After serving in the Marine Corps, Scott Page started his career as an Operating Engineer and Technician 40 years ago. He rose to be a steward, a Business Representative for the union, and eventually became President of Operating Engineers 324. Now, as a retiree, he serves as the Chairman for the OE324 Retirees Club.
Today Scott enjoys his retirement, and the pension he earned through his years of service. He knows better than anyone the value of union membership, and how great it is to be an OE324 member and retiree. He is leading the Retiree Club into even more participation than ever, and is still active and involved with the local!
Operating Engineers 324 host National Apprenticeship Week 2023 Open House and Road Show
Each year in November, the United States Department of Labor celebrates National Apprenticeship Week, a week to celebrate the career opportunities offered through rigorous, USDoL Registered Apprenticeships. These Registered Apprenticeships are what Operating Engineers 324 offer, as do the other unionized skilled trades in Michigan. In 2023, we continued our tradition of hosting an open house at our world-class Construction Career Center in Howell, and invited educators around the state to come learn about the many trades - and the opportunities they provide - first hand. That includes speakers, networking, and most importantly, hands-on learning. The educators, government officials, and more, learned about operating heavy and stationary equipment, being a heavy equipment technician, as well as carpentry, brickwork, concrete finishing, plumbing, and much much more.
We welcome these opportunities to inform educators about these exciting careers, and what lifelong rewarding paths they offer. We thank everyone who joined us in 2023, and are already planning for 2024!
#OE324 #OE324PROUD #OE324STRONG #NAW2023
OE324 helps bring 2023 Construction vs Cancer Big Dig to Detroit Children's Hospital
In September, Operating Engineers 324 joined the American Cancer Society and other partners to return to Children's Hospital in Detroit for the second year and bring a touch of the construction world to children undergoing treatment for cancer. For five years #OE324 has worked with the ACS to put on the Big Dig event to raise money for pediatric cancer research. The event, which has taken place at the OE324 Construction Career Center in Howell, lets children try their hands at the heavy equipment we operate and maintain daily. It gives an unforgettable experience to kids with cancer, raises tens of thousands of dollars, and is a huge boost to the fight against cancer in Michigan. But the truth is that some children cannot visit the facility because they are actively undergoing treatment.
For the second year, we brought the event to them!
OE324, alongside several signatory contactor partners, joined the ACS with equipment right outside of Children's Hospital in Detroit so that children could come out and operate the machines right on site! We also brought down simulators for those who have to stay indoors but still wanted to get the experience. These inspiring kids and their parents got to see what it is like in the seat of an excavator, operate a crane, and go up in a lift, among other experiences!
The day was beautiful, but not as sunny as the smiles of the kids who got to join us for the day, and we are extremely grateful to the ACS and Children's Hospital for the opportunity!
#OE324CARES #OE324PROUD #OE324GIVESBACK #OE324STRONG
Operating Engineers 324 help Jared Allen Homes For Wounded Warriors build a home for SFC Bobby Body
In 2020, Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors selected wounded veteran SFC Bobby Body for a 100% accessible, mortgage-free new home to be designed and built in Northern Michigan.
Starting in 2022, Operating Engineers 324, with the help and support of many volunteers and signatory contractor partners, were proud to lend their collective skills and services to this noble project.
Over the next 13 months, #OE324, with the support and assistance of several signatory contractors and volunteers, assisted - together, we cleared the land by trucking in equipment from the Upper Peninsula, stripped and leveled the ground, loaded out stumps and debris, put in the culvert and driveway base, dug the footing, prepared the foundation, lifted the trusses, and did the final grading.
We thank those contractors who partnered with us on this: Alta Equipment; Cross Concrete; Great Lakes Timber Professional Association; M&M Excavating; McNally-Nimergood Crane; Miron Forest Products; MJ Vandamme Trucking; Michigan CAT; and Solid Rock Excavating.
We thank those volunteers - Zach Hrymecki, Scott Ritchie, Gary Hudgins, and Dennis Solcolovich, who donated not only his time but also equipment; the staff at the Operating Engineers 324 Construction Career Center, who donated time and equipment; and, of course, the 15,000 members of Operating Engineers 324.
It was our honor to be a part of this project, and we thank everyone – Jared Allen’s Homes for Wounded Warriors, Spence Brothers, the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters, all of our volunteers, members, leadership and contractor partners, for making this happen and welcoming us.
Most of all, we thank SPC Bobby Body and his family – for their service and sacrifice. We hope this house brings him as much well-earned joy as it brought us in being able to help make it happen.
#OE324PROUD #OE324STRONG #OE324GIVESBACK
Emma Reynolds is a Registered Apprentice on the Hoisting and Portable (crane) side for Operating Engineers 324. It's a family legacy for Emma - her father and brother are Operators, but a reevaluation after trying out college led her to the OE324 Apprenticeship Program. Emma has worked on wind farms and the Gordie Howe International Bridge, and is going through her apprenticeship with excitement and enthusiasm. Emma also is appreciative of the women in the construction industry who have come before her and been mentors, and she looks forward to doing the same herself in the future!
#WIC2023 #OE324STRONG #OE324PROUD #wicweek23 #womeninconstruction #womenintrades
Christi Smith has been working in construction since high school, including the last 24 years as an Apprentice and journeyman as an Operating Engineers 324 Heavy Equipment Operator. Christi has worked on almost every type of civil project - asphalt, landfill, roads and bridges, power plants, building trades, and pipeline.
"I love my job - I love what I do!" She is proud of the career she has built and the skills she has learned, and is a proud Operating Engineers 324 member!
