Union NYC Workers Protest In The Name Of Worker Safety!!

hello everyone! I am sharing recent NYC construction events with you all. A fellow tradeswoman sista that I know, Shayne Johnson, and a handful of her peers stood up for NYC tradespeople from all trades!! Here are a few questions I posed to Shayne on the current fight for safety for people workimg in the city of New York:

1. What recent events lead you and your peers to take action? 1. Answer-We protested because there has been 30 fatalities of hard hats and 27 of them have been non-union. We feel that someone has to be held accountable. 2. What was the response from the intended target? 2. Answer- Non-union contractors counteracted. They are now organizing and stating that there's no need for Apprentice programs. What we're trying to do is get the legislators to pass #1447. This law would require all construction workers on big jobs to go through an apprentice program. With this new law enacted, safety would be implemented and they will know how to identify unsafe hazards on a job site. 3. Has your actions resulted in action y people in power? 3. Answer- Yes, we have some legislators own our side fighting with us to get #1447 passed. This will change the construction industry for the better. 4. Any regrets? 4. Answer- I have no regrets. While I was locked up, I explained to the officers that I will be back. I'm willing to do whatever it takes. Especially true if it means a life will be saved! 5. What would you do different next time? 5. Answer- Next time I would love to walk on the biggest non-union job in NYC and shut it down!! Get arrested on the jobsite!! 6. How do you feel about the issue today? 6. Answer- I feel that this is going to take more dramatic measures to overcome this matter. It's not like back in the day where we all just walked onto a job site and threw them all off. They are wiser and trying to use our tactics against us. However, we can't stop. We have to be the voice of the voiceless. 7. How did your union leadership feel about your role? Did they offer support? 7. Answer- Some of my union leaders got arrested with me. Their side by side made me proud to be a union member. Some members even waited for us to get out-this made me even more proud. Coming out of jail and seeing my union brothers clapping for us gave me an even greater feeling of unity and pride!!

Here is an article on the workers who are protesting in the name of safety!! https://www.google.com/amp/www.nydailynews.com/amp/new-york/workers-rally-city-hall-unsafe-construction-sites-article-1.2949443?client=safari As a tradeswoman working within the city of New York, I applaud their efforts. I have union members within my trade spearheading an effort to require NYC licensing for all electricians working within the territory. I have always been a union parade marcher, picketter of various jobsites, and a fan of attending demonstrations. I believe in unity and strength in numbers. I did see that their efforts for a push on safety is making headlines on the evening news. I thank them for the courage to take a position and work on behalf of the safety for all New York City construction workers!! There are many safety lessons that all workers should be equipped with prior to stepping foot on a construction site! Best of luck to may fellow tradespeople in accomplishing their goal! When I hear of an update, I will certainly post it! As always, thanks for stopping by my blog!! The safety of members of the construction world is very important to me and my peers. I felt compared to share this story! Cheers! Leslie M Jasper

