Contractor Coronavirus FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

Manpower

• What will the manpower situation be when this is all over?

  We are anticipating a needed increase because new projects will emerge due to the COVID-19 virus. There may be a need for more manpower due to hospital expansion, construction or clean room construction. Business Representatives continue to recruit members to help with any needed increases in manpower.

• Who is and who is not essential in construction?

  All construction is considered essential in Wisconsin and Minnesota. There are no executive orders in other states currently. The council leadership and political team are actively working to make sure construction is considered essential for all our six states. Public health orders will determine whether construction work can continue. Staff are working every day to ensure that members doing essential work are doing so under mandatory safety and public health standards.

• Will some of the smaller contractors be able to survive this?

  Some of the larger general contractors who depend on subcontractors to perform specialized scopes of work are concerned they will not make it. We have not seen any massive layoffs due to COVID-19. Based on what we have seen, contractors are still working.

• What jobs around the Regional Council are being cancelled?

  While there have been some cancellations and have seen a small increase on MIX 2020’s out of work list, some of it may be due to personal choice. Contractors are being able to move onto other jobs. We are not seeing a decrease in the amount of work.

• What is happening in other areas regarding job postponements/cancellations?

  There have been a very minimal number of disruptions currently.

• Will we be able to get qualified carpenters in place to play catch up after this pandemic?

  Our recruitment, retention and training were ramped up to prepare us for these types of issues that could arise. We feel comfortable that we would be in a good place if there was a surge in construction to meet the demands caused by this pandemic. When employees have requested layoffs due to sickness, immune-deficiency issues or childcare issues, our contractors have stepped up and worked with these employees. These employees will be around to return to their jobs when things settle down.

COVID-19

• Are we screening members before dispatching?

  We are asking members to disclose if they are under quarantine when being added to the MIX 2020 out-of-work list. If employers are screening members, they should not be recording the screening questions and answers due to HIPA restrictions.

• Do you have recommended break and lunchroom rules regarding spacing?

  The Centers for Disease Control has provided extensive information on how to protect yourself. Here is a link to their website outlining ways you can protect yourself: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/prevention.html.

  Additionally, the Regional Council’s Infection Control Risk Assessment Outreach Specialist, DeAnn Richards, has created a COVID-19 Checklist for a Construction Site (available in Spanish) to ensure contractors are preventing the spread of the virus on worksites.

• What are contractors doing to prevent the spread of COVID-19 on their sites?

  We are starting to see some employers come out with extensive pandemic plans. Some are talking with employees every day about maintaining worker safety during these difficult times. Some contractors are doing screenings, practicing social distancing, adding hand washing stations and changing morning briefings to keep workers safe. If employers are screening members, they should not be recording the screening questions and answers due to HIPA restrictions.

• Are there ramifications for contractors who ask an employee to stay home because they chose travel in the past two weeks?

  It is within the rights of the individual contractor to ask the employee to stay home for the safety of the remaining employees.

• Is there a number or way to contact NCSRCC with COVID-19 questions?

  You can write into the infor@ncsrcc.org email account or call our hotline at 651-379-0277.

• If a jobsite gets shutdown because an employee tests positive for COVID-19, what are the procedures for the other employees on the job? Do they self-quarantine as well or can they be moved to another job?

  NCSRCC believes that when there is an exposure, the Department of Health documents who else may have been exposed and may impose a quarantine order to those individuals. You will be contacted by your Department of Health who will advise you on how to proceed.

Benefits

• Has the union thought about postponing the May 1 increase given the current conditions?

  No, we are not going to postpone the increase. Members are entitled under the collective bargaining agreement to continue to have and rely upon benefits owed to them.

• Contractors don’t fully understand the relief bills passed by Congress. Can you provide more info?

  Here is a great link to the Families First Coronavirus Response Act: https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/pandemic/ffcra-questions.

  We know that paid sick leave or paid family leave is mandated in the event of COVID-19 issues. It is being paid by the government in the form of tax credits available to the employer. As more information becomes available, we will let contractors know and post links on our website at www.northcountrycarpenter.org.