#WIC2023 #OE324STRONG #OE324PROUD #wicweek23 #womeninconstruction #womenintrades
Operating Engineers 324 member Krystle Schnell has been an award-winning Registered Apprentice, a journeyman, and is now an Instructor at the OE324 Construction Career Center. When a forced career change led Krystle to explore opportunities as a Heavy Equipment Operator, she took the challenge on directly. Krystle not only completed her apprenticeship and received accolades as both the Michigan Apprenticeship Steering Committee, Inc (MASCI) and Associated General Contractors (AGC) Apprentice of the Year in 2015, she did it while starting and raising a family. Krystle has worked on a variety of high profile projects, and now shares her knowledge as an Instructor, teaching classes in equipment, drones, and health and safety. She also provides guidance and leadership to Apprentices, including other women exploring the construction industry, and encourages more women to find their future career in the skilled trades!
#WIC2023 #OE324STRONG #OE324PROUD #wicweek23 #womeninconstruction #womenintrades
In the modern workforce, women are finding and succeeding in construction careers at a record pace, and nowhere is that more evident than in Operating Engineers 324. While there have been female operating engineers since the trade began, it is only recently that more and more women are finding opportunities in the industry to be to their liking, and they are getting it done! OE324 has a record number of women apprentices, and many amazing graduated apprentices and journeypersons currently in the field and the classroom. We take a few minutes here to talk to a few of them - about their experiences, what they love about being operating engineers and members of OE324, and why they encourage more women to seek out careers in the construction industry!
#WIC2023 #OE324STRONG #OE324PROUD #wicweek23 #womeninconstruction #womenintrades
Operating Engineers 324 take the Big Dig to Children's Hospital
In September, Operating Engineers 324 joined the American Cancer Society and other partners to bring a touch of the construction world to children undergoing treatment for cancer at Children's Hospital in Detroit. For the past four years, #OE324 has worked with the ACS to put on the Big Dig event to raise money for pediatric cancer research. The event, which has taken place at the OE324 Construction Career Center in Howell the past two years, lets children try their hands at the heavy equipment we operate and maintain daily. But the truth is that some children cannot visit the facility because they are actively undergoing treatment.
So this year, we brought the event to them!
This year, OE324, alongside MacAllister CAT Rentals, Barton Malow, Fessler & Bowman, Alta Equipment, Eagle Excavating, Stoneco, Cadillac Asphalt, Iafrate, and the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters, joined the ACS with equipment right outside of the hospital so that children could come out and operate the machines right on site! We also brought down simulators for those who have to stay indoors but still wanted to get the experience.
The day was beautiful, but not as sunny as the smiles of the kids who got to join us for the day, and we are extremely grateful to the ACS and Children's Hospital for the opportunity!
#OE324CARES #OE324PROUD #OE324GIVESBACK #OE324STRONG
This May, the Operating Engineers 324 Construction Career Center in Howell was opened to the families of 324 members so they could get a hands-on experience operating the heavy equipment their fathers, mothers, grandparents, or even children use every day to build Michigan! We had record attendance, and families were treated to wonderful weather, a great experience, and a picnic where they could break bread with other members of the extended #OE324 family! Families also got to tour the world-class 600-acre training site, where OE324 Apprentices receive their education, and journeypersons update their skills.
#OE324STRONG #OE324PROUD #OE324FAMILY
In 2022, after two cancelled years due to the pandemic, the Operating Engineers 324 Retiree Picnic returned to the #OE324 Construction Career Center in Howell. The Chum & Evelyn Hall Retiree Picnic & Health Fair took place in July, and brought together many of the retiree's that made the organization what it is today. Retirees swapped stories, toured the most recent expansions to the facility, visited with friends old and new, and participated in a health fair. #OE324 honors it's retired members, and the union they helped build, and thanks them for their years of service to the organization and the infrastructure of Michigan!
#OE324STRONG #OE324PROUD #OE324HISTORY
Michigan Construction Career Days 2022: Operating Engineers 324
The best way for students and teachers to learn what it means to be an Operating Engineer is for them to actually experience the equipment we work with day in and day out. That is why OE324 was so excited to have the 2022 Michigan Construction Career Days - the largest hands-on Construction Career Fair in Michigan - return to an in-person event and welcome a record 4,000+ seventh through twelfth graders to visit the 600-acre Operating Engineers 324 Construction Career Center in Howell, Michigan for a day of learning about the skilled trades and careers in the construction industry! Students got to try their hands at being an operating engineer - from operating cranes, excavators, dozers, electronic stationary controls, and the technician shop - and hear from professional instructors, journeypersons and apprentices, and leave with a greater knowledge of the work to be had rebuilding Michigan!
The American Cancer Society Construction Vs. Cancer Big Dig 2022
In July 2022, Operating Engineers 324 once again partnered with the American Cancer Society to host "The Big Dig" at the #OE324 Construction Career Center in Howell. 2022 was the 4th year of the event, which brings the construction industry together to raise money for the fight against pediatric cancer. OE324 joined contractors and other partners to volunteer the equipment, the space, and most importantly, themselves, to help kids try their hand at being an Operating Engineer for a day and get to operate some heavy equipment! The 2022 event was a fantastic success, raising over $100,ooo and is a testament to what is possible when our industry works together! #OE324GIVESBACK #OE324PROUD #OE324STRONG
The Upper Peninsula Construction Council - Sault Ste. Marie Construction Career Fair
The Upper Peninsula Construction Council (UPCC) is the premier group of signatory contractors and building trades professionals working together to advance the best construction practices in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. That includes safety training, high standards, and helping introduce the next generation to the opportunities available in the trade.
Operating Engineers 324 are proud partners and members of the UPCC, and in April 2022, joined the UPCC and other member organizations in holding the first Sault Ste. Marie Construction Career Fair. Students from the eastern Upper Peninsula got to experience hands-on learning about the Construction industry and learn about the exciting and rewarding careers they can start after graduation! Students got to speak to a variety of skilled trades professionals from many organizations, all working together, and even try out an autonomous crane, welding simulator, heavy equipment simulator, or other hands on activities.
