Operating Engineers Local 3 and the Transbay Terminal

Organized Labor

Jerry Mitchell, Apprentice
I'm doing things that I never thought I'd be capable of accomplishing. It's a lot of fun. I'm learning to operate an excavator and a bulldozer. I'm starting to get the hang of it, but I'm not quite there yet. It's just a matter of being patient, taking your time to learn all the controls, and how to operate them safely. It's about having faith in yourself that you are just going to get better and better, and to not give up.

A lot of the journeymen have taken me under their wings and really shown me the ropes. If it wasn't for them, I would still be out there lost. They had confidence in me, and that gave me the patience to know that in time I'd get the skills I need and that I, too, could be one of the best.

I was always trying to get into construction. I started in pre-apprenticeship with the Oakland Green Corps and did a little promotion for the conservation corps.

I love getting on the excavator or the bulldozer and pushing stuff around. It's fun smashing stuff all day and then hauling the stuff away, and learning to do it right.

Honestly, I never thought I could be an operating engineer. That is what I always wanted to do, to be able to get on one of those big machines and operate them. It's a real good feeling. It's everything I expected it to be.