Tag: family

The Battles We Choose to Fight

October 30th, 2025

It took me about ten years to build up my reputation in Local 212, so when I took a call for J.S.I. people already knew me. J.S.I. demanded more of their employees but I was young and willing to put in the time. The foreman gave me my own gang box filled with power tools and a bender. I had an apprentice to work with and to train. It seemed like if I kept working hard, I would keep moving up in this company.

After a months’ time, there was a buzz circling around the break rooms about my work. There was at least one guy jealous of the praise his foreman was giving me. Of course, haters are going to hate, so I just shrugged it off. It seemed to me that as long as I kept a positive attitude and impressing the right people, it didn’t matter if guys got jealous. I kept my head down, as always and continued to do a good job.

After the data center, they sent me to Nippert Stadium, where I had a new group of foremen to impress. I had my obstacles at the stadium, but I maneuvered through. Every job you take in construction has two lessons. Some will tell you dealing with different personalities is difficult. I disagree; it’s not the personalities but egos people bring to the table. No one wants their ego bruised and yet we are all guilty of taking that mental swing. The second lesson is a much simpler one and can start as soon as you join the trade. As a skilled tradesman, you will never stop learning and honing your skills. Always take what you learned from one job to the next one. Never be afraid to show people what you know. If you can show your skills and do it without bruising someone else’s ego, you can go far.

Once Nippert was complete, I was transferred to a job that humbled my ego. My first twelve years, I had only worked on jobs that merely had entertainment value to the community. My new jobsite got me thinking about all the good I could do with being an electrician. My new job made me think of how I was contributing to society in a meaningful way. My new job was a new rehabilitation facility that connected to The VA Hospital.

I should tell you now that my dad is a Vietnam Veteran and I am really proud of him for that, among other reasons. When I first stepped onto the jobsite, I thought about what he did for my country. When I learned that this facility would be for the men and women coming back from Afghanistan, I worked even harder than before. There were six electricians on the job and we had only a few months to finish this facility. We kept to a forty-hour schedule, and it seemed like we wouldn’t finish in time. I remembered a time I took a trip with my dad to Washington DC. While we were there, my dad wanted to stop by The VA Hospital to show his appreciation to the young veterans injured from war. I remembered how bad I felt for them, and now It was my time to give back. I ran so much conduit on that job that I started dreaming about conduit. We all did an impressive amount of work in a very short time. No one was found slacking on this job, we all wanted to give our best and we did just that. Everyone should be proud of the work we did their because we worked with sincerity.

I worked another ten years, not giving that facility any more thought. In August my dad had heart surgery and there were many complications afterwards. My dad spent three weeks in the VA hospital, and it seemed like there was no end in sight. Once my dad was stable, they moved him to the rehab facility next door to the hospital. He is currently building up his strength so he can go back home. I never in a million years would have thought the building I helped build would one day help my dad see the light at the end of the tunnel. My dad is still recovering at the VA, and he is fighting a good fight. He has taken many steps forward and a few back but he continues to get stronger so he can soon return home.

I’ll see you on the next one.
Pizza, Pilsners and Pierogis, Oh My!

October 16th, 2025

Warning! This is not a travel blog and my name is not Rick Steves. This story is about a traveler seeking work. This story is about a man who pulled himself out of darkness and learned to enjoy his freedom in solitude. Even though you will read about Pizza, Pilsners and Pierogis, ultimately, you see through the eyes of a traveler and all that he goes through.

After wrapping up The Horseshoe Casino in April, work was still scarce, so I found myself signing Gary/Hammonds book in Indiana. This was my best option to get out to work right away. The pay scale was almost double what I made in Cincinnati, and I could be home in about four hours, so I went for it.

I traveled solo on this trip, I set goals and I crushed them. When I took the call for the refinery, I told myself I would only be in a motel for two weeks. I sat through a week of orientation and safety training. The second week I stepped onto the job I saw an old timer named Bill heading in the same direction. Bill recognized me right away, “Big Jim! How are you doing brother? Did you take a call with Newton Electric too?”

I was happy to see a familiar face, “Yeah, I just got here last week. Do you know of any places to stay closer to the job?”

“Well as a matter of fact, I do. I’ve been staying in apartment with a buddy of mine from Wisconsin. Our third roommate plans to take a call back home next week. You could move in after he leaves. The best part is the apartment is right here in Whiting. We’re five minutes from the job!”

As I finished moving into my new place I thought to myself everything was working out great. The apartment had a living room which George and Bill had put up heavy curtains as a divider. There was a small kitchen. I had the only bedroom which I would find out later I was paying an extra fifty dollars a month for. But having my own room was well worth that extra fifty dollars. After they showed me around, I decided I should grab a bite to eat and then buy some groceries.

