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