The University of Iron
Ironworkers
Apprenticeship Program
Local 377 and 378
Organized Labor
Jan 2009
The main teaching room inside the facility resembles an airplane hanger with a multi-story I-beam structure on one side. Next to the I-beams, half a dozen men in different colored work clothes are tying knots with pieces of thick rope. “Iron workers are known for their knots, and no fear of heights,” rigging instructor Mitchell Kettle explains. In his classroom next door, he displays some of the 28 knots iron workers use to hoist heavy materials up many stories. “This is a very dangerous business in a very dangerous trade. You have to always think of safety first,” he explains. The apprentices are required to wear harnesses anytime they are over 6 feet off the floor. Occupational health and safety training and OSHA certification are a large part of the curriculum. “Iron work is about getting in, doing it fast, doing it safe, and everyone going home in one piece,” Kettle states.