Operating Engineers Local 3 and the Transbay Terminal

Organized Labor

Bill Sparks
I've been doing demolition work ever since I was 18 years old. My father was an operating engineer and did demolition for 35 years. My brother Bob is an operating engineer, and now my youngest son is in the business. That's three generations. That's what we do. It's been a good living. I've met interesting people and worked in really nice areas. I've worked on everything from tall buildings to small garages.

My largest project was a 14-story building. How do you demolish a 14-story building? You do it very carefully.

When I started, the safety aspect wasn't as strict, and a lot more people were getting hurt. It's a lot better now. Even the technology has changed. The machines we have today are a lot more operator friendly. They are more comfortable, and the EPA regs on stuff like dust abatement have made a big difference. No one likes working in a dirty, foul environment.

I like working in downtown San Francisco because of the climate and the commute. But there are a lot of people and other businesses around, so you have to be more aware that you don't impact them.