Boston - IAPMO successfully joined nearly 200 union plumbers, contractors, and other industry leaders at the Massachusetts State House last month to advocate before state legislators for the protection of the state’s plumbing code, partnering on green energy and other key safety and regulatory issues.
IAPMO was well represented by Peter Kelly, director of Field Services; Hugh Kelleher, former executive director of the Greater Boston Plumbing Contractors Association; Mike Morris, partner at Tremont Strategies Group; Peter DeFreitas, director of New England Training and Education; and Jim Scarborough, director of Government Relations. Representatives from UA Locals 12, 51, 4 and 104, including Local 12’s entire class of apprentices, also participated.
After opening remarks by Kelly, UA New England International Representative Harry Brett and MAPHCC’s Peter Leydon addressed the group. Participants then dispersed throughout the Capitol to conduct literature drops in every legislative office and visit the offices of their own state senators and representatives. Among the group’s objectives were:
Despite universal support from the Massachusetts plumbing industry for the commonwealth’s homegrown plumbing code, which has protected the health and safety of Bay Staters for decades, an out-of-state organization has sought to weaken and replace the code with its own less effective code.
“It’s great to see representatives from across the plumbing industry come together to support these issues,” Kelly said. The group met with representatives from the Division of Occupational Licensure and Rep. Tackey Chan (D-2nd Norfolk), the latter stressing how important it is for people to share with legislators their thoughts about issues if they want them to make better informed votes on those issues.
IAPMO®, a global team of experts engaging industry and government for a safer built environment, and its charitable foundation, the International Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Foundation (IWSH®), are proud to celebrate 10 years as a WorldSkills Global Industry Partner. IAPMO and IWSH celebrated the milestone this week at the annual General Assembly of WorldSkills International Members in Dubrovnik, Croatia.
A first-of-its-kind workshop for African World Plumbing Council (WPC) member organizations was held alongside the WorldSkills Africa 2025 capacity-building program for Plumbing, hosted at the Fountain Gate Craft & Trades School in Lusaka, Zambia, from Sept. 1-5. This workshop assembled a team of proactive WPC representatives from Zambia, South Africa, and Rwanda for a first in-person meeting of WPC member organizations on the continent.
ASSE International is seeking working group members to update four professional qualification standards: ASSE 13000 Standard for Service Plumber and Residential Mechanical Service Technician; ASSE 15000 Standard for the Inspection, Testing and Maintenance of Water-Based Fire Protection Systems; ASSE 27000 Standard for Hybrid Fire Extinguishing Systems Personnel; and ASSE 29000 Standard for Personnel Related to Safe Pressure Testing of Piping Systems.