Journal of a Wireman

I’m a Prince spelled P-R-I-C-K

July 29th, 2025

My third year in the trade was a turning point in my career. I just couldn’t see it then. Before I joined the trade, I wanted to be an artist; I wanted to make people laugh. I had (still have) a passion for the arts. I was in show choir and barbershop quartet in high school. I wanted to move to New York and make it on SNL. I am a dreamer, and I have always dreamed big. As I’m writing this now, I can honestly say I’m finally bringing my dreams into fruition.

I felt like a fish out of water when I joined the trade and if I wanted proper training, I would have to fit in. I stopped talking about what made me and started talking about sports, nascar and beef jerky. Looking back on this, I didn’t fool anyone but myself. It took me a long time to be confrontable in my own skin, but I digress.

It was my third year in the trade and that’s when my foreman put me with Tony. I still remember walking over to him to introduce myself. I set my toolbox down on his material cart, ” Hi, my name is Jimmy Stu…”

Tony didn’t let me finish, “Nooo, noo no. That’s my material cart! you have to get your own.” This was Tony being helpful in his own way. He continued, “You see what kind of material I have on here? Take note. I want you to go downstairs and find yourself a material cart. When you get one, I want you to fill your cart with the same material I have. By the time you get back, it should be break time. Then you can introduce yourself. ” As I walked away, I wondered if I could even put up with this asshole.

Tony was a rough neck, red neck from Kentucky, that was his words, not mine. If you ask me, Tony looked like David Hasselhoff’s older brother. This image helped me deal with how stern Tony could be. Tony was close to retirement when I met him, and he was still walking around like he had something to prove. He worked for Meiner Electric years ago. People knew him there and he had a reputation of being a bad ass. Most guys steered clear of him, but some journeymen seemed to have a good rapport with Tony. I just wanted to make it through my apprenticeship, and I really didn’t like confrontation back then.

It turned out, Tony was a bit of a perfectionist, and the first few weeks were trial by fire. I still remember some of the random pop quizzes he would give me. In the middle of work, he would shout out questions and expect a quick answer. I would notice other guys staring and I just became that more nervous. Tony asked me in what direction does electrons move and without thinking, I shouted out, “From left to right!” Tony immediately started laughing. I knew that wasn’t the answer and I wasn’t happy anymore. At that moment I said something that surprised Tony and me both, “Screw you Tony! Why are you always putting me on the spot? I come to work to learn, not to be embarrassed.” With his own way of apologizing, Tony made a joke, “Everyone knows I’m a prince, spelled P-R-I-C-K. I was just trying to teach you. You have a lot of potential to be a great journeyman someday and it’s my job to get you there.”

As might be expected, working for Tony got a lot better. We started opening up to each other and that made the workday smoother. We swapped stories, told jokes, laughed about the shenanigans that happened on the job. Tony taught me so much about the trade. He said to work as hard as you can and not to worry about the deadlines. Tony said in this trade especially, we work to live, not live to work. He told me to not be afraid to talk to people, they don’t trust the quiet guys.

I didn’t know anyone when I first joined the trade, and I didn’t feel like I had anything in common with the guys I worked with. I worked for many great electricians that taught me about the trade. Tony was more of a mentor and taught me about life. Tony got me out of my shell, and I truly appreciate that. At this point in my career, I could step on any job and people know who I am and what I stand for. I’ve taught many apprentices, and I can only hope I impacted their lives as much as Tony did for me. Oh yeah. In case you were wondering, Electrons flow from negative to positive.

I’ll see you on the next one.
The Grey Fox of Saginaw

July 18th, 2025

When you work out of town, nothing is the same. You are away from your loved ones and even on the best days, you can feel a little empty inside. I can tell you that in 23 years, Edwardsport was a once in a lifetime experience. The conditions were excellent, and it seemed as if you could just open your pockets and collect the money. Any meal can taste good when you are hungry and we had all been looking for work for a long time. All the guys in our crew looked out for each other. We all became good friends, that is all of us except for Greg. Greg had other plans in mind.

When you take a call outside your home local, you must know this job is temporary. When a union contractor is awarded a job, they agree to fulfill the contract. The beauty of a union contractor is that they can supply man power for the job from all over the country. Every journeymen gets the same quality training so when a contractor hires someone, they pretty much know what they are getting. A smaller local, with less members may pull workers from book 2, Travelers that are seeking work outside their local union hall. Once the job is done, book 2 members will be the first to get laid off.