From our Operating Engineers 324 Northern Michigan Construction Career Center in Gladstone, OE324 is always working and partnering to help promote Construction, Registered Apprenticeships, and the best training available in the Upper Peninsula, and we look forward to more career fairs like this one!
Check out www.upconstruction.org to learn more about the Upper Peninsula Construction Council
#OE324PROUD #OE324STRONG #UPCC #OE324UP
"I love getting in that equipment, I love operating that equipment, but the ultimate thing is doing what you love, being in that seat, enjoying your day and loving what you do."
Kecia Harper is an Operating Engineers 324 Journeyman and Foreman working on the Gordie Howe International Bridge. Kecia credits the #OE324 Apprenticeship program and training for helping make her the leader she is today. She is proud of her union and loves the opportunity to share her training and skills with newer members on the job site. Kecia talks to us about the leadership and safety training our programs teach, as well as why she loves working on this particular project so much - a project that ranks as one of the largest in Michigan's history.
Kecia describes what Operators do on projects like the Gordie Howe bridge as working from "dirt to done." We couldn't say it better ourselves.
#OE324PROUD #OE324STRONG #OE324BUILDS #OE324OPERATES #OE324WOMENBUILDMICHIGAN
Alan Sutton is a recently graduated apprentice from the Operating Engineers 324 Registered Apprentice program. Alan's journey started near his home in Detroit when he decided to make a career change. Inspired by the heavy equipment he saw working in his community and after talking with his brother, Alan sought out the Operating Engineers 324 program, applied, and was accepted. While an apprentice, Alan began working in and learning about the crane side of things. Alan worked through all of the difficulties of being an apprentice, never giving up and always striving to do better. He talks about his gratitude for the instructors he had at the OE324 Construction Career Center who helped him through difficult times. He became a leader in the classroom and a proud graduate working on the Gordie Howe International Bridge, one of the most impressive projects in a generation.
Alan is proud of the difference he can make as an Operating Engineer - whether it's showing the rewarding careers that are available or doing the actual work of rebuilding communities. He loves his trade and his union, and sets a fantastic example for others.
"There's not too many jobs that are meaningful," says Sutton. "This is one of them"
#OE324PROUD #OE324STRONG #OE324INSPIRES
The Operating Engineers 324 Stationary Engineer Career Center
In the heart of Detroit, the Operating Engineers 324 Stationary Engineer Career Center is leading the way in educating the next generation of Boiler Operators, HVAC Installation and Service professionals, and Stationary Engineers. Training in programs like Advanced Controls, Refrigeration, Indoor Air Quality, and all aspects of Boiler and HVAC installation, maintenance, and operation makes OE324 Apprentices and graduates experts, employed by some of the largest operations in the state like Little Caesars Arena, Wayne County Airport Authority, Detroit Public Schools, the University of Michigan, Michigan State University, the Renaissance Center, and dozens of facilities, campuses, municipalities, schools, stadiums, and museums. We teach fundamentals AND advanced techniques and technology!
The Operating Engineers 324 Stationary Engineer Career Center prepares students for their accreditations (like the much sought-after Detroit and Dearborn Boiler Operator licenses). That education starts and continues here, at the Detroit school, where instructors use their real-world experience and skills to educate students in our Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship program. That is why so many partners - public and private alike - choose to use OE324 trained Stationary Engineers for their facilities. They know our Operating Engineers are world-class and second to none! And the classes we offer at our Stationary Engineer Career Center are the best available!
Classes are available to the public, and applications for Apprenticeships are available at specific times throughout the year. Visit OE324.org for details, and see why the Operating Engineers 324 Stationary Engineer Career Center is the place to build your career!
#OE324PROUD #OE324STRONG #OE324OPERATES #OE324TRAINS #OE324APPRENTICESHIPS
Last year, Viewpoint with Dennis Quaid came to Operating Engineers 324 with interest in filming a short-form documentary to air on Public Television showcasing some of the work - and some of the training, members, and instructors - doing the Infrastructure work building America. We partnered with them and the team at Bridging North America to showcase the work currently building the Gordie Howe International Bridge, and a few of the many highly skilled Operating Engineers accomplishing this work.
The video features #OE324 Graduated Apprentice (and 2021 MASCI Apprentice of the Year nominee) Alan Sutton, Journeyperson Kecia Harper, and OE324 JATF Instructor and Apprentice Coordinator John Haberkorn. They talk about the bridge project, one of the most massive and impressive projects in North America, and the work they are undertaking to build it. They also talk about their stories, the value and lifelong reward of #OE324 Registered Apprenticeship training, and the rewarding lifelong careers they offer.
The video will be broadcast on PBS stations starting next week, as well as on other news and informational channels.
#OE324STRONG #OE324PROUD #OE324OPERATES
Max Greenwood is a second year Technician program Apprentice with Operating Engineers 324. Growing up in the area, Max learned about OE324 from living in the area, and found a lifelong interest in working with his hands to be the drive to apply to be an Operating Engineer technician. Max works for Cloverdale, where he has been working on boom trucks, rough terrain cranes and Broderson cranes, and is looking forward to learning more about engines and hydraulics as part of his ongoing apprenticeship!
#OE324PROUD #OE324TRAINS
Matt Holdwick is an Operating Engineer 324 member working for M&M Excavating. Most recently Matt worked on the expansion of I-94 in Kalamazoo. Matt is a second generation Operator who loves the work he does and is proud of the union he is part of. He talks about how he came into the trade, what his favorite part of being an operator is, and the benefits of being an OE324 member!
#OE324PROUD #OE324OPERATES
Operating Engineers 324 Heavy Equipment Technician Apprentice Noah Cain-Bates is working for Cloverdale Equipment Co. He talks about how he made a career change to become an Apprentice, and what he has been learning while in the Tech program. Noah explains how he enjoys the variety of tasks that a Technician undertakes as part of their day-to-day work, and what it takes to be a successful Tech apprentice. Noah also takes pride in Operating Engineers 324, and what it offers for training and member support!
