The Joint Roofing Industry Labor/Management Committee and the Roofers and Waterproofers Research & Education Joint Trust Fund have issued statements regarding Covid-19 vaccines. Following is the content from each of the statements.

October 21, 2021
Joint Roofing Industry Labor/Management Committee Statement:
Vaccine Mandated Projects

As concerned partners in the unionized commercial and industrial roofing industry, the Joint Roofing Industry Labor/Management Committee is keenly aware of reports of new COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations throughout the United States. We are also aware of the growing number of Owners, Developers and General Contractors requiring that a roofing contractor’s workforce be fully vaccinated in order to work on their jobsites, and the fact that this trend will continue to grow going forward.

As an employee of a roofing contractor signatory to a Collective Bargaining Agreement these developments could have meaningful consequences for you if you are among the minority of union members choosing not to be vaccinated. To be clear;

1. All Unionized Roofing Industry employers, as well as the leadership of your Union, understand and respect that whether or not an individual decides to get vaccinated is that individual’s personal choice.
2. No signatory employer nor your Union currently has any plans to mandate vaccinations for any employees.

It is, however, the considered recommendation of both contractors and your Union that all unvaccinated persons should seek a direct opinion regarding whether or not to get the vaccine by consulting with their personal family physician.

Persons deciding whether or not to get protection from the COVID-19 virus and its variants by receiving one of the three vaccines available might also want to consider the following:

• Over 176 million Americans have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19. The overwhelming majority have reported only mild post injection issues, if any.
• According to a survey conducted by the American Medical Association (the largest professional organization of physicians and medical students in the U.S.) over 96% of doctors are fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
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• Vaccines have been used in the U.S. for decades to nearly eliminate the following formerly common but potentially deadly diseases: Polio; Smallpox; Tetanus; Hepatitis B; Hepatitis A; German Measles; Measles; Whooping Cough; Pneumococcal Disease; Rotavirus; Chicken Pox; Diphtheria; Mumps
• While COVID is the first time mRNA vaccines have been approved for human use, clinical research involving the beneficial use of mRNA vaccines (ie. Moderna and Pfizer) has been underway for over two decades.
• Should your doctor recommend (and you choose) to get the vaccine, not only will you be acting to protect yourself, your family and your friends but you will also be acting to help protect your union brothers/sisters and their extended families as well.
• Neither your employer nor your Union may be in a position to flatly refuse workforce vaccination mandates imposed by entities that have contracted for the performance of roofing work.
• Electing not to be vaccinated without being able to provide proof of a medical or religious exemption may result in limiting the jobs on which your employer is able to place you.

In closing, while the Joint Roofing Industry Labor/Management Committee respects each individual’s right to make his or her own personal decision with regard to vaccination, such decisions may also come with employment consequences that may be beyond our ability to control. Again, all unvaccinated Forepersons, Journeypersons and Apprentices are urged to seek and follow the medical advice provided by their family physician with regard to the benefit and/or possible complications of receiving a COVID-19 vaccination.

Attached with this Joint Statement is information published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) titled “Understanding How COVID-19 Vaccines Work”. Please review this document with your doctor. Also, as published in the International Union’s Roofer & Waterproofer second quarter 2021 magazine (page 23), if you text your zip code to 438829 (English) or 822862 (Spanish) you will get a message back that provides three possible vaccination sites near you along with phone numbers so you can make an appointment. The vaccine is 100% free to you.

Be Healthy and Be Safe!

Robert Daly, Jr., Co-Chair
Kinsey M. Robinson, Co-Chair

October 20, 2021
Roofers and Waterproofers Research & Education Joint Trust Fund Statement on the COVID-19 Vaccine

During the unprecedented COVID-19 pandemic, the employers and employees of the unionized roofing and waterproofing industry have been able to continue their essential work by cooperating to stop the spread of COVID-19. During the past 18 months, Labor and Management have continually demonstrated that a safe and healthy skilled workforce is vital to keeping the economy going.

By adopting safe workplace practices, including masking, cleaning, sanitizing, testing, and social distancing, we have been able to provide essential services in the fight against the COVID-19 virus. Our employers and union members have been able to provide services to hospitals, pop-up health care facilities, airports, factories and other critical infrastructure making the nation safer and more productive as workplaces continue to reopen.

Based upon Centers for Disease Control (CDC) guidance intended to minimize COVID-19 transmission, COVID-19 vaccines are an important tool to help end the pandemic. According to clinical trials reported by the CDC, the Moderna and Pfizer vaccines have more than a 94 percent efficacy rate. Although the efficacy rate for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine is not as high as the other two vaccines, clinical studies have shown that all three vaccines are on the same level for preventing serious illness, hospitalizations, and deaths.

As President Biden outlined in his National Strategy for the Response to COVID-19, mounting a “safe, effective, and comprehensive vaccination campaign” is a critical step in addressing the pandemic.

We stand ready to do our part. As such, the Research and Education Joint Trust Fund strongly encourages everyone who can be vaccinated against COVID-19 to do so as soon as possible.

If the Research & Education Joint Trust Fund can be of any assistance to you during this continued time of crisis, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.

We hope that you and your families stay safe and healthy.

James Hadel, Chairman
Christopher Cronin, Secretary