Project Labor
Stories & Solidarity
Project Labor podcast celebrates the daily grind by diving deep into the lives and careers of people doing interesting work.
Each episode asks the essential questions: What do you actually do all day? How do you feel about your work? And how’d you get here?
In honest, in depth conversations, we talk to everyone from union tradespeople, artists, small business owners, and daring career changers.
Join us in building a living catalog of the modern American workplace.
Whether you’re a student imagining your first step, a career changer looking for a fresh start, or just somebody curious about the reality faced by workers today, we’re going to shine a light on the daily life, passion, and dignity that make up labor today.
Contact: projectlaborpodcast@gmail.com
Instagram: @projectlabor
Proud member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network.
Project Labor
Ironworker
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To be an ironworker means being connected to a type of labor that's more than 5,000 years old. Ancient Egpytians worked with iron from meteorites. Iron ore, carbon and limestone are combined in a blast furnace to make usable iron. Iron is now used to make the biggest buildings in the world.
In this episode, ironworker Francisca Garcia shares her perspective on union labor, managing family and work, and the strength of women in the trades. She builds hospitals, residences, and some of New York’s tallest structures.
Link to Francisca’s IG
Link to Ironworkers Local 580
Discussion Questons:
- What are your fears at work?
- What is dangerous about your job?
- Would you work a job that requires being at high elevations?
- Some professions attract mostly men or mostly women. Which of these non-traditional jobs are you interested in?
- How do you think having children changes your work?
- Where is iron present in your life?
- What would happen if you got hurt at work?
- What something you learned by doing it, but prior to that, it was very difficult?
Please send suggestions for future guests to projectlaborpodcast@gmail.com.
Our instagram is @projectlabor. Leave a comment or question and we’ll be happy to answer.
Music by Brotheration Records
Project Labor is a 501c3 nonprofit organization incorporated in the state of New Jersey. All donations to Project Labor are tax deductible in accordance with the Internal Revenue Code.
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Workers' lives are not easy. They balance difficult jobs with the responsibility of family, personal health, hobbies, friends, and thinking about the future. More often than not nowadays, they make large and daring career changes. Iron worker Francesca is no exception. Hours before recording this episode, she rushed to the ER. When we were talking, she brushed it off as no big deal, just another complication in the life of an extremely busy worker. Even though work isn't easy, it can sometimes be rewarding, exciting, and even fun. Francesca works in New York City.
DannyWhat kinds of projects do you enjoy working the most?
SPEAKER_02Curtain wall. And curtain wall, a lot of people don't know what it is. So it's like the basically the windows of the buildings.
DannyWhy do you like them?
SPEAKER_02Because it's what people see when they visit New York City. They visit like to they like to see the skyline. So that's what I build. I build the New York City skyline. So I'm very proud of my work.
DannyYeah, that's awesome. When I get to see it, that's so cool to be able to see your work after you do it. You know, it's visible, it's not like in the computer or something.
SPEAKER_02Yes. And one of my biggest jobs that I was on is Central Park Tower. And it's the tallest building in the Western Hemisphere, residential building in the Western Hemisphere, and the second in the world. Wow. And I can see that building from anywhere. I can see it from the White Stone Bridge, from Throg's Neck, from um, what's the other bridge they changed the name?
DannyThe RFK Bridge?
SPEAKER_02RFK Bridge from anywhere. That's awesome. I can even see it from uptown Manhattan when I'm crossing the 181st Street Bridge.
DannyThat's like a uh it's like the city is like a museum to your work.
SPEAKER_02Yes, correct, correct.
DannyThat's so cool. What's your schedule like?
SPEAKER_02So I wake up at four in the morning, get ready, get my house ready, and I have to be at work by seven. But if you're on time, you're late. So I tried to be there an hour before. So I tried to get there by six, depending on location I'm at. Because right now I'm at Westchester, Westchester Hospital. That's where I'm building, that's where I'm at now.
DannyOkay, that's where you're working now, the Westchester Hospital.
SPEAKER_02Currently, the Westchester Hospital, yes. They're building like another wing to it.
DannySo you can you work for any any type of building, like a hospital or a residential building?
SPEAKER_02Hospital, residential, commercial, schools, any government building in the city that's union. We do we pretty much we do the pretty work. We do the lobby, the the windows, like I said, stairs. We build a lot of stairs.