#OE324PROUD #OE324TRAINS #OE324STRONG #OE324TECHNICIANS
Randy Thomas is an Operating Engineers 324 Apprentice working at Little Caesars Arena as a Stationary Engineer. Randy came into the program because of an interest in boilers and working with his hands. Randy is proud to be an apprentice and embark on a lifelong career, and is learning as much as possible both on the job and in the classroom! #OE324OPERATES #OE324MAINTAINS #OE324PROUD
Operating Engineers 324 Host the American Cancer Society Big Dig 2021
This summer, Operating Engineers 324 partnered with the American Cancer Society to host "The Big Dig" at the #OE324 Construction Career Center in Howell. The Big Dig brings the construction industry together to raise money for the fight against pediatric cancer. OE324 and their signatory contractors volunteered the equipment, the space, and most importantly, themselves, to help kids try their hand at being an Operating Engineer for a day and get to operate some heavy equipment! The event was a great success, surpassing the fund raising goal of the day, and is a testament to what is possible when our industry works together! #OE324GIVESBACK #OE324PROUD #OE324STRONG
Doug Hilburn is a Graduated Apprentice from the #OE324 Stationary Engineer Career Center in Detroit, and was a nominee for Michigan Apprentice of the Year in 2020. Working at Detroit Metro Airport (DTW), Doug walks us through what a day is like for a Stationary Engineer at one of the largest - and busiest - airports in the country. Doug also explains how he became inspired to join the trade and why he's a proud Operating Engineers 324 union member. Doug has also started teaching classes at the Center to give back and inspire the next generation of Stationary Engineers!
Tim Villarreal is a proud #OE324 Heavy Equipment Technician and Instructor at the Operating Engineers 324 Construction Career Center. Tim has been a member for 18 years, and currently teaches welding and mechanics classes. Tim went through the OE324 Apprenticeship Program himself, and he tells us about his work experience as a field mechanic. Now, Tim is giving back by teaching the next generation of Heavy Equipment Technicians how to be the best, safest, and most efficient around. Tim is grateful for his career, and loves OE324 and the opportunity to continue a great tradition!
#OE324PROUD #OE324STRONG #OE324TRAINS #OE324REPAIRS
Dennis Mowbray is an #OE324 Stationary Engineer at the Wayne County Airport Authority, where he has worked for 23 years. Dennis is also an instructor at the Operating Engineers 324 Stationary Engineer Career Center in Detroit, where he teaches the next generation of OE324 Stationary and HVAC Techs! At the airport, Dennis is the senior trades manager, where he oversees the team taking care of HVAC, power plant, and mechanical equipment. For Dennis, helping students get their licensing and learn about the trade is what it's all about, so he is a proud OE324 member AND instructor!
#OE324PROUD #OE324STRONG #OE324TRAINS
Operating Engineers 324: Heavy Equipment Technicians
The next generation of Heavy Equipment Technicians are being trained daily at the Operating Engineers 324 Construction Career Center in Howell, Michigan. Heavy Equipment Technicians are the mechanics that keep the excavators, dozers, cranes, and other equipment running - eliminating downtime and making sure our work building Michigan continues with as little interruption as possible.
Apprentices gain skills like engine diagnosis and repair, tool identification, hydraulics, electrical and fuel systems repair, and welding, among other skills. Apprentices and journeypersons work for our signatory contractors in-house, or in the field visiting job sites!
Watch as some of our apprentices and their instructors talk about the skills necessary, and the advantages and opportunities a career as a Heavy Equipment Tech can offer!
#OE324
Operating Engineers 324 and the Wayne County Airport Authority (DTW): A Partnership
If you've ever travelled through Detroit Metropolitan Airport - DTW - then you have experienced the skills of the Operating Engineers 324 Stationary Engineers that keep the facility running! From the advanced climate controls to the lighting to the baggage handling and everything in between, Operating Engineers 324 members are behind the scenes, making it work for passengers who are coming from, and going to, places all around the world!
DTW is a major hub, which means it is one of the busiest airports in the world - it requires the absolute best-trained, highly-skilled, safest professionals to make sure everything is running correctly. That's why the Wayne County Airport Authority has built such a great and long lasting relationship with OE324. From apprenticeship and training - seasoned veterans like Dennis Mowbray who teach classes at the OE324 Stationary Engineer Career Center in Detroit, and accomplished Graduate Apprentices like Doug Hilburn - the partnership between WCAA and OE324 makes sure their Stationary Engineers are always prepared and the best around!
Enjoy this look behind the scenes at the Stationary Engineers that keep one of the United States busiest airports running!
#OE324PROUD #OE324STRONG
Jordan Jackson came through the Detroit Workforce of the Future pre-apprenticeship program while a high school student in Detroit. Jordan became interested in how things were built, and chose the Operating Engineers because he knew the Heavy Equipment was for him. Upon graduating the program, Julius entered the #OE324 Apprenticeship program and went to work for Iafrate Construction., learning how to be an Operating Engineer! Jordan is proud to be a Detroit Workforce of the Future grad, and to be learning as much as possible from veteran Operators while building his own skills!
Jamal Hill is an OE324 Stationary Engineer Apprentice at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. Jamal decided to change careers, and started taking Stationary Engineer classes and earning licenses before he was accepted as an OE324 Apprentice. It's this drive that has made him a success, as an Apprentice and at LCA! "Our license is a license to learn." He is a PROUD OE324 member, and a testament to our training, our brother and sisterhood, and the great work we do!
#OE324STRONG #OE324PROUD #OE324LGRW
#OE324 Stationary Engineer Kenneth Dombrow is a member of the team that keeps Little Caesars Arena up and running at all times. With challenges as unique as keeping TWO (!) ice rinks cooled to the perfect temperature, to making the building comfortable for 20,000 screaming fans, the team at LCA puts their exceptional experience and training to work. Kenneth also talks about the OE324 advantage - the professionalism and education our Operators bring to every site, and the support OE324 provides to its members!
