The New Face of Tradesmen

Mar 16, 2017
7 min read

I just traveled back to Florence, and I had the opportunity to interview my brother, Will Daniel, on the importance of the trades. Will is a carpenter with the local union here in Florence (Local 1209), and in August he’ll be done with his education. Today, he allowed me to visit him at the work site, where he’s remodeling a bedroom and building a floor to ceiling bookshelf. He’d already built a closet there, and restored the tongue-and-groove walls. It’s been hard to get a chance to talk with him because he’s so busy, but I’m grateful he took the time today to speak with me about some issues that are quite important to him.

AM: Thanks for letting me ask you some questions today, dude!

WD: No problem, no problem.

AM: When did you start getting into the trades? When did you realize that this was something that you wanted to do, and a direction you wanted to go?

WD: Well, about four or five years ago is when first I took it into consideration, because I’ve always done projects here and there. When I got sick with encephalitis, and it changed my whole self and my personality, it made me find myself. It made me sick for a long time, and I had the time to think. And I thought, ‘okay, I need to do something that makes me happy, but that also keeps me active’.

AM: So, why not sheet metal? Or electrical? Why not plumbing or construction? Why did you choose carpentry specifically?

WD: The reason I chose carpentry specifically—because I thought about being a pipe fitter for a while—you know, pipe fitting is the same. Electrical after a while is the same. Sheet metal after a while is the same, too. With carpentry, it’s different every time. That’s why I decided to go into carpentry. I get the opportunity to do things other trades don’t get to do.

AM: What’s been your experience in the trade world? What’s been your experience verses someone like me who went to traditional college?

WD: Well, with me going to a college that has a high emphasis on the trade program, I had the opportunity to intern at various places that were all unique. Then, when I had the offer to go into the union, it made it all worthwhile. You just don’t get those types of experiences at a traditional four-year college.

AM: I know you’d talked in the past about going to business school. How do you think this has shaped your perspective in the trades, and in your career?

WD: If I’d gone to college, and then gotten a four-year business degree, or an MBA, that would be four years plus two extra. I would’ve gotten the business aspect of running a construction company, but I wouldn’t have the experience. With me going first to a trade school, it makes it easier to get the first hand training compared to being four years.

AM: Now, Mike Rowe has really pushed for the trades and he’s promoted Mike Rowe Works and stuff like that. One thing I’ve discussed with people in the past is veterans coming home from the military and entering the civilian world. How do you think the trades could help give veterans experience and benefit them in the future?

WD: The thing about unions is that they focus quite a bit on getting former military members and putting them to work. In the structure system, the military and the unions aren’t that different. For veterans coming home after several deployments, there’s an availability there. There’s such a big gap, because for so long everyone was being pushed to go to college and get an office job, but there’s such a need for people to get into the trades and work the trades. It would make things a lot easier on us. A union member who travels for work, with the right experience, can make $80-100,000 a year with no ‘college degree’.

AM: You’re 20. Now, you’ve been in the work force for two years. You recently worked an outage at Brown’s Ferry Nuclear Power Plant. How do you think, as a young man, this has helped you and given you experience. Has this changed your opinion the four-year degrees?

WD: It’s made me mature a whole lot more. Being 20, working 7 14’s to 7 16’s for a month and having to travel, not many 20 year olds will do that. I was the second youngest person out there at Brown’s Ferry. And, I was the only one that had an associate’s degree. With that being said, it has changed my perspective. You have more people getting four-year degrees that can’t find jobs. They’ve got thousands of dollars of student debt they can’t pay back. It’s putting a hurt on people. You can go to a community college and get an associate’s degree and get into the construction work force and in two years, you could easily pay off any student debt you might have taken out.

AM: I’m getting to this question because it’s a social issue, but what would your advice to a woman who is looking to enter the trades? What trades would you recommend they go into? And how should they approach it, going into a male dominated field?