The first restaurant I tried in Whiting was The Purple Steer. I ordered a three egg, texmex omelet and it was amazing! As I was leaving the restaurant I noticed a flyer that read, “Join us as we bicycle through the city and light up the night on this date.” Every traveler I spoke to so far had reminded me we are in Gary Indiana and to be safe at night. After reading the flyer, I realized Whiting was as safe as the city I grew up in. This revolation allowed me to take a deep breath and really start to enjoy the town.

I kept a budget and stuck with it. The longer I worked in Whiting the more I got to know this town. One night a week I would try a new restaurant and it never disappointed. It was Wednesday evening, and I just had the best Chicago Style pizza from Capri’s. After dinner I met the guys from work at Center Lounge for a few beers.

During the day I installed heat trace at a refinery which required me to climb great heights. Monday through Saturday, sixty hours a week, the job was very physical. At night I would call home and talk to my wife and daughters. I would have dinner and then sometimes make a trip to the bar. I would wake up at 5AM the next day and repeat. I never felt tired; in fact, I felt like Superman.

I was feeling really good about taking this job. The money I was making allowed my family to have a better life. When I was feeling down, I would occasionally take three days off to go home. One particular weekend, I was so ready to get home that I didn’t notice I was speeding. I saw flashing lights behind me, then I noticed I was going about 100 miles per hour. I remember think to myself, don’t hit the brakes, that’s an omission of guilt. I took my foot off the gas to slow down, and the state trooper just sped pass me. Like The Blues Brothers, I was on a mission from God. I suppose that’s why I didn’t get pulled over. I was desperate to get home because seeing my family was rejuvenating to my soul.

It was now Summer, and I was still working at the refinery, so I decided to make the best of it Whiting had a small town feel with flavors of Chicago. There is a strong polish heritage in Whiting. You could pick up freshly made Pierogis at M.J.s Polish Deli. Whiting has a beach along Lake Michigan and The Indiana Dunes were close by. If you like The Blues Brothers, check out The Calumet Fishery. This is where they filmed The Drawbridge Scene. Another thing about Whiting is The Pierogi Fest! Every July, The City of Whiting Draws in over 300,000 visitors from all over. The more I worked there, the more joy I discovered.

Although the money was great and Whiting had many things to offer, I really needed to get back home. My oldest daughter was learning to read. One night, when I called home, she asked me when I was coming home. I was getting closer to taking a call back home, but it was still a waiting game. I could only tell her that I would be home as soon as I can.

There still were no jobs in Cincinnati and I found myself drinking more and more. I started meeting up with the guys at The Center Lounge every night of the week. My daughter’s question kept running through my mind. I was working towards being debt free. I was working in another local to keep putting into my pension and my insurance. I kept telling myself that if I made enough money that I wouldn’t have to travel again.

The drinking, the depression, never really bothered me at work that is, until we started working Sundays. I remember going in one day and I couldn’t hold a screwdriver. I was losing hope; I was losing focus and wanted to see my family. I was getting closer to taking a call back home, but I couldn’t back in the state I was in.

I started spending my evenings at The Whiting Library. It was quiet there, and the smell of the books and chilled air was calming to me. I would write my thoughts down and my goals for when I got back home. I would read magazines and bring books back to my apartment. Doing all of this instead of drinking every night quieted the noise and helped me get back on track.

As work began to slow down at the refinery, my mental health was improving. I could see a light at the end of the tunnel, and a smile returned to my face. Work was still slow in Cincinnati, but it didn’t matter, I was going home. I could take off a month and spend that time with my family. I said goodbye to my roommates and my tool buddy, Dave. I said goodbye to Whiting as I drove past the refinery one last time.

I’ll see you on the next one
The Aviator Of Evendale

September 1st, 2025

It was December and I was working inside for a change. We had working toilets, a break room and my Journeyman’s name was Tim. Tim had a grey beard, wore bibs, and always had something interesting to say. He was the kind of old timer that sat on his tailgate at the end of the day to change out of his weathered boots. This was a trick I would appreciate later in life but as a young 20-year-old, I poked fun at him. I would always tell him “See you tomorrow, Tim.” He would correct me, “Just say see you around. You never know if you might need to take off tomorrow or maybe just quit.” Tim would laugh and leave me wondering if he really intended to quit but he never did.

