Laborers Local 199

🎥 This Mental Health Awareness Month, listen to someone who's lived it, like LIUNA Mason Tenders' Training Fund Instructor Jamal Fowler, who knows:

"My Union was pivotal, was instrumental in my recovery. I had the resources. I had the people.

"When you're able to speak honestly and candidly about your addiction, when you when you're able to speak with confidence and tell people about your shortcomings, people recognize that. And people understand that. And that resonates with people.

"We're pushing out the narrative that it's okay not to be okay. It's okay to have the conversation.

"A lot of times you subscribe to the school of thought like, it's not cool to speak about that. And you can kind of like correlate that with the construction workers. You know, that macho, 'I'm tough. I'm strong. I have the fortitude.'

"But nah. You need that support system to show them and say, ‘Hey, listen brother, sister. I went down that road. I understand what it is to suffer. You don't got to suffer alone. You go head, we could speak. Let's try to figure this out together.’

"And we're trying to change the narrative where it's not weak to speak. Right? It's important that we do that."

🔥The energy at CICD (Construction Industry Career Day) was unmatched!

We had the opportunity to meet with students, showcase hands-on equipment, and talk about the real work and real opportunities that exist in the construction industry.

The next generation of skilled workers is out there—and we're proud to help open the door to careers that build strong futures!

🎥 This Mental Health Awareness Month, listen to someone who's lived it, like
LIUNA Laborers' Local 172 Journeyworker Brian Lemoine, who knows:

"Anybody can show up to work for a day, two days, even a week, collect a paycheck, and be done.

"I definitely want to be in this for the long haul. I want to work a full 25 to 30 year career and retire one day with a pension. And I do realize that, you know, my mental health has to be right for me in order to succeed and obtain that.

"The more outspoken I am about being in recovery and being sober and wanting to spread mental health awareness, the more I've been embraced by the Unions, by the contractors.

"For me, mental health awareness is much more than just a month. I've been sober now for over ten years. That's every month, every day.

"If I only had a chance to say one thing to anybody that was out there listening today it would be, 'If you're struggling and you even think you need help, please reach out for help. I'm here. The Union’s here. Somebody's there to help. Please ask for it.'"

cc: Laborers' Health & Safety Fund of North America