Greg saw each employee as a threat. We all wanted to keep a job as long as possible. Everyone at some point in their career has heard the expression, “We are here to make money not friends”, but Greg took this to the next level. The rest of us had the mindset that we were all there to take care of our families back home. No one wanted to leave their families for work, so we made the best of the situation. If laughter is the best medicine, we were prescribed high doses. The jokes we shared helped ease the pain from being hours away from home. Greg on the other hand, would crush your spirit if you let him. The only names that end up on the porta let walls were assholes on the job. Greg had porta let walls dedicated to him.

Another thing I should tell you about Greg is that he was the worst kind of storyteller. Greg was a Topper. If you said you caught a 10 pound Bass, Greg had caught a 15 pound Bass. We all embellish when we tell stories, it’s just that his embellishments were much taller and broader than himself. Greg would brag and boast, but no one bought into his bullshit. Greg would talk about his hunting trips in The U.P. or his fishing trips on the great lakes. He would yammer on and on.

One day at lunch, Greg started in on another story. Everyone in the trailer put their heads down as if they were asleep. Todd and I had already made eye contact with Greg, and I suppose we were too polite to not listen.

“You know Todd, ten years ago my friends and I took a boat out on Lake Superior”, Greg began.

I looked over and Todd had on a brave smile, ” Another fishing trip?” Greg continued his story. I looked around the trailer and knew it was too late to join the crew, so I kept on listening.

“It was getting late in the day and I saw the clouds roll in. I told my friend it was time to turn back but he refused to listen. He wasn’t going back until he caught one more fish. I tried to warn him again and then it began to storm. The waves were rocking the bowt and I knew we were in trouble!”

Todd and I began to lean in as Greg continued to tell his story. ” The waves were getting bigger as they crashed onto the boat. We tossed and turned until the boat overturned in the water and then….”

Before Greg could get another word in, I excitedly said, ” What happened next Greg! Did you make it?” The entire trailer roared in laughter. Greg was pissed, “No Jim, this is the part where we all died.”

Todd was snickering and I was laughing so hard I had to excuse myself from the trailer. I was tearing up and I had to catch my breath. As I calmed myself down, I thought to myself I got him. This was the day I caught The Grey Fox of Saginaw. From then on Greg tried to be more tolerable to the crew. And as for me, well I have this great story to tell.

I’ll see you on the next one.
Pull a Little Wire, Have a Little Fun, Mannequins! Get Down Tonight

July 6th, 2025

My first layoff in 2009 was the hardest, but as they say in construction, I had a good run. I can say this casually now but at the time, I was a little angry and I was scared for my family. My daughter was a year old! I had to stay employed to have insurance and to have a steady check coming in. Fortunately, some of the guys that got laid off with me knew where to find employment. Work had dried up in Cincinnati and so I began seeking work elsewhere. When you are unemployed as a Union Electrician, you sign the book at your local union hall. This book is essentially a waiting list to go back to work, and I signed my name behind 400 electricians on a book that wasn’t moving. Don told me I had nothing to worry about because come Monday morning we would meet at the hall and go sign books together.

Monday morning came and we drove to St. Louis, signing books in other locals along the way. There were many uncertainties, but I was in good company. When we talk of brotherhood this is a perfect definition. Don had traveled before, and he was happy to show us the ropes as none of the others in the car had ever traveled for work.Traveling, signing books and taking calls out of town is a different skill set and having Don there to help us through was what being a Union Brother should be. We left Cincinnati around five in the morning and returned around seven at night. There was five us in the car that day. Don and I chose to work right away. We both had families depending on us.

Don and I spent a month out in Collinsville, Illinois. That’s when I really came into my own. We noticed that everyone had their names printed on their hard hats except us. When we asked our foreman about this, he replied, ‘This phase of the job is winding down. You won’t be here very long.” We were disappointed but I tried to shrug it off. I was determined to make the best of it, so I reached for my sharpie. I took my hard hat off and wrote JIMBO on it in big block letters. By the end of the day a dozen people introduced their selves to me. By the end of the week, I was making jokes at lunch and making friends. Being away from my wife and daughter got a little easier. A month on the road went quickly and I was ready to see my family. I had made it through my first time working out of town.

Don and I took one more call together in West Virginia before we parted ways. Don landed a maintenance job at the University of Cincinnati, and I continued seeking work out of town. I was happy for Don and appreciated all the help he was on the road.