My foreman and the rest of the crew just tolerated being around Tim. They thought he talked too much and maybe he did. Looking back, I think they were envious of a man that had so much freedom. Tim was a hobbyist mechanic, he flew remote control airplanes, and he didn’t mind being off a few months in the winter to tinker around in his heated garage. As for the rest of the guys in our crew, they were married to their jobs and felt a great importance to stay with one contractor. Tim would say staying with one company might be nice, but often you could get pigeon-holed. Tim was one of the many journeymen that taught me there are endless opportunities to further your education in this field. Stay in one place if you like but the moment you feel stagnant, it’s time to move on.

Tim did talk a lot about the things he knew. He was a WW2 history buff, and he liked his muscle cars. He talked about jobs he worked on and about his family. Like I said before, Tim enjoyed his remote-control planes and used to fly them at Lunken Airport once every couple of weeks. Tim told me more about his life than most journeymen I worked for. I’ve always felt respect is a two-way street. I was polite when he told his stories, and he was patient with me when he taught me the trade.

It was Thursday morning, and tomorrow was Christmas Eve. Tim was listing some random facts of World War 2 as I was on the struggle bus and not really listening. I was trying to fish a half inch flex down the wall for a receptacle. “How’s it going Jimmy?” Tim could see I was getting frustrated. “Sometimes you have to whirry it in.”

I quickly looked down at Tim from my ladder, “Are you saying worry?”

Tim chuckled, “No, it’s whir-eee. One of my mechanic friends used to say that, I figure it’s kind of like a wiggle with a slightly different rotation.”

We were both laughing now as I finally got the flex down the wall. “What do you have for me next?” I had some hand tools in my back pocket, tape measure clipped to my belt and I was ready for my next task. Tim was on his ladder, taking measurements and doing some figuring in his head, “I need you to bend a stub ninety with a 24-inch back-to-back ninety. Let’s see if you can bend it all on one full stick of 3/4 inch conduit. “

I nodded as I took out my tape measure. I marked up my conduit and grabbed a 3/4 hand bender. “Here goes nothing.” I placed the pipe in the bender and went to work. I took great care to make sure all my nineties were true and square, double-checking it all with my level. It all looked good except my back-to-back was about an inch short. I shook my head as Tim asked what was wrong. “The back-to-back is short by an inch so I guess I have to cut it and start over.”

Tim came off his ladder, “You don’t have to do all that.” he grabbed the pipe and the bender from me as he explained how to fix it. “You are a very respectful apprentice, and I know you really care about the trade, that’s why I want to show you this trick. ” I watched him as he put the pipe back in the bender. “You see Jimmy, conduit bending is a dying art. I only show my best tricks to the ones I think really care and I feel it is important to pass this down to guys that want keep this skill alive. ” Tim reworked the conduit a little and believe it or not, the back-to-back was an inch longer. I was amazed and now, I too knew the trick. Tim did tell me that if it was more than an inch short, it couldn’t be fixed. He said this was taught to him on rigid conduit and it was a way to save on material.

After that, I felt like I was part of, “The Few” that knew that trick and I was honored that Tim taught me. “Tomorrow is Christmas Eve, are you coming in for a half day?”

Tim nodded his head, “You bet I’ll be here Jimmy. Christmas Eve is the easiest day of the year and the only day we get paid a full 8 hours for showing up.” We had packed up our tools and we were heading to the parking lot.

It was Christmas Eve morning and all I could think about was the family parties I would be going to with my wife later that day. I opened the gang box and started bringing out the tools. We were all there but honestly, we milled around a bit and listened to our journeymen tell stories. Around quarter till nine we sent a first year to pick up biscuits and gravy from Cracker Barrell that was down the road. This was the best Christmas Eve at work I can remember. After we ate breakfast, Tim got up and asked if I was ready to get back to it. Tim had a surprise for the whole crew, and we knew something was up by the big smile on his face. I noticed this big cardboard box he had brought in and now was reaching inside.

“Are you guys ready for this? ” Tim asked. Tim was like a kid in the candy store as he brought out one of his remote-control airplanes. It took him a little to get it started but then Tim was flying this plane all through the building.

I was in awe but also a little concerned, ” You might get in trouble for having this here Tim.”

The plane whizzed by my head, “Nah! Look around Jimmy. Construction workers are the only ones here today. Just enjoy the show.”

Tim did put on a great show that day, keeping everyone entertained. Tim asked me to come out to Lunken airport in the spring but unfortunately, I never did. I couldn’t afford a remote-control plane on apprentice wages and I felt embarrassed to show up empty handed. Looking back on this I realize I should have just showed up. I did however work with Tim again after I topped out (became a journeyman), on a casino job. We got to catch up and working around him was like old times. I didn’t put myself out there enough when I was younger, so in recent years I’ve tried to be better about that. My goal is to be a journeyman just like Tim and a few others that had impact on my life. In fact, I write my blog to ensure their stories live on.

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.
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.
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