DannyOh wow. I'm uh I'm a high school ESL teacher, and my students just uh built uh uh for their summer school project, they're doing like an engineering and art project, so they had to design a house, and the stairs were definitely the hardest part. Nice, and the windows were also hard. We end up using Ziploc bags for the windows.
SPEAKER_02So it looks pretty cool. I was the teacher once too.
DannyOh, really?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I was I used to work for the Board of Ed, I was as a power professional for eight years.
DannyOh wow. Did that did that help you uh in your current role?
SPEAKER_02Like with dealing with it helps me in my career, yeah, because I I'm in a male-dominated field, and I always say this not to offend you or anything, but men are just like kids.
DannyYeah, no, my that's what my wife says.
SPEAKER_02So, yeah, so it's like it definitely helped me.
DannyYeah, that's that's awesome that you were able to build on, you know, to bring those skills into the next thing. So I think you already answered how do you start your work day, but uh, you said you know, 4 30, that's pretty early, and then you have to get out and be there early too. Right. Is getting around New York hard? Uh, you know, or is it that's it's so early that it's not that hard?
SPEAKER_02It depends. It's more so like the parking. I would rather work in the city. Right now I'm working in Westchester Hospital, so it doesn't really like um affect me that much. But if I'm working in the city, I prefer to take public transportation than drive in because it's it's the parking is hard, the congestion fees, the traffic. So I just rather take public transportation.
DannyUh speaking of you know, the hospital, and you mentioned you're in the ER today. Was it a work-related injury or was it did you go to the Westchester hospital?
SPEAKER_02No, thank god no. No, I ended up going like 15 minutes away to my home hospital, which is New York Presbyterian. They had a another, yeah.
DannyYou know, you have a lot of things going on, but I want to highlight your large social media following. Can you share what your Instagram name is and what kinds of things you post about, or any and any other um for uh formats that you're on besides Instagram?
SPEAKER_02Yes, my Instagram name is Francisca F-R-A-N-C-I-S-C-A dot Pamela P-A-M-E-L-A underscore X O. So it's my first name, my middle name, and then X-O. I'm a content creator. I just became a content creator back in, I want to say March. Um, I was part of this cohort, yeah, the hard reset cohort where we talk about politics, the workforce, women's rights, um, immigration. So I do a little bit of everything on my Instagram. I'm a lefty, so I touch base on that. So that's pretty much what my social media is about. It's more, it's like curving events, what's going on, what I don't agree with, or when they put false news out, I try to make it factual.
DannyWhat uh what kinds of projects uh while you're working are the most annoying or most dangerous?
SPEAKER_02Um, I want to say the most annoying is the bathroom. I feel like every time I I speak about my job, I always say this it's the bathroom. The bathroom is the most annoying part. Either I have to fight, not I don't really have to fight because it's the law in New York City for a woman to have this upper bathroom and for it to have a lock. But normally I'm like the only woman there. So when I get to the job, we don't I don't have a bathroom, so they have to get me a bathroom. So that's the most annoying part. It's the bathroom. And then if they do get a bathroom and they say I'm working on a high-story building, I would normally have to go all the way down to use the bathroom. So if I'm working 50, 60 floors up, and there's only one bathroom for me, I would have to get on a hoist and come all the way down. So it will always be the bathroom. Do you say get on a horse? I'm the hoist, hoist. Oh, the elevator. Oh so it's a hoist, like the hoist. That's what we call them.
DannyOh wow, yeah, that's a that's a terrible pain in the neck. That sucks. Um, has the new mayor uh have you felt any differences at work with the new mayor?
SPEAKER_02He wants a union town, so a un a union build town. So I guess it's gonna work in our favor for those that are in the union, yeah. So we're gonna get more jobs. So with that part, I'm excited about that's good.
DannyYeah, he seems to be busy with like doing stuff, so that's yes, yes, and positive busy, not negative busy. Yeah, yeah. Trump is definitely negative busy.
SPEAKER_02Yes, he's negative busy, he's definitely very negative busy. So, yeah, so if you get on my social media, that's what you'll find. You'll find a lot of anti-Trump stuff, and it's not because um I hate the guy or whatever, it's just what he brings to the table, and then what the battery he puts on people's back that think they're right when they're not right.
DannyThat's what's bothersome. That's an excellent way of putting it. He does like energize people who otherwise might just be, you know, their batteries dead, or like uh they're just calm. But yeah, he's firing up people for the wrong reasons, yes, for the wrong reasons, correct?
