In June, after four years of both training on-the-job and in the classroom, Joseph Daly will graduate from the NYC District Council of Carpenters’ Millwright Training Program. Right now, the Local 740 Millwright & Machinery Erectors member is working seven-days-a-week at a power plant that is being upgraded to a gas powered turbine. All the years of hard work and the current effort required might seem like a lot, but Daly says, “I couldn’t be happier.”
Like many apprentices, Daly heard about the program from a friend, and spent the night camping out to get one of the coveted applications. After tests and an interview, he was accepted, and began the rigorous combination of school and applied work. “Overall what we do,” he says, “is precision alignment of heavy machinery.” It’s an extremely exact craft, he says, where accuracy is required “within thousandths of an inch.”
“There’s very little room for error,” Daly says. He lists some of the projects in New York, “steam and gas turbines for power plants – which controls peoples’ lights and air conditioners, among other necessities, conveyor belts such as those used at airports, FedEx and Amazon, and the postal service,” and, upstate, “packaging facilities – beverage bottles and chip (food) factories, and robotics used in car plants, and hospitals for surgery.” The work encompasses installation, repair, and maintenance. Daly is thrilled that he’s now a certified welder, “not only in the American Welding Society, but also a NYS DOT welder, necessary for the five boroughs – it’s harder to pass [their tests] – they X-ray your welds!”
Daly’s gotten so good at his work that he recently won the 4th year apprentice award for Millwrights. “We were given blue prints for projects to assemble – we had 8 hours to complete the work, which was then examined. I came in first.” The best part for him, however, has been learning. “I’ve always been a person to expand my knowledge; now I’ve come to the conclusion that there is nothing I can’t fix!” Plus, “Industries are always progressing, so there is always room to learn new things.”
Says Walter Warzecha, Director of Training, New York City District Council of Carpenters Training Center, “Joe Daly is a diligent, conscientious, dedicated, respectful apprentice. He has an eye for detail, is always asking relevant questions and wants to succeed at his craft. As an example, Joe was working upstate doing 12-hour days. He left his job, competed in our annual Apprentice Contest, came in first place, then went back to his job site and did his 12 hour shift. Joe’s instructor speaks very highly of him. He receives top grades in his class and is often finished with the days’ project and has to be challenged with far more difficult projects. Joe will also take the time to assist fellow apprentices if the instructor is busy with another apprentice. He is active with his union, and attends numerous charity fund raisers and union functions.”