My Journey Learning The Ropes As A Project Manager

hello everyone, I am taking on more and more responsibilities at work. I help out with a job in Flushing, sometimes in Brooklyn, and two jobs in Manhattan. I have some good project managers to learn about the PM process. One job I send out PowerPoint presentations, loaded with job issues, each week to the jobsite contractor who serves the owner and supposed to coordinate work with all of the trades. I even got to walk with a retired NYC electrical inspector on another job in lower Manhattan. I was asking lots of questions and getting alot of answers. We have the retired inspector as a consultant for my shop. I truly work with some talented guys in my shop. I help out anyone in need. They return the favor by inviting me to different job events to learn or walk me through different processes. Most of the guys I work with hold A journeyman cards. Being an electrician helps out tremendously when learning this job. At the end of the day, the inspector and the other guys asked me to consider becoming a NYC minority contractor. They all said that they would love to come work with me. If I did become a contractor, I would want to hold my own license. I have heard that the test, written and a practical,is a very tough test to pass. It would be a distinction to hold a NYC master electrician license. I would be able to capture a good 20-30% of the work on each project in New York City. The issue with becoming a minority contractor is the requirement to have tremendous amounts of capital to fund payroll and material needed for the project. I would have to figure that out prior to going into business. I need to get the electrical license before even considering going into business. Another key to success is having great guys to work on the jobs. I would need great supervision and estimators to help bid the work and monitor the jobs and become highly profitable. I was going up to learn from estimators in my shop. I have been busy and need to get back into learning how to estimate. Our bread and butter is properly pricing out changes, from ownership, to the job that differs from the contract plans. You can make a few extra million dollars in changes off a $30 million dollar job. I have to learn more about doing the quarterly financials we have to do. We are a public company so we have to project how profitable our job is going to be in the near future. This process is tricky and gives me anxiety since it is very important!! I have a coworker who is going to help me learn more about the financials real soon. First quarter is coming up really soon. We are already starting the process of putting together the paperwork in a few weeks. Like with anything, I want to learn and be really good with this task. I have been learning how to shop for quotes and fill out purchase orders that are big and small for material on the job. There is an internal process to purchase material. I have to include minority suppliers with offering quotes to me. Sometimes they offer reasonable quotes and sometimes their quotes are outrageous! I am not allowed to reveal prices to suppliers so they can adjust their numbers. There are alot of rules when working for a public company that I must follow. I feel that if I can learn to be the best in my shop, I can work for any shop in the country. My goal is to retire in Florida in the future. I have quite a few years before I am able to retire. I am at the halfway point with my pension. I will probably always want to work in some capacity. Once I got past my 20 year mark, I have now earned my union medical for life. That is super important as a retired person. This will be the point in life where I will need it the most. Then again, at the very least, I have VA benefits. My son is following in my footsteps on the road to becoming an electrician. He is a shop boy right now delivering material for an electrical contractor. He is scheduled to come in as an apprentice electrician this fall. He is looking forward to learning the business and becoming an electrician. I have a sense of pride in his choice to learn my trade. I did originally want him to go to college and become a nurse. He was learning to become an EMT and earn an associates degree. He lost interest and dropped out. He got this job opportunity to deliver material and he took it. Now he loves it and eager to get in and start learning. He finds it cool that alot of people know his name and know me. He is learning how hard I have worked through the eyes of my coworkers. He will appreciate my hard work even more as he travels through the business. I know there are few women in this business. I am going to be there at his topping out ceremony when he gets his A card in about six years from now. I want to be the member giving him his A card. I am sure that time will be here beforr we know it! As always, thanks for taking the time to stop by and reading my blog! Have a great day! Thanks, Cheers! Leslie M Jasper

Sunday Construction Humor!

Construction Tales Is Going Down to $8.99 Shortly For 2017!!

hello everyone! There is a new law for people reading from the European Union where I must let you know about Blogger cookies. I don't know about what type of cookies are used; I am letting you know that they exist. I don't add any vookies of my own to the blog; I have no intention of going it ever. With this being said, thank you to my European visitors stopping by to read my blog!! I appreciate it highly!!! I just dropped the price on my Construction Tales book to $8.99 in US dollars. I know the price drop applies for the foreign markets as well! My ebook is still $3 US dollars. Please offer comments and reviews. It eill help me write Volume 2! I want to wish anyone who celebrates a Merry Christmas/Happy Haunuhah/Kwanzaa and any other celebration! I thank you for your time reading my blog! I will talk to you all soon some time this weekend. I am talking with an author about launching his book to be available on Amazon. I will work to get his info and post about his book that is coming out. Thanks again!! Cheers! Leslie M Jasper

My New Gig As A Project Manager In Training In NYC!