• How does the FFCRA Act directly affect someone who is signed to Collective Bargaining Agreement?

  It still applies.

• How and when will reimbursements for COVID-19 virus benefits be paid, and will contractors be able to defer payments of benefits if it takes a while?

  Under FFCRA, reimbursements will be done via payroll tax credits. Small business loans are available for paying employee benefits. Employers are still required to pay benefits timely.

• How will the council keep workers from requesting layoff with the new approved stimulus bill and its additional $600.00 for the next four months on top of the state’s current unemployment?

  NCSRCC staff has and will continue to communicate with the membership about the importance of making our contractors successful particularly during trying times. Most of our membership wants to work and build their pensions and health and welfare funds. They also understand that completing projects on time and on budget ensures future work for them to maintain economic stability. The contractors have a primary role in this. Making work as safe as possible and ensuring that employees are confident in their safety and health practices every day will alleviate these concerns greatly.

Training

• Is any training available? With all the idle workers, this would be a good time to get members in to get certifications and catch up on training.

  Training has launched many eLearning opportunities. To learn more about those opportunities, go to: eLearning with CTI

  The Carpenters Training Institute is also sending weekly updates to all scheduled apprentices for training opportunities.

• When will training resume?

  It is scheduled to resume on May 4th, 2020.

• Some of the contractors who do a great deal of prevailing wage work are concerned about new apprentices being able to be signed up and entered in the system, so they are not penalized and forced to pay the journeyman rate.

  We continue to sign-up new members during this pandemic. Training may be delayed, or it may be done by eLearning. More information can be found here: eLearning with CTI

• Why are we not letting the apprentices out of class completely and letting them work during this crisis? They believe apprentices should not be doing eLearning during this time rather than be on the job working.

  Carpenters Training Institute has worked diligently to maintain apprentice classes as scheduled to minimize the impact on the contractors and apprentices. Apprentice programs are registered with the Department of Labor which has regulations regarding minimum hours of training for apprentices. By continuing to teach the theory portions of the apprentice curriculum in an eLearning format, we are limiting the scheduling and financial impact for contractors and apprentices later in the year when in-person classes would be scheduled very closely together to meet the requirements of the registered apprenticeship program for annual training. Carpenters Training Institute understands that hands on learning is a critical component of our program. The eLearning format that has been developed covers the classroom portions of the curriculum. Hands on, applied skill, portions of the training will be covered once in-person training resumes. We will continue to service members and contractors to the highest possible level during this time. Reviews of the eLearning format implemented on March 30 have been positive with very good participation.

General

• How will our company survive if we are forced to pay carpenter employees’ wages and benefits if everything shuts down for an extended period of time.

  To the extent that paid leave is required, companies are being provided a tax credit to help with that burden. Unemployment benefits have been greatly supplemented with additional government funding.

• What measures have been put in place to help protect workers in the event the virus is present in areas near large job sites?

  We have communicated to all contractors, held two contractor teleforums and provided numerous contractor materials including guidelines for worksite scenarios that can be found here: Potential Worksite Scenarios or a worksite checklist available here: Worksite check list (available in Spanish).

• Are you concerned about new members who will be signed up as journeyman and their ability to get signed up with the Regional Council doors closed to the public?

  We are doing this currently. If a contractor wants to make a pre-apprentice a journeyman, we can do that online. Contact your local business representative for more information on how to get someone signed up. Contractors can also email their training centers the sponsor letter and contact information, and we will reach out to the potential apprentice with paperwork requirements and an electronic application that can be filled out on the applicant’s device and sent in.

• Is it legal for contractors to ask members questions before they start work in the morning?

  During a pandemic, it is reasonable to ask employees screening questions. These answers should not be recorded anyplace due to HIPAA restrictions.

• What should union members do if they suspect they may be sick when working away from home?

  Isolate themselves, self-monitor for signs and symptoms of the coronavirus, and notify a health official to see if they can get tested.

• How will construction continue when we need to be keeping social distances?

