By Brian Reeder - AGC Government Affairs Coordinator
I’m not a plumber. My experience working with pipe is limited to using PVC to hit wiffle balls when the yellow bat would get lost. Yet you could hire me today to install your grandma’s gas lines. But if you do, make sure it’s your mean grandma – the one who never had candy and handed out awful Christmas presents – then head for the hills.
According to City of Reno Code, plumbers do not need to be trained or have experience. Recently the Reno City Council set out to make changes and introduced an ordinance to require all plumbers to carry a journeyman or apprentice certification card. The requirement would ensure that plumbing work has been performed correctly by an individual intimate with the plumbing code. A plumber could demonstrate such knowledge by proving four years of experience and passing a test, which costs $125.
This is nothing new. The requirement had been in the municipal code for years, but when the City of Reno gave up the authority to administer the journeyman plumber test to the Nevada State Board of Plumbing Examiners, it was inadvertently deleted. Apparently not many people knew that it was in the code in the first place.
Since introducing the ordinance back in June 2015, it has been a knock down drag out fight, inciting rhetoric that has been anything but namby-pamby. One side sees plumbing certification as a health and safety issue. The other side sees it as union bullying – of course, it doesn’t help that the councilman leading the effort was the former top dog for the Northern Nevada Building and Construction Trades Council.
A core concern is that some plumbers believe they can properly train employees without the use of a formal apprentice program, which could be true. However, the current draft of the ordinance would not allow it. The ordinance says all non-journeyman plumbers need to be enrolled in a state-recognized apprentice program, all of which come with a cost. AGC and the Nevada Associated Mechanical Contractors (NAM) offered an amendment that, if adopted, would allow an individual to learn the trade under the watch of a journeyman without having to enroll in an apprentice program. The trainee would still need to pass the test to become a journeyman.
During the next several weeks, workshops will be held for stakeholders to voice concerns. It’s reasonable to expect that the individual installing gas and plumbing systems in your new house has been properly trained. It’s similar to purchasing a certified pre-owned vehicle. Back in the 1990s, car companies decided to start using factory trained technicians to inspect used cars. The decision resulted in buyer confidence. Sales of certified used cars increased 43 percent. Customers enjoyed seeing the trained technician’s stamp of approval and the ability to ensure their newly purchased car had not been driven into a barricade or launched into the Sparks Marina.
However, it’s also reasonable to accept that one can learn the skills to become a certified journeyman plumber without enrolling in an apprentice program. Compromise is a must. The Reno City Council is expected to make a final decision on Wednesday, December 16.
This is nothing new. The requirement had been in the municipal code for years, but when the City of Reno gave up the authority to administer the journeyman plumber test to the Nevada State Board of Plumbing Examiners, it was inadvertently deleted. Apparently not many people knew that it was in the code in the first place.
Since introducing the ordinance back in June 2015, it has been a knock down drag out fight, inciting rhetoric that has been anything but namby-pamby. One side sees plumbing certification as a health and safety issue. The other side sees it as union bullying – of course, it doesn’t help that the councilman leading the effort was the former top dog for the Northern Nevada Building and Construction Trades Council.
A core concern is that some plumbers believe they can properly train employees without the use of a formal apprentice program, which could be true. However, the current draft of the ordinance would not allow it. The ordinance says all non-journeyman plumbers need to be enrolled in a state-recognized apprentice program, all of which come with a cost. AGC and the Nevada Associated Mechanical Contractors (NAM) offered an amendment that, if adopted, would allow an individual to learn the trade under the watch of a journeyman without having to enroll in an apprentice program. The trainee would still need to pass the test to become a journeyman.
During the next several weeks, workshops will be held for stakeholders to voice concerns. It’s reasonable to expect that the individual installing gas and plumbing systems in your new house has been properly trained. It’s similar to purchasing a certified pre-owned vehicle. Back in the 1990s, car companies decided to start using factory trained technicians to inspect used cars. The decision resulted in buyer confidence. Sales of certified used cars increased 43 percent. Customers enjoyed seeing the trained technician’s stamp of approval and the ability to ensure their newly purchased car had not been driven into a barricade or launched into the Sparks Marina.
However, it’s also reasonable to accept that one can learn the skills to become a certified journeyman plumber without enrolling in an apprentice program. Compromise is a must. The Reno City Council is expected to make a final decision on Wednesday, December 16.