AB Specialties, a glass installation leader in Western Pennsylvania, enjoyed a loyal customer base and a spotless reputation. Its vice president, Dave Ulisse, didn’t think it was necessary to bring in union representation. Then Dave met Dan Penske and Steve French, who discussed the FTI training program with him and introduced him to Thaddeus Szymkowiak.
Szymkowiak, an 18-year member of DC57, discussed with Ulisse the benefits of becoming a union shop, both for the workers and the business as a whole. He showed him the FTI training facility, where Thad was training his first class of 12 apprentices.
“He was impressed by the apprentices, what they were learning and how they were learning,” Thad said. “He saw the excitement – how thrilled they were to be starting a brand new career in the trades. This is his future talent pool, his next wave of employees.”
AB Specialties is now one of DC 57’s newest Glazing contractors, and its 11 employees are new members of the union. The company has the comfort of knowing that it has a steady pipeline of the finest trained workers in the region, and that its customers know they are getting the highest level of service.
This was a fantastic team effort between the Organizing, Training and Servicing departments. It exemplifies the benefits that building strong relationships with contractors has for all of us. Congratulations to Dave Ulisse and his team at AB Specialties for becoming part of the IUPAT brotherhood!
