Groups Oppose New Sheet Metal Regs
A group of non-union sheet metal contractors has filed a lawsuit to stop new training and staffing regulations from going into effect this week.
The Coalition for Fair Licensing said the regulations, which would require 8,000 hours of on the job and 750 hours of classroom training over five years for sheet metal workers to achieve journeyman status, were drafted to favor union contractors and will inflate construction costs.
The new regulations were drafted by the Board of Examiners of Sheet Metal Workers, which was appointed by the Patrick administration in order to make sheet metal work a licensed trade.
But the coalition claims the board has no "open shop" representation and that requiring more hours of training than required for electrician and plumber licenses would increase construction costs by 15 percent and limit the number of shops available for jobs.
The coalition filed the injunction in state court along with the Associated Builders and Contractors of Massachusetts, the New England chapter of the Air Conditioning Contractors of America, the Massachusetts Oil Heat Council and individual contractors.
A hearing is scheduled for Wednesday. The new regulations are scheduled to take effect Friday.
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