PCC Winners
Issue 6 - 2007
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| From left, second place winner Stanislaw Radzik of Local 52 IL, first place winner Jonathan Sprachmann of Lcoal 5 OH, OADC, and third place winner Jose Barreras of Local 3 CA. |
The PCC challenge began on September 22nd with a pre-built split-face stone and red brick wall, on which contestants were required to cut and rake joints, remove and replace brick, and patch and repair a stone. They also had to repoint the wall using weathered, grapevine and beaded joints before moving onto caulking, smoothing and finishing three different sized joints.
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| First place winner Jonathan Sprachmann of Lcoal 5 OH, OADC. |
Acting on the advice of a friend and uncle, first place winner Jonathan Sprachmann of Local 5 Ohio entered the trade as a bricklayer, but soon decided that PCC work was his calling because of his love of heights. He started out working non-union, but said, “It was a headache. It was disorganized and there were no benefits. With BAC, everything is taken care of and all the answers are there for you.” Sprachmann described the Contest as “tough,” and complimented his fellow apprentices for doing a great job. He challenges future contestants to “keep your head in it. You might have a rough day, but just hang in there and do your best.”
“With all the work each apprentice had to put in to get to the International Contest, taking first place is quite a feat,” said Ohio Administrative District Council Director Robert Fozio. “I can’t think of anyone who deserves it more.”
Local 52 Illinois member and second place winner Stanislaw Radzik came to the United States from Poland in 1999. He joined BAC soon after. With support from his wife and Instructors Mike Hunt and Andy Kwiecien, he pushed hard to make it to the International Contest. He is grateful to them for their faith in his ability. For now, he is concentrating on working but said in the future he may try his hand at teaching.
Third place winner and Local 3 California member Jose Barreras started out in the Laborers’ Union, but switched to BAC for better wages. “I wanted to be in the right union and do the right work,” said Barreras. He said the Contest was a daunting experience because some of the tuckpointing techniques, even the tools, were new to Barreras. His only regret, however, is that the Contest went by so quickly. Fortunately, he said, since the Contest web coverage is still accessible at BAC’s website (www.bacweb.org), he can share his accomplishments with his family and friends and relive the experience at his leisure.
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