Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 562 volunteers in the St. Louis and Fulton area gathered for a day of action Oct. 5, fanning out to check the furnaces and smoke detectors of retirees as part of the union’s annual Heat’s On effort. The retirees were thrilled to see them and regaled many with stories about their days in the field.
Local 562 started the Heat’s On program in the 1980s. In the beginning, the program focused on going into homes of retirees and needy residents to check their furnaces and make needed repairs. The program has changed some over the years, and also grown.
What started as a local program with Local 562 has spread to other locals and been picked up by their international union, the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry of the United States and Canada, commonly known as the United Association, Local 562 Business Manager John O’Mara told volunteers at the union’s Earth City training center ahead of the St. Louis area effort…