Local construction unions meet with Atla Vista students

Speaking to a Alta Vista High School students on Thursday, a group of Hispanic construction workers candidly expressed the industry’s shortage of available hirees.

“We are crying for help,” Alex Gonzalez, president of Gonzalez Construction, told the student audience during his presentation.

Representatives from home builders’ union met with a group of Alta Vista High School students to talk about the professional opportunities within the construction industry.

The vacancies are being overwhelmingly filled by a candidate-pool rich in skilled Hispanic workers. In 2014, Latinos were 27 percent of the construction industry, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.

Joe Avila, a representative from the Carpenters District Council union, explained that Hispanics have cultivated a sterling reputation in home building.

He recalled a common conversation he has with home builders: “I want you to send me those Latinos. They get up early, they work hard,” Avila said reprising conversations he’s had with recruiting builders.

“Guys, we have a good reputation,” he said.

The group also explained role of organized labor in ensuring the jobs’ safety and compensation. Gonzalez spoke to the students wearing a hardhat, vest and safety glasses to emphasize the importance that unionized labor puts on worker safety.

“At the end of the day, we want you to go back (home) with your families,” he said.

Since 2014, the construction industry has gained over a half million jobs, about a fifth of all the jobs created in the U.S. economy since. Most of those jobs, 315,000, went to Hispanics.