(Edison, NJ) On Wednesday, Matthew Eisler, a Local Union 254 carpenter apprentice from Somerville, New Jersey, was awarded a new 2023 Ford F-150 by the Eastern Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters. Eisler was announced as the 2022 Union Carpenters Action Network's (UCAN) Grand Prize Winner at the union’s Construction Showcase Apprenticeship Competition, held in Atlantic City on March 30th.
“The UCAN program here in Local 254 is very strong," said Local Union 254 President Robert Hopkins. “Our members are involved in our communities, and veteran outreach, and a lot of different charities. We do a lot of work,” he said.
According to the EAS Carpenters’ website, the UCAN applies collective power to increase job opportunities, impact political actions, protect workers’ rights, and improve its local communities. The program looks to reward members who devote substantial time and effort to giving back to their communities and their union.
“I think it's very important to participate and show why the unions are important, why they're strong, and that the unions reciprocate,” Eisler said. “We get good wages, we get benefits… and we also have awesome prizes for those who participate,” he said.
As a result of their extensive involvement in the UCAN program, more than 1,500 EAS Carpenters’ union members were eligible for the grand prize in 2022. Matthew was among 11 of the UCAN’s award finalists.
“Matt came through our Helmets to Hard Hats program. He’s a great young member of our organization, and we couldn't have a more grateful, humble individual win this truck,” Hopkins said.
“I joined the Union for a multitude of reasons. I am a combat veteran and still serving in the Army National Guard. When I came home … in 2019, I was jumping from company to company, non-unionized residential construction, doing multiple things with mediocre wages and no benefits,” Eisler said.
Eisler is in his second year at the Northeast Carpenters Apprenticeship Training Center.
When asked what his reaction was after hearing the news, Eisler said, "Primarily shock, my wife hugged me, and we just chuckled in disbelief. [I’m] just super grateful because my vehicle is on its way to 200,000 miles, rusted-out and falling apart, and now I don't need to get one.”
The EAS Carpenters is part of the larger United Brotherhood of Carpenters Union and represent more than 43,000 union carpenters across New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia.
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