate children with Mental Health issues to one’s Mental Health following a stroke to a history of head injuries in sports. Today, I wish to shed some light on the articles touching on the increase in sadness being experienced by teen girls, the state of worker wellness, and how peer support is being provided by college students. There is no doubt that COVID has raised the level of awareness when it comes to Mental Health and somewhat lowered the stigma that surrounds this once taboo topic…with this comes an increase in reporting mental health issues. It is no secret that the US is confronted with a shortage of Mental Health professionals. Therefore, it is incumbent upon us to step up and help solve this dilemma. One approach would be to increase the number of para-professionals known as Peer Supporters. This model is being utilized in a number of venues (i.e., OUD/SUD rehab, schools, remote villages, etc.) across the world and showing some success. After all, if you needed help who would you rather speak to…a peer with lived experience OR a person you never met before with no connections to your way of life?

 

Sources: www.wsj.com/articles/teen-girls-experiencing-record-levels-of-sadness-and-suicide-risk-cdc-says-b30b7e8e

www.constructforstl.org/dodge-interviews-mo-afl-cios-dr-john-gaal-on-the-state-of-worker-wellness/

www.wsj.com/articles/with-therapists-in-short-supply-college-students-counsel-each-other-b9cb5eb2

Teen girls & Sadness (1)

 

Teen girls & Sadness (2)

 

ERs failing / Kids / MH

 

Doctors / Kids / MH

 

Doctors / Infants / Financial Literacy

 

MH / Stigma / Politics (1)

 

MH / Stigma / Politics (2)

 

Depression after Stroke? (1)

 

Depression after Stroke? (2)

 

Hypnosis & MH

 

Moral Injury & MH

 

Men / ODs / Trades

 

Gun violence & MH

 

Ohio & Opioids Settlement

 

Exercise & Energy

 

Is rejection good for you?

 

Mice & Male Contraceptives

 

The Love Languages

 

Dating & Therapy Speak

 

Teens & Driving?

 

Win or Learn vs Win or Lose

 

Vapes on Planes?

 

Update: Fentanyl & Mexico

 

Child labor & Meatpacking

 

Chinese retirees protest

 

Railroads & Lack of safety

 

State of worker wellness

 

High paying jobs: No degree required

 

College students & Peer support

 

Training vs Learning

 

coNFLicts of interest

 

History of head injuries in sports

 

 

Upcoming webinar:

Managing pain: The tale of 2 surgeries

 

 

 

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact johngaal@moaflcio.org with related questions or comments.

February 20, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-02-20 19:49:092023-02-20 19:55:54Wellness & Well-being Highlights February 20
Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights February 13

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of February 12, 2023

 

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from providing more Mental Health assistance to children in ERs to why women continue to leave the workforce to the risks of Magic Mushrooms. Today, I wish to shed some light on the article touching on the possible repeal of child labor laws. With a >35% increase of child labor law violations in 2022, this is not an issue to take lightly…worker shortage or not! We are not merely talking about kids working more than the allotted hours in a given week in the “safe” confines of your local grocery store. In fact, a number of these abuses stem from reports at suppliers to foreign car plants (mostly located in the south). As a lifelong advocate of Career & Technical Education, I can attest that the majority of these schemes over that past +4 decades have less to do about the virtues of work-based learning and more to do about sourcing another form of cheap labor…at the cost of worker safety, in general…and our children’s futures, in specific!

 

Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2023/feb/11/us-child-labor-laws-violations?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

 

988 Guide for Schools

 

More govt funding for MH?

 

Deadly Fentanyl Wave

 

How to be happier?

 

Are Trigger Warnings working?

 

MH / Obesity / Isolation / College & COVID

 

Sailors / Nukes / MH

 

Setting boundaries

 

Microdosing & Mushrooms

 

Ketamine & Mushrooms: Risks

Vets / Ketamine & Therapy

Kids / Crisis / ER v Home

 

COVID / Food scarcity & College

 

Athletes & Personal Reporting

 

Women / Workforce / Health Inequalities

Co-workers & Well-being

 

On falling asleep

Syncing moods & Sex

 

Porn & Sex Addiction

 

Mixed handedness

 

Having it all v Falling apart

 

US Secretary of Labor’s next move?

