Building BRT Means Building Local Careers

Alameda-Contra Costa Transit District (AC Transit) sent this bulletin at 10/02/2017 10:00 AM PDT

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Bus Rapid Transit

Building BRT Means Building Local Careers:
Just Ask Will Smith

It takes a dedicated team of women and men to build the East Bay’s first Bus Rapid Transit system. In fact, you may have seen them working along International Boulevard; the major thoroughfare for the 9.5-mile BRT project. Every member of the BRT construction team is a talented architect of change. Yet some team members work under job titles that are far less glamourous than the innovative work they perform every day. Consider Will Smith.

Sean started as a laborer and over the past 17 years, has ascended the ladder of success to become a Foreman at O. C. Jones & Sons, Inc., the BRT project contractor.

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Will is literally a native son. The 2001 Skyline High School graduate, grew-up a stone’s throw from International Boulevard. Determined to make Oakland his forever home, Will enrolled and successfully completed the Automotive Technology Training Program at Universal Technical Institute (UTI). Now 34 year’s young, Will credits his tight-knit and hard-working family —some of whom worked in construction — as the keystone for his “on the spot” hire onto the BRT project. As a member of a blended family of 15 brothers and eight sisters, Will had an array of hard-working role models from which to choose.

As days turned into years, Will watched as his siblings faithfully willed themselves to work; without regard to sleep or physical exhaustion. Will says more than living, tangible examples of integrity and responsibility, “My brothers are like father figures to me.”

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A member of Laborers Union Local 304, Will joined the BRT project in November 2016. Prior to assuming the BRT position, Will was a foreman with another commercial construction company. He leapt at the opportunity to join the construction team that is revolutionizing public transit as we know it. Will also admits the great hours are whip cream topping on a phenomenal opportunity. He’s on the job just as the sun peeks above the horizon, at 6 a.m., and retires his hard hat at 3 p.m. – just in time to avoid the East Bay’s evening traffic crush. 

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Will believes, as a member of the BRT team, he’s turning the tide on misconceptions of East Oakland and its residents, “I see what black men in Oakland are facing in terms of high unemployment rates.” His advice to anyone wanting to work in construction: “Take it seriously and get involved because it’s a great field to be in. You start work early and finish early.  The pay is great and there are always career advancements. It’s an excellent field.”  And an excellent motivation, “One of my favorite moments on the job is the thumbs up I get from people on the corridor!”

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Interested in working in the construction field?  Whether you have prior experience or not there are many opportunities.  To learn more, download the Construction Careers Flyer below or call the BRT Information Center at (510) 891-5478, Monday-Friday, 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.

ENGLISH-Construction Careers Awareness Flyer

SPANISH-Construction Careers Awareness Flyer-Spanish

VIETNAMESE-Construction Careers Awareness Flyer-Vietnamese

CHINESE-Construction Careers Awareness Flyer-Chinese

To receive the latest workforce data and learn more about Project Labor Agreement/Construction Careers Policy (PLA/CCP), visit the BRT website and follow us on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

BRT的建造意味着为本地带来了工作机会：不信问问 Will Smith

东湾第一个快速公交系统的建造，需要一个由男女工作人员共同组成的团队。在BRT工程9.5英里的主要大道上（International Boulevard），您可能已经看到了他们工作的身影。BRT 施工团队的每一位成员都是才华横溢的改革建筑师。可是一些成员的工作职称远没他们日常的工作引人注目。比如 Will Smith。

Will 的官方职称是BRT总承包商 O. C. Jones & Sons, Inc.的劳工，劳工的工作范围包括阅读蓝图和设计，操作千斤顶锤，空气压缩机和水泥搅拌机，浇筑混凝土，铺设沥青等。但重新设计东湾公共交通的日常工作范围远大于 Will 的职位描述。比如，Will一直沿着BRT大道实施交通管制计划(TCP)的重要工作：包括交通锥，标志，障碍物，箭牌（数字交通标志）等交通设备的放置和使用。Will 仔细并有条不紊地安排车辆和行人安全地通过施工区域。除了在大型公共建设项目领域增加工作经验和专业知识外，Will 也以自身为例说明了BRT项目把高薪工作机会留在了社区。

Will 是实打实的本地人。在 International Boulevard 一步之遥的街区长大，于2001年从 Skyline High School（天际线高中）毕业。伴着在 Oakland 永久安家的决心，Will 顺利地从通用技术学院(Universal Technical Institute，UTI)的汽车技术培训项目结业。被BRT工程雇佣，现年34岁的 Will 把这归功于自己勤劳友爱的家庭 - 其他一些家庭成员也在施工团队工作。作为有15个兄弟和8个姐妹的大家庭的一员，Will 有很多努力工作的榜样。日复一日，年复一年，即使有时睡眠不足或身体疲惫，他的兄弟姐妹都勤勤恳恳地工作。Will 都看在眼里。他 说道：“我的兄弟就像我的父亲一样”，是诚实和有责任心的最好榜样。

作为工会联盟本地304区的成员，Will 于2016年11月加入了 BRT 项目。在担任 BRT 的职位之前，Will 是另一家商业建筑公司的工头。他抓住机会，加入了我们这个能够带来公共交通大变革的施工团队。Will 也承认难得的机会加上与之而来的福利简直是天赐良机。早上6点，当太阳从地平线升起时，他开始一天的工作，下午3点工作结束。完美的避开了东湾的堵车高峰期。

作为 BRT 团队的一员，Will 正在转变大家对 East Oakland 地区和人民的误解，“说到高失业率，我知道 Oakland 的黑人正面临着什么。” 他对于想在建筑施工领域工作的人建议道：“认真对待并参与其中，因为这是一个特别棒的行业。你可以提前开工，提前收工。薪资高，并且晋升机会多。这行太棒了。”  另外一个绝好的动力是，“我在大道上施工时最爱的瞬间，是当有人为我竖起大拇指的时候！”