Grit Nation

Welcome to Carpenter Stories. 

I’m Joe Cadwell, the writer, producer and host of the show and I am proud to bring you this special series within the Grit NW podcast.

Carpenter Stories will introduce you to individuals whose lives have been bettered after finding a career as a professional tradesperson in the UBC.

On today’s show I have the pleasure to speak with Jimmy Jones, retired Journeyman carpenter, and member of the local 271. 

I met Jim a few years ago and have admired his positive attitude and can-do spirit. Jim exemplifies what someone in the trades can achieve through hard work, tenacity, and ability to grow and change with the industry.

We’ll start our conversation by learning why Jim decided to leave Oregon State University where he was working on a degree in forest engineering to become a full-time carpenter. 

Next, we’ll hear some of the challenges and biases he encountered on the job that stemmed from his not going through a recognized union apprenticeship. 

Later Jim will tell us about his time spent as a Job Corp instructor and how he feels his career came full circle when he was able to give back and share the knowledge and insight he had acquired over the years in the trades.

And we’ll finish our conversation when I ask Jim to answer 3 questions designed to give guidance and direction to anyone interested in becoming a professional trades person.

This is a great episode full of humor and stories that you won’t want to miss.

So, sit back, and enjoy Jimmy Jones, Carpenter Story.

The Show Notes

UBC Job Corp Information
https://www.carpenters.org/job-corps/

Grit Nation  Webpage
https://www.gritnationpodcast.com

Join the Grit Nation MVP Team
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Follow Grit Nation on Instagram
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Grit Nation YouTube Channel
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Leave a Review on Podchaser
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Email comments or suggestions to:
[email protected]

Grit NW is a proud member of the Labor Radio / Podcast Network
https://www.laborradionetwork.org/ 

 Welcome to Fight Club the, call to action’ segment within Grit Northwest. 

I’m Joe Cadwell the writer, producer and host of the show and I built Fight Club to educate and motivate you to fight back against attacks on your right as a Union Carpenter to provide for yourself and your family. 

My guest today is Derek Hitt, NW Carpenters Union rep and member of Local 82 in Great Falls, Montana.

On the show today we talk about the recent defeat of the Right to Work bill that hit the house floor in Helena, a mere 4 months after losing the labor friendly backing we had in the state capitol after last Novembers election. 

This bill, if passed would have seriously jeopardized the ability of unionized workers to provide for themselves and their families, and was pushed onto Montana’s working class by deep pocketed out of state corporate interest intent on destroying unions.

It’s the latest attack on organized labor in our region and it surely won’t be the last.  

Fortunately,  UBC Carpenters rose to the challenge and joined forces with other trades to rally at the state capitol and sent lawmakers a strong message that Right to Work has no place in their home.

RTW legislation is wrong for workers no matter where you live, and today we are going to hear how to fight back against it!!

The Show Notes

NW Carpenters Union
https://www.nwcarpenters.org/

Grit Nation  Webpage
https://www.gritnationpodcast.com

Join the Grit Nation MVP Team
https://mailchi.mp/c28da31260b8/grit-nation-podcast-sign-up-page

Follow Grit Nation on Instagram
 https://www.instagram.com/gritnationpodcast/

Grit Nation YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy-gSacdByjCCec1KeWDJgw

Leave a Review on Podchaser
https://www.podchaser.com/GritNation

Email comments or suggestions to:
[email protected]

Grit NW is a proud member of the Labor Radio / Podcast Network
https://www.laborradionetwork.org/ 

Welcome to Stolen, a special series within the Grit Podcast that will investigate Tax Fraud, Wage Theft, and Misclassification in the Construction industry.

Hi, I’m Joe Cadwell host of the show, and I am proud to bring you this new series built to expose these greed driven crimes and give you the tools needed to fight back against them.

To do this I will be talking with labor industry professionals who work to bring cheating contractors to justice. Together we will breakdown this complex issue to learn how this bane of the building trades affects the well-being of our unions, our contractors, and our communities.

Along the way we will deconstruct case files and complaints that workers have brought against the cheating contractors who lurk in the underground economy. In true crime fashion, a lot of these stories have twists and turns that you got to hear to believe. 

It’s a known fact that one-in-five construction workers are intentionally misclassified by cheating contractors. 

This corruption results in losses of over $8.4 billion dollars a year in lost tax revenue and denies honest contractors who play by the rules and the workers they employ opportunities to excel and grow financially.

To be clear, this is not about the workers skipping out on paying their fair share, this is about dishonest employers intentionally cheating the American taxpayer and the working middle class to fatten their bank accounts.

My guests today are Jeanette Aranda and Ashley Harrison. Jeanette is the Labor Compliance Manager for NW Carpenters and Ashley is an Investigator with the City of Seattle, Office of Labor Standards.

Also joining the conversation is friend of the show, Matt Swanson, the Political Director of the NW Carpenters’ Union.

In this kickoff episode we will be discussing the nuts and bolts of wage theft, and the power of our unions working in partnership with local government agencies to go after crooked contractors, and how this collaboration benefits our members and the community-at-large.

