All new construction sites, every new project begins the same, with so much potential! It’s a chance for young craftsmen to create their first masterpiece. For others close to retirement, it’s one last chance to pass down their knowledge. In the third year of my apprenticeship, I was fortunate enough to work with a highly skilled journeyman before he retired. The greatest lesson Tony taught me was to broaden my view of the job. As an apprentice, it is exceedingly tempting to only focus on the skills you are trying to learn. Tony knew that a Union job site is not just about one trade, but about all the trades. In fact, it is about a large group of people doing their best work and making sure the site is safe and fair for all. He taught me how to cross reference prints in order to do my work more efficiently. He always said that his goal at work was for no missteps, meaning measure twice and cut once. He said that being part of a union sometimes requires you to fight in order to maintain the quality of work expected. I think about this often. Now I’m the grumpy old journeyman trying to teach his apprentices the same. Although deadlines have grown shorter and customers’ demands are greater, I’m still fighting to maintain the quality of work that was taught to me.

Depending on the size of the project, it could last anywhere from six months to six years. You get a set of blueprints and learn the place inside and out. All the crafts come together to get the job done. We live on these jobs for sixty to seventy hours a week and breathe life into the structure. If a passerby listened closely, he could hear laughter, loud, booming voices and sometimes, a bit of colorful language. Those passing by should know that construction not only wears on the body but also challenges the mind. You see, for every concrete pour, every brick laid, with each wall built and every conduit ran, we put our names on it. Every good craftsman wants this to be the best job and better than the last. We work out in the elements and the majority of us don’t get paid time off or sick days. We take off what we can afford and for most, that’s not enough.

My first job in the trade was at Great American Ballpark. I had never worked with tools or climbed a ladder, but I was very determined. The first group of guys I worked with, seemed to have put me through a “Boot Camp” of construction work. They wanted to see how much I could carry; how much I could lift. I hoisted rigid conduit up the light towers which are 200 feet tall. The higher I raised the conduit, the more I feared the weight would soon take me off the ground. My foreman Dan told me to lean into it. Once it reached the top two journeymen were there to retrieve it. I still remember the day they asked me if I was afraid of heights. I only responded with a nod. Timmy exclaimed ‘today you are climbing the light towers’. He led the way and even gave me a hand when I reached the top. At that moment Timmy slapped me on the back and said, ‘You made it kid’ and I still believe he meant I made it into the trade. I worked at Great American from spring of 2002 until opening day of 2003 without missing a day of work. I met a considerable number of people there, some good and some bad. I am the first generation in my family in the trade so I learned to stand up for myself quickly. I received high pay for doing work on the towers. I learned how to use a boom lift. I worked through what seemed like the coldest winter imaginable. My first year in the trade came with many challenges. I felt that if I could make it through that first year I could make it through anything. I worked the hours they wanted me to work, which included a handful of Sundays. I was going to become a union electrician and do it with few complaints.

Since we work more hours than we are at home, we form bonds. We make lifelong friendships. We share stories about other places we helped build. The work is difficult and demanding at times, so we try to have fun when we can. We give each other nicknames. It builds character. I have a list of nicknames a mile long. One of my favorite nicknames was given to me while working at BP Oil Refinery near Chicago. My foreman was from Texas, and he was very short. He owned a ten-gallon hat that was taller than him. One day Rick was doing a walk through with the superintendent of the job and as he passed by me, he stopped mid-sentence to say, “Now that’s a full-grown man.” I turned to my tool buddy Dave, and I just shook my head. Dave chuckled of course, for the rest of the job I was called Full Grown. As you can see, comradery is very important when working long hours. An occasional trip to the bar is required to discuss the events that took place at work that week. When something doesn’t work out, we pick each other up and help where we can. Sometimes we take a stand. Sometimes we fall. When we stand together, we are in good company. Sometimes we forget the strength we have in numbers.

One hard fact about construction is that the day you step onto a project, you are working yourself out of a job. When work is abundant, the contractor will send you to another project. When times are slow, they might send you off with two checks and a handshake. It’s not always a pleasant goodbye, but the sooner you can accept that all jobs are temporary, the easier it gets. Towards the end of the job, we are often filled with uncertainties. We hold our heads high and finish strong. There are punch lists to complete and troubleshooting to be done. The measurements we took finally show us that our worries were in vain. When the walls are up, the wire is pulled, and paint is starting to dry; we get a sense of accomplishment that cannot be taken away. We may not always get a pat on the back, but we know who put the time in. Towards the end of the job, we get a newfound respect for some, and we learn who we can count on. In the end, we walk away a little stronger and wiser. We use our knowledge and pass it down so that future generations can do the same. At the end of the day, we all want to go home safe and little bit richer.

I’ll see you on the next one