Networking while I was out of town is how I found my next job. Don had inspired me and I wanted to pay it forward. I called my buddy Dave who I went through the apprenticeship with. He was looking for work too. “I heard there was some good work in Terre Haute, Indiana. Would like to ride with me and sign their book?” There was a long pause over the phone. Dave sighed, “Yeah I suppose. I haven’t had much luck anywhere else.” When you are out of work it is easy to start feeling very negatively. That is one of the reasons it is important to help each other find work and get back out there. After all being a Union Journeyman Electrician is a big part of our identities. I felt like this was going to be a good call. “Okay, I’ll pick you up in the morning.” I had enough optimism for both of us.

Terre Haute’s book was loaded but moving. With any luck we would be out to work before the end of the year. After a few weeks I began to get nervous. I was really counting on this job. My unemployment was running out and I had to get back to work soon. The first week of January, there was a 12-man call for a coal gasification plant in a small town of Edwardsport. I quickly threw some clothes together, grabbed my tools and then ran to the car. I picked Dave up and we were on our way. That is exactly how working out of town is. One minute you are waiting on the couch for that call and the next you are giving your loved ones a quick kiss goodbye as you run out the door.

Once we finished our safety orientation, the general foreman took 2 of the guys to run conduit. As for the rest of, we became the wire pulling crew. We were a motley bunch. There were two guys from Chicago and two from Detroit. There was a guy from Saganaw, Michigan and two guys from Indianapolis. Three of us were from Cincinnati. There was a lot of personality in our group and we just enjoyed it completely. Our foreman Todd picked us up in a work van and drove us around the site. Todd explained to us that we would be pulling cable through manholes around the entire jobsite. Each location needed one person dedicated to monitor the co2 levels. If the detector set off an alert, we were instructed to evacuate immediately. Monitoring the co2 levels was important but standing there for ten hours was so mundane. We decided that we would rotate who pulled the wire and who ran the monitor to keep it fair.

After a few weeks the crew started to click. On Fridays we would go to a bar or have dinner together. Our foreman was one in a million. Todd had a southern draw with a gravelly undertone. Every morning when we hopped in the van, Todd would start the day off by saying, “We’re going to pull a little wuyr, have a little fun, get down tonight.” Then Todd would give a little chuckle like he was saying it for the first time. We all had radios and gave each other nicknames. Some were appropriate and others were not. We were having so much fun on the job that we didn’t notice we piqued the other crews’ interest. One day we were at the bar and some other guys from the job came over to have a beer with us. They introduced themselves and went on to say they wished they were in our crew. When we asked why, they said we seem like a tight knit group that’s always having fun together. From a distance you look like mannequins. We all started to laugh, and I said, “Yeah, Todd just places us in position every day.” After that, the word spread like wildfire that our crew was known as The Mannequins. I did not appreciate how rare this type of job is. I hadn’t traveled enough to know that clicking like this and having so much fun doesn’t always happen.

I ended up working in Edwardsport for seven months until I could take a call back in Cincinnati. It was tough being away from my wife and daughter so long, but it was a sacrifice I had to make back then. I made enough money to put a good down payment on a new home. this job allowed me to make lifelong friendships and gain a lot of confidence as a Journeyman. The realization that Cincinnati was just a small part of the IBEW really helped shape my approach and attitude. I started my new job at home with a new perspective. The future was looking bright, and I was ready to take on a new challenge.

I’ll see you on the next one.
We Aren’t Working in the Damn Rain

June 30th, 2025

Some jobs just need a little help to make them better and some jobs need a lot of help. This is a story about a job that had many ups and downs. This was the second gas plant I worked at, for the same contractor and the same foreman. John was and still is a great guy. He would have his outburst of frustration, but he did care for his workers. On Fridays, he would invite us all to The Eagle and buy us buckets of beer. All the guys knew him there and I think this was his first chance to be a big shot. I sympathized for him. My career hadn’t gone the way I wanted, so I really understood how he felt.

John really took me under his wing on this project. Most days we would spend the first hour going over prints before joining the crew outside working. There was a lot of underground work on this job, so we spent our fair share of time working in the trenches running conduit. It was around May, and no one minded working outside. The weather had been working in our favor until one week. One Monday morning the rain started coming down in buckets. We tried to wait it out but ended up going home due to thunderstorms. Tuesday wasn’t bad and we had work we could do to keep us going until the ditches dried out. Wednesday came and worked half a day until it started raining again. John told us all to go to the trailer. We all sat down in the trailer, but John was pacing back and forth. We had our first deadline that Friday and he didn’t want to tell us about it. John took a peek outside and it had stopped raining. John looked at us and said, “Let’s get out there and finish these two runs of conduit. ” We all hurried out of the trailer and headed toward the ditch. If you hadn’t guessed, it started raining again and John hit the ceiling! “I know I said we wouldn’t work in the mud, but we have to get this shit done today!” We grumbled a little but kept working. John had an old school way of motivating people through verbal jabs. Needless to say, John started in on all of us and he went on and on until he struck a nerve. “Are you guys even electricians?” We were soaking wet and our boots were sticking in the mud but we were getting the job done.

