William Harris had barely left his hometown of Aiken, South Carolina, and had never flown on a plane before he joined the carpenters’ union. Eleven years later, he’s become a standout on jobsites and a leader among his fellow members.
Business Representative Jacob Patteson, who previously worked with Harris and served as his foreman at the Savannah River Site in Aiken, said Harris was and ideal employee.
“Whatever the job was, he was there,” Patteson said. “If you needed him to drive a lift, he drove it. Nothing was a problem for him. It was a privilege to be on the forefront of seeing him grow as both a young man and a co-worker.”
Patteson said Harris often asks questions for members with less union experience who might not be comfortable speaking up. “He’s become a voice for those who feel like they don’t have one,” Patteson said.
Read our Q&A with this Local 283 member to learn more about how the union changed his life and what he likes best about his job.
Q: How did you find out about the union and why did you join?
A: I started work at Pull-A-Part [a chain of self-service used auto parts yards] and me being young and not knowing about the union, I thought that was going to be a good way to get into the work industry. But it wasn’t for me, and my stepdad, he kind of pushed and got me into the union. I really liked it. It showed me things I never thought I could do and places I never thought I’d be.
Q: Can you tell us more about that?
A: My favorite part is places I’d never thought I’d be. I grew up in Aiken, South Carolina. When I first started with the union, I’d never really left home. I never really went out of town, went out of state, and my first outage, I had to travel a little bit, and I went down to Baxley, Georgia, and that was the farthest I’ve ever been in my life.
It was kind of a landslide from there. I came back, did a couple of jobs here and there, and they sent me out to Vegas. They sent us out there to the International Training Center and the classes that they have. That was just an awesome experience in itself. It was the first time I ever rode on a plane.
The things I never thought I would be able to do is actually working with my hands. I’ve always been good with car mechanics and stuff like that. But actually building something like a wall, a shed, a house, something that potentially somebody can live in, that was a big achievement.
Q: How did you get into scaffolding work?
A: That’s what our area focuses on. It’s mainly for our Department of Energy site – the Savannah River Site – that’s close to here. And if I’m not working there, I’m going out to a nuclear site, which is Plant Vogel. And mainly we build scaffold to assist other crafts – pipe fitters, electricians, boilermakers – to where they can get to their work.
Scaffolding work is what I look for. It’s something I know how to do, something I know I’m good at and that I can always get better at.
Q: What is the best part of your job?
A: the best part about it is the people – other union members, other craft members, work colleagues, everybody – because there’s quite a bit of people that they would give the shirt off their back to help. They help everybody else.
The culture is great. If something happens to one person, it’s not one craft passing the hat. Their craft passes the hat to other union crafts: “Hey, the pipe fitter brother is down and out. So donate what you can.” And we help each other out. That’s what I like about it is that type of culture. We know when we need to stand up and be a brother.
Q: What do you see as the biggest advantages of being a union member?
A: Networking is a big advantage. You always have room to grow. There’s always room to learn. There’s always room to teach. Now I’m working around apprentices. I get to lead them. I get to teach them. And I kind of see myself in them. They’re definitely the future of the union, of the craft.
Q: Is there some advice or encouragement you’d give to people who are considering joining the union but haven’t made that decision yet?
A: It’s not going to hurt to join the union and see if you like it or not. I believe it’s a good step in the right direction. I would encourage anybody to at least try the union.
Q: What are some things that non-union workers typically don’t know about union membership?
A: So my cousin, he’s about to start his first union job with the carpenters, and he’s leaving a job where his pay was a little bit lower than what he’s going to be making now as an apprentice. And as he was coming in, he asked me a few questions about the benefits.
I said, “Yeah, this is what you’re going to be making an hour, and this is going to be your benefits.” He told me it’s going to be like making the same thing [as the previous job] with the cost of his benefits coming out of his check. I’m like, “No, what you’re making goes to your taxes and into your wallet.”
That’s something a lot of people probably don’t understand, is the benefits package is separate from your pay, and you don’t pay towards that. And that to me, that’s a plus that should get people really intrigued about trying to be a member.
