Ohio State Association of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices — House Bill 246

Summary

Testimony in favor of House Bill 246 from Richard Ochocki, Lead Organizer for the Ohio State Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters, addressed to Chairman Johnson, Vice-Chair Lear, Ranking Member McNally and members of the Ohio House Commerce and Labor Committee. The testimony is given on behalf of 14,000 members in Ohio. It states that in April 2022 the association brought in 24 organizers, and that of the 573 Plumbers and Pipefitters who gave contact information in Columbus, 30% were undocumented. It states that E verify is a huge step in the right direction and that many contractors in the state already use the e verify program successfully.

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Full text

                                   OHIO STATE ASSOCIATION
                                                       Of the
                                United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices
                                     Of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry
                                                    AFL-CIO
                                                OhioPipeTrades.com

Chairman Johnson, Vice-Chair Lear, Ranking Member McNally and members of the Ohio House Commerce and Labor
Committee

My name is Richard Ochocki, I am the Lead Organizer for the Ohio State Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters. On
behalf of our 14,000 members in Ohio and in support of every construction worker in Ohio I am pleased to testify in
favor of House Bill 246. HB 246 discourages unscrupulous Contractors, Labor Brokers and/or Human Traffickers from
undercutting the wages and benefits of every honest, tax paying worker providing for their family while supporting their
community.

In Ohio we have 15 full-time Organizers covering every inch of the State. These 15 Organizers spend their entire work
week visiting jobsites and talking to workers. In April 2022 we brought in 24 organizers into Ohio and for two weeks
visited jobsites and engaged with workers. We spoke to every Plumber and Pipefitter we could find in Columbus. Of the
573 Plumbers and Pipefitters that gave us their contact information 30% of these workers were undocumented.
Undocumented workers were mainly in the Commercial sector of our Industry.

In June 2023 we brought in 160 Organizers for a week and visited every job site and talked to every Plumber and
Pipefitter we could find in Ohio. It was alarming to find out that a little over a year later we found that undocumented
workers were in most major cities in Ohio. (Columbus, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton, Lima, Canton, Akron and Toledo)
and present in every sector (Residential, Commercial and Industrial) of our Industry.

As a lead organizer, I collaborate with other organizers from different states. The undocumented worker problem is not
unique to Ohio. We have been hearing from other organizers around the country that Ohio is a future destination for
these workers.

We must address the undocumented worker issue that is growing in Ohio by the minute. E verify is a huge step in the
right direction to dissuade the use of an illegal workforce. Many contractors in our state already use the e verify
program successfully. Thank you for your consideration and support of HB 246.

I would be happy to answer any questions.


Respectfully submitted,

 Richard Ochocki
 Lead Organizer
 Ohio State Association of Plumbers and Pipefitters


                          1228 Central Parkway Suite 200 Cincinnati, Ohio 45202 (513) 241-1760


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