The Roofers & Waterproofers Research and Education Joint Trust Fund is a jointly administered labor-management trust formed under Section 302 (c) (9) of the Labor-Management Relations (Taft Hartley) Act. This research and education trust is governed by a Board of Trustees composed of an equal number of labor and management representatives. This Trust has been and is currently funded by contributions from the International Union, grants from OSHA and, since January 2009, through hourly contributions worked under collective bargaining agreements.

The Research and Education Trust seeks to improve communications between labor and management, expand work opportunities, develop quality training programs, promote health and safety of roofers and their families as well as address other issues of mutual concern to the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers and to signatory roofing contractors.

The Roofers and Waterproofers Research and Education Joint Trust Fund seeks to improve communications between labor and management, expand work opportunities, develop quality training programs and promote the health and safety of roofers and their families. In addition, the Trust works to address many other issues of mutual concern to the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers and Allied Workers and to signatory roofing contractors.
Together with its advisory committee—the Joint Roofing Industry Labor and Management Committee—the trustees of the Research and Education Trust work to implement a number of labor-management initiatives. To date, the Trust has overseen the development of several major projects, including:

• Foreman Training program
• Train-the-Trainer program
• Green Roofing and Waterproofing manual
• Single-Ply Roofing manual
• OSHA-sponsored projects
• Signal Person and Rigger training
• OSHA 510 training
• OSHA 500 training
• OSHA 502 training
• RF radiation awareness