Leybi Veliz is a Golden Hammer winner, a proud Local 45 union carpenter, and an aspiring foreperson. Find out why this former marble worker made the leap to becoming a member of the New York City Carpenters Union!
What made you decide to become a member of the NYCDCC?
- My dream was to be in the NYC Carpenters Union when I grew up. I loved working with my hands, and I knew a desk job wasn’t for me. After high school, I found myself doing marble and granite at a mom-and-pop shop. I was stuck. I had a friend in the NYCDCC, and he called and said the Carpenters Training Center (CTC) had applications for their apprenticeship program. I ended the phone call and went right to the CTC. I slept outside for two days just to get an application. and wasn’t a guaranteed spot, but I took the leap of faith. I was given the opportunity and thank God I did.
You mentioned you dreamed of being in the union. What was it that appealed to you?
- There are a lot of things, but a huge appeal is the benefits. Being a member of the NYC Carpenters Union comes with major health and retirement benefits. I have a pension and an annuity. My family has top-of-the-line health insurance. Back in the day, it wasn’t like that for Hispanic people like me. We thought that nonunion construction was our only option, and that always meant you never received benefits or a retirement, or even the training and education like the Carpenters Training Center provides. Thankfully, the union is a place where everyone can thrive if they put in the work.
It’s great to hear the union has provided you with a better life. Now, speaking of the CTC, you completed your apprenticeship program in 2024. What was that like?
- Incredible, valuable, you name it. When I started, I didn’t know anything about carpentry. I could barely read a tape measure. The CTC taught me everything I needed to be successful on the job site. The apprenticeship also helped to prepare me mentally, and it was a great steppingstone into the union.
I think the apprenticeship has done more than “prepare you” for the union. You’re a Golden Hammer winner! What was that like?
- It sounds crazy, but my first time I saw the names of the previous Golden Hammer winners on a plaque in the school, I said to myself, “That’s going to be me one day.” It was just something to strive towards. The day was nerve wracking. I wanted to just pack up and go home. But I kept going. Just like on the job site, you may have a difficult day, but you keep working and you keep telling yourself that you have a family depending on you. In the end, it paid off. When they called my name for first place in General Carpentry, it was euphoric.
What’s next for you now that you’re a journeyperson?
- I’ve been lucky to have worked steadily on a lot of big projects like 50 Hudson Yards, the TSX hotel, JFK Terminal 7, and now I’m working at the new J.P. Morgan Chase building at 270 Park. I want to become a foreperson in the future. Leading the job and running work, I can really see myself in that role. But right now, I just want to focus on mastering my trade before that happens. I always want to become a better union carpenter than I was the day before.
