When Local 793’s Mark Chapman met his now wife while working as a general labourer on jobsites, he couldn’t have known exactly how his life would soon be transformed.
As luck would have it, Brother Chapman’s soon-to-be father-in-law was a crane operator, and he quickly got to work convincing the young man to drop the shovel and change his career path.
“Yes, I started out as a labourer, but my father-in-law was a crane operator, and he got me thinking about becoming an Operating Engineer. I did the apprenticeship and went from there.”
It’s a decision that has paid off in spades for Brother Chapman, who is now a senior Operating Engineer and union steward with McNally. He is currently working on a sewer and watermain project at Highway 27 in Woodbridge.
While he says that those early years gave him valuable insight into how a jobsite operates, his advice to any young person thinking of becoming an Operating Engineer today is to start as early as possible.
“Get in as young as you can be. It’s a lot easier when you’re younger to learn the skills you need to be a better operator.”
Whatever role he has played on site, the thrill of completing a project has never worn off for the 10-year member.
“You get satisfaction at being good at the job and it’s great finishing a project and knowing how big a part of it you were.”
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