JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Construction is underway on an expansion of Baptist Medical Center’s emergency department, creating work for skilled trades professionals across several fields.
For the workers on the Southbank project, the job is also part of a career path supported by union apprenticeships, benefits and the opportunity to work on large-scale construction projects.
Leaving other careers for the trades
Owen Lauderman, a second-year plumbing apprentice with WW Gay Mechanical Contractors, began his career in December 2024 after working offshore on tugboats and dredges.
The schedule — four weeks away followed by two weeks at home — eventually became difficult, he said.
“It gets old after a while, being away from your family and friends,” Lauderman said. “So that’s really why I wanted to come here and start this.”
Ryan Nelson, a third-year sheet metal apprentice with Ferber Sheet Metal, said he earned a degree in business administration before deciding he did not want to work in an office.
“I decided that this wasn’t what I really wanted to do and went to the trades,” Nelson said.
Second-year plumbing apprentice Owen Lauderman, third-year sheet metal apprentice Ryan Nelson and first-year construction wireman apprentice Courtney Russell all work for companies with unions. (Matthew Garcia/News4JAX Special Projects Photojournalist)
Kourtney Russell, a first-year construction wireman apprentice with the Miller Electric Company, previously studied digital forensics, worked in armored transportation and ran a retail store.
Russell said an interest in electrical work grew while dealing with equipment problems at the store.
“We would have a lot of electrical issues with our refrigerators, our displays and things like that,” Russell said. “The more I learned, the more I understood what was going on.”
What union membership offers
The three apprentices work in different trades, but all are covered by a union.
Lance Fout, president of the North Florida Building Construction Trades Council, said unions representing plumbers, pipe fitters, electricians, operating engineers, iron workers and other trades operate under the council.
Fout said health care and retirement benefits were among the main reasons he moved from nonunion work to a union career.
Contractors pay health care premiums for workers and their families, he said. Retirement benefits can include pensions, 401(k) plans and health care retirement programs, depending on the local union.
“You’re not just working for the day, you’re working for the future,” Fout said.
Construction is underway on an expansion of Baptist Medical Center’s emergency department, creating work for skilled trades professionals across several fields. (Matthew Garcia/News4JAX Special Projects Photojournalist)
Union workers also can have access to jobs with multiple employers. If a worker is laid off from one company, the union may be able to connect that worker with another contractor, Fout said.
“It’s a benefit to the worker, and it’s a benefit to the contractor,” he said.
Workers can also travel to other states when local work is limited or if they want to pursue opportunities elsewhere. Fout said local members currently are working in places including Nevada, Texas, Ohio and Arizona.
Apprenticeships and job opportunities
Fout said unions maintain job boards and job banks to track available work. He pointed to the future renovation and construction work connected to Jacksonville’s Stadium of the Future as an example of a project that could require workers from outside the area.
Union apprenticeship programs pair apprentices with experienced journeymen and journeyworkers. The goal is to pass skills from one generation of workers to the next, Fout said.
“Safety first, quality, and they have access to manpower and the training,” Fout said of what union contractors can offer.
The cycle allows experienced workers to train apprentices, who eventually become skilled workers and pass those skills along to the next generation.
Union apprenticeship programs pair apprentices with experienced journeymen and journeyworkers. (Matthew Garcia/News4JAX Special Projects Photojournalist)
For the apprentices working construction at Baptist Medical Center, the union also provides a sense of community.
“I’d say it’s nice to be a part of a brotherhood,” Russell said. “They do everything they can for you to support each other, and it’s a great feeling to be a part of something bigger than you.”
Lauderman said the benefits and competitive pay were important factors in his decision to enter the plumbing trade.
Nelson said some union positions also offer incentives for workers willing to travel.
Union and nonunion work
Not every construction company uses union workers, and Fout said that is a company’s choice. Union members also pay dues, which he said typically range from $15 to $50 a month, depending on the trade and classification.
Still, Fout said his experience working both nonunion and union jobs shaped his view of the industry.
“I don’t regret my time because I got great experience,” Fout said. “But when we’re talking about raising a family, supporting your family and now I’m going to have a great retirement, I’ll never look back.”
Watch my full conversation with Fout at 3 p.m. Thursday on News4JAX+.
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