SPEAKER_02Yeah.
DannyUm how you spoke about having to take the hoist down for the bathroom and how that's one of the most annoying things. Is there is there when you're that high up, is is there danger in just like getting around?
SPEAKER_02Oh yes, there is always danger. Is danger on the floor because there's a lot of holes, there's a lot of pipes that have to be put in, or there's wood. But it's what I always tell people like I'm normally on the edge of the building, so I'm because we have to put the curtain wall and we have to put the windows in. So you you're basically hanging off the edge of the building. And what I say is like I don't have a fear of heights, but I respect it.
DannyHmm.
SPEAKER_02You know, like I don't maybe when I first started, I was scared. I want to say, because I'm not Superwoman. Of course, anybody that's gonna be 130 floors up is gonna get scared. But I I learned to respect it. I learned to double check that I'm tied off, I learned to be aware of my surroundings, um, be in tune with my co-workers. So because the goal at the end of the day is to make it home, and to make it home with your 10 toes, 10 fingers. So I that's one thing. But and they say that the number one fatality is electrocution, and you have to be careful with the wires. That's pretty much it.
DannyOkay. What was your what moment in your career was like your I made it and I I feel like I know what I'm doing now kind of moment?
SPEAKER_02I don't want to say that I feel like I made it yet, because I I don't think it's like a uh made it thing. I feel like this moment in my career, I feel like because they're not there's not a lot of women in my union and I put it out there, um, I feel like the retention is gonna be higher. That's when I feel like uh a maiden moment, if that makes any sense.
DannyYeah, so like with with all the work you're doing, uh not only on the job, but off the clock, highlighting your career and the benefits of this career and union membership and and standing tall uh as a woman in the trade, you feel like you're changing the whole thing.
SPEAKER_02Yes, like I'm exposing, I'm exposing something that was hitting.
DannyYeah.
SPEAKER_02Like that's how I feel. Like I'm exposing something that was hitting. Like, if I can do it, you can do it too. But I'm also exposing the bad part of it and how to get over the bad part because it's not all peachy, it's definitely not all peachy, but you gotta come in with a strong character and a positive attitude, and trust me, woman will make it out here. There's there's room for women to make it.
DannyThat's really powerful. Can you describe an annoying coworker or boss that you've had and like what what happened with that?
SPEAKER_02Um men, men spleening. That's my biggest pet peeve. Like if you if we're doing something and you should you suggest something, and then just because you're the woman in the group, they don't take it, but then at the end of the day, at the end of the moment, they have to use your idea, but they still won't give you credit for it. It's like, oh, okay, like that part is annoying. And how do how how do I hit deal with it? It's like I know now for the next time. Like I know now for the next time. Like I just learned my lesson. Like I know who and who not who not to. Like I know who who's rooting for me to be there and who who's rooting for me not to be there.
DannyThat's good.
SPEAKER_02And I just stay away for those for away from those people.
DannyYeah, that's good. Sometimes staying away is like the the only option or the best option of the few that you but don't get me wrong, too.
SPEAKER_02Don't get me wrong. Like, I also stand my ground. Like I always would say something like, hey, like you cross the line, or you're not listening to me, and it's because I'm the woman in the group. Like I make him known, but then I just like you're somebody that I I would rather stay away from. Like we can act cordial, but I'm just gonna stay away from you. Like, cause you gotta find your tribe. You as a woman, you have to find your tribe in trades because it it it can if mess can I curse?
DannyYeah.
SPEAKER_02Okay, it could fuck up your mental real bad. Real, real bad.
DannyWhat are what kinds of things would you tell like if you if there was another woman starting on your in your group, like on uh what do you call it, like a team or like what do you gang? Your gang, like if it's a woman joined your gang, like maybe she was an apprentice or you know, she's tr transitioned for some other unit. Um, what would what would uh what would you tell her?
SPEAKER_02First thing is be true to yourself. It's okay to tell them no if it's not safe. It's it's okay. It's okay to speak back. Normally we're told, like, if we do like pre-apprentice programs, like I did one, I did a pre-apprent uh pre-apprentice program before getting into the union. Um, they normally teach women to from the neck down to you be to your journey out, don't speak. And I'm like, no, that's not how it is. You have to speak up, you have to defend yourself, you have to hold your ground, you have to know that you're not one of the guys. Stay away from drugs and don't sleep with anybody. So the I like I actually have a post, a part one and a part two of things I would have known when I was an apprentice, things I wouldn't I would I wish I would have known when I was when I started. And those are some of the things that I write about or not to look for validation.
