Building Inspectors

Organized Labor

Bernie Curran, Building Inspector
This is the greatest job I could ever have. After a lifetime of working in the industry, and then having cancer, I now get to use my knowledge to make sure things are done correctly and safely according to standards that the union tries to uphold. About 90% of the guys know what they're doing. But you get a small percentage who are not qualified and should be in a union training program. We have so many people out there who are not trained properly, and that is most of our job, dealing with people who really don't know what they're doing. Having been in the trade, I can tell guys, “Don't do it that way.” If they say, “Why?” I can say, “Because I did something like that back when I was in construction, and it cost me $5000.” So instead of using the codebook as a weapon, I use it for what it's intended, to enforce the minimal standards to keep things safe.