Bridging The Gap

A great big Bridging The Gap thank you goes out this month to the men and women of Local 562 of the United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipefitting Industries of the United States and Canada for their exemplary welcome and treatment of Bro. Bridges during his employment at Callaway Nuclear Plant. For those of you who don't know, Bro. Bridges is a 28 year member of the United Association in good standing with his home Local Union 100 of Dallas, Texas. The following are some comments by Bro. Bridges regarding Local Union 562 of St. Louis, Missouri:

First off, I was pleasantly surprised by the warm welcome I received from the membership of Local 562 and also from representatives of Atlantic Union Resources, the company for whom I am currently working. Next, I was amazed at the state of the art equipment and the facility  to which I was sent for the purpose of sharpening my welding skills before even visiting the nuclear site for testing and orientation. I have been far and wide as a pipe welder in the past 28 years, so I feel qualified to say: Local Union 562 is a top shelf local. Their training facilities are second to none I've seen. The efficiency and organization with which the manpower is being handled at the nuclear plant are the best I've ever seen in any local union ANYWHERE. There is a feeling of family, yet without sacrificing the complete and utmost attention to the businesslike handling of all matters related to the work at hand.

Kudos to St. Louis, Local 562!

Ah, and for any of you young men and ladies out there considering a career in construction, let me say this: United Association training IS higher education, and it leads into a skilled profession that you just might find, as I have, very rewarding, both financially and in terms of personal enjoyment. I often say, and not completely in jest, that what we do is like playing with Tinkertoys and getting paid a lot of money for it. The thing is, we are building the future with all these state of the art toys. Consider that one of the processes in which I am skilled is a computerized welding process known as orbital welding, by which tubing and pipe of many alloys can be welded. This is something you can easily learn to do, if you have an aptitude for such things. Not only that, but also, United Association instructors teach apprentices the "why" behind the way things work, and the HISTORY of how our present piping technologies have come to be.

America truly does work best when we say "Union, YES." Why? Because our Union training programs are the best there is. The Union is not just a bunch of people who get together and say "We're not going to do the work unless you pay us more money." The Union is a way of life; we peer check each others' work and give recognition for work that meets, and often exceeds, the quality and quantity standards employers need. Unions not only benefit workers, they help the economy, and produce a better quality of work. That, I believe the statistics prove, is why so many employers with critical needs, such as those present at nuclear facilities and computer chip plants, so often hire union workers.

I have NEVER been ashamed of being a Union man.

God bless y'all!