Page 38 - Skills - 2024

CHOOSING A CAREER
Why I Work in Construction:
Dorwin Bookal, Apprentice, Laborers Local 60
Laborers Local 60, based in Hawthorne, is a union with members that are highly skilled, trained, and experienced in all aspects of infrastructure development both above and below ground. White Plains resident Dorwin Bookal is one of those members — an apprentice who has three years of working in Westchester County under his belt.
But he’s been doing physical labor his whole life. Before he joined this apprenticeship, he was doing construction in Manhattan on high-rise buildings as a mason tender, which is an onsite assistant to a stonemason. There, he was involved in brick work, concrete work, and scaffold work.
“I like this path because it’s something that a lot of people don’t really do anymore,” says Bookal, who didn’t need a college degree for this line of work. “Hard work isn’t as instilled, but it is in my family. I was born in Jamaica, came over here, and have always been hardworking. I learned carpentry at a young age and it stemmed off of that.”
Most of the projects that he’s worked on so far have
been just minutes away from where he lives in White Plains, and the others are always right in Westchester County. His most recent project was in Tarrytown, fixing sidewalks and curbs and adding a pedestrian bridge. Besides this, other projects include building roads, installing and maintaining water, sewer, drainage, and natural gas pipelines, and building aqueducts, dams, and water treatment plants. That includes night work on the Hutchinson Parkway — one of his favorite projects and times to work.
The apprenticeship takes about four years to complete, depending on how much work is available throughout the year. It consists of 4,000 hours of training on-site and an additional 325 hours at the training facility located in Brewster, about 40 minutes away. And Bookal is okay with the time that it takes because he truly loves his job.
“It’s like a gym,” says Bookal. “You wake up in the morning and get paid to work out. You’re doing digging and certain things, and you’re also learning how everything works in a society, like how the water runs. Things that people do not take into consideration.”
Once he completes his hours, he will become a full journeyman and reach a new hourly pay rate. His main goal is to become a laborer shop steward — someone who oversees multiple jobs to make sure safety protocols are being met, people are having their breaks and lunches, and that things are operating smoothly.
“I’m big on safety,” he says. “If the company doesn’t have things up to par, and there are guys out there doing what we do, it’s not a safe job. I want everyone to get up, go to work, show up, and go home.”
36 2024 SKILLS
What’s Hot. What’s Next. What’s Needed.
© Mike DiSciullo