Being a millwright comes with a lot of hard work. Working conditions are not always pretty and are sometimes tough, but that doesn’t stop the dedicated individuals, who have made the decision to pursue a career in the millwright trade from getting the job done. Local 1554’s Levi Gleason is no stranger to hard work and dedication. From a young age, he has been interested in being part of the labor industry. After graduating high school, he worked as a brick mason for a local street department in Indiana before joining the United States Army. During his time in the military, he served as a Military Police Officer in South Korea and Germany and ended his military career as a Counter Narcotics Investigator at Fort Campbell in Kentucky.
Gleason joined the SSMRC in August of 2022 after successfully completing the 8-week training course through the UBC Military Veterans Program. The MVP program is designed to help veterans transition from the military to a new day-to-day vocation in the millwright trade.
Local 1554 business agent, Jesse Beilig and William Condon, recommended Gleason as the spotlighted member for April. “Levi graduated the MVP program last year and has since capitalized on the training opportunities the apprenticeship has offered and comes to work and class with a great attitude and a willingness to learn,” said Beilig
Learn more about Gleason through his answers to the questions below.
Q: What are some of your hobbies?
A: During my free time, I enjoy fishing, hiking, working on my motorcycle, and occasionally being a pit crewman for antique outboard boat racing.
Q: What is the most challenging thing about being a millwright?
A: The most challenging part for me thus far has been absorbing all the information and advice I can from other journeyman and apprentices. There’s always something that you can learn from others who have been in the trade longer.
Q: Each day is different; how do you overcome adversity and adjust to the ever-changing conditions that come with being a millwright?
A: The best way I have found to overcome adversity when Murphy’s Law takes effect is to take a step back from the situation, reassess what needs changed or done to get back on track, and try something different. It is important to stay flexible.
Q: Describe your daily job/duties.
A: I wear two hats; I am a shop technician for Universal Plant Services and a traveling millwright. At our shop, I work on inventory, stock, organize, and maintain tool trailers that get sent to job sites. I have a running list of things that need to be done, generally involving broken or missing tools and equipment. I either fix the broken implement or replace it. Then, I restock the said items from our backstock, and turn in the inventory to our operations manager to order what is still needed. Finally, I conclude by checking the trailer to make sure it is in proper working condition and perform any routine maintenance that is needed.
In the field, I travel anywhere that I am needed from Tullahoma, Tennessee to Baltimore, Maryland. My work ranges from pouring grout for compressor skids to replacing labyrinth seals on a steam turbine. It varies greatly from location to location, which offers me a lot of opportunities to learn and improve my craft.
Q: What do you like most about being part of Local 1554?
A: What I most like about 1554 is the community of fantastic millwrights. It’s a diverse community coming together to complete tasks and to improve our trade. That is something special.
Q: What made you decide to join and work as a millwright?
A: I joined this trade because I really missed working with my hands and I have always been interested in learning how things work. What better way is there to find out how the world runs than to be a millwright? I get the opportunity to work on a broad variety of machines and learn how to maintain and repair each of them.
Q: What are your long-term goals in this field?
A: My long-term goal in this field is to learn all that I can, so hopefully I can help mentor the next generation of millwrights.
Q: When you wake up every morning and get ready to start the day, how do you approach the day?
A: When I start my morning, I approach the day as a new chance to give my all to the tasks at hand. I may not be 100% everyday mentally or physically, but I can always give my best.
Q: What is your favorite job you’ve worked and why?
A: I think my favorite job so far has been in Lusby, Maryland. We had a great group of guys out there doing their best and there was a wide variety of work to be done, so there was something new to do every day.
Q: Were you able to stay close to home with this trade?
A: So far, I have had a good mix of being able to stay close to home and traveling to work on a variety of things. The opportunities are endless.
Q: What do you feel are some of the perks of being a member of the UBC?
A: I think a big perk of working in the UBC is having a good support channel. Whether that be training or just having general questions answered, guidance is easy to find. There are multiple levels of people looking out for one another.
“If you are new to the trade, I would advise taking every class you can to diversify your skills,” said Gleason. “I would also recommend paying attention to the older generations of millwrights because they have knowledge only experience can provide.”
To learn more about how you can begin your millwright career or how to apply for the Military Veterans Program (MVP), click here.