TRAINING CENTER EMPLOYEES

The Western Pennsylvania Laborers Training Center employs a staff of eleven people, committed to serving all members in good standing within the Western Pa. Laborers District Council. Whether it's journeymen or new apprentices, our personnel will do their best to ensure that members will receive the certifications and training they need to properly and safely do their jobs out in the field.

Training Center Employees

ADMINISTRATION & CLERICAL

Our administrative and support staff come from a variety of backgrounds. Each of them has the dedication and skills necessary to keep our facility first-class for our members.

Positions include:

James Kempinski - Administrator/ Training Director

Jim started at the Training Center in October 1988, with the flagship Asbestos course. As Director, he is in charge of creating the monthly schedule, accommodating contractor needs as necessary, and instructing classes as needed. He keeps his certifications up to date in many different disciplines. His background at an auto dealership as a truck and auto mechanic, as well as time spent as an equipment mechanic, aids him greatly in his duties here. His sales experience with his own company and background as a general manager of a tool & equipment rental center also has helped him to do his job.

Jim started working in the field back in 1969, first as a member of Local 373, before transferring to Local 1058, where he has been a member for 20 years. He held many steward, foreman, and general foreman positions along the way. Some of the major jobs he worked on were at the Parkway West, the Pittsburgh Airport runway extension for S.J. Groves, and at Alcosan doing elevations as foreman.

Sean McManus - Assistant Administrator/ IT Administrator

Sean started at the Training Center in January of 2003. He is a member of Local 373 and has worked in the field at various job sites, including the Super Kmart at Montour Run, the Pittsburgh International Airport, several downtown parking garages, and the Airside Business Park.

Sean earned a BS degree in computers at the University of Pittsburgh in July of 1996. He worked for several years at Ashland Chemical on Neville Island, maintaining the network of computers throughout the plant. He also assisted the purchasing agent in placing orders and maintaining warehouse inventories, as well as the development of the annual plant budget.

Currently, he maintains the computers for the thirteen locals of the Western Pa. District Council, as well as the Training Center and District Council. Sean also administrates the District Council's website, as well as Local 373's website.

Michael A. Laquatra - Apprentice Coordinator

Michael started his career as a member of Local 1058. He holds a BS in Administration and Management from LaRoche College, graduating Summa Cum Laude.

In 1995, the standards for the Western Pa. Construction Craft Laborers' Apprenticeship Program were approved and registered by the Pennsylvania Apprenticeship and Training Council. In June 1997, the Western Pa. Laborers held their first Apprenticeship and Training class. Michael is responsible for coordinating recruitment, selection, and training for the apprenticeship program.

Rose Cheran - Office Manager

Rose has been employed at the Training Center since 1998. Prior to her current role, she held a secretarial position. Her duties now include: processing of payroll, accounting and bookkeeping, budgeting, electronic transfer of funds, accounting audits, recording Merrill Lynch activity, payments for health & welfare/pension, and calculating payment for man hours worked.

Before starting here at the Center, Rose held several positions. She worked at Beneficial Financial, inputting tax returns electronically for laser express refund, as well as filing and documentation for the IRS. Rose also was a realtor for Howard Hanna Real Estate, working with home buyers and sellers, negotiating contracts, pre-qualifying home buyers for their mortgage loans, as well as assisting with local lenders. She also worked for Dr. Kurt G. Evans DDS as receptionist/assistant, scheduling appointments and assisting in dental procedures.

Cheryl Miller - Secretary

Cheryl has been at the Training Center since August 29, 1994. She started working part-time running the school's cafeteria. Working along side the instructors through the years, she familiarized herself with many aspects of the Center, from training to administration. In March of 2002, she accepted the position of Secretary. Her duties consist of recruiting and scheduling students for classes, assisting the Director in the monthly class schedule, processing cards and certificates, and other clerical duties.

Prior to working at the Center, Cheryl worked for General Electric Credit Corp. in Monroeville for 12 years. She held a secretarial position there, eventually gaining a position as Credit Manager. After taking a few years off to raise her family, she re-entered the work force, gaining employment here at the Center.