The dangers of tweaking US child labor laws in 2023

 

Resenteeism

 

Learning to say NO

 

Women in construction

Productivity v Safety?

 

Navigating Rec Marijuana in MO

 

STL Co Jail & College

 

Kids / Concussions / Sports

 

UPDATE: CTE found in 92% of former NFL players

 

Upcoming webinar, etc.:

A tale of 2 surgeries

 

Mental Health in Construction Summit

 

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact johngaal@moaflcio.org with related questions or comments.

 

February 13, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-02-13 18:41:262023-02-13 18:41:26Wellness & Well-being Highlights February 13
Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights February 6

 

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of January 29, 2023

 

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from workaholism to taking care of your brain to two brothers in Florida creating a pill mill that can be linked to today’s opioids crisis. Today, I wish to shed some light on 2 stories that provide differing perspectives on today’s construction industry. While NYT’s Klein hints at how safety is important on the contemporary job site, he concurrently indicates that this issue—among other factors—has stifled productivity. Interestingly, Klein never tackles the issue of how today’s workforce no longer reflects that of 1970s. To this end, MWI has been leading an effort across the state based on a program developed by the STL construction industry nearly a decade ago: Building Union Diversity (BUD). If you have not listened to the recent St. Louis On The Air piece linked below, please do so…you won’t regret it. I think you will then agree that the vitality of an industrial sector, community, and household are made up of more than one datum point!

 

Sources: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/05/opinion/economy-construction-productivity-mystery.html?searchResultPosition=1

https://news.stlpublicradio.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2023-01-06/how-one-local-woman-became-an-ironworker-and-is-encouraging-others-to-start-construction-careers

 

 

Lead Safety

 

Amazon & OSHA

 

Well-being for Teens

 

Younger workers & Stress

 

MH breaks & College

Prison & Punishment

 

Workaholism (1)

 

Workaholism (2)

 

Seeking Awe

 

Phoning a friend

 

Youth / Well-being / Phone Calls

 

Surgeon General / Youth / Social Media

 

Stop ruminating!

 

Sleep & Your Brain

Taking a Mind Break

 

Recovery therapy

 

Homelessness (1)

 

Homelessness (2)

 

Homelessness (3)

 

Workplace Supported Recovery

 

Narcan & Vending Machines

 

ADA & SUD

 

Fentanyl & Recovery?

 

Pain & Glial Cells

 

Trauma & Trafficking

 

Outsmarting Gonorrhea?

 

Gaslighting & Narcissism

 

Birds & MH

Black Doulas

 

More on Menopause

 

Seniors & Depression

 

Retiree Romance Scams

 

American Pill Mill

 

Another legend passes on

 

Managers’ impact on MH

Is a 4-year degree necessary?

 

Burnout (1)

 

Burnout (2)

 

BUD’s new leader

 

On construction productivity

 

Youth Soccer & Suicide

 

 

Upcoming webinars:

 

Sports & Concussions Workshop

 

CTE Awareness Month Series

February 7, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-02-07 17:19:572023-02-07 17:19:57Wellness & Well-being Highlights February 6
Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights January 30

 

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of January 30, 2023

 

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from drugs worse than fentanyl to the impact of gun violence on our Mental Health to homelessness issues in STL. Today, I wish to shed some light on 2 remotely related articles. First, the importance of empowering Justice Involved Individuals (JII: recently known as the formerly incarcerated) before they re-enter the community appears to be a strategy that truly refocuses our correctional systems towards rehabilitation vs punishment. Why does this matter? For far too many reasons to list herein…but one for sure is to help address the current worker shortage. Regarding the second article, COVID is now not being seen as a major culprit of today’s lack of workers. A recent study suggests that younger less educated men (Think: no college degree) are not seeking work as they did in the past. To all apprenticeship directors/coordinators looking to fill your ranks, this seems like an issue worth exploring!

