How did you become a union member?
After I graduated high school, I found a pre-apprenticeship program called Flip the Script. They helped me get into an apprenticeship at my union. I started my apprenticeship in September 2005. Five years later, I took my journeyman test, passed, and started really engaging with the union.
Why is being a union member important to you?
To me, the importance of being a union member is safety. Regardless of what you do, you’re devoting eight to twelve hours a day towards this industry or that craft, and you want to make sure it’s safe. You want to make sure that you leave the job site the same way that you came in. Also, I want to be a part of something that is bigger than me. The foundation of the union is the membership. I get to be a part of the decision-making, I have a voice, I have a vote. It’s an organization that exists collectively. I love my Local, I love the opportunity it’s given me.
Can you tell me why IBEW local 58 decided to turn your union hall into Michigan’s first net-zero energy facility?
This was a membership-driven initiative. The membership voted to use our own general fund money to back this project. We want to showcase the technology that exists, our education, the learned electricians that we have, and the skill level that we bring to the table. We have 200+ kilowatts of generated solar energy, four megawatts of battery storage, and geothermal heating. We were intentional about the colors that we choose, the windows, and even the type of insulation. We really deconstructed the building and rebuilt it to, dare I say, 22nd century technology. We’ve got people coming in from other states to see what we’re doing. We wanted to showcase what organized labor could do with green energy, with initiative, and with the right funding.
We wanted to showcase what organized labor could do with green energy, with initiative, and with the right funding.
In what ways would Detroit change if there were more local union jobs working on clean energy projects?
We’ve got buildings that have been around since the early 1900s. We’ve got systems in these buildings that need to be updated. We’ve got infrastructure that is antiquated. The more we invest in bringing these systems up to date, the more workers are required and the more tax revenue builds up in our community.
Where do you hope to see the clean energy economy in the future?
I would like to see the future of Michigan with clean energy and climate jobs. I would like to see us move towards green housing where tradespeople bring their industrial skills into their neighborhoods. You’ve got the electrician, the plumber, the pipefitter, and they come back to their neighborhoods and help install solar panels and geothermal wells on their neighbor’s houses. We have to figure out how to live on this planet together, because we only got one.