News and Resources

At the OPCMIA International Training Fund, we believe that every worker has the fundamental right to return home from the jobsite safely and in good health each and every day. That’s why health and safety is at the core of our mission.

To ensure that we supply the skilled plasterers, cement masons and shop hands our industry urgently needs in the coming years, it is essential that more women join our union and learn our crafts. 

September is Suicide Prevention Month. But for all of us in the OPCMIA International Training Fund and for all OPCMIA members, every month—indeed, every single day—requires constant vigilance about preventing suicide.

Safety and health is a top priority for the OPCMIA International Training Fund (ITF). While we have historically focused on physical health—preventing injuries, illnesses and accidents in deeply demanding crafts that involve hard physical labor, heavy equipment and challenging working conditions—it’s now apparent that mental health is every bit as important.

The OPCMIA International Training Fund’s premier annual event, the Instructor Training Program, will be held from July 10-14, 2023 at Washtenaw Community College (WCC) in Ann Arbor, Michigan — and registration is now open.

“I learned more about concrete work in one year as a union worker than I did in three years as a non-union worker.” That statement from Cement Masons Local 633 apprentice Bryce Younger says it all.