Miembro del mes de septiembre

Ambrose Davis — El señor ¡NECESITO UN TRABAJO!

Si llevas algún tiempo en la Sección Local 159, conoces a Ambrose Davis.

En realidad, probablemente en realidad Conoces a Ambrose porque le has oído decir lo mismo más de una vez:

¡NECESITO UN TRABAJO!

Pero hay algo más que todo el mundo sabe sobre Ambrose: Él aparece.

¿Limpieza de senderos? Ahí está Ambrose.

¿El Concejo Municipal? Ambrose está ahí.

¿Actividad en una cafetería? ¿Piquete? ¿Desfile? ¿Reunión sindical? ¿Votación? ¿Fiesta? ¿Evento comunitario?

Lo que se te ocurra: es muy probable que Ambrose Davis estuviera allí.

La campaña de nuestro sindicato internacional se articula en torno a las palabras Un sindicato. Una familia. Una lucha. En todo el país, el IUPAT trabaja para empoderar a sus miembros a fin de que se involucren más en su sindicato, en sus lugares de trabajo y en sus comunidades.

Aquí, en la Sección 159, ya contamos con un ejemplo brillante de cómo es ese tipo de miembro del sindicato.

Su nombre es Ambrose Davis.

Más de cuatro décadas en el sector

Ambrose se inició en los oficios antes de que muchas de las personas que hoy trabajan a su lado hubieran siquiera nacido.

Comenzó a dedicarse al acabado de paneles de yeso en Nueva York en 1980, una época en la que los operarios solían trabajar con herramientas como los «banjos» y empleaban métodos que muchos de los trabajadores más jóvenes de hoy en día jamás han visto.

Ahora, a la edad de 69 años —una edad aún muy temprana—, Ambrose sigue pasando sus días trabajando codo a codo con personas que tienen un tercio de su edad, a quienes, a menudo, supera en rendimiento.

Su capataz lo describe de forma sencilla: Ambrose trabaja duro todo el día. No baja el ritmo.

Pero lo que hace que Ambrose sea especialmente valioso en un equipo no es solo lo que él mismo es capaz de hacer. Es lo que está dispuesto a enseñar a otros.

Tras más de cuatro décadas en el oficio, Ambrose sabe manejar las herramientas, pero disfruta especialmente del trabajo manual, los detalles y los retoques: ese tipo de labor en la que realmente se notan los años de experiencia. Actualmente, mientras trabaja en el Venetian, también ayuda a formar a aprendices, transmitiendo unos conocimientos que solo pueden provenir de toda una vida dedicada al oficio.

Una trayectoria que lo ha llevado a desempeñar cargos emblemáticos

La trayectoria de Ambrose lo ha llevado a participar en proyectos notables.

Mientras trabajaba en Nueva York, trabajó en el World Trade Center, incluidos trabajos en torno a la plataforma de observación, en el año 2000 —apenas un año antes de que los atentados del 11 de septiembre destruyeran las Torres Gemelas.

Tras llegar finalmente a Las Vegas, la lista de proyectos reconocibles continuó.

Fontainebleau. The Sphere. MGM Grand. The Venetian.

No hay muchas personas que puedan contemplar paisajes urbanos en extremos opuestos del país y señalar puntos de referencia en cuya construcción participaron personalmente.

Ambrose puede.

A veces, las lecciones más importantes no tienen que ver con el oficio.

Ambrose’s story hasn’t always been an easy one, and he doesn’t pretend that it has.

There were periods in his life when he struggled with staying loyal to the union, substance use, and choices that led him into the criminal justice system. Those experiences cost him time, relationships, and opportunities.

But they also gave Ambrose something valuable to share with younger members today: perspective.

He knows what it means to look back and wish you had done some things differently.

That is why Ambrose talks about the importance of getting vested while you’re young, staying loyal to your union, working steadily, and building your pension and retirement benefits while you have the years in front of you.

He also knows firsthand the value of our health benefits and the Employee Assistance Program.

Those resources became part of Ambrose’s journey toward sobriety and rebuilding his life. Most importantly, that journey helped him restore his relationship with his daughter, Giana.

Today, Ambrose is incredibly proud of her. Giana works as a psychotherapist at a hospital in Baltimore, helping people dealing with mental health and substance-use challenges. Father and daughter talk at least once a week, helping Ambrose stay grounded while continuing to strengthen a relationship that means the world to him.

His experiences have also given him another skill that can’t be learned from a textbook.

When someone else is struggling, Ambrose understands.

He stays active in his church and AA, his union, and his community because he knows how good it feels to help somebody else.

Humble Enough to Start Again

Ambrose’s career also teaches another lesson about humility.

After journeying out, Ambrose took what you might call a long leave of absence from the trade.

When he eventually returned, he was disappointed to learn that he would have to come back through the apprenticeship program.

Think about that for a moment.

Imagine having decades of experience, knowing your trade, and then being told you have to wear the title of apprentice again.

That can be a serious blow to someone’s pride.

Some people wouldn’t do it.

Ambrose did.

He humbled himself, accepted where he was, and went back to work.

Today, he recognizes that decision has helped him stay employed and continue moving forward. Contractors receive tremendous value from having someone with Ambrose’s experience on a crew, especially because he doesn’t keep that knowledge to himself. He shares it with the younger apprentices working beside him.

Ambrose has been around long enough to understand something important:

The title doesn’t make the craftsman. The work does.

“Believe in Yourself.”

Ask Ambrose what advice he would give a younger member and his message is simple:

Believe in yourself. Don’t be afraid to ask questions. Keep your head up.

Those aren’t just words coming from Ambrose.

He has lived them. He has experienced success and setbacks. He has made mistakes and rebuilt. He has been a journeyman and started over as an apprentice. He has struggled and recovered. He has lost time and then learned just how valuable that time really is.

And through all of it, he kept moving forward.

When Ambrose talks about High Performance, High Value, he talks about quality. He talks about taking pride in your work, keeping your head up, and being proud of what you leave behind at the end of the day.

That’s exactly how he approaches the trade.

Un sindicato. Una familia. Una lucha.

When Local 159 chooses a Member of the Month, we look for more than someone who can do the work.

We want someone who performs at the best of their ability on the job and understands that being a union member means something off the job, too.

Ambrose Davis represents both.

At 69 years old, after more than four decades in the trade, he still wants steady work. He still wants to prove what he can do. He still wants to teach the next generation. And when his union or his community asks members to show up, you rarely have to wonder whether Ambrose will be there.

He’ll be there.

And there’s a pretty good chance he’ll remind you:

¡NECESITO UN TRABAJO!

Ambrose is proud to be a member of the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, District Council 16, Local 159, and he looks forward to finishing his career with years of steady work, continuing to share what he has learned along the way.

Ambrose, your story reminds us that being an exemplary union member doesn’t mean you’ve had a perfect journey.

It means you learn from that journey.

You show up.

You give back.

You help the next person.

You take pride in your craft.

And you keep moving forward.

Local 159 is proud to recognize Ambrose Davis as our September Member of the Month.

Congratulations, Ambrose.

Un sindicato. Una familia. Una lucha.