#OE324OPERATES #OE324MAINTAINS #OE324LGRW
To be the best, you have to learn from the best.
That’s why at Operating Engineers 324, our training is second to none.
Our registered apprenticeships let students earn while they learn, while adhering to the strict Federal DoL standards. But our training is career-long. We are constantly working to be the best trained, technologically advanced and safest professionals available.
From our 3 Michigan training sites – in Detroit, in the Upper Peninsula, and at our 555-acre Construction Career Center in Howell, our Heavy Equipment Operators, Technicians, and Boiler and HVAC Engineers never stop learning. We’re on the forefront of emerging techniques, and we’re doing it safely and efficiently.
Roads, Bridges, Pipelines and Wind Farms, skyscrapers, HVAC and mechanics - We are Operating Engineers 324, and we keep Michigan running.
#OE324STRONG #OE324PROUD #OE324TRAINS
Operating Engineers 324 and Little Caesars Arena: A Partnership
It takes Stationary Engineers of the highest skills and training to keep a state-of-the-art facility like Little Caesars Arena up and running smoothly. That's why LCA and Olympia partner with Operating Engineers 324 - to make sure that the arena is at its best at all times. From the complex chillers that keep the ice at the right temperature for Red Wings games, to the HVAC and heating systems that allow Pistons games and concerts to be comfortable for everyone, the OE324 Stationary Engineers at Little Caesars Arena are some of the absolute best, and they show how OE324 training is the best in the state! From Apprentices to Journeymen, new employees to those who previously worked at Joe Louis Arena, they come from different backgrounds but share one important bond - the training and support they receive from the #OE324 brotherhood and sisterhood. OE324 Operating Engineers worked to build this modern stadium, and are working everyday to maintain it. Next time you are watching a Red Wings or Pistons game, or attending a show at Little Caesars Arena, think of the OE324 Engineers keeping the venue running, and #LGRW!
OE324 Crane Operator Mark Watkins tells us about the value of Apprenticeship, and why he considers mentorship so important for the next generation of Operating Engineers. From his crane high above the Hudson Site Redevelopment, Mark gets a unique view on the city on projects as they shape the skyline.
COVID-19 Safety at the Operating Engineers 324 Construction Career Center
Safety is always priority number one to Operating Engineers 324, and that includes safety around limiting the contraction and spread of COVID-19. At the OE324 Construction Career Center in Howell, Instructors and attendees alike are taking the utmost care and precautions to keep everyone safe and healthy. That includes exceeding state and federal guidelines around classroom size, disinfecting work and learning stations, checking in, and social distancing. A good Operator is a safe Operator, and that goes from the classroom to the jobsite.
#OE324STRONG #OE324PROUD #OE324SAFETY #OE324TRAINS
Fenton Schools visit the OE324 Construction Career Center
We know that introducing students to the great careers in the skilled trades helps develop the next generation of Operating Engineers. Partnering with schools is the best way to share these opportunities with students, and when we have a chance to work directly with educators, they can share these great careers first-hand. Fenton School District has long been a great partner in helping students find paths that include the professional trades, so we were excited to host their district administrators in a day of learning at our Construction Career Center in Howell!
Administrators spent the day learning about what makes a good Operating Engineer, and what skills students can have before applying that increases their chances of success in the trades. They spent the day learning about the applied math we use, skills like hoisting, rigging, and excavation, and even got to try their hand at some Heavy Equipment. And they did it all while maintaining our strict COVID safety standards and protections!
#OE324PROUD #OE324TEACHES #OE324CAREERS
Stationary Engineer Benjamin Gibson has been a member of #OE324 for 37 years. Benjamin came through our Stationary Education Center as an Apprentice, and has had a long, rewarding career working in the Detroit Public Schools for both the school district and now it's signatory contractors. Everyday presents a new set of challenges, and Benjamin approaches them with skill and pride. Over his long career, Benjamin has seen huge changes in the equipment he maintains as boilers and systems have been modernized and computerized. But one thing that hasn't changed is the professionalism expected day in and day out, and the value of union training and education.
Benjamin knows the importance of receiving the best training and certifications, and has built a great career on it!
#OE324PROUD #OE324STRONG #OE324MAINTAINS
OE324 Apprenticeship Coordinator Mark Zinser has spent over 20 years as an Instructor at the OE324 Construction Career Center. He not only teaches Apprentice and Journeymen Operators, he places those Apprentices with companies and guides them through their apprenticeship. His pride is in the many Operators he has seen become Journeymen and have long, good careers. #OE324STRONG #OE324BUILDS #OE324OPERATES #OE324INSTRUCTS
Brian Marzion is an Operating Engineers 324 Journeyman Operator. Brian is proud to be a pipeliner, and talks about the his favorite equipment, projects he's worked on, and how being a union pipeliner is like a family.
#OE324STRONG #OE324PROUD
OE324 Apprentice Hector Gatica had worked in construction before, but it's the brotherhood and sisterhood of Operating Engineers 324 he is most grateful and proud of. Being a member of a team that feels more like a family, in the field and in the classroom. #OE324PROUD #OE324STRONG #OE324OPERATES
#OE324 Member and Business Representative Curt Utterback is a third-generation Operating Engineer. For 28 years, Curt worked on distribution and demolition projects, including the Great Alaskan Pipeline. Now, as an Agent, Curt gives back by helping ensure projects go well and that members and contractors alike are getting the value our partnerships prescribe. Curt is #OE324PROUD to the core. #OE324STRONG #OE324OPERATES
OE324 Member Mike Love was an experienced Operator before he came to the Construction Career Center and began giving back as an instructor. Now Mike teaches a variety of classes, but it's his time in the field he says taught him the value of being in OE324. And that's why paying it forward by instructing the next generation of Operators means so much to him. #OE324STRONG #OE324BUILDS #OE324OPERATES #OE324INSTRUCTS
Justin Daniel is an Operating Engineers 324 Apprentice on the civil side. A lifelong Detroit resident, Justin is part of the largest apprentice group in OE324 history, and is proud of what he does and the future monuments he is helping to create. We caught up with him operating an excavator for Iafrate Construction in Detroit last year, and he shared a bit of his story with us! #OE324OPERATES #OE324BUILDS #OE324MAINTAINS #OE324PROUD
Bailey Felton is an Operating Engineers 324 Apprentice on the civil side. We caught up with Bailey on a project where he was working for Barton Malow, and asked him about what brings him to OE324, how his apprenticeship has gone, and what he loves about being an Operator!
