Apprenticeship Today

Western States Apprentice Bricklaying Contest

Twelve of our Bricklayer Apprentices traveled to Honolulu on 23 June to compete in the 2005 Western States Apprentice Bricklaying Contest. Congratulations to Local 1, HI., who put on an outstanding event. This was their first time hosting the Western States Brick and Tile Apprenticeship Contest. It was held in conjunction with their Hawaii State Contest which also includes Plasterer and Cement Mason competition.

The Bricklaying Contest was composed of thirty apprentices from Hawaii, Washington, Oregon, California Nevada, Colorado, and Idaho. Congratulations to David Fragione, the first place winner from Local 3, WA/ID/MT.

Contestants representing Local 3 CA were; Daniel Ensslin, Tyler Simpson, William Phillips, Pete Perez, Russell Tellechea, Raul Ramos, Daniel Voolstra, Kevin Deamer, Timofey Ostapenko, Justin Jones, Orlando Ortiz, and Joe Porto. Congratulations to each of them for putting forth their best efforts.

Next year the contest will be hosted by Local 1 OR. There is also talk of another national contest, possibly as early as fall of 2006. We will keep you posted as things develop.

News from the Apprenticeship Office

Travel checks for the second half of the school year were mailed on 29 June. To qualify for travel reimbursement the residence of the apprentice must be more than fifty miles by “crow” from the school they attend. They must also receive full credit for the school day. If you did not receive a check for travel reimbursement and think that you should have, contact the apprentice office and we will research the matter.

Perfect Attendance

Each year we present a check to apprentices who have perfect attendance. Congratulations to Marble Mason, Raul Guerrero, Pleasanton Bricklayers, William Phillips, Russell Tellechea, Jarrod Tyler, and Fresno Bricklayers, Derek Ward and Timofey Ostapenko, each of whom received fifty dollars. Special congratulations to William Phillips and Russell Tellechea, as this was their second consecutive year of perfect attendance.

Applications

We take applications at the apprentice Office in Oakland each week day between the hours of 8:30 am and 11:30 am. Applicants should bring their High School Diploma or equivalent. If you know of someone interested in joining one of our training programs, ask them to contact the Apprentice Office, 510-553-0991. If you see a new apprentice on your jobsite, ask if he has registered with the Apprenticeship Office, if not, ask him to contact us.

Enrollment

We haven't seen the growth in new apprentices this summer that we have experienced in the past. We expect to certify five Bricklayers, and two Marble Masons and have so far registered three Bricklayers, one Marble Finisher and six Pointer, Cleaner, Caulkers this summer.

High School Diploma

A High School Diploma or equivalent is a requirement in each of our training programs. Reality is that on occasion an apprentice will begin work without presenting a diploma to the Apprentice Office. If you are a new apprentice and have not presented a copy of your High School Diploma to the Apprentice Office, please do so as soon as possible. We will not be able to process any requests for pay increases unless we have a copy of your diploma or GED certificate on file. If you have any questions on this requirement , please contact the Apprenticeship Office.

Probationary Period

An apprentice who is properly registered with the Apprenticeship Office is considered an indentured apprentice. Even so, they must initially serve a probationary period, the length of which varies from craft to craft. During this probationary period the apprentice agreement may be cancelled by the program sponsor for just cause. This rarely happens, but we do like to keep the apprentices as well as employers aware of this. The probationary period for Bricklayers and Pointer, Cleaner, Caulkers is 1000 OJT hours. Marble Masons and Finishers have a probationary period of 500 OJT hours.

Contract Negotiations

Contract negotiations should be coming to a close soon. Hopefully both sides will resolve their differences and do what is right for the valued Journeymen Bricklayers and Apprentices who do the real work in this union. We remain hopeful for improvements to the apprentice wage structure.

Recently Certified Journeymen

Bricklayers
Felecion Jones
Martin Ortiz

PCC
Ignacio Alcala
Tyrone Easter
Charles Lacey

Congratulations to each of you for choosing a respected and rewarding craft.

A Brief history of BAC 3 Apprenticeship

BAC Local Union No. 3 was established in January, 1993 under the direction of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts. It was formed by merging the existing local unions of the Bay Area, Local 7 San Francisco, Local 8 Oakland, Local 10 San Jose, Local 16 Monterey and Local 19, which was made up exclusively of Tile Layers and Finishers from the Bay Area. The valley locals were merged into Local 4 in Southern California around this same time. In February 1995 the valley locals, Local 1 Fresno, Local 9 Sacramento, Local 12 Stockton, and Local 29, also a Tile local, from Sacramento were taken from Southern California and merged into Local 3 to form the mega local we have today.

Each of the former local unions, which we now refer to as sub locals had apprenticeship training committees, made up of union representatives along with representatives from the contractors. In 1994, under the guidance of visionary, Don Sullivan an agreement was reached to merge the Training Funds of Local 10, and Local 16 into Local 8 Oakland, which had been formerly established in July, 1973. The new plan was known as BAC Local No. 3 Apprentice Training and Education Fund. In 1995 the training funds from Local 9 Sacramento and Local 12 Stockton were merged into the BAC Local No. 3 Apprentice Training and Education Fund.

In the summer of 1996 BAC Local 3 President, Steve Rafferty and Don Sullivan committed to a five year lease for classroom space and a hands-on work area with the Carpenters JAC, in Pleasanton. This has since served as our main training facility. Training began in September, 1996 with 23 bricklayers and 25 Pointer, Cleaner, Caulkers. The apprenticeship committee hired a part time coordinator early in 1997 to handle the increased administrative responsibilities. Those duties were later reassigned to the Apprenticeship Coordinator for Tile, Judith Werner. She set up a central apprenticeship office, developed a system of timely pay increases and the tracking system we use today.

In February of 1998 Greg Miranda took office as President of Local 3. He quickly realized the value of apprentice training and worked tirelessly to afford many changes to be implemented. His contributions are probably second only to Don Sullivan.

Michael Height took over as Coordinator in December 1998. The Fresno School opened in September of 1999. Later that same year BAC Local No. 3 Apprentice Training and Education Fund reached an agreement with the Fresno apprenticeship committee and in January 2000 merged into the Local 7 Training Fund. In addition to the crafts of Bricklayers and PCC, the merger with Local 7 added Marble Masons and Finishers. The new fund, which we are known as today is BAC Local 3 Apprentice Training Trust.

BAC Local Union No. 3 is currently led by President Jim Bresnahan, who took office in February 2004. As we look ahead, let’s not forget our past.

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Professionalism

Honesty and integrity, passion and persistence, initiative, drive, motivation, and self discipline are some of the traits and attitudes of the professional craftsman.

To become a professional it is necessary to first develop an attitude toward professionalism. Resolve to look, dress, and speak professionally, stay focused on the job at hand, finish what you start and always keep your word. Show consistency in dealing with others. Be courteous and respectful toward your co-workers as well as your superiors. Accept responsibility when asked to do so, and be accountable for your actions and decisions.

Knowledge of the craft is the most important single attribute to becoming a professional craftsman. Know all you can. The more you learn about the craft, the more interesting it will become. A lot can be learned by observation, reading, and thinking. Adopt the best practices and techniques from the journeymen that you work with. You will soon be ready to incorporate some ideas of your own. Thorough knowledge of the craft is ongoing and requires a commitment to lifelong learning.

Professionalism is an attitude that will bring you a great deal of satisfaction.

Zack Lambert