I came unglued, “Damnit John! I’ve had enough of your shit for one day. Just wait until I get out of this ditch….”

I was interrupted by John’s laughter, “I’ve been picking at you for a year and I finally got you to yell. You don’t let anything get to you. Do you?”

“Everyone has their tipping point, John. ” I was finishing the last of the pipe run, “We’re finished. Let’s say we clean up and get the hell out of here for the day.”

“That sounds like a good idea Jim.” As quickly as John would get fired up, the next minute he would give us fist bumps and tell us what a great job we were doing for him.

On the drive home it had stopped raining, and the sun came out. I replayed the whole scene in my mind and started to smile. I was humming a familiar tune, but the words were coming out different. The words were so clear. I had to pull over and write them down:

The Drag Up Song (Escape)

I was tired of my foreman. We worked together too long. He sounded like a broken record, I couldn’t take it no more. He was at the shop sleeping, I called the job line instead. And on the recorder, there was a message it said,

Do you like pulling wire? Running pipe in the rain? If you are not into health food, if you have half a brain. If the shop calls you after midnight. Would you throw on that red cape. This is the job that you hoped for. Your chance to escape….

I wrote a full version of this parody and typed it up. On John’s birthday, I gave it to him as a gift. I figured a guy like John would appreciate a few verbal jabs being thrown at him. I don’t know this for a fact but I’m pretty sure he took it home and framed it. Now John has been retired for the past five years, and we haven’t really kept in touch. I sometimes imagine he is singing that song and it makes me laugh.

I’ll see you on the next one.
The Soccer Ball

June 24th, 2025

In 2020, I found myself laid off because of covid. The hall was putting calls out for the soccer stadium, so I decided to take the job. The consensus about the job was it was not somewhere you wanted to take a call. After being laid off for 2 years during the housing market crash of 2008, I thought it best to work as much as I could before the whole world shut down. Along with the rest of the world I was concerned of what I might bring home to my family due to working outside the house. Wearing a mask made it hard to understand my Foreman and my safety glasses would steam up so it was hard to see But the fear of bringing a deadly virus home to my children kept these two items firmly on my face. There were so many uncertainties. Doubt was a constant, was working the right choice? How long would this last? Was i killing myself?

As much as I hated heights, when I found out I would be hanging stadium lights, I was thrilled. Working in a 150-foot boom lift seemed like the definition of social distancing. The negativity in the crew that I was working with was immense. A truth that spans all worksites is the job is that much harder when you don’t get along with the people you are with. I was determined to make it through. Fortunately, things started to click between me and a couple of the guys in the crew.

Like any job, there were ups and downs, but you learn to take the good with the bad. People were going home left and right because of COVID, but I felt safe out on the soccer field. For the first part of the job, I worked with another Journeyman named Rich. He too was having a hard time with what was going on in the world. Rich had a positive outlook and always had a good story or a joke to tell to keep the morale up. After all the conduit was run, Rich got transferred to another crew.

It was time to hang the stadium field lights and I had a new tool buddy. Brent was a young country boy, and he was strong as an ox. We were the brute strength of the crew. The stadium lights were big, bulky and weighed over 100 pounds. Ultimately, Brent and I were the only ones who could hang them. We were working 10-hour days at the time. After a few weeks of heavy lifting, we were worn out. Just out of the blue Brent starts singing in a country twang,” Just swinging… In a basket… high in the air… With my pal Jimmy!” I just chuckled and told Brent, “You’re not right, kid.” Deep down, I wasn’t right either, but I couldn’t let on to that.

We were making good progress on the stadium lights, but as I said, the deadline was coming near.

For the month of August,we worked on those lights without a day off, working 12 hour shifts. The days began to run together.

The last Sunday morning of our shift, I stepped onto the the field and it was already sweltering. The entire crew was mentally and physically drained. I felt like I was awake in a dream, so when the soccer ball rolled up to me, I rubbed my eyes a little. I looked around and no one was there. Most trades had the day off. My crew was there to finish up the stadium lights so that the field could be prepped for sod.

