NEWS ARTICLE –
April 10, 2015
From the desk of Troy Garland:
Work continues to improve throughout our jurisdiction. The first week of April’s out of work lists for all our crafts are fewer than 10; except for bricklayers, which should bounce back soon. This is a very busy time; many members who left during the recession are making their way back. Many members are finally experiencing steady full time work and even some overtime. While BAC members get back to work; it is not the time to become complacent. We must continue to do the things that keep moving us forward. We continue to have good attendance for our journeyman upgrade training programs. These certifications take extra time, but they will expand your work opportunities. Certification requirements in bid specifications are also becoming more common and we must keep one step ahead of the non-union. Watch out for upcoming training opportunities.
As we continue to increase hours and membership; we should not forget the difficult years of the recession. Many of the projects during that time were from negotiated Project Labor Agreements. Project Labor Agreements helped to provide members work during those tough times. PLA’s continue to provide opportunities for our contractors and work hours for our members. In order to get PLA’s; we must be active in our communities and in local politics. If you are not registered to vote; do it now. It could be the difference between being unemployed or working.
We currently have a critical race for State Senate District 7, which includes large areas of Contra Costa and Alameda counties. Susan Bonilla is running a close race against Steve Glazer. Steve Glazer is a Democrat who has a proven track record of being anti-labor. Susan is the clear choice for working families. Union members must take time to vote; the election is May 9th.
The Brick and PCC Local Contests were held on Saturday, April 4th. The event was attended by family, friends, contractors and BAC members. The apprentices put on a great show. There was a bounce house for the kids and a great lunch provided by the Union. We would like to thank all the apprentices who competed. Brick apprentices; Mateo Cabrera, Nick De Anda, Johnny Delgado, Justin Delgado, Anthony Guerrero, Curtis Jackson, Dominic Letourneaux, Guiseppe Patania, Jerry Prater, Robert Prater, Erick Reynoso, Estevan Rocha, Jeremiah Sanchez, Frank Smith, Delvon Morgan, Adam Wakeham and Steve Ruiz. PCC apprentices; Salvador Garnica, Jose Gomez, Gabriel Gonzalez Jr., Jose Gonzalez, Antonio Perez, Juan Rojas, Javier Velarde and Teddy Von Roll.
The judges did a great job; thanks for taking the time. Brick judges; Brent Kirkes, Tyler Simpson and Brian Sunquist. PCC judges; Justin Garland, Mark Patterson and Vince Schneider. We can’t forget about our brick apprenticeship staff; Joe Sunquist and Olga Hurtado and all our instructors. Special thanks to bricklayer Andrea Bohannan and all the apprentices who helped tend and clean up.
Congratulations to our winners who received some great prizes and free dues from the Union. The BAC JATEC will be sending the top two contestants from each craft to the Western States Apprenticeship Contest on June 6th in So. California. The winners of that competition will have a chance to compete at the International Contest in September at the National Training Center in Bowie Maryland.
The tile contest will be held on April 25th; which will be featured in our next newsletter.