DannyWow, that's those are some very wise things. Yeah, especially wise because like you had to learn that yourself because if the in the pre-apprenticeship they're teaching you, like, oh, you gotta be quiet, you gotta like wait, you gotta just like say yes and and listen and stuff. That's uh it's must have been tough to have to come to a different conclusion yourself in order to persevere. Yes. Can you describe a finished project or a success I'm sure you have many successes and and projects you're proud of, but can you describe one of the ones that comes to mind?
SPEAKER_02Like my first job, which was Central Park Tower, the one the building you can see from anywhere in New York City. It was my first job. I did basically almost my whole apprenticeship there. Um it was cold, it was hot, it was hard, it was easy, it was fun. I learned a lot. I met a lot of guys there that right now there are my brothers. Um that's the job that I'm most proud of. And then second to that is the spiral building. I don't know if you heard of it. It's all that, yeah. It's oh, it's in Hudson Yards. It has a whole bunch of it has the balcony all over. That's the the building I journeyed out on. So that's that's also one that I hold to your tomorrow.
DannySo you so these projects they take time, right? Like you said that you worked in the hot and the cold. Did the Central Park Tower did that last through like the winter and the summer?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, I was there for three years.
DannyOh wow, yeah.
SPEAKER_02That building took forever to build because if it's high winds, the hoist won't go up. So we can't get on top, we can't get to the top to work. If it was um, if it was too cold, I know there was a time in December. There was one year in December where it snowed, and there was literally like chunks of ice falling from the building that they had to close 57th Street, 58th Street, like all around. They had to close the streets because it was falling. So we didn't work for like the whole month of December, I think that year, I only worked maybe 18, 20 hours.
DannyOh wow. Is your is your pay like how is your pay based in situations like that?
SPEAKER_02We if we if you don't work, you don't get paid. So you don't work if so if you don't work, you don't get paid. But we get paid really well. I mean, not so much as an apprentice now because they have all these programs because we they're trying to compete with non-union. So you gotta bite the bullet when you're an apprentice. But once you journey out, like we make good money. And they basically we make good money and they basically like save for you. Like, I mean, if you're not if you don't know how to save and you're not good on saving, you would get one, I mean, at least for my local, you will get one large sum check every May, which they call it a vacation check. It's money that they put aside for you uh hourly, and you get it every May. And right now it's almost $16 for us. So imagine accumulating $16 an hour. And whenever you work overtime, it's double or it's time and a half, and all that money is going into this vacation check, aka savings, and you get it every May. So do the math roughly. Like if you work a thousand hours, that's an easy $20,000. If you do, if you work $2,000, you know, and it goes up and up, like it's an incentive because we don't get paid if we don't go to work.
DannyOkay. And but you do get there are some opportunities for overtime.
SPEAKER_02Yeah, there's definitely opportunities for overtime. The job is rushed, or and it's not like your no your regular overtime where you got you have to work 40 hours and then anything after that is overtime. No, that's not how it works for us. Like you do eight hours, and any uh any any two hours after that is time and a half, and whatever's after those two hours is double. It's daily, it's not like you don't have to work 40 hours. So you work eight hours. Let's say they ask you to work Monday, eight hours, and they tell you, Oh, you oh, um, Fran, you gotta do three extra hours today. We're staying, we're we're doing seven, twelve. No, what is it that we call it? Fran, we're doing 11 hours today. Oh, bet. Eight hours is regular time, two hours after that is time and a half, the third hour is double.
DannyWow, yeah, that's pretty good. And do they let you know ahead of time?
SPEAKER_02They let you know. They try before lunch. They try.
DannyWhat kind of training did you need to start? Like, how did you learn about the pre-apprenticeship program? And what kind of stuff did you learn there?
