Urbana leaders and labor unions partner for hiring expo this Sunday

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JAC Local 149 instructor Justin McMullen talks to high school students during an open house last November. Teamed up with Urbana community leaders, the local will host a hiring expo this Sunday for apprenticeships and other career opportunities at the Union Hall located in Savoy.

Photo: PhotoNews Media

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SAVOY - The East Central Illinois Building and Construction Trades Council is teaming up with Urbana mayoral candidate DeShawn Williams and City Councilwoman Chaundra Bishop to bring career opportunities to members of the community. The trio have joined forces to provide information and application guidance to those interested in a career with area unions.

The hiring expo set for 3 pm Sunday at UA Local 149, 1003 N. Dunlap Ave. in Savoy. There will be 20 local labor unions under one roof, offering opportunities that could change your life. Whether you are a seasoned pro or looking to kickstart your career, there is a place for you.

"This hiring expo is yet another step toward doing all we can to open our doors to as many people as possible," said Kevin Sage, President of the Building Trades. "It’s important that we create opportunities for everyone to have a chance to earn high wages, great benefits, and to work in safe conditions. Our unions promise all of that."

From plumbers to electricians, carpenters to laborers, unions provided guaranteed wages, with many starting at $22 an hour and soaring over $77 after five years of on-the-job training. That is in addition to leading benefits, including free healthcare and early retirement plans.

This is the second hiring fair that Williams has co-sponsored with the Building Trades.

"This is an opportunity to discover the transformative power of union trades," Williams said. "It’s not just a career, it’s a path to stability, fair wages, and a stronger community."

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Letter to the Editor | Pritzker back grandstanding for media attention

Dear Editor,

Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker is back grandstanding for the news media, complaining about the immigration crisis trickling up to Illinois.

In October, Pritzker sent an open letter to President Biden begging for federal tax resources to deal with the so-called “asylum seekers” being bussed to Illinois. Not once in his appeal did Pritzker ask the administration to shut down the border or reinstate the successful “Remain in Mexico” policy of the Trump Administration.

This month, Pritzker paid the Austin American-Statesman newspaper to publish another open letter, this one addressed to Texas Governor Greg Abbot. Referencing the freezing temperatures of a typical Illinois winter, Pritzker pleads for mercy, pointing out that many lives are vulnerable to the cold weather.

Ironically, not one word was written to Biden about the critical need to secure the border. Wouldn’t it be nice to see an open letter in the USA Today in which Pritzker could appeal to the Biden Administration for serious enforcement?

And while Pritzker laments the lives at stake because of the season’s “dangerous winter storm and subzero temperatures,” there is not one mention of the tens of thousands of American lives being destroyed by fentanyl and other deadly drugs flowing into our cities.

If Gov. Pritzker were serious about this crisis, he’d speak out about the dangers of open borders and the failure of the executive branch to uphold federal immigration laws to protect the citizens of this great nation.

David E. Smith, Executive Director
Illinois Family Institute