It was time for work. Before I hopped on my lift, I kicked the ball as hard as I could. I smiled at the thought of the ball being passed around the rest of the day, reminding us all not to take life so seriously.

I’ll see you on the next one

this soccer ball came rolling up to me on our last day over time. I never figured out who kicked/tossed it over to me.
A Seat at the Table

June 21st, 2025

I remember so much from my first job in the apprenticeship. I was fortunate enough to be hired on with one of the largest contractors in Cincinnati at the time. I was sent to work at Great American Ballpark in April of 2002. We took break in a large area that would soon be the switchgear room and everyday it would be filled with smoke and laughter. Journeymen sat at the break tables and apprentices sat on wire spools. The work we do is hard and apprentices were young and so out of respect the older guys should get the chairs. It was a small price to pay for all that they taught us. Someone told me once that the apprenticeship isn’t easy. Getting through those first few years will earn you the same amount of respect as your journeyman.

I spent my time at break and lunch getting to know the apprentices. When there was no one to talk to, I listened to conversations around me. There was a group of guys that played Euchre every day, they seemed to have the most fun. At another table, there was a guy named Kevin He loved to recite dirty limericks. Kevin would habitually teach the other guys “The right way” to eat a banana; hand on top of head pushing downward. There was Tim and his twin brother, Disco who spent their time talking about cars. They loved to work on muscle cars. Tim bragged about a car he kept in his brother’s shop that his wife didn’t even know about.

A few months went by and one of the guys that played Euchre got transferred to another job. When they asked if anyone knew how to play, I didn’t hesitate to volunteer. They introduced themselves, Dave and John were a team, and Jack would be my partner. Dave started out by saying, “This is just a friendly game of Euchre. We don’t get worked up or take it seriously.” He wanted to set my mind at ease and then Jack leaned in, “If we don’t win this game kid, I’m going to hunt you down and kill you in your sleep!” Dave and John looked at Jack and started laughing. It may have been a friendly game, but they were real pros. I had to step up my game. I learned so much more from those guys beyond paying Euchre.

It wasn’t just about dirty jokes and tall tales in that room; they were a wealth of knowledge. Those journeymen were giving advice to us young guys for free, and all we had to do was to listen. A good journeyman will not only train you in your craft, but he also became your mentor. In order to preserve the future of the local, a good journeyman will do everything he can to help you succeed. Building a community with the new generation makes us all stronger.

I’ll see you on the next one.
The Realities of Being a Father: A Personal Story

June 15th, 2025

Happy Father Days to all who are reading this today. I know that for a man, being a father is one of the hardest, most fulfilling jobs you will have. Often, we don’t see our results in real time and this can fill us with doubt. When my oldest daughter was three years old, I was teaching her how to put together a puzzle. It didn’t seem like she was getting it and being a new father, I really questioned what I was doing wrong. Fortunately, Christmas came six months later and she was opening up her presents and Santa brought puzzles. Her eyes lit up and she immediately began to put the puzzles together without help. It was truly a proud moment in fatherhood for me.

We work a lot of hours and sometimes we only hear about our successes from our spouse. We may not see their first step or hear their first word. I believe at an early age; it is instilled in us to be providers. Twice in my career I have worked 12-hour shifts, seven days a week. The first time I worked that many hours, I was in my thirties and was ready for the challenge. We were installing a new line (oven) at Keebler’s. A contractor in my home local was hiring guys for a big push at the end of the job. I started in October and worked 7-12s until January. My wife had to do all the Christmas shopping online and on paper, it was the best Christmas ever. Work gave us all a Honey Baked Ham for the Holidays, and I felt like a hero.

I’m not saying this to brag, in fact I wouldn’t recommend it. Working that many hours wear you down mentally and physically. At the time, I thought that was what I had to do for my family. I learned a lot from that job. I learned what I was capable of and I learned money isn’t the most important thing in life. Since then, I have learned to say no to the long hours so I can be with my family. My health is important and making memories with my kids holds more value to me than ever before.

Your kids are only young once and you can never get that time back when they are grown. It doesn’t matter what your coworkers think of you and jobs will come and go. Be the best version of yourself for your kids. Show up every day and put the time in with your children. The earlier you portray how you want your kids to see you the better.

