Local 701 retiree Daniel Smith talks about getting his start in the union and the value of building a healthy retirement.
Getting a Union Start
Growing up in West Linn, Oregon, Daniel Smith learned at an early age how to operate and maintain heavy equipment, working for a neighbor’s construction company, driving a CAT to school, and taking a job at an exhaust specialties shop building turbochargers.
After high school, Smith served in the Marine Corp as a helicopter mechanic, creating a natural pathway into the heavy diesel mechanic industry. Once out of the military in 1984, Smith got a job with IUOE Local 701 contractor Oregon Asphalt. A condition of the offer was that Smith go through 701’s apprenticeship and pay off his union card.
“I recommend to anybody to pay that upfront as fast as you can, because you want to start building on your retirement, and you want it to count as soon as you can,” Smith said.
After finishing the apprenticeship program, spending four years cutting his teeth at Oregon Asphalt, Smith briefly moved over to Kiewit’s Columbia Shop in Portland before transferring to Ross Island Sand and Gravel, where he worked until 2005.
Smith recalls some good money making years, but he cautions his fellow union members not to disregard their pension. Over the years, Smith has seen non-union operators and mechanics struggle to build their retirement savings.
“They're out there working non-union, so they work this job for two years, and then they work this job for three years,” Smith said. “Now they got all these little 401Ks all over the place, but they don't amount to anything.”
Your Body Will Thank You Later
In an industry as tough as construction, Smith says operating engineers need to prioritize their retirement plans.
“This business is hard on your body,” he said. “The sooner you get in, and you start getting your 30 years in the union, you can get your retirement built up. You have to realize that through your 30s, that's your peak earning years. Later on, you get tired, you get worn out, you don't work the hours you could. You can’t; you don't have the stamina to do it.”
Smith has had two carpal tunnel surgeries and one knee surgery to repair the damage done to his body from years of kneeling and working on equipment with his hands.
“The people that are working non-union get a little [retirement funds] here and a little there, and get a 401K that doesn't amount to much,” Smith said, “And by the time they get up to their 60s, 70s, and 80s, literally, you see these guys that are 80-years-old still trying to work and build their retirement.”
Smith went back to Kiewit’s Columbia Shop in 2005, eventually retiring from the company in 2020. Though Smith still has his personal mechanic hobby projects, he donated the bulk of his tools to the IUOE Local 701 Training Center.
“They said ‘Do you want receipts?,’” Smith said, “And I said, ‘No,’ I said, ‘It was mine, and now it's yours.’”
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