William
P. Hite, general president of the United Association of
Plumbers, Pipe Fitters, Welders and HVACR Technicians, will be honored with the
Distinguished Service Award from The
Military Officers Association of America for his work in supporting our nation’s
veterans.
William
P. Hite, general president of the United Association of
Plumbers, Pipe Fitters, Welders and HVACR Technicians, will be honored with the
Distinguished Service Award from one of the nation’s largest and most
prestigious military organizations for his work in supporting our nation’s
veterans.
The
Military Officers Association of America will present Hite with the award at a
ceremony in Washington, D.C., on April 12 for leading the United Association’s
“outstanding initiatives in training and connecting veterans with post-service
employment opportunities.”
In
nominating Hite for the award, Major GeneralMatthew P. Caulfield,
USMC (Ret), said Hite believes it is a responsibility of the United Association
to train and assist veterans in securing a post-military career.
“Hite
seldom addresses the membership without mention of this core value,” Caulfield
said. “He insists that veterans within the United Association are featured in
trade publications and internal media. He also personally gets involved in the
training program for veterans.”
Under
Hite’s leadership, the Veterans in Piping program, or VIP program, was created
to provide high-quality training and re-entry guidance to military veterans.
VIP graduates are placed in jobs with life-long career opportunities where they
can earn highly competitive wages and excellent benefits.
Veterans
receive 18 weeks of intense training, paid for entirely by the United
Association. Successful graduates are guaranteed placement as an apprentice in
the trade. To date, approximately 200 veterans have graduated. For more
information, visitwww.uavip.org.
“I
am humbled to be counted among those who work consistently and diligently to
provide our service men and women the opportunities they so deeply deserve,”
Hite said. “Members of our military make so many sacrifices for our nation. It
is an honor and a privilege to help ensure they have a meaningful career to
come home to.”
Hite
is serving as the Workforce Readiness Committee chairman on PresidentBarack
Obama’s Presidential Export Council and is a committee member of
the U.S. Manufacturing Council on Competitiveness. He had previously
served on the President’s Advisory Committee for Trade Policy and Negotiations
under former PresidentGeorge W. Bush. In
these high-profile roles, and as the leader of a prominent labor union, he
consistently speaks “in support of veterans and encourages corporate co-members
to institute programs that address the problem of veteran unemployment,”
Caulfield wrote.
Furthermore,
Hite obtained inclusion of a “Sense of Congress” provision in the FY 2011
Defense Authorization Bill. The provision encourages participation in
apprenticeship programs by members of the armed forces prior to discharge.
Under
his leadership, the “United Association has a special regard and consideration
for members called to active duty,” Caulfield wrote. “Usually, a picture of the
member is displayed in a prominent place in the local union hall. Most
importantly, families of the members are taken care of in a manner that should
also be a model for our country.”
Previous
recipients of the Distinguished Service Award include former Joint Chiefs of
Staff chairmen GeneralsColin PowellandJohn
Shalikashvili, former Secretary of Defense Dr.William
Perry, and NBC News anchorTom Brokaw.
Hite is the only labor leader to receive this award.
Co-recipients
of the 2011 Distinguished Service Award include Dollar General Corp. for its
support of Guard and Reserve employees; Lt. Gen.Jack Stultz,
commanding general of the Army Reserve Command, for his initiatives to support
Reserve families and employers; and Sesame Workshop, which partnered with the
USO to help military families deal with the hardship of deployment.