Joe,
I am from the Southern Hemisphere so not sure how your union / non union work is done but it seems very clear to me.
The welders qualification has expired.
QW-322.1 Expiration of Qualification. The performance
qualification of a welder or welding operator shall be
affected when one of the following conditions occurs:
(a) When he has not welded with a process during a
period of 6 months or more, his qualification for that process
shall expire; unless, within the 6 month period, prior
to his expiration of qualification
(1) the welder has welded with that process using
manual or semiautomatic welding, under the supervision
and control of the qualifying manufacturer or contractor
or participating organization(s) as identified in QW-300.3;
that will extend his qualification for an additional 6 months
The "qualifying manufacturer or contractor or participating organization" is the union hall.
Were the welds this welder performed while working for a non union contractor (it is totally irrelevant whether it was a union or non union contractor) under the supervision and control of the qualifying manufacturer or contractor or participating organization as noted above ?
No they weren't so the welders qualification has expired.
Regards,
Shane
First issue to address is the fact that neither the AWS nor ASME has any jurisdiction or interest in the matter you outlined. Neither AWS nor ASME certified you, so how is their interest served by getting involved with what appears to be an internal matter.
The second issue is whether the union accepts the continuity of the welder's certifications simply because a CWI has signed a continuity record. There is nothing, i.e., no governing document, that says the union, or anyone else for that matter, has to accept a signature attesting that you or anyone else has met the conditions required for continuity.
Just to make a point, the CWI stamp or a signature is not sacrosanct. I often reject welder performance qualifications as well as WPSs that have been signed by a CWI if the documentation is incomplete, incorrect, or I have personal knowledge of a tarnished reputation. As one person told me years ago when I was still burning rod for a living, “Your reputation arrived long before you did.” That cautionary advice is especially true for CWIs.
While your union may not officially sanction you for working with a nonunion contractor when times are slow (or good for that matter), I am sure they have long memories of who has worked for the competition. Good, bad, or otherwise, human nature is what it is. Even when times are tough, my advice would be work in a sector that is not associated with your trade, i.e., do not weld pipe. Welcome to the real world.
Shane has made a very good point. The nonunion contractor is not a participant in the union contractor's welder qualification program. When you went to work for an open shop contractor, it is no different than when a welder leaves one employer to work for another, i.e., past performance qualifications are null and void under Section IX. You have to requalify with the new employer, i.e., welder performance qualifications are not transferable from one employer to another. Your union's representative was absolutely correct in his position that your certifications have expired if you were out of the union's program for more than 6 months. As a CWI that works under the auspices of ASME, you should be very aware of that limitation. Stop your belly aching.
Best regards - Al