"The detention industry is one area or ornamental jurisdiction that we consistently work on to increase market share for our members. These projects consist of federal penitentiaries, state prisons, county jails, police stations, courthouses and youth detention facilities. In every instance mentioned there are many man-hours to be worked by our members. The detention industry is one which contractors must travel either regionally or internationally to continue a steady amount of work. While we enjoy many relationships with contractors in the detention industry I would like to recognize a particular contractor who has worked closely with the Department of Ornamental, Architectural and Miscellaneous Metals, and our International: it is the Pauly Jail Building Company.
Pauly Jail has been in existence since 1856. Robert and Joseph Pohrer, who are the great-great grandsons of the company's founder, currently run the business. Pauly Jail signed an International Agreement in the early 1990's. At that time, Pauly Jail and the Ornamental Department met with the thoughts of Pauly Jail expanding from their traditional areas of work, which were in Missouri and Illinois. Since then, they have expanded and now bid work in over 16 states resulting in countless hours for our members. They employ nine traveling Iron Workers superintendents and have as many as 30 Ironworkers on the payroll at any one time. Last year, they secured over $20 million in detention contracts. This is great news considering there are many open shop detention contractors and we constantly have jurisdictional issues with the United Brotherhood of Carpenters over detention work.
"The IronWorker"
Pauly Jail has been at the forefront helping International create a detention-training manual, which is currently being developed by the National Fund and should be ready sometime in the fall of 2003. They also have furnished hands-on training mock-ups for the National Fund's Training Program in San Diego and have sent company representatives and vendors to assist in the training courses. Pauly Jail has taken their company's quality products and skilled work force that the Ironworkers Union possesses and regularly markets them at regional training seminars for Sheriffs, Architects and County Commissioners. Their message throughout these seminars is that they should demand quality products and a quality installation by our Union Ironworkers.
Our members need to be vigilant about monitoring these types of projects when they are announced to be built in your area. Have your Locals contact our office so we can forward these projects to Iron Workers signatory companies like Pauly Jail and others."
"The Arrestee Processing Center, which opened in June, will replace the Marion County Lockup. Bob Love of Pauly Jail Building Co. worked the metal of a secure cell in the downtown facility."
by Eric Dean
The Ironworker
July/August 2003