Show Notes

UBC Tax Fraud Website
https://stoptaxfraud.net/

Grit Nation  Webpage
https://www.gritnationpodcast.com

Join the Grit Nation MVP Team
https://mailchi.mp/c28da31260b8/grit-nation-podcast-sign-up-page

Follow Grit Nation on Instagram
 https://www.instagram.com/gritnationpodcast/

Grit Nation YouTube Channel
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCy-gSacdByjCCec1KeWDJgw

Leave a Review on Podchaser
https://www.podchaser.com/GritNation

Email comments or suggestions to:
[email protected]

Grit NW is a proud member of the Labor Radio / Podcast Network
https://www.laborradionetwork.org/ 

On this episode we will be taking about money, or more importantly how to maximize its growth potential through adopting sensible lifestyle and finance management planning strategies.

Whether you’re a first term apprentice, a seasoned carpenter or someone nearing retirement age it’s never too early or too late to learn how to better secure a solid financial future for yourself and your family.

To help us do this, I have invited, Patrick Town the Executive Director of Union Home Plus a Seattle based company dedicated to ensuring Washington state union employees have access to the safest, most cost-effective resources to buy, sell or finance their home.

Joining us as well is Johnny Flavin, owner, founder and principal advisor from Aspire Capitol, also based in Seattle. Johnny’s company is committed to helping individuals, plan, manage and work towards their financial goals.

As we know, a pre-pandemic boom in construction led many, especially those new to the trades, to develop a false sense of security when it came to steady employment and the seemingly never-ending stream of cash it provided. 

This dream state changed quickly into a horrible nightmare for many, when they saw their hours slashed were laid off or even had their entire industry shut down, as in the case of our Trade Show brothers and sisters.

This recent experience illustrates how quickly circumstances can change and why being without a solid financial plan, which focuses on long, short, and mid-range budgeting goals is not an option.

This episode is packed full of simple and straight forward information to help you take ownership of your financial future and empower you to take action.

Show Notes

Union Home Plus Website
https://unionhomeplus.org/

Aspire Capitol Advisors
https://investwithaspire.com//

Qualstar Credit Union Finance Tools Page
https://www.qualstarcu.com/tips-and-tools/calculators

Warning!!!
Tihsllub spoken  backwards may be offensive to some.
Listener discretion is advised.

is From the country that brought us Volvo Automobiles, IKEA, and 70’s pop sensation Abba comes a revolutionary new technology that is about to turn the construction industry inside out and upside down. 

Tihsllub Industries, innovators of self-drive nano technology, based in Gavle, Sweden, have made a massive impact on Europe’s construction industry in recent years with their self-driving screws and self-hammering nails and they are now preparing to cross the pond in an effort to capture the American market and irreversibly change the face of Carpentry.

Haven’t heard much Tihsllub on your jobsite yet? Consider yourself lucky. 

In Europe it’s everywhere, in fact you can’t walk 3.3 meters without stepping into a conversation full of it. Having recently witnessed this incredible stride in what was once considered impossible,  I must say I am awed, amazed and somewhat concerned for what this means for our professional trades people.

So just what is Tihslubb? https://sites.google.com/view/hjalpcenter/home?authuser=0

In this special edition of Grit NW, we will find out. 

Hi, I’m Joe Cadwell,  host of the show and today I will dig deep into Tihslubb in an attempt to uncover the past, present and future of this game changing technology, and determine for myself whether this space age advancement can truly upend the commercial construction world. 

To do so I will be interviewing the CEO of Tihsllub Industries, Steppin Tihslubb.

The Show Notes

April Fools Day
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OhVCTkpVX2Y

Grit Nation  Webpage
https://www.gritnationpodcast.com

Follow Grit Nation on Twitter
https://twitter.com/gritnationpod

Email comments or suggestions to:
[email protected]

Grit Nation is a proud member of the Labor Radio / Podcast Network
https://www.laborradionetwork.org/ 

Visit the webpage
https://www.gritnationpodcast.com

Win Grit Nation merch
https://mailchi.mp/c28da31260b8/grit-nation-podcast-sign-up-page

Follow us on Twitter
https://twitter.com/gritnationpod

Email comments or suggestions to:
joe@gritnation...

April Promo,

My interview with Steppin Tihsllub of Tihsllub Industries is finally here!! This exclusive look into the technology that is poised to turn the building trades inside out and upside down is something you must hear to believe!!

Official Tihsllub Website
https://sites.google.com/view/hjalpcenter/home?authuser=0

Grit Nation Signup
https://forms.gle/WEKcA76y3Wegmv8z7

Once thought impossible, self-drive nano technology in now a reality, and you won’t want to miss being one of the first to experience and share the Tihsllub revolution with your friends, family and co-workers!!

Next, I am happy to announce the collaborative effort between my podcast, Grit NW and the NW Councils, Grit Newsletter in bringing you a special look into the latest book by author, labor attorney and member of Teamsters Local 810, Mark Torres. 

Marks recent work titled, Long Island Migrant Labor Camps: Dust for Blood, depicts the plight of thousands of poverty-stricken workers lured from the southern states of the US to work in New York’s agricultural fields by the promise of good wages and decent housing. Once there, these workers fell victim to corrupt camp operators, who utilized a systematic approach to cheat them of their pay and board them in deadly, slum like conditions. It recently hit the #1 spot on Amazons new release best seller list.

