Local 805 member, Daniel Ford, calls joining the Carpenters Union a “game changer.” Before discovering the Union, he was in a “dark place in his life.” He had a baby on the way and knew that he was going to have to do better if he was going to be able to support his growing family. A friend, who was a member, suggested he join the Union. Daniel got sober and followed his friend’s advice and the rest is history.
When he started, as he puts it, he was green as grass. He dabbled in everything from interior systems to heavy concrete and he prides the variety of the jobs he was exposed to in his apprenticeship for making him the solid superintendent that he is now. Ford is currently working at the Morro Bay Reclamation Plant –
“We built a brand-new facility. We came here, we basically cut the side of a mountain out.”
He has worked on other big structural jobs like bridges, jobs for the air force, and military. But perhaps the job that was most notable for him was when he was working at Disneyland because that was the one time his kid seemed to really be interested. “That was my kid’s favorite project, I would get home, and they would be like, ‘Did you see Mickey? What did you do today, Dad’ they were the most excited about the work on Disneyland.”
Daniel has recently celebrated 17 years of sobriety. He loves to give back and mentor other people that are struggling whether it’s in their personal life or career life. He appreciates the people that looked out for him and gave him direction and he is making sure to do the same for others. He has brought people into the Union and loves to watch them succeed. “It sets my heart on fire knowing that to actually see people change their lives and know that me and this Union are a part of that.”
Watch the video above or click here to learn more about Brother Ford.