SPEAKER_02So when I was working in the Board of Vet, one of my co-workers was like, No, I think he said was she said, This is program that gets you a job into construction. I didn't know, mind you, I didn't know anything about the trains. So this is a program that gets you a job into construction and you get six figures a year. I was like, Word? I was like, let's call and find out. So I called at the moment I called them. We're like, Oh, yeah, it's a six weeks program, but you don't get paid during the program. And I was like, Oh, I can't leave my job. I have kids, you know, I can't leave my job. So I'm going to this program and not get paid. But then um, I ended up having my second child, and I was breastfeeding. And when I went back to the board of ed, they were giving me a hard time. And I was like, you know what? I'm gonna take an absence of leave, take care of my child, spend time with my child. When it was time to come back, I was like, I don't think I really want to go back to the board of ed. And I remember about the program, so I called the program, and the program was like, Yeah, it's uh six weeks. Um, you get direct, you get direct entry into any trade. When I went to the program, I thought I was gonna be an electrician because that's the only trade that I knew about. But then they broke down every trade that there is, and then they also like see what's fit for you, like what work, what, what will work out for you. And it was like, and I was like, so when I learned about the iron workers, there's actually three, four ironworker locals in New York City. One of them is the rebar, the other one's structural, the third one is rigging and dark main, and then ornamental, which is the one that I'm in. And they were like, oh, you'll be you'll be a fit, you'll be great for ornamental. And that's how I got into local 580 was through that program.
DannyWhat attracted you to the ornamental one?
SPEAKER_02I guess uh so I'm gonna break down the local for you, the the iron worker union in New York City. Because not in every state, it's not like this, but structural is like you picture your a body, right? You picture a body, structural is like the bones in the body, so that's one union. Then you have rebar, and that's like the veins and the muscles, and then you have your skin, and that's the ornamental, that's the pretty work. So that's what drawn me to the ornamental ironwork is the out the outside of the body, basically. So what I build is the outside of the building. Wow, so you're doing it. What everybody sees, what everybody sees.
DannyIt's like is it a little bit more nuanced, a little bit more fine?
unknownYeah.
DannyWhat how did you learn welding? Was it in the uh in the school?
SPEAKER_02They teach you. No, in the apprenticeship. You go to school. I went to school for four years. My first year was my foot in the door. They teach you a little bit about everything. Your second year is welding. Your third year is um blueprint work, and your fourth year is finished work.
DannyAnd that part is paid, right?
SPEAKER_02Yes, because you go to you work in the morning and then you go to school two days out of the week.
DannyDo people change careers into this field? Like, I know you're an example for sure, but like are do other people also sort of leave some other career that they had imagined staying in?
SPEAKER_02Yeah, there's a lot of there's a social worker, there's a woman social worker that just came in. Um she just graduated not too long ago. Yeah, there's a lot that we have FTNY, we have policemen, we have MTA workers, we have teachers.
DannyYeah, a whole bunch of different careers changes. That's cool. What are some of you mentioned welding? Uh what are some of the other tools of the trade? Like, can you describe some of the types of welding or other tools for someone maybe that's not familiar with any of them?
SPEAKER_02For welding, you have TIG, MIG, stick, a whole bunch of different stainless steel welding. That's what we use for the stairs and for the lobby work. We use bronze. And then um for what, like if you're putting up curtain wall, you use anywhere between a beater and a pry bar.
DannyWhat is uh uh what does curtain wall mean?
SPEAKER_02Windows.
DannyOh, okay.
SPEAKER_02I know I keep saying curtain wall, sorry, windows. What people see what people see as windows, what people see when when you say, Oh, look at the windows are nice, that's what we call curtain wall. That's called curtain wall. That's the real word for when for the windows.
DannyOh, and you said you said a beater, a beater is a hammer, so the ha a beater, the the three or four types of welding, and what else was it?
SPEAKER_02Try bar, it's like a crowbar, you can use that, ratchet straps, um come alongs, come alongs? Yeah, come alongs. It's like when you pull the curtain wall. When you try to pull the curtain wall. Oh chainfall when you try to pull it down. We use a whole bunch of different type of tools.
DannyHave you ever had a moment where I imagine since some of what you're doing is you're like destroying things and like building things, right? Like you kind of have to like set things apart and then also put them together.
SPEAKER_02Correct.
DannyHave you ever made a mistake? Like where you were like, oh shit, like I didn't mean to do that.
SPEAKER_02Um, of course, I've made many mistakes.
DannyYeah, but like, yeah, I don't mean like a big safety mistake or something, but just like a oh man, I'm gonna have to redo that.
SPEAKER_02Well, when you caulk, we use a lot of caulking. So we do use a lot of caulking and it gets messy. So if you don't know how to use it, you could dirty a whole lot of shit. So that like you gotta clean it really well. It's a process when you caulk too. It's not you just put the caulk down. No, you have to clean it, you have to put a primer, you have to wait till it cures to hang the next window over it. They normally the joke is we say is New York City is built on cork and screws. That's what we say. When you're because we use a lot of cork.
