Basic Facts
The United Brotherhood of Carpenters represents more than 550,000 skilled workers in Canada and the United States. Its Head Office is in Washington, DC.
The UBC operates a massive $US 80 million International Training Centre in Las Vegas
In Alberta alone, the Alberta Regional Council of Carpenters and Allied Workers (ARCAAW) invests more than $3 million every year in training its 12,000 members.
The new $23 million Provincial Training & Administration Centre in Edmonton contains more than 30,000 square feet of space dedicated to state-of-the-art carpentry, scaffolding and millwrighting training centres. The entire building is geothermally heated and cooled.
The majority of ARCAAW’s members are scaffolders. Some are industrial/commercial carpenters and many hold dual tickets.
Scaffolding is a huge industry in Alberta, as it is a necessity when large projects are built and/or regularly maintained. Up to 30% or more of the cost of a major oil sands plant, for example, can be scaffolding.
About 1,100 of ARCAAW’s members are millwrights.
