A strong union needs skills, benefits and ACTION!
When Decio Santos of Carpenters Local 327 took his last class as part of the NASCTF apprenticeship program to become a journeyman carpenter in 2019, he also completed a symbol of his pride and commitment to being a union carpenter: he had a tattoo of the UBC emblem on his forearm finished.
Decio was first introduced to carpentry while doing hardwood flooring for his cousin. From that experience he knew that he liked working with his hands. Later, he ran into some trouble, and while incarcerated in South Bay House of Corrections, he found carpentry again through a pre-apprenticeship program called Common Ground Institute. There he learned skills in the 10-week program that would help him build a life and earned a certificate that was more than just a piece of paper—it was proof of a path to bettering himself.
As soon as he began his apprenticeship with the NASCTF, he decided to get a tattoo of the UBC emblem to tell himself that there was no turning back. He then committed to finish the tattoo when he was in his last week of the program. Being a union carpenter has given him a path to success—a path that he has also helped others to find. He’s sent people to the pre-apprenticeship program Building Pathways, and also influenced his girlfriend to become a union sheet metal worker.
Decio isn’t just learning skills and earning a paycheck however; he sees himself wanting to go further and get involved in the union to help others seek a better path:
“I want to show other kids where I come from that there are other ways to become successful. And that there’s hope.”
His dreams now include building a house from the ground up and even starting his own union construction company one day. And true to the Latin phrase now indelibly marked on his arm labor omnia vincit which translates to “labor conquers all”—Decio is in it for the long haul: “I see a light at the end of the tunnel. I know where I’m going, and I know where I want to go,” says Santos. “I appreciate being a part of a diverse team because the union embracing cultural diversity in a workplace is an important first step for the union to be competitive on an international scale.”