AZ Governor Recognizes and Supports H2H
Helmets to Hardhats in Arizona
On Nov. 28, 2007 Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano signed a proclamation of support to help launch that state's participation in Helmets to Hardhats.
"Helmets to Hardhats is another unique and novel way we can show our support to veterans," Napolitano said at a news conference announcing the program. "Veterans will be able to find quality construction careers," she said.
Joining Governor Napolitano at the ceremony was Brigadier General Richard G. Maxon, Director of the Arizona Department of Veterans' Services. "They have given a great deal to this country, and we owe it back to them," he said.
Governor Napolitano saluted Helmets to Hardhats' role in Arizona and said it's creating "linkages and partnerships" for veterans and other service members while helping address the construction industry's consistent need for skilled men and women.
With continuing growth across the state, construction remains an important part of Arizona's economy," she said.
Helmets to Hardhats will provide assistance to servicemen and women in Arizona and all 49 other states who try to re-establish their lives as civilians by connecting them with employers who need workers with the skills and leadership developed in the military.
"The program has worked well across the country and promises to help veterans and the construction industry in Arizona," said Sean McGarvey, secretary-treasurer of the Building and Construction Department of the AFL-CIO.
"We're in the fifth year of our program, and it's our most successful," McGarvey said.
Around 15,000 people have gone through Helmets to Hardhats, which is a continuation of a long-standing relationship between unions and veterans, he said. "Building trades unions and the U.S. military have intersected for a hundred years," McGarvey said. "This is nothing new for us, but this program is new."
Helmets to Hardhats is more than finding unemployed veterans a short-term job, said William P.
Hite, general president of the United Association, which represents workers in the plumbing and
pipe-fitting industry. "It's not just a job. It's a career," Hite said.
