Elected Officials Visit the Southwest:
U.S. Senators and Representatives visited Southwest Mountain States Carpenters Training Centers and met with members to promote the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act. New Mexico Senator Martin Heinrich met with over 40 apprentices to discuss how the Infrastructure Law is delivering $3.7 billion to New Mexico. Senator Jacky Rosen met with members of Local 1977 at the Southwest Carpenters Training Center in Las Vegas to hear directly about how the federal government can support Nevada’s union workers. The Southwest Mountain States Carpenters Training Fund hosted Congresswoman Linda Sánchez in Whittier to review BOOTS and Brothers’ Keeper Pre-Apprenticeship classes. Telemundo Los Angeles and KTNV in Las Vegas covered the visits.
Volunteer Carpenters Build Transitional Housing for Female Veterans:
Volunteer Carpenters from Local 1912 in Phoenix worked with Habitat for Humanity to build two 5-bedroom homes (side-by-side) for US VETS. The houses will act as transitioning housing for female Veterans as they move from the service to private life. According to a recent report by the National Housing Conference, nearly half of US veterans who are single mothers spend more than 30 percent of their income on housing and are particularly vulnerable to housing cost burdens compared with our overall veteran population. The volunteer Carpenters worked on the wood framing of the homes along with volunteers from Habitat for Humanity Central Arizona. ABC 15 in Phoenix covered the event.
13th Check for Retirees:
The Board of Trustees of the Southwest Carpenters Pension Trust have approved a one-time supplemental pension benefit payment to pensioners who meet the eligibility criteria. To be eligible for the additional one-time supplemental pension benefit payment, a retiree or beneficiary must have been eligible to receive a regular benefit payment for December 1, 2021.
The one-time supplemental payment will be issued in the same monthly benefit amount a retiree or beneficiary received on December 1, 2021. Any tax withholding that was previously requested will be deducted from the supplemental payment.
If an individual’s Pension payment in December 2021 was processed by direct deposit, this supplemental payment will be handled the same way. Otherwise, eligible pensioners should expect to receive their check in a separate mailing in the next two weeks. Watch this video from EST Rodriguez for more information and a letter is on its way from the Trust.