I’ll see you on the next one
The Real Strength of Construction Workers: Resilience and Brotherhood

June 12th, 2025

When people envision construction workers what comes to mind? Loud and rough around the edges. Thick skinned and can’t be rattled. Did I mention colorful language? These are some of the characteristics that make up a construction worker. That was what I imagined as I stepped onto my first construction site over 20 years ago. It was an intimidating time. I really wasn’t sure if I would be able to fit in. Now, I would use words like Stoic, resilient and comradery. When I first joined the trade, I couldn’t see past the image they were projecting. Hell, the first crew I worked in had just watched fight club and decided to shave their heads. Shannon, one of the first journeyman I worked around, told me that James was too formal a name to go by in construction. He also said I spoke too properly. “You should probably start cussing and take up dipping.” He was joking of course, so I picked through his half-hearted advice and decided to shave my head and go by Jimmy. Two changes that quickly started to help me make my projection of a construction worker. I couldn’t see it at the time, but I started creating a character to fit in with the rest of the trade. Part of me died that first year and the other half looked over it saying good riddance.

The work is physical, and I grew stronger. The journeyman would pick at you to toughen you up. Whatever insults they would throw at me, I would just laugh off. I was slowly becoming accepted. The guys would challenge me every day. I did things that I thought I could never physically do. One day, I had to carry a ten-foot, four inch round rigid conduit up a fifty-foot extension ladder to work on the scoreboard. At one point I had to climb the light towers at Great American Ballpark, which are two hundred feet tall. I could feel my nerves turning to steel as I made it to the top of the tower. I did everything they asked me to do with no complaints. One week, the journeyman set a pulley at the top of the tower and dropped a rope. With help from a clove hitch and some half hitches, I had to hoist two-inch rigid conduit up to them. The higher the conduit got, the heavier it felt. I feared I might let go or that the weight would soon lift me off the ground. My foreman Dan had enough confidence for both of us. He said, “You’ve got this!” And then he told me to “Lean into it! It will soon be at the top where two journeymen will take it from there.” If it weren’t for that group of guys and my fiancé at the time, I wouldn’t have made it through my first year. I had toughened up and my confidence soared. I owe them a great deal for the support they gave me. Those journeymen taught me how to be not only a electrician but how to be the next generation’s journeyman. This is really the strength of the Union. Learning through tough lessons, appreciating the journeymen who took the time to teach you, and then eventually being the journeyman who teaches the next generation. The circle just goes and goes.

Noone spoke of Mental Health when I first joined the trade, especially for men. My younger self wouldn’t have bought into that anyhow. Besides, mental health is for the weak. Right?

Towards the end of the job, our group dispersed, and I finished the project with another crew. That’s when I met a journeyman which I will call John. John was about 6’4 and looked like a body builder. I was a bit intimidated by him. Great American Ballpark was a two-year project and John only missed one week because of a flu, so I can imagine he saw a lot in two years. The job would be ending soon, but not soon enough for John. He was broken. One day at lunch he started to cry, and I didn’t know what to think. John told me that there is a lot of Egos in the trade and if you are not careful, they will knock you flat on your back and use you for a welcome mat.

It took me twenty years to really understand what he was talking about. I joined IBEW because there is strength in Unions. I believe in The Brotherhood. I like that we look out for each other. I joined the union to have a voice and to stand up for what is wrong. I believe we should have each other’s backs, and for the most part that is still true. There are members that let their egos get in the way. There are members that will ruin your reputation to save theirs. I’ve seen the best in people, and I have seen the worst. When you spend so many hours with the same coworkers you really see it all. John was right and I wish I had realized that sooner. Now, I know how important it is to protect your mental health. When you work long hours, find time to rest. Remember that every job we walk on isn’t forever. Look for the friendly journeyman on the job and have some conversations with them at lunch. Remember that you are not alone. If someone in this trade tears you down and tries to ruin your reputation, call on those who will help pick you back up. We will get through this together.

I will see you on the next one
Living The Dream

June 10th, 2025

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
The Wrench That Got Me Turning

June 9th, 2025

Back in 2002, I was a first-year apprentice and green as grass. I had shit tools and knew nothing about the electrical trade. A journeyman named Paul gave me a Klein adjustable wrench to help me out. He told me to take care of your tools and your reputation; they follow you everywhere. To this day I still carry that wrench to remind me of the kindness I found when I really needed it. Occasionally, I pass on tools to apprentices I have trained. I owe a lot to journeymen like Paul, and I have found it best to pay it forward. He was right about so many things, now I’m the grumpy old journeyman. I often wonder what stories they will tell about me.

I will see you on the next one