Unions Make Their Members Ready for Work and for Life
We interviewed some new and some old concrete union members at a recent graduation of apprentices. They shed light on their work, their lives and the future.
Duration – 0:59
Latee Smith, Local 6A
Mr. Smith stepped out of his crane rigger's training session to tell us about what he didn't get during all his years working in non-union construction — and compares that to what he has now as a proud union member.
Duration – 2:46
Patrick John Kissane, Local 18A
Mr. Kissane sat down with us and with his daughter Kaia to talk about what being in a union will mean for himself, and for the next generation of his family.
Duration – 4:04
Jennifer Pilkington, Local 20
Ms. Pilkington explains the magic of working above the clouds and how she tries to help her non-union coworkers at open-shop job sites to see how unions do it.
Duration – 4:26
Juan Portorreal, Local 6A
For over seven years Mr. Portorreal rose to manage non-union crews, but in all that time he never enjoyed job security, a safe worksite, or respect. Now in a union, he has all three.
Duration – 3:09
David Tamayo Isae, Local 18A
Mr. Isae was on a non-union job site when a wall collapsed on a colleague. He helped get that man to a hospital, but none of them had insurance, so he had no idea what became of that worker. Mr. Isae, now in a union, enjoys generous health benefits.
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