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"Why retire when we’re having so much fun?" Building Arts Center at San Jose’s Central County Occupational Center (CCOC)
Inside the Building Arts Center at San Jose’s Central County Occupational Center (CCOC), you don’t get any spectacular views of the San Francisco Bay or the hills surrounding Silicon Valley. What you do get on this project is a long view from a crew with some serious union time under their tool belts. Marty O’Brien, who’s the superintendent for general contractor Coulter Construction, has 35 years as a union carpenter. "I started at the World Trade Center in New York in 1974–75 as a first-year apprentice," O’Brien says. "I was carrying sheetrock."
 Coulter Construction Superintendent Marty O’Brien has 35 years in the union, 32 of them with Local 405. O’Brien, a longtime Local 405 member, is a fair piece from New York now, running a crew of five Coulter employees on this project, along with insulators from PCI and a team from Culberson Drywall. "We basically gutted the existing structure all the way to the exterior walls—leaving just the masonry and the concrete," O’Brien says. "Now, it’s got all new ductwork, electrical, mechanical, plumbing—everything." The Building Arts Center is part of this sprawling unit of San Jose’s Metropolitan Education, which provides career development and job training for high school students in six South Bay school districts. Thirty-two high schools funnel kids to this center. Students can study to be assistants in dental, medical or veterinary offices, learn fire science or forensic skills, or prepare for a career in the automotive industry, cabinet-making, carpentry or other trades.  Local 405 member Bill McNamara is Coulter’s project manager for the CCOC project. He’s been in the union for about 34 years. "It’s a nice project—and a really good group of guys," says Coulter’s project manager Bill McNamara of the $2.5 million project. "Coulter is self-performing all the carpentry work in the Building Arts Center." McNamara may have traded in his tool belt for a project manager position with Coulter, but he hasn’t given up his union membership at Local 405. In fact, he’s going on 34 years in the union.  Culberson foreman Steve Dunkin is a Local 405 member, and has been 31 years with Local 405. Inside, a Culberson team works side-by-side hanging sheetrock around an interior window. "Hey Jeff, hold the other side of this," Culberson foreman Steve Dunkin says, lifting a piece of sheetrock. Dunkin has been on the CCOC project since January, but he’s been in the union at bit longer—31 years to be exact. Jeff taps his end of the sheetrock into plac e. Jeff Dunkin is a six-year member of Local 9144—and Steve’s son. Aside from his dad, Jeff’s grandpa and two uncles were all union carpenters. Around the corner, it’s also a family thing for Magdalino Garcia, Local 9068, and his brother, Martin, a member of Local 713; they also work for Culberson. Magdalino hasn’t hit the 30-year mark yet, but he’s been in a UBC member for almost a quarter of a century.  Jon Melum, Local 405, has been a union carpenter for 22 years, and got his stepson into the union, too. “It’s work that’s got some history,” he says, “some heritage.”  Magdalino Garcia, Local 9068, clocks in with 24 years in the union. He said although he’s been working off and on for the last year, 2009 was his worst year ever overall in work hours. “But it was that way,” he says, “for lots of people.”  Martin Garcia, Local 713, notes that last year was a hard one for work—and so far this year things remain a little challenging. “In 2010, we’ve only had one week at 40 hours, one at 32, and the rest at 24 hours a week.” Deep in the center of this cavernous building, other Coulter carpenters sheetrock new walls around the existing masonry infrastructure. The team in here is a serious cluster of union culture. Jon Melum, Local 405, counts 22 years in the UBC, and a stepson with six years as a union carpenter. "Being a carpenter’s got some history—some heritage to it."  Jeff Dunkin, Local 9144, who’s dad Steve is working right next to him. His dad, grandfather and both uncles are also carpenters.  Local 405 member Nelson Domoe has “33 and 9/12 years” as a union member. “What will I do when I retire?” he says with a chuckle. “Whatever I want!”  Jack Baccus got his start in union carpentry at Local 1822 in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1979, but he’s with Local 405.
 Joseph Bernard, Local 405, is in his 13th year with both Culberson and the union. Jack Baccus and Nelson Domoe, both of Local 405, know a lot about that heritage—from personal experience. "I started out at Local 1822 in Ft. Worth, Texas in 1979," Baccus says. But Domoe has them all beat. "How long have I been a union member—33 and 9/12 years." At 66, Domoe is thinking about retirement. What’s he going to do when that day comes? "Whatever I want!" Retirement plans range from Marty O’Brien’s house on three acres in Redding to Bill McNamara’s "getting to be finally old enough to play golf." And inevitably, the subject of retirement leads to talk of the old days, the 1970s’ with the 25-and-out plan, the cost of doing what you want to if you’re not working, and, of course, the recent pension vote. O’Brien’s final words on the topic seem to reflect a few of these carpenters’ thoughts. "With the new pension," he says, "it makes it worth while to stay in a little longer." He pauses for a minute, chuckles. "But how can we retire when we’re having so much fun?" Too bad by the time the Building Arts Center opens for classes, these guys’ll be long gone—on to the next project. The students could learn a lot from this crew, and not just about how to bolt a wall, level a sill or hang sheetrock.  Rafael Ramirez has 18 years in the union, all of them at Local 152.  Justin Corbin will turn out as a journeyman carpenter after his next class, which starts in a few days. (It’s roofing, in case you were wondering).  Alejandro Rojas, Local 713, is installing insulation at CCOC for PCI.
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