Quality Craftsmanship Allows Us to Command Higher Wages                                                   

“Lately, I’ve been hearing a lot of talk that if the work looks ‘neat,’ it took too much time,” said Javier Casillas, Local 332 President. “That’s just not the union way, and we cannot abide by that attitude. It not only goes against our ethic of taking pride in our work, but it actually makes us less competitive.

“Everyone is competing against us. Non-union contractors are gaining on us in terms of craftsmanship. In order to justify prevailing wages, we have to be the best trained, best skilled, and produce the highest quality work. We can’t command our rates unless we carry out our our legacy of innovation and and always kick quality up a notch.

“So we need to elevate our standards, not cut corners. Lowering standards to move faster just doesn’t pay in the end.

“It doesn’t take much to straighten that wire and  make sure that your conduit run is plumb. No members should accept a ‘just leave it like that’ approach from the boss or a co-worker. It just doesn’t cut it. To get future work, this is when we have to raise standards. The trade craftsman’s job is always to set the standard and raise the bar.”