Fran Swidzinski - Apprenticeship Assistant

Fran has worked at the Training Center since January 1996 as the Apprenticeship Assistant and the NIEHS hazardous waste worker training program secretary. She is responsible for assisting the Apprenticeship Coordinator with the administration of the apprenticeship program, updating and maintaining apprentice computer records, and working with Laborers-AGC staff for submission of hazardous waste yearly agreements and grant reimbursement requests throughout the budget period.

She graduated from IUP with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism and a concentration in Public Relations. Upon graduation, she worked for a public relations firm in Pittsburgh and then was employed by an orthopedic surgical group for thirteen years as their Patient Accounts Manager, then Office Manager. Fran attended Slippery Rock University for post-baccalaureate studies in Health and General Education and also worked as a medical billing specialist for liability and workmen's compensation claims before coming to the Training Center.

Tina Green - Cook/Custodial

Tina started working at the Center in March of 2002. She is responsible for providing lunches to all members who attend classes here. She maintains and orders food supplies, and, in addition, performs custodial duties as well.

Before coming to work here, Tina spent 27 years as a waitress at the Saxonburg Hotel.

INSTRUCTORS

There are four instructors here at the Training Center, including James Kempinski mentioned above. As an instructor, each person must be certified in order to teach classes, and must attend classes themselves to keep their teaching credentials in good standing. Each one has had extensive experience out in the field as well prior to obtaining a position as instructor. In addition to teaching classes, all instructors maintain the building and grounds as well.

The three instructors are:

Marc Ferrari

Marc has been educating and training Laborers at the Training Center since 1992. He became involved with training thru his father, who was the original Director of the facility. Marc orders all the training supplies for the Center. He is certified in and teaches all the environmental classes, such as: Asbestos, Lead, Hazardous waste, and Microbial Remediation. He also teaches construction safety courses, such as: Scaffold building, Rodtying, Construction safety, Forklift operation, Mason tending, Skid steer, and First Aid/CPR/AED. Training Laborers gives him great satisfaction and pride, knowing that he can share his knowledge and experience on safety. In addition, he gets a great sense of accomplishment when those that he has taught come back to the Training Center, telling their stories of how they used their training to further their careers.

Marc joined the union back in 1984, first as a member of Local 373, then transferring to Local 1058, where he has been a member for the last 20 years. He has held foreman and steward positions on many jobs. Some of the major projects he has worked on were the Rt. 28 corridor, East Street Expressway, Highland Park Bridge, and the Greensburg Expressway.

Stanley Plutnicki

Stan has been an instructor at the Training Center since January 2001. He is certified in and teaches a variety of classes, including Skid Steer, Concrete, Cutting & Burning, Construction Safety, Asbestos, Lead, Fork Lift, and First Aid/CPR. He was also instrumental in introducing and teaching a new class to the Training Center, Building Trades Blueprint Reading.

Prior to becoming an instructor, Stan started is career as an employee at Inmetco. He gained extensive experience in such things as: building and mill maintenance, welding & burning, crane operation and maintenance, and equipment operation and maintenance, becoming a true jack-of-all trades. He became a member of Local 373 on August 8, 1986. Once in the Union, he served as steward on many jobs, including the Alcoa Building on the North Shore. Because of his construction knowledge, he served as labor foreman on several major jobs, including: 2 years of demolition at the LTV Steel Mill, 2-1/2 years at the Allegheny County Jail, and with Trafalgar House at the Pittsburgh International Airport.

Lee Kontis

Lee is the most recent addition to our staff here at the Training Center, having been hired in February 2004. He has been certified in and teaches several classes, including Highway Blueprint, Line & Grade, Rodtying, Flagger Safety, Pipelaying, Asbestos Worker, Hazmat, and First Aid/CPR.

Lee joined Local 603 in Erie in August of 1974, transferring to Local 1058 in July of 1978. He received his first opportunity as steward, then foreman, pushing rebar with Thomas A. Meekis & Sons on the pier work for the Bloomfield Bridge. Lee also spent time as a concrete foreman, labor foreman, and Penndot certified concrete technician with Meekis. Some of the jobs Lee worked at include the North Shore Expressway, Grant Street reconstruction, Moon Twp. Sewage Plant, and the new Rt. 60 to Pittsburgh International Airport. Over the years, Lee has worked as a craft tender, concrete laborer, rodbuster, stone & curb setter, pipelayer, grade checker, and road form lead man.

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