It’s a powerfull story and I’m very proud to share it with you. To get the full immersive experience be sure to sign up now for the Grit newsletter at NWCarpenters.org.

Later in the month and just in time for Tax Day, I interview Patrick Town, founder of Union Home Plus in Seattle and financial planner Johnny Flavin with Aspire Capitol. Listen in on how you can develop the proper money management strategies, needed to develop financial literacy so you can make the most of your hard-earned dollars. This is an episode you can’t afford to miss!!

Congratulations Grit Nation T – shirt drawing winners. Miguel Garcia, carpenter apprentice from the Local 271 and Garth Finley, Council Rep, and member of the 271 as well.

Thank you, brothers, for joining the Nation. And giving a Grit about our union. 

Still haven’t joined? It’s easy to do, just look for the hyperlink in the show notes of any episode. 

And while you’re at it, please take a moment to rate and review my show on Apple podcast or Stitcher premium. It only takes a moment and really does make a difference in my ability to share the word with a larger audience about what organized labor unions, like ours, can do to change lives for the better.

As always, please be sure to share the show with someone you think may benefit from it, and until next time, Work Safe, Work Smart and Stay Union Strong!!

The Labor Radio / Podcast Network is a coalition of over 70 independent  radio and podcast shows designed to inform, engage and energize it's listeners, through informative and inciteful journalism, storytelling and calls to action.
Working people are raising their voices more each day, demanding better treatment from their workplaces and their elected officials. Unfortunately, those voices don’t get heard much on corporate-controlled media – but the 21st century’s Labor movement has a new way to get its message out to working people that doesn’t rely on traditional media gatekeepers: it's called the internet (catchy name eh?)

So turn off the TV and radio, plug in your headphones, and find your favorite radio show or podcast now!! Click the link below  and something magical is sure to happen.

Show Notes

Join the Grit Nation MVP Team
https://mailchi.mp/c28da31260b8/grit-nation-podcast-sign-up-page

Follow Grit Nation on Instagram
 https://www.instagram.com/gritnationpodcast/

Email comments or suggestions to:
[email protected]

Grit Nation is a proud member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network
https://www.laborradionetwork.org/ 

Today I talk with nationally recognized public speaker, lifelong worker rights activist and friend of the show Mark McDermott. 

We’ll open todays conversation by learning about Marks efforts to combat the war of misinformation that is being waged daily in American in order to undermine our faith in the democratic process as well as deter union members from electing government officials that truly understand and value what organized labor unions provided for this country. 

Next, well investigate the origins and tools of misinformation campaigns and why they have proven to be so effective in manipulating not only the minds of the masses, but their emotions as well. 

Later we’ll dive into why it is so easy to push facts aside when you are passionately invested in something and how important it is to rely on reputable sources with proven track records when doing your fact checking.  

And we’ll end our conversation by understanding the importance of having respectful, thoughtful and caring discussion when talking with others who have viewpoints different than your own. And how this investment can help build the bridges needed to better all of our lives as union workers.

The Show Notes

Mark McDermott
http://www.markmmcdermott.com/

Our guest today is a member of Local 1503 and the Community Relations and Outreach Liaison for the NW Carpenters Union, Michael Burch. Michael is a passionate advocate for social justice and equality who works tirelessly to effect positive change on our jobsites, and in our communities. 

We’ll open today’s conversation by looking into what created the need for an outreach liaison position over10 years ago and what effect Michaels efforts have had in creating opportunities for women, people of color, and underrepresented groups within the construction industry in the SW Washington and the Portland metropolitan area. 

Next, we’ll dive into what CBA’s are, and how they are used to push back against decades of systemic racism in the trades in an effort to provide economic opportunities as well as better reflect the people who live in the neighborhoods where much of the work is taking place. 

We’ll then unpack some of the common challenges that apprentices experience on the job and why today’s younger workforce looks beyond just a paycheck when determining whether or not to invest in a career as a professional carpenter. 

Later we discuss what Positive Jobsite Culture Training is and how our council leadership is fostering a program to encourage greater respect and civility on worksites across our region.  

And we’ll wrap up our conversation by introducing you to the numerous auxiliary groups that you can join today to continue building upon the foundation of unity and brotherhood that the UBC was built upon nearly a century and a half ago.

 The Show Notes

NW Carpenters  Website
https://www.nwcarpenters.org/

Community Benefits Information
https://www.cbanw.com/

Grit Nation  Webpage
https://www.gritnationpodcast.com

Follow Grit Nation on Twitter
https://twitter.com/gritnationpod

Email comments or suggestions to:
[email protected]

Grit Nation is a proud member of the Labor Radio / Podcast Network
https://www.laborradionetwork.org/ 

Visit the webpage
https://www.gritnationpodcast.com

Win Grit Nation merch
https://mailchi.mp/c28da31260b8/grit-nation-podcast-sign-up-page

Follow us on Twitter
https://twitter.com/gritnationpod

Email comments or suggestions to:
joe@gritnation...