Lately, building trade union workers have been serving a different customer: their own local unions.

Several new union halls and training centers have been refurbished or have been constructed from the ground up, reflecting a strong economy and a desire by unions to modernize their workplace.

This spring, a new union hall/training facility was opened by Plumbers, Pipe Fitters and Service Trades Local 174 in Coopersville, and a combined union hall was opened in Ann Arbor by Electrical Workers Local 252 and Plumbers and Pipe Fitters Local 190. Last fall, Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Local 1 and Tile Masons Local 32 moved into a renovated building.

On June 21, some 225 Iron Workers Local 25 members celebrated the opening of their new satellite office in Burton, near Flint. Meanwhile, construction continues on a new union hall for Pipe Fitters, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Service Local 636 in Farmington Hills, and a new Training Center for Electrical Workers Local 58 in Warren moves closer to its completion in September.

"This is a very historic moment for the Iron Workers," said Local 25 Flint-area Business Agent Shorty Gleason. "I know that the members who worked on this project, especially the apprentices, will look back on their contribution with pride 20 or 30 years from now."

Numerous Local 25 apprentices worked on the single-story, 3,000-square-foot hall, which will feature a huge mural of the Mackinac Bridge, photos and news clippings of the Blue Water Bridge, and a solid-as-a-rock mailbox that has rivets and splice plates from both bridges.

"It's great to be home again," said former Local 25 Business Manager and current International Rep. Greg Hicks. "We have needed a new hall, and this will serve us for years to come." The old Flint hall had been in service since 1960.

Local 25 Business Manager Frank Kavanaugh said the work that went into the hall "really makes me feel good about the brotherhood and the camaraderie we have here at Local 25."

Meanwhile, construction continues on a new $2.5 million hall for Local 636 along Northwestern Highway. The 10,200 square-foot hall will triple the space of the current union hall in Detroit. The architectural planners/construction managers on the project are Allen and Laux.

"I'd say we're about 80 percent complete, and we're looking at moving in over the Labor Day weekend," said Local 636 retiree Larry Hollyer, who is keeping an eye on the project for Business Manager Jim Lapham. "Things are moving along well, and for the most part, the work that I've seen has been excellent."

Construction is also moving along on the new Training Center for IBEW Local 58 and the National Electrical Contractors Association-Southeast Michigan Chapter. They're building a 50,000-square-foot training facility on the westbound I-696 service drive at 11 Mile in Warren.

Ground was broken last fall, and the $8 million project, which employs about 50 building trades workers, is expected to wrap up in September, said Etkin Project Supt. Bruce LeMarte. The new training center will be five times the size of the existing training center in Utica, and will help Local 58/NECA meet burgeoning manpower needs. 

IRON WORKERS International Representative Greg Hicks, left, reads the inscription off a plaque provided by the International Union, commemorating the dedication of Local 25's new Flint union hall. Accepting the plaque are Business Manager Frank Kavanaugh and Flint BA Shorty Gleason.

A NEW 10,200 square-foot union hall for Pipe Fitters, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Service Local 636 in Farmington Hills should be open for business after Labor Day.

IBEW LOCAL 58 apprentices Chad Harrington and Kevin Brown pull lighting wire inside the IBEW Local 58/NECA Training Center, set to open in September.