DannyYeah. When you're working on the beginning of a project, can you imagine what it's gonna look like? Like, do you get to see the blueprint or in like maybe like uh imagined photos and and drawings?
SPEAKER_02Yes, we get to see we get to see the blueprint, we get to see the picture that they normally put. I I don't know if you ever worked, if you ever walked by a construction um site, normally they put the picture of what it's supposed to look like before it's even up and does that on those boards.
DannyIs that like accurate?
SPEAKER_02Um not to a T, but it's similar. But if you ever start, like if you start a job and then you stay there till it finishes, it's crazy. It's right now West of the Westchester hospital that I'm in, it's like we it's the beginning of it's the beginning of the beginning. So it's like wow, and then we've been putting in, I've been there for three weeks now, and we've been putting in um curtain wall, curtain wall, and now it looks different. Now it's starting to look like a building, now it's starting to look like a hospital. Like now you could picture it.
DannySo are you making like the um curtain walls for patient rooms?
SPEAKER_02That's that's finished work. So once um, we're doing the one, we're doing the outside work first. It's also the it's always the outside work first, and then the inside. Actually, what some of my guys are doing, they're building the radio the where they do the x-rays. Yeah, they so that's that. Um, sorry, those rooms are made out of steel first, which you won't see. You would think it's just a wall, but no, it's steel first. So it's a special type of steel. So those the radiation won't get out that room. So it's like welded. That whole, there's like, I think it's eight, a total of eight rooms. That's eight rooms is gonna be um x-ray rooms in the hospital in that wing of the hospital.
DannyOh wow. So the x-ray, these rooms with those types of imaging, they have special construction.
SPEAKER_02They have special, yes, they have special construction. So the radii, so the radiation won't leave the the room.
DannyOh, I never thought of that. So you're yeah, I was gonna ask what kind of training did you need to start? Can you just maybe talk about something that was like fun to learn? Like what was a fun thing to learn?
SPEAKER_02Everything was fun to learn because I've never worked with tools before in my life. Remember, I come from the board of education to working with tools was just crazy to me.
DannyYeah.
SPEAKER_02And reading a tape measure, like finally, I can say that fractions make sense. I did not, I couldn't get fraction for the life of me when I was in school. And now it made sense.
DannyWhy do you think that is?
SPEAKER_02Because I guess I'm a visual learner and I see it. Like I know what's a 32nd, I know what's an eighth, I know what's a quarter, I know how much I gotta come up or I gotta come down.
DannyWow, that's cool.
SPEAKER_02I know which one is greater, I know which one is greater, 316 or three quarters. That part I really like. It was that part was mind-blowing to me. Like once I put it when once I put it was put together, I was like, oh, so this is what fraction is. I was like, Yes.
DannyNice, yeah. That's that's fun to see those eye-opening moments in in your in your life. You know, like I I enjoy it when I can learn something new. Yes, but you gotta put yourself in a place where you're able to. Some people don't do that. Yes. Can you describe uh how being in a union has affected your career?
SPEAKER_02How has affected my career? It brought in like sort of like a tribe, like like a unity, a brotherhood, a sisterhood. Like I'm I belong somewhere and I'm proud of it. And everyone that's there is proud of it too. So we like we take pride in our work. So that part of it of being in the union is what's the most rewarding part, is that we take pride in our work. Like we make sure to do things correctly because it it reflects on us. And kid you not, excuse me, I've been out of state at women's conferences for the trades, and everyone knows who's local 580. Oh, right. Like we're so well respected. Yeah, we're so well respected out of New York City that it's it's amazing. And we get treated so well, we get talked about so well, everyone wants to speak to us, everyone wants to ask us our work. What do we do? Even though they do the same thing we do, but not on the scale that we do it.
DannyYeah, you're working the some of the biggest buildings in the hemisphere, so that's uh very impressive.
SPEAKER_02Yes. So that part that's rewarding. That's that's um that feels amazing.
DannyAnd so you you mentioned that being in a union is a nice uh uh togetherness, like a brotherhood or a family, or um, you know, you have this sense of belonging for sure. Can you describe you mentioned that you're usually the only woman on the job. Can you describe a time when you felt alone at work for whatever reason?