#OE324STRONG #OE324PROUD #OE324APPRENTICES
Upper Peninsula Professional Trades Career Day 2019
The opportunities for careers in construction are booming throughout Michigan, and the Upper Peninsula is no exception! This September, #OE324 was proud to participate in the largest hands-on career fair in the U.P. - the Upper Peninsula Professional Trades Career Day in Marquette. The event was sponsored by the Upper Peninsula Construction Council, Marquette-Alger Regional Educational Service Agency, the UPward Talent Council – Michigan Works!, and the State of Michigan’s Workforce Development Agency, and hosted hundreds of students interested in learning about Professional Trades careers! OE324 and our partners brought equipment for students to try their hands at Operating, as well as the next generation of construction technology like drones, simulators and autonomous cranes. The event was a rousing success, and we're already looking forward to 2020!
We meet 30+ year #OE324 member and Sylvania Minerals Supervisor Carl Beaubien. Carl talks with us about the day to day at the quarry, as well as the need for safety, training, and quality aggregate in rebuilding infrastructure. Thank you Carl, for being a member of OE324! #OE324Proud
We meet #OE324 member Great Lakes Aggregates Heavy Equipment Operator Kevin Krach. Kevin explains what a day is like for an Operator at the Sylvania Quarry, and what he enjoys about being an Operating Engineer. Thank you Kevin, for being a member of OE324! #OE324Proud
OE324 and Great Lakes Aggregates - Sylvania Minerals Quarry
With the need for quality aggregate to rebuild Michigan's roads and bridges at an all-time high, it takes quarries like the Sylvania Minerals Quarry in Rockwood operated by Great Lakes Aggregates - Sylvania Minerals, LLC to keep progress moving. Operating Engineers 324 represents the workers of the quarry, who are extracting and refining the materials that go into the roads we rely on everyday. Today we take a look inside the quarry, and at the crucial skilled work OE324 Operators are doing every day to keep Michigan running.
#OE324STRONG #OE324PROUD
Construction Career Days 2019: Operating Engineers 324
Each May, Operating Engineers 324 is privileged enough to join forces with the other Registered Apprenticeship skilled trades like the IBEW, Carpenters and Millwrights, Ironworkers, Bricklayers, and many others and showcase the career opportunities that exist in the construction industry at the Construction Career Days. This year (2019) had the largest number of students in attendance ever - over 3,000 - who got to try their hands at trades, hear from professional instructors, journey-persons and apprentices, and leave with a greater knowledge of the work to be had rebuilding Michigan. We are honored to host the event at our 555-acre Construction Career Center in Howell, where we can give students the ability to even try out the cranes, excavators, pavers, dozers and more we use every day!
We Are #OE324
We Build.
Roads, Bridges, Wind Farms and Pipelines, Schools to Skyscrapers - our members create monuments.
We Operate.
We're the Operators and Mechanics behind the advanced heavy machines that move Michigan forward.
We Maintain.
Boilers and HVAC, our members run the complex heating and cooling systems that we all depend on.
Our training is second to none and safety is our priority. We are Operating Engineers 324, and We Keep Michigan Running.
#OE324PROUD #OE324STRONG
Governor Gretchen Whitmer visits Construction Career Days 2019
This May, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer visited the 11th annual Construction Career Days held at the Operating Engineers 324 Construction Career Center in Howell, MI. The two day event welcomed over 3,000 high school students to try their hands at skills that build rewarding careers in the Construction industry, including carpentry, sheet metal, electrician, and of course, Operating Engineer.
The Governor talked to students, instructors, apprentices and journeymen and women, toured the exhibits, tried out a simulator, and operated an excavator and crane. #OE324 thanks the Governor for her visit, and for her work to advance Registered Apprenticeships and union skilled trades.
#OE324Strong #OE324Proud
Operating Engineers 324: Using Simulator Technology to Extend the Classroom
Technology is a vital part of the future of Operating Engineers, and #OE324 is on the forefront with the use of Simulators. Partially enabled by a grant from the Ralph C. Wilson Foundation, OE324 is using simulators to extend the classroom in all sorts of weather conditions, giving apprentices valuable seat time without risk to themselves or machines through the use of these cutting edge tools. Simulators also provide a valuable resource in outreach, where their portability allows us to take them into the classroom or career fair and give students a chance to enjoy a hands-on experience where actual equipment wouldn't be an option.
These modern simulators teach real life situations in an amazingly advanced setting, and are helping keep OE324 on the cutting edge.
Operating Engineers 324 know the value of pre-apprenticeship programs and how they help future skilled tradespeople prepare for their career in a registered apprenticeship program like the one we offer. Because of that, #OE324 has partnered with Vision For Prosperity, a pre-apprenticeship program in Kalamazoo County, to help these students for their future.
Vision for Prosperity is an apprenticeship readiness training program developed with support from the building trades to help Kalamazoo County residents qualify for training and employment opportunities in the construction industry.
Training includes 315 hours of blueprint reading, construction math, health and safety, first aid/CPR, building trades and labor history, field trips to apprenticeship programs and an externship at a local construction site.
Operating Engineers 324 has launched a new free, confidential Member Support System to assist our members and their families who are dealing with tough personal issues and need help. Addiction, depression, grief, stress - these are issues we all deal with. As a brother and sisterhood, we can be there to help one another. Visit https://bit.ly/2DqkyMI to learn more.
