Organized Labor

Dave Ahern

A lot of times you have to make something look good that isn't looking good. The floors might not be ready. They might be uneven or torn up. The elevation maybe isn't right. The product might not be exactly what they ordered. In the end, you have to make it work and make them happy.

There are always new tricks to pick up. I learn from the apprentices. Now. when you latex the carpet, they are teaching them to put the latex ahead of the iron. The old way was to latex the whole thing first. They are small things, but things that save time. So you have to listen to what they have to say and then pick out what you like, the same way they have to listen to us and pick out what works for them. Everyone has a little bit different style. In the long run, you use whatever works as long as it comes out right.

Martin Renteria

My brother got me into the trade. He was a carpet layer. Some days are easy days, some are hard days. I like doing carpet the best, better than hard surfaces. But I like being able to do different things and go to different places.

Omar Montoya

I've walked over a lot of carpet and can say, "This is what I do." It is something beautiful. I do linoleum, carpet tile, composition tile, and hardwood. Every day is something new and a new challenge. It's a great career and great being part of the union. You can go home and tell your family, "This is what I did today."

The union is there for us. When I worked for another company, they didn't want to pay my family's benefits, but the union came through for my family, l'm a happy member, and I feel the pride of what union members can do working together.

Anthony Putman

The skill in laying any floor is the preparation and knowing where you are going. I think ahead: I lay out the whole day and where I will end up. That’s the professional part of it. A first-stage apprentice might start putting glue down and end up in a corner. You watch them and maybe let them do it once, so they can learn from the school of hard knocks. The trip is knowing how to get out. We do carpet, tile, and hardwood. I like changing it up. Hardwood is quite a bit different; you get to use saws and hustle around.

Jesus Rivera

I worked in a print shop running as two-color press printing software documentation. But when the dot-coms went bust, the print shop closed down. A friend of mine installed carpet and told me they were always busy and to come on down. I like the construction trades. You work with your hands and get dirty. There’s so much to learn. From my experience in printing I can see the colors in the carpet. the difference in different die lots, and how that will affect the design. In printing if the color is off a just a little, it might is well be off a million. You learn to see minute details and differences in brightness. With carpets we have to work off blueprints. In printing you deal with lining thIngs up to the 1/1000th of an inch, so I'm used to detail work. That background helps. Someone else might not be used to that precision.

Al Tatum

I love learning. The guys I'm working with teach me everyday. I'm learning how to do good craftsman work. The hardest thing for me was burning seams. The knack is in learning to pre-cut it right. The more you do, the easier it gets. It takes a lot or patience. Some of the guys said I wouldn't make it. They didn't think I was a hard worker, so I had to prove them wrong. My dad was a union carpenter for 30 years, and he taught me to work hard and always be in the union.

It's physically exhausting work. You have to crawl around all day on your hands and knees. After 8 hours on your knees, it is hard to get up and walk. I take lots of vitamins, eat healthy, and exercise. At home, I play with my kids, coach their football team and try to play some baseball.

Carpet is my strong point. I like it because everybody needs carpet. When I get home, my wife wants new carpet, and I cant say no to her, or to her relatives.

Wayne Wallace

Ten years ago I was playing basketball. The other guy on the court was a carpet layer and needed some help. I got paid $8 per hour. I used to do my own thing, got in the union, dropped out. I learned my lesson and got back in. What's there to tell? You do the same work, but with the union you get benefits and 40 hours a week. Before I was always looking for work. I could go 3 or 4 days and not find anything. I had to pay my own health care and everything else. Now, with four kids, I just couldn't make it if I had to pay out of my pocket. And it's not just money; there are more guys on the job to help you out. And they are real good guys who take pride in their work. It's pretty neat. I love doing floors. At the end of the day, you can stand back and see what you've done.