Hello everyone! I wanted to share my journey to becoming a project manager for the largest electrical contractor in the city of New York. I was nervous going to the interview back in the spring of 2014. I had almost no office experience when I did the interview. I felt like I was the only coming in with some field experience. I did earn an MBA and have my OSHA 500. My OSHA gave me the ability to teach and issue OSHA 10 and 30 cards. I also teach part time for Empire College. This college offers our apprentice electricians a degree in labor studies. I was hoping my extra efforts would pay off and help me get this job. I sat in for 2 interviews; one for engineering and the other for project management. I thought for sure that I was not going to get the job. The project manager job was what I really wanted. I had a very tense and awkward interview with the project manager executive. I left that interview pissed that I didn't have the experience and annoyed that this man didn't want me in the job since I was a woman. However, the boss liked me and put me in engineering making the blueprints. I vowed that I would figure out how to get that job one way or another. I was given a 1 week tutorial with a coworker on how to use autoCAD. From then on, I was given my first job to get started working and learning on the fly. I was so nervous learning how to use CAD and learn engineering at the same time!! I was thinking how am I going to pull this off! I started getting more and more comfortable with my job as time went on. I started asking questions about project management. One guy told me to focus on engineering. I said that I had my eye on getting knowledge and work experience. I could not believe that I finally got the opportunity to learn project manager skills. I had a project manager on the job whose family member passed away. I offered to help him work on some tasks since he was dealing with grief. I then started doing some of his work and my own work. Sometimes I felt overwhelmed but it was necessary to get my job that I wanted. It was noticed that I was doing his work. I eventually received more and more work. Before I knew it, I was approachedby a coworker that I am going to eventually get a project manager position. He was campaigning for me for months to get that job. I was happy at the thought. Until I actually get the job, I can't get too carried away. It took a few months to actually get the position. I was excited to move my things to my new desk. I have been working and learning in my new job for the last two months. I am working on learning the most so I can be the best project manager that I can be. I will do updates in the future to give progress reports. I do feel overwhelmed in the learning process. As always, thank you for stopping by my blog. Cheers! Leslie M Jasper

2016 NYC's Halloween Parade- The Village In Manhattan!!

hello everyone! I enjoyed checking out the costumes at the NYC Village Halloween Parade in lower Manhattan. I had to go to my college that I work at part time, Empire College. I read student portfolios mid term in the fall and spring. I give feedback on to students in an effort to help them with their writing. Alot of them take my advise. I have cultural capital since I am a fellow journeywoman. Therfore, they ask me for tips and how to do many things within the union. I have been doing my part time gig for the past five years now. I chose to spend some time reading then go check out the parade. I spent too much time reading and missed the parade. I did get to see quite a few people in costumes. I did a live video on Facebook while in a crowd. I plan to go to the parade next year. Next time I will focus on watching the parade. Here are some of the costumes that people wore down in the parade: Thanks for stopping by!! Cheers!! Leslie M Jasper www.lesliemjasper.blogspot.com

Melicca Niccole- 15 Books/Poetry And Counting! Transcend Against All Odds- My New Book In The Works!

hello everyone! I have introduced Melica Niccole in the past posts in my blog. I am working on a few projects with her. She is super motivated so I enjoy her energy! We share that motivation so we work well together! We both have demanding day jobs. She even moved from Ohio to New Jersey to pursue her book projects even deeper. I admire that dedication and those are ingredients for success! I know she has written a few books and does her poetry. I didn't realize that she wrote 15 books!! I feel so lazy with my writing talking to her! I get sidetracked doing home improvement projects since I am in the process of selling my house. It is women like her who motivate me to do more than what I am doing now. The funny thing is I probably do plenty already. I just know that rubbing elbows with fellow motivated people pushes me to do more! I have no idea if that is a good thing or a bad thing yet! I find watching tv to be boring and non-productive so I don't do much of it. I did put in an app in my phone, called Dragon. I try to use it to talk into and write while I am driving. I have started writing a different book entitled, Transcend Against All Odds. I am writing about the struggle of a young woman coming from an abusive and drug infested home. She fights poverty and bad examples to blaze her own trail and become successful and independent. She must free her mind from the mental abuse from her step mom, sexual molestation by her father, abandonment issues from her mother, and physical abuse at the hands of her father. This story dives deep into the mind of a wounded woman and the process of trying to self healing of her mind, body, and soul. I fell off the radar with it for awhile. I am juggling alot of personal transitions that soak up alot of my energy for the past year. I have to get myself back into it using that commuting time more wisely. I spend about 2-4 hours a day in the car getting back and forth to work. I need people like Melica in my life; motivated people motivate me! I am sure that I motivate others to do things they normally drop off doing. This is why I often help Melica with her marketing as much as I can. Even highly motivated people must get some good energy from others. I am working on promoting the Newark Library Expo happening this weekend in Newark- October 29th from 10am-5pm. Stop by her table and check out her books. A copy of my edited version of the book, Construction Tales, will be with her on the table. Her website is: www.melicaniccole.com Her many works:

As always, thank you for stopping by to read my blog! Cheers! Leslie M Jasper