Access For All is a revolutionary Pre-Apprenticeship program in the city of Detroit, providing the path for city residents to careers in the skilled trades. The program includes weeks of required classroom learning in necessary skills like math, job site experiences trying out different trades to find a right fit, and culminates in a week long volunteer project in their own community. Operating Engineers 324 has been a partner of Access For All for several years, as well as the beneficiary of some of it's finest students upon graduation. Today, we take a deeper look at Access For All, the program, it's students, and the bridge it so necessarily provides.
#OE324PROUD #OE324STRONG #ACCESSFORALL
Operators Engineers 324 and Michigan Carpenters Joint Training
Operating Engineers 324 hosted a joint training with the Michigan Regional Council of Carpenters and Millwrights at the OE324 Construction Career Center in Howell, Michigan. The Operators and Carpenters worked on pile driving, and the communication and safety necessary on the job site. We are proud to have hosted this, and the many other joint trainings we work on constantly with our brothers and sisters in the trades.
#OE324Proud #OE324Training #OE324Strong
Operating Engineers 324 has partnered with Detroit-based Pre-Apprenticeship program Access For All since it's inception. In addition to providing support to the students exploring future careers in the skilled trades, OE324, working with industry partners like RBV Contracting, Michigan CAT and Alta Equipment, volunteered to help with the cohorts final project: cleaning out the former Highland Park Schools Administration Building. We salute those students, instructors and our own volunteers who help to make Access For All the great program that it is.
Today we meet #OE324 member, Detroit Renewable Energy Heavy Equipment Technician Loyal Webber. Loyal explains what a day is like for a Technician at the renewable energy plant, and the value of union training. Thank you Loyal, for being a member of OE324! #OE324Proud #OE324Strong
Today we meet #OE324 member, Detroit Renewable Power Control Room Operator and steward Thornell Curry. Thornell talks about the value of union membership and how he has climbed the ranks in his 26 years at the facility. Thank you Thornell, for being a member and steward in OE324! #OE324Proud #OE324Strong
Today we meet #OE324 member, Detroit Renewable Power mechanic and chief steward Jeffery Washington. Jeffrey talks about the value of family on and off the site, and tells his story of working his way up through his many years at DRP. Thank you Jeffrey, for being a member and steward in OE324! #OE324Proud #OE324Strong
Detroit Renewable Power and Operating Engineers 324
Detroit Renewable Power (DRP) is a state of the art energy from waste (EFW) facility in Detroit, Michigan. It provides the city with clean, renewable energy and environmentally responsible solid-waste management.
Detroit Renewable Power also employs a large number of Operating Engineers, who work in every aspect of the facility. Heavy Equipment Operators, Heavy Equipment Technicians, Stationary Engineers and Maintenance all fall under the OE324 umbrella, and we are proud to have so many great employees as members.
This video looks a little closer at the facility, and the great work these members do daily to provide energy for the city of Detroit.
2018 saw the biggest and best Construction Career Days event yet. Over two days, almost 2,600 Michigan students visited the Operating Engineer 324's 555-acre Construction Career Center to learn about the skilled trades and get some hands-on knowledge! The students were treated to a variety of presentations and disciplines, culminating on them being able to try their hand on some heavy equipment.
Operating Engineers 324, #OE324, is working to identify, attract and retain the next generation of skilled professionals to enjoy rewarding careers.
Today we meet veteran and OE324 Apprentice Nick Abraham. Nick started operating heavy equipment while serving, and has carried it through to Operating Engineers 324 with the help of the Helmets to Hardhats program. We thank Nick, and all veterans, for their service, and welcome him to our brother and sisterhood.
Today we hear from OE324 apprentice and service veteran Amanda Karr. Amanda started her apprenticeship through the Helmets to Hardhats program, and has taken an active role in many OE324 activities. She was also recently part of a delegation that went to Lansing to speak to legislators about the importance of veterans in the skilled trades, and the protection of their jobs and wages. Thank you Amanda, for your service as a member and as part of the great brother and sisterhood of OE324! #OE324Serves #OE324Proud
Today we meet OE324 member and service veteran Randy Vadasy. Randy is an active member who participates in many OE324 activities, and was recently part of a delegation that went to Lansing to speak to legislators about the importance of veterans in the skilled trades, and the protection of their jobs and wages. Thank you Randy, for your service as a member and for your brotherhood in OE324! #OE324Serves #OE324Proud
Skilled Trades Veterans Speak Out for Prevailing Wage
In February 2018, a number of military veterans who belong to the skilled trades traveled to Lansing, Michigan to share the importance of Prevailing Wage with legislators. Veterans enter the skilled trades at a greater rate than any other group or career, and in Michigan, Prevailing Wage helps guarantee a fair day's pay for a fair day's work. Repeal of Prevailing Wage laws, pushed for by moneyed special interests, will impact veterans at a significant rate. Protect Michigan Veterans - Protect Prevailing Wage.
Apprenticeship Coordinator John Hartwell walks us through the steps and process to become a Heavy Equipment Operator or Technician Apprentice with OE324. Applications will be available starting June 11 – June 15, 2018. Visit www.OE324.org for more details on starting your career in this outstanding field!
We look back at our 2017 Retiree Picnic at the Sam T. Hart Construction Career Center. Our retirees are the foundation on which #OE324 was built, and we thank them for their years of service to our local and our state. This year's Chum & Evelyn Hall Retiree Picnic & Health Fair is scheduled for Saturday, July 14. #OE324Strong #OE324Honors
Meet Jessica Knight, 15 Year Veteran and Sergeant in the United States Army Reserve and Operating Engineers 324 Apprentice. Jessica talks about her service, Helmets to Hardhats, and being an OE324 Apprentice.
