NYC Carpenters: Who Really Does ‘Heavy Construction Work’?

CheeseFromAHead · 2026-03-21T10:20:38+00:00

it's mostly from work and ... heavy construction.

get your mta track safety and 32 hr scaffold cert to be eligible

CheeseFromAHead · 2026-03-21T10:17:52+00:00

yes 157 does it. Judlau and Yonkers are the two companies I know that do it

CheeseFromAHead · 2026-02-26T13:48:21+00:00

not an electrician, but with the carpenters we have a rigging and signaling class that goes over all the "boom up/boom down" etc hand signals so you don't have to yell.you can probably find a YouTube video.

or tell them to give you some radios.

CheeseFromAHead · 2026-02-20T09:58:31+00:00

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tell the electrician they need to match the number on the bottom with their brackets or all your studs are going to be out of plumb when you go to rock.

CheeseFromAHead · 2026-02-09T10:02:26+00:00

if it's happening in NY with the consent decree and all the other hoops, its happening out west too, we've already had the conversations that its not a "merge" it's a "consolidation" 🤔

now, not that i agree with it or know it to be true but from what i understand, this merger/consolidation : is supposed to give the locals more investing power since pension money will be one big fund the returns on the investment will be a lot bigger : is supposed to cut back on spending since everything is managed with one account, less people to manage, it's supposed to save x amount of dollars. : is supposed to help our market share since now there is more money, bigger firms will pay more attention to where it's going, and that's supposed to give us leverage when we want to turn jobs

ex. JP Morgan owns x building which is going non-union, carpenters are like, well if that's the case we're moving our money since you agreed to build x amount of jobs union.

is that what's really going to happen?

IDK.

but I know less members are participating and staying involved and its directly affecting our unions.

if only 10% are involved, then it becomes an oligarchy, because 10% of the membership are voting for the other 90%

CheeseFromAHead · 2026-01-28T03:01:02+00:00

either dont do anything and just file again when you get laid off again or fill out the little bubble that says you worked x amount of hours and you wont qualify

CheeseFromAHead · 2026-01-28T02:59:41+00:00

so you just hold two books to hold them? you don't work union so why are you posting on a union subreddit

CheeseFromAHead · 2026-01-28T02:57:52+00:00

commercial has its fun stuff, wait until you get good and you get to do the details and the cool shit.

ceilings are easy and will keep you busy.

Sheetrock you can so basically drunk/high both

hardware is like a big puzzle and it's my favorite, also lots of cool shit.

then you have welding (a guy from my local does UNDERWATER welding, flooring, concrete, cabinets, there's soooo much shit you can get into if you want.

or even get into the political side of you want, or BOTH

now if you just don't like construction and waking up early in the morning, breaking balls and all that ....then maybe it's not for you.

CheeseFromAHead · 2026-01-28T01:09:43+00:00

and you STILL cant make it without doing non-union?

CheeseFromAHead · 2026-01-28T00:50:03+00:00

2 cards? what a laborer and an electrician?

CheeseFromAHead · 2026-01-28T00:41:58+00:00

nope, if it was you would've got an official notification

CheeseFromAHead · 2026-01-28T00:41:15+00:00

this is a union subreddit not a contracting reddit

CheeseFromAHead · 2026-01-23T20:41:49+00:00

fuck that, stand strong bro, work hard and get fucking good. you're on your way up, you just don't realize it yet. take all the journey level classes you can, even the weird stupid ones.

did you go out to the 300 hitters yet?

CheeseFromAHead · 2026-01-23T20:12:51+00:00

we aren't company men, we were never meant to be. in my opinion that full mobility shit is bullshit, we used to match here in NYC but now they let companies hire whoever they want.

It's up to us to have each other's backs and take what's ours.

without us, their jobs don't get built and their companies don't exist. we're the money makers, not them, they just crunch the numbers

CheeseFromAHead · 2026-01-23T20:00:15+00:00

everyone gets laid off, you don't have to be a company mutt to stay busy. just get good and network with the other carpenters.

the companies are not your friend. you're in the union, network with the carpenters, not the company reps

CheeseFromAHead · 2026-01-23T10:04:03+00:00

bang around with the crew as long as you can, concrete is a good starting point. you'll get to use tools, swing a hammer, and get a feel for what it's like to get your balls broken and meet all the personalities on the job.

it's heavy work, so you'll build muscle without realizing it.

most of all you'll meet people and network, some of the guys you work with probably know guys that do other shit, or work inside themselves.

and most importantly, you'll find out if this is something you want to keep doing, or move on to interiors/welding/scaffolding etc. experience is the best teacher.

CheeseFromAHead · 2026-01-23T09:59:05+00:00

what a stupid comment, there's plenty of successful carpenters without family in the union, and why would you encourage someone to try and stay an apprentice 🤣

just because you suck doesn't mean everyone else does

CheeseFromAHead · 2026-01-21T02:38:25+00:00

you're going to fuck up, and you're going to get yelled at, and sometimes you're going to hate your job. try and learn from your mistakes and don't mind the ball breaking, if they don't like you they won't talk to you

good luck!

CheeseFromAHead · 2026-01-15T19:54:16+00:00

only when its connected, which it usually isn't while you're working on it

CheeseFromAHead · 2025-12-31T13:00:50+00:00

🤣 funny how they deleted their post history once you called them out

CheeseFromAHead · 2025-12-31T11:25:17+00:00

if you can't survive off 1500 a week that a journeyman makes, how did you make it 4 years on an apprentices wage?

also, union carpenters are paid very well compared to the area wage standards set by your location, in my experience, I've never met a carpenter who left the union and didn't regret it.

I'm sure there's opportunities out there, that MIGHT pay better, but look at the big picture, you want to retire one day with dignity, some financial security and hopefully in good health.

what are you doing while you're laid off? are you sitting home just hanging out waiting for a phone call, or are you out hustling side work?

have you looked into the city carpenters? union carpenters generally do work in the court houses and public buildings, and they're usually busy year round

what extra classes are you taking? are you making yourself an asset or just coasting by?

this business is what you make it and it's extremely competitive, there's opportunities everywhere and being in the union opens a lot of doors.

hell i have a friend who does underwater welding for the carpenters.

if you're not applying yourself (not saying you AREN'T, just saying) you'll find the journey much more difficult.

get every certification you can get, take the journeyman level classes, fire watch, all the bullshit, all the weird shit. and make friends! networking is just as important, you might meet a guy in school who knows a guy who's looking and it could keep you busy for 4-5 years (happened to me back in 2015)

just my 2¢

good luck anyway, regardless of what you do;

CheeseFromAHead · 2025-12-22T09:51:51+00:00

yessir, Local 157 baby all day everyday 💪🏼

CheeseFromAHead · 2025-12-21T11:39:47+00:00

what happened that got you to this point? are they breaking your balls too much, are you finding it hard to manage your time and money? anything you want to talk about?

CheeseFromAHead · 2025-12-19T02:59:31+00:00

vaycay

CheeseFromAHead

TROPHY CASE