SPEAKER_02At the beginning of a job. When I was new, it was always at the beginning. When I will when I came in new, at the beginning of a job, but then also like I know when they need their space. That feels lonely when you know that you that men need their men time, and it's like I don't take it into offense, like I get it. Like I I I get it because sometimes I'm sick of them too, and I need my space, like so. I get it.
DannyYeah, that's just like a people thing in general. Everybody kind of yes. What would you say is the scariest part of your job? The scariest part of my job, or a thing that you're scared of at work, like for me? Yeah, I'm always scared that there's gonna be a fight in my classroom or something that I can't stop.
SPEAKER_02Um I've seen that already.
DannyOr I'll accidentally curse that kids.
SPEAKER_02Oh, we curse all day. No, we curse all day. That's if you don't curse, then we don't trust you. No, um, what's the scariest? Um forgetting to tie off when you're on the edge of the building. It has happened, it happened to me once. It definitely happened to me once. And I was like working on a cot like near a column. So the the space, it was like it was me. I was in the middle, so it was like the column and then the edge of the building, and I wasn't tied off. That was scary. Like I I still get flashbacks, like fuck, what if I like I would have died? I would have died.
DannyWow. And it's you are you mean you're talking about tying you're like a harness to something?
SPEAKER_02Like a harness, yes, I'm sorry, like a harness, like tying off to something so I won't fall off the building.
DannyWow, yeah.
SPEAKER_02So I'm I forgot to tie off my harness and I was on the edge of the building. So when I came back in the building, because I was literally outside the building, when I came, I was on like on the on top of the the curtain wall. So when I came back in the building and I noticed, oh my goodness, it was like I was for like half an hour, I couldn't work. I was so scared. I was like, what the fuck? Yeah part.
DannyWow. Yeah, wow. So but you noticed and then you quickly did it?
SPEAKER_02I noticed and then I took a breather and then I did it.
DannyYeah, that's smart.
SPEAKER_02It took a second.
DannyWhat do you think about when you're at very high elevations? I know like the the stereotype or the joke is like don't look down, but like what what do you think about or feel when you're at high elevations?
SPEAKER_02I enjoy the view most of the times, and it's like, damn, this is my life. Like I've been in the clouds, I've worked in the clouds, like literally in the clouds. I have pictures of working in the clouds. Like this is like it it's I love what I do, so it's it's rewarding. It's very, very rewarding.
DannyHave you ever experienced either you you've had an accident or you've seen someone else have like a near miss or an accident or injury?
SPEAKER_02No, I've never seen anyone fall. I've heard, but not like bad in my logo. Me myself, I ran over my toes with a scissor lift for not using it properly. Like those are the things like you you can only get hurt in this business if you aren't using the things properly. Like a I wasn't, I was like, you're supposed to drive the you're supposed to be in the scissor lift to drive it. And that morning I decided to not get on the scissor lift and just pulled the control down and try to move it. Oh, and I ran over my toe. Oh, and I broke both my toes. Yeah. So I would never do that again. Yeah, everybody's like, oh, because you know, people get lazy and they're like, nope, if I'm not gonna get on it to move it, I'm not moving it.
DannyOkay. Well, you learn from it, so yes. What is it like being a a mom and a a busy professional, also?
SPEAKER_02Um, it's hard. It's not easy. Because I'm also a single mom, so it's like a lot, I have to do a lot of running around. I mean, I already one of my kids is already 21. Oh my youngest is 10. Yeah, my youngest is 10. He's gonna be 11 in September. So for my 10-year-olds, I feel bad for him the most because he has to wake up at 4:30 in the morning with me, so I can drop him off at his father's house so his father could take him to school and stuff like that. And then I gotta run out of work to come pick him up. And if I don't make it to school on time, then someone has to pick him up for me. But I've been blessed that it has worked out, even when I'm breaking my head, it still works out.
DannyLike, what's what's something you're looking forward to or you got planned?
SPEAKER_02I'm gonna um I'm gonna keep content creating around my work so we can keep the retention high. Cause right now it's like we get the recruitment, but we don't get the retention. A lot of people don't, a lot of women don't stay. Um, so and trying to get more exposure of what I do out there so women can stay and see the benefits. There's a lot of benefits, it's a lot of money to be made, it's not only for men.
DannyI really enjoyed uh hearing about your story, and I think a lot of other people are gonna learn cool stuff from it.
SPEAKER_02Thank you.