US Army veteran and Operating Engineers 324 Apprentice Jessica Knight has served 15 years as an active reservist, including four tours of Afghanistan and Iraq. Now, she puts those skilled she learned in combat zones to work rebuilding Michigan. So she's confused why Special Interests and Michigan Legislators want to lower her wages and damage the great work our state is doing by repealing Prevailing Wage.
Operating Engineers and Michigan Urban Search And Rescue - Partnership and Training
Operating Engineers 324 and the Michigan Urban Search and Rescue Foundation have a long-running and vital partnership. Together, they work to train Emergency first-responders to be prepared in the event disaster strikes. At the Operating Engineers 324 Construction Career Center in Howell, Michigan, these first responders come from all over the state and country to train with Operating Engineers in emergency skills like trench rescue, structure collapse, shoring, Confined Space training and Fire/Burning rescue. OE324 is proud to have members as part of the Michigan Task Force 1 (recently deployed to Florida in the wake of Hurricane Irma), and to continue a partnership with so many Emergency Response organizations.
Operating Engineers 324 Heavy Equipment Technician Apprenticeships
We are training the next generation of Heavy Equipment Technicians at the Operating Engineers 324 Construction Career Center in Howell, MI. Here, some of our apprentices and their instructors talk about the skills necessary, and the advantages and opportunities a career as a Heavy Equipment Tech can offer! #OE324
We look back at the Construction Science Expo 2017 from May. The Construction Science Expo is an annual event, held in late spring at the Michigan Science Center in Detroit, during which high school students who have signed a drug-free pledge are invited to spend a day being exposed to careers in the engineering and construction fields through a variety of speakers and hands-on experiences. Operating Engineers 324 is a proud sponsor and participant, and the 2017 event was the best yet!
We take a look at the 2017 Construction Career Days, when thousands of high schools students from all over the state of Michigan visited the #OE324 Construction Career Center in Howell to learn about careers in the trades! The weather may have been less than ideal, but that didn't stop the students and volunteers from having a great time. Developing the next generation of skilled tradesmen and women is one of the most important challenges and opportunities we face, and OE324 is working hard daily to do just that. We're already looking forward to 2018!
Operating Engineers 324 Member Spotlight: Don Dybowski/Detroit Zoo
A look at OE324 Member Don Dybowski, Detroit Zoo Stationary Engineer. The Detroit Zoo relies on Don and OE324 to maintain complex climate control systems for the animals the Zoo is renowned for. This includes the new Polk Penguin Conservation Center.
A recap of the OE324 2017 Family Day, where members bring their families to the Construction Career Center in Howell, MI to see and use the equipment Operating Engineers work with daily! There is also a picnic, and the camaraderie as members meet each other's families and participate in this great event!
Stacy & Witbeck is the General Contractor and Construction Manager working on Detroit's M1-Rail project. They employ highly trained, skilled, productive, and safe OE 324 operators and contractors to get the job done right.
Many OE 324 members are working on the M1-Rail project as the 3.3 mile commuter rail line is being constructed. The QLINE will run on what was the first paved road in the country, connecting midtown to downtown to fuel the rebirth of Detroit.
OE 324 Apprentice Paul S. works at Joe Louis Arena and is training to become a Stationary Engineer. Hear his success story and get an inside look at Stationary Engineering in this short video!
Operating Engineers 324 is dedicated to educating today's youth about career opportunities in the skilled trades industry. Together we inspire the next generation of learners, thinkers, and doers.
Over the past three months, Operating Engineers have been hard at work building the new Children’s Hospital of Michigan at the Detroit Medical Center. Throughout the project the Operators and Ironworkers have been interacting with the patients, waving back and forth with the children whose rooms overlook the construction project. This story has captured the hearts of OE 324, and we want to share it with you.
What gives OE 324 members a competitive advantage on the job site? Dave Ruhle of Toebe Construction shares first-hand the value of union trained Operators and the skills that set them apart.
Nearly 2,000 members are participating in the OE 324 Hiring Hall. Discover how OE 324 helps companies match the best workers to their current job needs.
OE 324 celebrates its partnership with Michigan CAT and embraces all of the hard work that is being accomplished right here in Michigan. This video showcases the tremendous value of the partnership between OE 324 and Michigan CAT.
Watch as Michael Nystrom, Executive Vice president of MITA, discusses the importance of Michigan’s Prevailing Wage Law and what it means for the construction industry as well as our economy.
Tom Schlang, Chief Engineer at Joe Louis Arena, talks about the pride he feels to have built his career as an OE 324 member, to see his son follow in his footsteps, and what it means to work in one of Michigan’s most loved landmarks.
Michael Nystrom of MITA talks about how the repeal of Prevailing Wage laws in Michigan would equate to the loss of quality, skilled employees and how this loss would impact Michigan’s economy.
Gary Benjamin of Gundlach Champion discusses the productivity of 96,000 local tradesmen and women and why Michigan’s construction trade workforce ranks number one within the country.
This video is dedicated to all of the hard working members of OE 324 who shaped this state and its landmarks into what we know and cherish today. Watch as beloved members celebrate another year of retirement.
Introducing the new OE 324 Logo! OE 324 has a refreshed brand and looks forward to the bright future awaiting the next generation of Operating Engineers.
This video examines the value of Union Training in the Construction Industry. "Priceless, invaluable, indispensable." These are just some of the words Ironworker and Operator apprentices use to describe the unique opportunity to work together on the five-story “Raising Gang” training structure at the OE 324 Construction Career Center in Howell, MI.
Since 1967, the OE 324 Construction Career Center has been Michigan's only self-funded facility offering hands-on heavy equipment training to thousands of Apprentices and Journeyman Operators.
Since 2008, MICCD has been Michigan’s premiere construction career exploration event. MICCD provides Michigan’s young people a chance to experience construction up-close, getting the chance to use real tools, materials, and heavy equipment under the direct guidance of construction professionals from all sectors of the industry.