Ron Berta Greater Pennsylvania Regional Council of Carpenters Local Union #230
		“Be on time. People are counting on you. Work hard and pay attention to what’s going on around you.” That’s just some of the advice Ron Berta, a 30-year employee of Yarborough Development,

Inc. and member of the Greater Pennsylvania Regional Council of Carpenters, would give to men and women who are interested in becoming a union carpenter. It’s good advice spoken from a man of experience.

Having spent five years working in non-union residential housing construction, Ron wasn’t getting out of the profession what he had hoped or what he was putting into it—long hours with minimal pay and benefits. That was not what he had envisioned when he was a student at McKeesport Vo-Tech and decided to pursue a career as a carpenter. And when the housing market slumped in the late 1970s, Ron knew that it was time for a change. That’s when he met Jack Yarborough, President and Founder of Yarborough Development, Inc.

“Jack must have liked something he saw in me,” Ron recalls, “because he told me if I ever joined the union, he’d hire me as a carpenter. That was all I needed to hear.”

Skilled in math and reading comprehension, Ron had no problem passing the Carpenters’ entrance exam and was quickly accepted into the union as a practicing journeyman. Thirty years later, Ron can look back on having become a highly skilled carpenter and now superintendent for a well respected general contractor.

Included among the jobs Ron (also known as Bert) has worked on are a number of high schools such as South Fayette, Gateway, West Allegheny, and Baldwin, where Yarborough served as the general contractor.

“’Bert’ is a conscientious leader when directing our personnel in work self performed by our company and coordinates well with Yarborough’s subcontractors,” said Yarborough Vice President R. Lee Totty. “The work recently completed at the $56 million Baldwin High School project is a testament to ‘Bert’ and his capabilities.”

As a professional union carpenter, everyday on the job can be different. One day, Ron may be hanging doors, the next day he’s building bulkheads on a project 50 miles away. That’s part of what he enjoys about working in the industry.

“I enjoy working in a union environment because the work gets done faster and there’s immediate satisfaction,” he explains.

“I also enjoy working in different locations. Going to the same work site or office day in and day out would drive me up a wall.

I’d rather help build it.”

Ron also enjoys working in the union where safety on the job is heavily emphasized and practiced. But it doesn’t take long for Ron to reflect on what he is most proud of during his 30 years as a union carpenter. “Having a good work ethic,” he says proudly, “and understanding the problems of others. I always try to be fair.”

Ron also likes to help younger tradesmen up the ladder, both literally and figuratively. It’s a quality that’s often practiced in the union building trades.

Carpenter Ron Berta of Yarborough Development, Inc. makes final adjustments to a door hinge at Baldwin High School.

Michael Bradley Plumbers Local Union #27
		Some professions and skills just run in the family. The children of doctors, lawyers, teachers and businessmen often follow their fathers and mothers into their profession. The same is true for politicians and athletes. No better example than the Bush’s in the White House or the Rooneys of Pittsburgh Steelers fame.

For generations the same was often true in the building trades. The skills and expertise of being a bricklayer, carpenter or cement mason were often passed down from generation to generation. In most trades today, that is no longer the case. The sons and daughters of ironworkers, electricians and painters are choosing other professions for a variety of reasons.

But there are always the exceptions. Take Michael Bradley for example.

This 50 year old South Park Township man is a third generation plumber. His grandfather was a plumber. His father was a plumber. Even his brother is a plumber. For 28 years, Michael has been practicing his trade as a member of Plumbers Local Union #27. It’s a profession that he enjoys and is proud to carry on.