WD: Go for it. You’re only limited by yourself. Women are critical, they stay focused. And a lot of times, they can do the job better than men. They can outperform men. If a woman wants to get into the trades, she should absolutely do it. You’re not losing anything, you’re gaining knowledge and experience. You’re gaining independence and your own identity. I think it’s a great thing, and we need more women in the trades.

AM: Do you think that maybe schools or unions should start promoting the trades a little bit more?

WD: The trades and the unions promote as much as they can, but at some point the community needs to promote, too. They need to do a better job. You pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a four year degree you can’t use, and you can’t pay that debt back. But, you go to a community college, or a trade school, or you enter an apprenticeship program, and the costs are low. If you go to a local union, you pay your dues, but your training is free, and you gain the experience. Communities needs to promotes that. They’re all about backing big time universities, but they don’t back unions or trade schools. They’re not behind the people that you need to build a house or a complex or office spaces or malls. A four year program will help you design it, but you won’t know how to do anything until you get out there with a hammer and a nail and start building yourself.

AM: How do you think Florence ranks in promoting the trades? Do you think they back UNA entirely too much? How do you feel about that?

WD: I think Florence and this area have done a terrible job with promoting the trades. The way I found out about the carpentry program was digging for it. Northwest Shoals advertises, but you have UNA and they’re bigger and they overpower. I think UNA is overhyped, and they keep raising the price.

AM: I loved my education at UNA, but I also was unhappy with some of the decisions that were being made. I think UNA being the powerhouse that it is, they don’t give people the opportunity to explore other options. How do you think that the city of Florence or the school system does in teaching about the trades? Do you think the school system has failed?

WD: Absolutely. The thing is, to get a person interested, you need to start young. You have the Lauderdale and Colbert County trade schools, but the attendance is low. Often times, people look down on tradesmen and they’re told that we’re dirty and grimy, that we live paycheck-to-paycheck. No, that isn’t true. When I was working full time, when I co-oped out, I was making more money than an entry level emergency room physician. I was also working about 100 hours a week. I was solely focused on my job and working at the Ferry. I thought it’s intriguing because I’m the only one in the family who’s attending a two-year college. I wanted to do something different. We need to send the message to kids that you don’t need a ‘four year degree’ to be successful. We need to teach kids that you can be successful and that you can get a valuable education through trade schools and union training programs and certifications.

AM: How has your experience with the union been? How has it impacted you?

WD: It’s impacted me in every way. It’s such a great thing to be a part of. Politics are still there, but the sense of brotherhood is valuable. It’s a form of brother and sisterhood. It’s made a forever impact for me and it’s given me such a great opportunity to learn.

AM: You entered the union at 19.

WD: The day before my 20th birthday, I entered Local 1209. It’s been a great experience.

AM: For anyone that’s looking for information on the unions, what would you tell them?

WD: Well, depending on their region, for us this is the mid-south region of carpenters. You can get on their website and see everything that you want to see. You can see what their missions are and you can learn everything about them before you go to the local hall. You go to the hall, you’ll get the history too. Local 1209 used to be Local 209 I believe. They moved to Florence from Muscle Shoals and became Local 1209, and it’s one of the largest halls in the South. We constantly have at least 1,000 carpenters at work at all times.

AM: For anyone that’s looking to join the union, where would you point them?

WD: Go to a hall, talk to an instructor. Those instructors have 30 or 40 years experience, and they’ll tell you everything—good and bad.

AM: What are some projects your working on?

WD: I become a journeyman next year, and I want to invest in my own business, restoring historical homes. Right now, as an apprentice, I’m working on fairly old houses and learning as I go, and I’m trying to gain experience. When I finish my spring semester, I’ll also be certified as a welder, too.

AM: What are some of your favorite projects?

WD: Solid joinery furniture, built-ins like the bookcase today, stuff like that. I like long processes.

AM: If there’s one piece of advice you could give to someone contemplating trade school, what would it be?

WD: If you really want it, pursue it. Go for it. Give it your best shot. If you choose not to pursue it further, you’ll still have that knowledge and those connections. You’ll still have those friendships. It makes you want to push farther and desire for more.