The Quality Control Council of the United States (QCCUS) is a coalition between the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industry in the United States and Canada (UA) and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers (Boilermakers). The QCCUS was established to negotiate and administer collective bargaining agreements for workers in the Quality Control and Non-Destructive Testing (NDT) industry. The UA and the Boilermakers are two of the finest Labor organizations in North America and have been representing working people in various industries since the late nineteenth century. Few Labor Organizations have records that exceed ours in terms of continuous service to our members.

The QCCUS has long recognized Industry’s need for the standardized qualification of NDT professionals. A significant part of this need is the demand for a pre-qualified technician, so that when they arrive at the job-site they are qualified and ready to go to work. The QCCUS and the Employers Association of the QCCUS, administer a joint Training Fund that reimburses members for training specific to the industry. This allows the QCCUS to standardize the training and certification of NDT professionals, resulting in a quality, reliable workforce always available, without additional training or certification cost to the Employers and their customers. Experienced NDT professionals are joining the QCCUS to take part in our QCCUS Central Certification and Training programs, while formalizing their credentials and updating their skills to be more productive on the job.

The objectives of the QCCUS are to upgrade the non-destructive testing field through the establishment of training, qualifying procedures and through collective bargaining with the Employers Association of the QCCUS. Through collective bargaining, the Employers Association and the QCCUS will mutually establish and stabilize wages, hours and working conditions in the non-destructive testing industry so the work may proceed in an expedient and economic fashion. This provides our membership and contractors stability and security in the knowledge that the pay, working conditions, and benefits specified in their union contract are guaranteed – from job to job and contractor to contractor.

Workers performing non-destructive testing help ensure the safety and reliability of equipment and systems found in virtually every segment of our lives. These highly skilled professionals conduct rigorous, periodic tests on materials, parts and systems that must perform to the highest standards and that are subject to various stresses that can lead to weakness or failure over time. These skilled professionals work in diverse fields and industries with a variety of state-of-the-art technologies, using non-invasive techniques to avoid damaging delicate or potentially dangerous systems.

The sensitive and technical nature of this work absolutely requires the best professionals available in the industry today. Employers must look at the training and certification levels of prospective workers. The QCCUS maintains an extensive Central Certification data base of trained and qualified technicians that provides employers ready access to the information they need to hire the right person for the job. Therefore, contractors need to look no further than the members of the Quality Control Council of the United States to meet their non-destructive testing needs.