If you are on a good job, enjoy it while it lasts, because it's guaranteed that it’s going to end. They all do, and we all remember the good ones. It’s the same for the not-so-good ones, though, and they all end too. But we don’t want to dwell on the rough ones.
I raise this issue to bring attention to what has been partially responsible for our success historically, and by success I mean your ability to earn almost $4,000 a week because you are a member of Local 3. We get a job ticket from the Employment Department and we go to work. Our jurisdiction is anywhere in NYC, and for Local 3 North, in Westchester and Fairfield, Connecticut. We have a responsibility to the IBEW and our contractors to work on any and every job they can get in our jurisdiction. That’s why many of them have an agreement with us. Good, bad, indifferent, it doesn’t matter. We have an obligation. We don’t pick our jobs, we go to work, for almost $4,000 a week. That's how we support our families.
We don’t slack off, we don’t hide or leave early. Productivity has always been the key to our success. We have to compete with unfair competition on too many jobs today. We all have to pull our weight. This is the team you're on, the one you really wanted to be part of. We agree to adhere to the Code of Excellence and we don’t quit if things aren’t quite up to your liking. Some of the contractors that sign letters of assent to do NYC PLA work may not be easy to work for, as they are not used to having to work with employees covered by a union contract. If there are concerns or issues, we fix them. We live up to our side of the bargain and the union has a duty to make sure the contractors do as well. Every job is important, every work opportunity is critical.
Every job can be a good job. It’s what we make of it. And remember, they all end. The question is, did I do everything I could to make a success of that job, making sure that that contractor is just as committed as we are to them getting the next one? I hope so.
