Iron Workers Local 377

Organized Labor

Kenneth Chappell, Apprentice, Local 377
This job is the best thing that I ever did. I was working jobs that were going nowhere, and I had no future. Here, I can make something for myself, become a journeyman and then a foreman. I feel like my life's going somewhere. When I got out of prison I didn't know what I was going to do. A guy came down to the half-way house where I was staying and said, "I can get you into the iron workers. All you need is a diploma and driver's license." I was at the hall early the next morning. I filled out the application and they gave me a list of employers. I started calling and calling and calling. A lot of them turned me down, but then I heard of Mission Hiring Hall and started going down there. That didn't work out, but I met a lady there that was a recruiter and called her every day or popped in at her office. Then one day she said, "I have a job for you." It was with BIE Steel. I worked for them for three months and have been working steady pretty much since. It is all about how you apply yourself. You can't half-step on this job. You got to show the company you can really work and want to stay with them. If you give them 110 percent, they'll give 110 percent back.