Here's why we celebrate Labor Day: To honor hardworking Americans

To some, Labor Day means a long weekend of celebration at the end of the summer.

While that may be the case, Labor Day honors the hard work of millions of men and women across the country. The most vital in my opinion are the building tradesmen and tradeswomen who keep America running daily — from powerhouses to hospitals and schools to new data and technology infrastructure, and into your home.

Without the men and women of the building trades, Americans would have nowhere to eat, sleep, work or live. They truly are the heartbeat of America. Locally the union craftsmen and craftswomen are represented by the East Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council.

Currently led by President Jerry Durieux, the council has been a staple in Stark County since 1937. With 21 affiliated unions, the council represents nearly 3,000 workers in Stark, Wayne, Carroll, Tuscarawas, Coshocton, and Holmes counties. The various trades represented include boilermakers, bricklayers, carpenters, electricians, elevator constructors, general truck drivers, glaziers, heat and frost insulators, HVAC technicians, ironworkers, laborers, operative plasterers and cement masons, painters, plumbers and pipefitters, roofers, sheet metal workers, sprinklers fitters and Teamsters.

With the construction industry in America facing an extreme labor shortage, young Ohioans have a tremendous opportunity for lifelong careers. Workers entering the job market should take notice that a career in building trades has many advantages.

The first thing is apprentices earn wages and benefits while they learn a trade, which keeps them out of the college debt trap that is putting young people in a financial hole before they graduate.

With no experience necessary, the average entry-level pay is around $20 an hour with annual raises. Apprentices also receive health insurance and credits toward their pension(s) as they achieve the skills needed to become journeymen and can graduate with immediate good-paying job prospects.

Building trades apprenticeships combine in-class education and employment. The on-the-job mentorship keeps apprentices safe and instills in them the knowledge that will serve them well in their craft. The classroom education apprentices receive meets or exceeds college classes enabling the apprentices to earn college credits as they progress through their two- to five-year apprenticeship.

Education about trades starts in the local high schools by reaching students as they are beginning to make decisions for their own futures. The East Central Ohio Building & Construction Trades Council created and distributed nearly 50,000 apprenticeship guide magazines (ecobt.org) to school systems in the six counties it represents.

The safest, most highly skilled, and productive construction craft workers receive training through privately funded, local joint apprenticeship and training committees. A joint apprenticeship and training committee consists of an equal number of labor and management representatives who conduct, monitor and are responsible for the affairs of the entire apprenticeship program.

The investment in training is made industry-wide and is done at no cost to taxpayers. Through contract negotiations with their signatory contractors, all union craftsmen agree to set aside money on an hourly basis to finance both craft upgrading and training for the next generation of workers, with over $1 billion being invested in training annually on a national basis, and $50 million in Ohio alone.

This is especially important with the number of union vraftsmen retiring over the next decade.

With the unprecedented demand for construction workers, the East Central Ohio Building & Construction Trades Council will be participating in an interactive construction career expo with Akron Canton Builds at the Summit County Fairgrounds.

On Sept. 28-29, Akron Canton Builds will host high schools from Summit and Stark counties for an engaging hands-on experience, with 26 local school districts committed to participate. During this event, there will be representation and activities from 15-plus construction union training centers, as well as involvement from over a dozen contractors and suppliers.

On Sept. 30 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., the event is open to the public for those who are exploring new career options in the union construction industry with opportunities for immediate job placement. For more information, go to AkronCantonBuilds.com

The East Central Ohio Building & Construction Trades Council strives to make job sites safer, deliver apprentice and journey-level training, organize new workers, support legislation that affects working families, and assist in securing improved wages, hours and working conditions through collective bargaining, where we are fortunate to have efficient and experienced contractors and subcontractors.

Happy Labor Day and thank you again to the heartbeat of America, our building tradesmen and tradeswomen!

Jerry Durieux is president of the East Central Ohio Building & Construction Trades Council. This essay was written in part by Quality Construction Partnership, a building and construction industry labor-management organization promoting labor unions and their signatory contractors on construction projects throughout the council's jurisdiction.

This article originally appeared on The Repository: Jerry Durieux: Building trades keep America running daily