The craziest mother fuckers you will ever meet on a construction job.... They are the ones that put the steel up for buildings and bridges... They are the first to go where no man has gone... We don't go to the office.. We build it!!!
It seems like a little much but you get the general idea.
My definition:
Hardworking member of the union who shows little to no fear about any dangerous situation.
Something that gets overlooked when the term ironworker comes up is the incredible community that is present amongst them. It is difficult in words to depict the camaraderie shared between ironworkers. Most of these guys are away from home, their wives, kids, dogs and really their lives. Most of them have been working construction for years. Day after day they pull 12-16 hour shifts, 7 days a week for months at a time. Most of the time they don't even take breaks to eat. The other day I saw one of the guys I work with carrying around a grocery bag full of cold pizza that he was handing out to his buddies, that was as close to a lunch break as I have seen an ironworker take. Some of them do this to support their families, but I wonder about those that haven't made families yet. Will they take time to? What drives someone to want to work this hard and this much? Is it the money, is it the thrill? Is it the brotherhood? I may never know why these guys continue to show up day after day but what I do know is that it is inspiring. Their work ethic is incredible. The way these guys stay positive and watch each other's backs is amazing. There is something special about an ironworker.
When I asked one of my ironworker friends, that had worked over a month in a row, if he needed a day off, he replied "Days off are overrated" HA!
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