  Construction has been listed as essential in both Wisconsin and Minnesota in building, maintaining and repairing critical infrastructure. Construction should continue on all jobs when it is safe to do so. The jobsite may look different than normal as NCSRCC Protocols and CDC Guidelines are being followed. When possible, contractors should network with their peers to see what steps they have taken to limit their employees to exposure.

  There are methods in which safety and social distancing can be maintained on a worksite, including:

  View NCSRCC’s latest video covering commonly asked questions about worksite safety here: https://youtu.be/q13ph44vK1k

  If there are questions or concerns about a worksite’s safety, please call NCSRCC’s COVID-19 hotline at 651-379-0277.

• During times like this, can we as contractors be flexible or creative with work hours and/or multiple shifts to keep social distancing on jobsites with our employees?

  Most collective bargaining agreements have “Work Preservation” language in the bargaining agreement. Any alterations to normal shifts and work hours need to be agreed upon with labor and management. If any contractors would like to exercise this language, they are encouraged to reach out to the Local Business Representative to discuss this further. We look forward to working with any contractor who has concerns about social distancing on worksites, limiting the number of people on the job site at a given time, not stacking trades, staggering work shifts and hours, staggering the use of shared space or staggering entries and exits.

• What are my rights as an employer if construction is deemed essential and members who are not sick or have not been exposed do not want to work?

  Through partnering with NCSRCC, the messaging to your employees should be clear about being a crucial element to completing projects on time and on budget in order to keep construction thriving beyond this pandemic. Membership understands this, and by partnering with contractors to express the value they have in their employees, we can solidify this commitment to the membership.

• What is training doing to sign up an apprentice if Council buildings are closed?

  The Carpenters Training Institute is committed to helping enroll all new members as well as getting them trained. Our training centers are currently closed until May 3rd. This will be evaluated as the pandemic progresses or diminishes. We continue to enroll new members at every opportunity, and this will continue throughout the pandemic. If a contractor wishes to enroll a new apprentice, they are encouraged to contact the Business Representative in the area, and he/she will decide.

• What steps are being taken by NCSRCC if a project is shut down for a COVID-19 precaution and members who are desperate for a paycheck go outside of the Union to earn a paycheck?

  Membership values their union benefits and wages. In the event a particular project is closed due to positive cases of the coronavirus and the contractor cannot place these members on another site or they are forced to self-quarantine, unemployment benefits, with the federal CARES Act, are available to these members as well as benefits through our Health Fund.

• Why should I, as a contractor, be asked to host a member being signed up and compromise my facilities when the Council is not willing to take the same risk?

  When a new member is signed up, the Business Representative will make every effort to meet with this member in a safe manner to enroll this new employee. The partnership we have with the contractors is critical in investing in this new employee. We ask you to continue this collaboration when enrolling new members. The Regional Council offices and training centers partial closures are only meant to limit and prevent the amount of traffic and potential spread of COVID-19.

• How are we as contractors expected to keep up with the CDC recommendations with the shortages on sanitary services, hand washing stations, etc?

  As contractors and tradesmen and women, we can get creative. With temperatures consistently above freezing, outdoor plumbing options are available to create wash stations if none are available to rent. Portable restrooms need to be maintained throughout the day. Appointing key personnel to disinfect would be advisable. Refer to our contractor checklist here: Worksite check list (available in Spanish).

• Can we deny unemployment during this time if a worker walks off the job due to not feeling safe?

  Employers should be concerned that if job sites pose an unnecessary risk of infection, employees could quit and claim constructive discharge. This could entitle an employee to unemployment. Worksites need to be safe, no exceptions. It is incumbent on all employees and employers to make sites safe for people to work in.

• Can we deny unemployment during this time if a worker walks off the job due to not feeling safe?

  Employers should be concerned that if job sites pose an unnecessary risk of infection, employees could quit and claim constructive discharge. This could entitle an employee to unemployment. Worksites need to be safe, no exceptions. It is incumbent on all employees and employers to make sites safe for people to work in.

• Is there any extra pay to employees due to Coronavirus layoffs (health and welfare, pension tying in with FFCRA)?

  Health benefits may need to be paid. We continue to work on this question with employer representatives and will provide updates as we can.