Need a plumber? A new program from United Association of Plumbers and Steamfitters (UA) Local 290 offers a $200 instant rebate to homeowners in Oregon and Southwest Washington who use a Local 290 contractor.
The residential incentive program launched in July and sent out 76 coupons in the first three months.
“It’s really just to promote that unions do residential service, to help our smaller contractors that live in that market, and also to help any person that is pro-union in our jurisdiction be able to have a union worker in their house,” Local 290 assistant business manager James King explained.
Homeowners who need plumbing or HVAC work done can fill out a form at savewith290.com and get the discount voucher sent via email. The website also includes a list of participating contractors. Homeowners submit the voucher to the contractor when they pay for service, and the contractor forwards it to Local 290 for reimbursement.
The union and contractors worked together to develop the program over the past year. It’s funded by Local 290’s industry advancement program, which helps union contractors capture more market share. The voucher program is also intended to support members who have started their own small businesses by sending more work their way. Local 290 will evaluate the program after 18 months, then decide whether to continue.
King says UA 290 stole the idea from IBEW Local 48, which has a similar program connecting homeowners to union electricians.
“Theirs is a massive success story, and I hope ours can even come close to biting on its heels someday,” King said.
IBEW Local 48 offers its vouchers through qualifiedelectricianspdx.org and promotes the program on billboards throughout the Portland metro area. Local 48 business development representative Randy Davis helped Local 290 work out the details of their program. Local 48 recently increased its voucher to $300.
Local 48 mails physical vouchers to people who fill out their online form. Local 290 opted for an emailed form. King said ensuring homeowners only get one coupon per 12-month period required careful website development.
“We had to create a way that would get that $200 incentive to the customer ASAP because 90% of the time this is emergency service,” King said. “Typically, if you’re asking for plumbing service, your water is broken, and you’re not going to wait for me to mail you a $200 coupon.”
