A rewarding job with great pay and benefits? One where your work takes skill and where you can see your progress on a daily basis? Respected contractors and construction companies like E.T. Simonds need employees to work on everything from highway maintenance to building bridges. The work is secure, high-paying and rewarding, but landing these jobs has to be done in a specific way.

Many of workers hired by these companies are members or apprentice members of Operating Engineers Local 520, a Metro-East labor union that serves more than a dozen Southern Illinois counties. Individuals have to be in the union “pipeline” before landing the jobs. Becoming a member union requires some specific steps.

All applicants must be 18 (with proof) and have a high school diploma or GED as well as a valid Illinois driver’s license. Additionally, applicants must be from one of the following Illinois counties:

*Madison county includes both sides of the Mississippi River.
*Randolph county includes Kaskaskia Island, Horse Island and Crane Island.

Applicants must pass a physical examination and drug screening by a licensed facility, after selection and prior to placement on the job and must be legal residents of the United States or actively pursuing steps to become a citizen.

There is no charge to apply for the apprenticeship program, which last four years. Once accepted in the program, individuals will go through a mix of classroom or on-equipment instruction and work in the field with contractors such as Simonds.

A first-year apprentice will be paid for the on-the-job training at a rate of 50% of the Journeyperson scale. Pay increases will be given throughout the apprenticeship program based on work hours, training hours, and tests completed. The in-seat and classroom training is unpaid however; the apprentice does not pay to receive the training. Apprentices receive the same benefits as Journeyperson Operators. These benefits include: pension, annuity, vacation, and health insurance (must meet initial eligibility requirements prior to receiving health insurance).

Throughout the apprenticeship, individuals are able to gain certifications, showing their training and skills in construction techniques and with equipment – everything from forklifts to high-rise cranes to working with hazardous materials and rigging materials to be lifted overhead.

“Obviously, the best case scenario for an apprentice is to put forth the effort and get every certification you can. That makes you more employable to our contactors,” Ferrari (Union Vice President) said.

He added that there are benefits far beyond career opportunities.

“The main thing about being a union operating engineer is, the benefits that you take away from it,” he said. “Plus camaraderie that you have with your brothers and sisters.”

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