Kelli McCallister attends UA MCAA Conference

In late September, Local Union 25 representatives attended the 2023 UA/MCAA Labor Relations Conference in Las Vegas. This annual event brings together association executives, senior labor management and future industry leaders to network and discuss topics relating to manpower, organizing and workforce development.

Kelli McCallister, 4th year HVAC apprentice at Ragan Mechanical, was selected by Business Manager Matt Lienen to attend this year’s conference along with Lienen and Business Agents Bill Allison and Jake Nelson.

“When I approached Chuck (McKnight, Training Coordinator) for suggestions on an apprentice to send, without hesitation he told me to send Kelli. Without a doubt, she’s got a very bright future,” Matt said.

Kelli was one of more than 200 apprentices from across the U.S. and Canada in attendance.

“It was a lot to take in at first, but everyone was more than welcoming and willing to talk to apprentices,” Kelli said. “We learned a lot about the United Association, the importance of organizing and all the ways you can advance your career through the UA. You don’t have to just be somebody laying pipe. You can start there, then you can be a training representative, an organizer, an agent, even the president someday. It’s up to you to decide where you want to take your career.”

One of the highlights of the conference for Kelli was meeting the first female in the industry to ever compete at the national level of the apprenticeship competition — Alanna Marklund, Special Representative for Youth, Diversity and Indigenous Relations with the UA.

“It takes the right female to be in the trades. It takes thick skin and you have to hold your own,” Kelli said. “For me, I’m not one to sit at a desk. I like being part of something bigger. The smile I put on a customer’s face because I got them heat in the middle of the night — that’s the stuff I love.”

The conference was also eye-opening for learning how other locals in different parts of the country operate.

“I feel very privileged that I’m at Local 25 and we don’t have to buy books and tools and things because it’s not that way everywhere else,” Kelli said. “They try to build you a good foundation, but it’s what you take from your classwork and then apply it in the field. We’re the future of the UA and they depend on us to continue the high quality of our work and the legacy they’ve created.”