A Carpenter’s Election Take

Ernest Pagan (second from right in photo), who wrote the following opinion article, is a representative with the carpenters union.

(Opinion) As a lifelong resident of the city of New Haven, homeowner, carpenter, community organizer, and father raising children in our city, I believe Mayor Harp deserves to be reelected.

Before the carpenters began working on projects that were facilitated by Toni Harp when she was a state senator, our union local had very few minority members from New Haven. Now it has over 150 and more than a 35 percent minority membership statewide. Over the past 18 months, the carpenters have hired 45 New Haven residents, who are mostly from New Haven’s low-income neighborhoods. For the first time in our local’s history, we have minority representation on regional executive board, two seats on the local executive board are held by two New Haven minority residents, and we have four black female stewards. Although I am proud of the work that I and my union have undertaken to achieve these remarkable feats, Mayor Harp played an important role in this success. 

Mayor Harp’s 2013 election marked a shift in our union’s approach to work in New Haven and the region. In the 2013 election, the carpenters did not endorse Mayor Harp and we did not have the strong local hiring program that we have now. Instead of holding a grudge, the mayor insisted that we invest in creating pathways into apprentice-track jobs for New Haven residents and people of color. The carpenters engaged in this project in good faith and assigned it to me.

Since then, it has been my mission to ensure that good work for the carpenters is also good work for New Haven. As Mayor Harp’s administration has cultivated a construction boom, we have been able to hire many New Haven residents into good middle-class jobs. 

This work has provided more opportunities for people with stories like mine. I grew up in West Rock, facing hardships that many residents in this neighborhood still face: rising rents, violence, and a lack of opportunity. My life changed when I became an apprentice in the carpenters. The job offered me an opportunity to move beyond just survival. With my salary, benefits and carpentry skills, I have purchased and maintained real estate properties and achieved economic security for me and my family.

Having a union job also allowed me to bounce back from a terrible injustice. In 2007, I was falsely accused of murder. The crime was committed while I was at home wrapping Christmas presents with my mother and sister. The investigating police officers interrogated me for three days without obtaining a confession. But my family and I could not afford the $3 million bail, which left me waiting in prison for 14 months while my trial proceeded. During this time, my case caught the attention of a good public defender, who found significant inconsistencies in the witness accounts. At the trial, three witnesses admitted that they did not see me at the crime scene. The jury ruled in my favor and I was exonerated from all charges.

Not everyone will experience an injustice like the one I endured. But my experience is just one example of how something completely out of your control can turn your life upside down in a moment. In neighborhoods like West Rock, residents are more likely to be the victims of an unbalanced criminal justice system, violent crime, or financial hardship.

Unions provide security against these challenges. After spending fourteen months in prison, I was able to continue my career as a carpenter. This would have been almost impossible if I had been working a non-union construction job. In addition, our members get access to health benefits and other forms of insurance that prevent an illness from bankrupting a family. The salaries that we negotiate allow our members to become home-owners and invest in their communities. 

I believe that every worker in our city deserves the security of a union job, and Mayor Harp shares this belief. In addition to pushing on local hiring, she has worked with us to setup a pre-apprenticeship program in Hillhouse High School. She organizes regular meetings between Economic Development and the trades. As a result of the recent jobs campaign and Mayor Harp’s efforts, Yale has restarted its EEO meetings, and is pushing its four largest construction firms (Dimeo, Turner, Skanska, Gilbane) and the trades to hire more individuals from every New Haven neighborhood. In these meetings Yale’s leadership now insists that opportunities going to New Haven residents must be carefully tracked and local hiring goals must be met. 

With each local hire, I have an opportunity to share my story and become a mentor. I help these members recognize the opportunities available if they commit to learning the craft and doing the work. I work with them to make sure that the challenges they experienced growing up do not impede their success in the trades. As they pursue their apprenticeships, they become skilled craftspeople who build the most complex structures in our city.

Together with Mayor Harp, the carpenters are fulfilling an important project. Now when I look at the New Haven skyline, I see my work and that of my neighbors. I see the skills of our residents and the security of their families. And together, I can see a better New Haven, a city where we can live and work with dignity, a city where we work in unity. Happy Labor Day.