Let's drink a toast to Lou Upper

Who the hell is Lou Upper?

Don't know. Never met the man. But according to the web-site of Niagara Steel he is now their guy in charge of special projects.

And here's why we're drinking that toast; Lou has been with the company since 1959!

Let me back up a bit. My journey to the Niagara Steel web-site started with a story about ADF Steel Fabricators being sued by the folks putting up the "Freedom Tower". That's the new build on the site of the 9/11 attacks.

Right away we've got interlinking stories that capture my attention. Canadian structural steel companies building American landmarks is way up there. As long-time readers will recall I was at Frankel Steel when we built the skeleton for Seven WTC, the building that inexplicably collapsed late in the afternoon of 9/11.

So the Freedom Tower needs this Canadian steel that will bring it up to 1776 feet, which the hoary sentimentalists in charge of this stuff have deemed the appropriate height for the building.

ADF Steel isn't shipping until the developers pay up their outstanding tab.

That got me wondering about the state of employment opportunities in the steel fabrication trades. It's something I've been away from for awhile.

ADF is looking for fitters and welders.

Wondered what else was out there, and that's how I got to Niagara Steel. Seems they have some opportunities too.

And they've got Lou!

In these turbulent times this guy has managed to put in his entire working career with one employer. Well over fifty years.

I had my first steel fab job in the early seventies. Lou was an old hand by then. My experience was that welders and steel-fitters who were any good were always able to find a job and make a decent wage. I did that over twenty years and from the east coast to the west coast.

From what I hear from younger folks coming back from Alberta, it's still possible to make that decent wage today.

Mind you, there are some skills required. You can't bullshit welding and you can't bullshit fitting. At the end of the day you built it right or it ain't going to work.

If it doesn't work you'll be unemployed shortly.

Lou must have known his stuff. And Niagara must be a decent gig, because Lou would have had lots of opportunities to go elsewhere.

Looks to me like there are still lots of opportunities. I'm tempted to dust off my resume... I can smell those low-hydrogen rods sizzling already!

It disturbs me that the Harper gang is succumbing to the industry's call to allow foreign steel-fitters into the country. I've got nothing against immigrants; me and most of the guys I worked with were immigrants. All of them when you look at the big picture.

But bringing guys in from Hungary and Romania and Poland when you should be training young Canadians to do this work just isn't right.

I'd like to know what Lou thinks about that.