Delegates of the Southeastern Carpenters Regional Council (SECRC) have unanimously re-elected Thomas H. Jenkins as the Executive Secretary-Treasurer (EST) of the SECRC. Mr. Jenkins ran unopposed in this, his first re-election bid after first being elected to the EST position in September of 2017, when his predecessor, Mr. Larry Phillips, retired. Here is a letter to the membership from EST Jenkins…

Hello Brothers and Sisters:

My primary job as EST is to do everything I can to secure work for our members that is safe, pays well, and provides comprehensive benefits. I take this responsibility very seriously and will continue to pursue this mission every single day. To drive this mission, I worked with the senior staff of our Council to create four Growth Goals, all of which are now well underway in terms of implementation. They are:

Growth Goal #1: Develop a sustained presence in Atlanta, Charlotte, and Nashville healthcare facilities to promote the use of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters’ ICRA (healthcare construction) and INSTALL (flooring) programs. Your Council Representatives and staff members are working hard to secure healthcare and flooring work and educate decision-makers about the benefits of hiring union.

Growth Goal #2: Increase 2021 councilwide interior systems manhours by 15% over 2020 results, and then increase 2022 interior systems manhours over the 2021 total. This would deliver about 850,000 interior systems hours by the end of 2022. Our efforts are paying off very well in securing significant interior systems work throughout our Council’s five states. To establish our pipeline of talent, we are running a series of Interior Systems Bootcamps to attract and train new union carpenters for this craft. Please contact your Representative if you’d like to work as an interior systems mechanic.

Growth Goal #3: Expand the Council’s political influence in the target markets of Atlanta, Charlotte, and Nashville and educate contractors, civic leaders, and legislators about the adverse effects that Tax Fraud and misclassification has on the construction industry. Work is going well to expand our political presence by helping carpenter-friendly candidates win and educating decision-makers on the benefits of hiring union for public projects.

Growth Goal #4: Utilize member leaders, Council staff, SECRC committees and Local Union committees to expand the members’ knowledge and interests in engaging in Council activities. I believe this goal is the key to achieving success in all our Growth Goals. Our members are the heartbeat of our Council. They run the Locals, they vote on issues, they elect leadership, and they represent the SECRC and the UBC every day.

These four goals are posted in Council and Local offices and training centers. Talk with your Council Representative if you’d like to get involved in the implementation of any of them. You can immediately help us achieve Goal #4 by getting involved in your Local, whether as an officer or delegate, or by joining a Sisters-in-the-Brotherhood, political or any other committee.

You can also play a critical role in our success by recruiting new members. Work is plentiful throughout the Council and now is the best time to enter the union as an apprentice or by slotting-in as a journeyman. Please help us grow our membership. Send any candidate to NailMyCareer.com or alert your Council Representative.

I go to work every day focused on making things better for the brothers and sisters of the SECRC. I ask that we all adopt that thought and work together to ensure the continued success of the SECRC. 

Thank you for your confidence in having me lead the SECRC.

Yours in Solidarity,