 

Sources: https://www.psychiatrictimes.com/view/connection-hope-purpose-and-empowerment-for-justice-involved-individuals-reentering-the-community

https://www.wsj.com/articles/labor-participation-factors-economy-11674780877

 

Kids / Social media / Drugs

 

Biden / Congress / Opioids

 

Worse than Fentanyl: Nitazene?

 

Xylazine (1)

Xylazine (2)

 

Chronic pain: Opioids v PT

 

Native Americans & Deaths of Despair

 

MH resources for under-represented populations

 

MH & Gun violence

 

MH & Football

 

How to be happier?

 

Rodents & Love

 

Empowering JII

HUD on Homelessness

 

STL & Homeless

 

Train to be positive

 

Why urologists matter

 

Yoga for seniors

 

Selfish Mindfulness?

 

Benefits of Guided Imagery

 

Changes to Medicaid?

 

Worker shortage & COVID?

 

Does a college degree matter?

 

Holocaust & Lessons yet learned

 

Upcoming webinars:

 

Managing everyday anxiety

 

Use of herbs

 

Emergency Preparedness

 

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact johngaal@moaflcio.org with related questions or comments.

 

January 30, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-01-30 17:58:322023-01-30 17:58:32Wellness & Well-being Highlights January 30
Worker Wellness News

Wellness & Well-being Highlights January 23

Wellness & Well-being Highlights

for the

Week of January 15, 2023

This week’s edition of our Worker Wellness & Well-being blog consists of topics from the importance of social bonding to youth obesity to how PTSD impacts different portions of our population. Today, I wish to highlight the story on Recovery Friendly Workplaces (RFW). It is no secret that businesses across our region have been concerned about the shortage of workers. RFW is a program that addresses the need to SAFELY bring those workers who are in supervised treatment for OUD/SUD back into the workforce. As noted therein, a former Mizzou economics professor reported that Missouri has approximately 29000 workers who fit this category…of which ~3800 of those are construction workers! It is important to remember that OUD/SUD is now considered a disease not unlike diabetes. As such, businesses should consult their legal teams concerning how they can assist workers safely return to their shops, job sites and/or offices when adhering to the American with Disabilities Act and Mental Health Parity Act.

 

Source: https://news.stlpublicradio.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2023-01-20/recovery-friendly-workplaces-are-breaking-the-stigma-of-drug-rehabilitation

 

 

OSHA / Workplace Stress

 

Workers & The GREAT Rebalancing

 

Social bonds

 

Key to finding happiness?

 

Colleges & Student MH

 

Cross-cultural Suicide Prevention

 

Youth Obesity

 

Women / PTSD / Therapy

 

PTSD & Military

 

What is Fentanyl?

 

Recovery Friendly Workplaces / MO

 

OUD treatments

 

Fentanyl Test Strips

 

Narcan Distribution in COMO

 

Mexico’s battle w/ Cartels

 

Tranq Dope in Philly

 

Strongwomen & Suicide

 

Suicide Prevention

 

Doulas & Black Women

 

Sibling fights

 

Exercise & COVID

 

Morning exercise

 

10-minute Workout

 

Pickleball

 

Awe & Health

 

988 sees early usage

 

STL / 211 / Issues?

 

Boston’s Homeless

 

STL Building Union Diversity Program

 

US union market share

 

Amazon & Workers’ injuries

 

Amazon’s Smile wiped away

 

 

Upcoming webinars:

Living w/ Chronic Pain

 

Live your life well

 

Managing everyday worry

 

Mental Health First Aid

 

—CONSTRUCTION FOCUS—

Why We Need More Women in Construction

 

Strategies to Recruit and Retain Women

 

Being an Ally – Improving Treatment of Women on the Job

 

 

NOTE: The links provided above are for informational purposes only. None of these serve as a substitute for medical advice one should obtain from his/her own primary care physician and/or mental health professional. Please contact johngaal@moaflcio.org with related questions or comments.

 

January 23, 2023/0 Comments/by Braxton Payne
https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/iStock-697895326.jpg 779 1345 Braxton Payne https://moworksinitiative.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/missouri-works-initiative-logo-new-1-300x222.png Braxton Payne2023-01-23 19:59:272023-01-23 19:59:27Wellness & Well-being Highlights January 23
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