The Sacramento Electrical Training Center is proud to announce the winner of the 57th Annual Western States Electrical Contest, our very own Chase Mora. Through perseverance, dedication, and hard work Chase beat out his fellow competitors and, for the first time, brought the championship home to Local 340.

For some electricians, nothing beats having to only explain things once. On top of that, having the reliability of a high-delivering apprentice who works well in concert with you and who also has a great attitude to match is quite the double threat. So it is with Nick Sanchez, September’s Apprentice of the Month.

Becoming a Union electrician is about quite a bit more than pulling conductors into conduit and installing receptacles. It involves a sea change in how you view your work life, an intense journey of learning the skills and knowledge necessary to work as a professional in our field, and a dedication to your brothers and sisters that proves why organized labor is one of the most vital heartbeats of American life.

Many apprentices come into our fold with little to no experience—which is not to say they lack talent, but without knowledge or skills frontloaded. This of course is by design in many aspects.

No matter the circumstance, apprentices have just as much a voice as a journeyman. Union meetings are one of the most sacred places for our members and it is in our hall that we have the chance to hear from leadership and to make our own voices heard at the microphone.

Every year, the fifth-year apprentices gather on a Saturday for a comprehensive, labor-intensive, cumulative assessment. The day-long endeavor is comprised of different tests that span the entire apprenticeship from motor control to 3-way switching to advanced conduit bending.

It’s not easy being a first year. All of a sudden you are thrown from whatever job you had before you were indentured into a construction career that you’re told is going to change your life and offer you all the opportunity in the world if you just focus. True as that may be, it can be daunting for many, challenging for many still.

Being a member of a Union has a lot of moving parts. You must make sure your work continues a level of professionalism commensurate with our training, you have to make sure your brothers and sisters are protected and understand their rights, and, maybe most importantly, you must be a constant advocate for organized labor. 

Ken Irwin, the JATC’s Assistant Training Coordinator, has recently received his 30-year pin for his IBEW Union membership.

A Union prides itself on how well its members can stick together through thick and thin. At myriad meetings throughout the country, hats are passed for tragedy, phones are called for commiseration, and local committees exist as a way for people to support members who have other things in common.

A word that may not be used often enough in reference to tradesmen is “grace.” There is an element to what we do as skilled labor that can only be described as grace, not just in the quality of the work we produce but about how we handle hardship and adversity on the jobsite. 

Humility is an incredible asset in an apprentice. A person who is freshly introduced to our trade may find themselves swimming in all the new information. But with tenacity and hard work, even the greenest of apprentices can rise to become forces to be reckoned with.