Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters
| Founded | 2011 (as Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters; renamed 2024) |
|---|---|
| Headquarters | Greenwood, Indiana |
| Location | |
| Members | 37,000 |
Executive Secretary-Treasurer | Matt McGriff |
| Affiliations | United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America |
| Website | www |
The Central Midwest Regional Council of Carpenters (CMRCC) is a labor union that represents carpenters and related workers in Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio.[1] It helps workers get fair pay, safe jobs, and good training.[2] The union covers trades like carpentry, millwright work, floor laying, and pile driving.[3] It is part of the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America.[4]
History
The CMRCC started as the Indiana Kentucky Regional Council of Carpenters in 2005 when Indiana and Kentucky groups joined.[5] In 2011, Ohio locals added to make the Indiana Kentucky Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters (IKORCC).[2] In 2024, it changed to CMRCC to show its wide area and attract more members.[6] The union has grown its training spaces, like opening a new center in Merrillville, Indiana, in 2018.[7] It has faced legal issues, like members charged with theft from its welfare fund in 2016.[8][9]
Structure and membership
The CMRCC has 33 local groups across Indiana, Kentucky, and Ohio.[2] It has about 37,000 members total, with 16,000 in Ohio.[2] Members work in carpentry, millwrights, floor covering, pile driving, and cabinet making.[3] Dues fund training and benefits like health care and pensions.[1] The union has training centers in places like Columbus, Toledo, Richfield, and Cincinnati in Ohio, Greenwood, Warsaw, Evansville, and Merrillville in Indiana, and Louisville and Grayson in Kentucky.[4][7]
Training and apprenticeships
The CMRCC runs a four-year apprenticeship program with classroom and on-the-job learning.[1] Apprentices go to training one week every quarter at centers like Richfield, Ohio, or Merrillville, Indiana.[4][10] They earn college credits and get a free associate degree in Indiana and Kentucky.[1] Training covers tools, blueprints, welding, and new tech like solar panels.[3] To join, people pass math and drug tests and need a contractor sponsor.[4] Apprentices start at $16 to $19 an hour and get raises every six months.[2] The program has a 70 percent finish rate and works with over 200 schools.[11] It partners for pre-apprenticeships and accepts veterans and older workers.[12] It includes safety classes like fall prevention.[13]
Activities
CMRCC members build projects like factories, hospitals, bridges, and schools.[1] Journeymen earn $33 to $87 an hour plus benefits.[2] The union helps communities, such as building playhouses for charity.[14] It has picketed over subcontractor issues.[15] The union runs events to recruit from schools.[3] It has dealt with bargaining disputes.[16]
Political involvement
The CMRCC supports worker rights like pay and safety.[6] It backs candidates from both parties.[6] In 2024, it endorsed Mike Braun for Indiana governor.[6]
References
- ^ a b c d e "Union worker view their day: Statistics show union membership on the rise with most 34 or younger". Chicago Tribune. 3 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d e f "Carpentry touted as vocation in Coshocton County". The Columbus Dispatch. 1 July 2023. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Northeast Ohio Carpenters Teach Tools of the Trade". Business Journal Daily. 24 September 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Nailed it: Carpenters union training facility in Richfield helps fill jobs, build careers". Akron Beacon Journal. 30 October 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ "Notice of Proposed Exemption Involving the Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters Joint Apprenticeship and Training Fund" (PDF). U.S. Department of Labor. 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ a b c d "Mike Braun picks education transition team, gives first look at what could change for Hoosier students". Indiana Public Radio. November 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ a b "Carpenters open new training facility in Merrillville". Chicago Tribune. 16 May 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ "Five Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters Union Members Charged". U.S. Department of Justice. 19 August 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ "Six Additional Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters Union Members Charged". U.S. Department of Justice. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ "IKORCC Breaks Ground at Merrillville Training Center and Administration Building". GreatNews.Life. 3 October 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ "ICYMI: Secretary Chavez-DeRemer joins Anheuser-Busch, McDonald's to celebrate major investments in American workers". U.S. Department of Labor. 13 May 2025. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ "Eastern Kentucky Runway Recompete Plan" (PDF). U.S. Economic Development Administration. July 2024. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ Kaskutas, V.; Dale, A. M.; Lipscomb, H.; Evanoff, B. (2013). "Fall prevention and safety communication training for foremen: Report of a pilot project designed to improve residential construction safety". Journal of Safety Research. 44: 111–118. doi:10.1016/j.jsr.2012.08.020. PMC 3610407. PMID 23398712.
- ^ "Builder's Notes". Chicago Tribune. 15 October 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ "Carpenters picket in front of hospital". State Journal. 20 June 2012. Retrieved 10 September 2025.
- ^ "Indiana/Kentucky/Ohio Regional Council of Carpenters (Neises Construction Corp.)". National Labor Relations Board. 22 February 2021. Retrieved 10 September 2025.