Artisans that Give Buildings a Lasting Character

Professionals in the Trowel Trades include bricklayers, stone masons and cement masons.

The clean, straight lines of a brick façade…intricate mosaics composed of colorful tile …the distinctive appeal of a stone walkway. These are the most noticeable works of trowel professionals.

The trowel profession is time honored, as their work lasts for centuries. The cathedrals in major cities, major public buildings, even famous bridges all are testimony to the work of masons throughout the ages.

Today’s bricklayers and Stone Masons carry on a proud tradition. These talented men and women display a variety of skills and are part of a profession known as the Allied Crafts.

These professionals work with a variety of materials including tile, stone, terrazzo, marble, granite, plaster, cement and much more. Some of the material bricklayers and Stone Mason's work with are quite expensive – as much as $30 per foot.

All of the work requires precision, making sure that each brick, tile or block fits perfectly. This is the part of the building process that everyone will see for a long time to come, and so everything must be perfect. Though there are various branches of the allied crafts profession, the two most prevalent are Bricklayers and Stone Masons.

Bricklayers repair walls, floors, partitions, fireplaces, chimneys and other structures with brick. They also specialize in installing firebrick linings in industrial furnaces.

Stone Masons build stone walls, as well as set stone exterior and floors. They work with two types of stone: natural cut (marble, granite and limestone) and artificial stone, most often made from concrete.

The allied crafts profession is the ideal career choice for men and women who have a desire to create work with lasting aesthetic value, who are creative and have the patience to be precise in everything they do.

Salary & Benefits
At current wage rates, accomplished union allied craftworkers can make more than $50,000 per year. Even at the apprentice and journeymen level, bricklayers can make salaries that are extremely competitive with other career options.
The following is a current schedule of salaries and earning potential. Wages are periodically adjusted upwards to reflect increases in cost of living.

Journeyman Deputy Foreman Foreman

$28.00 - $31.67 per hour* $30.60 - $36.36 per hour* $33.20 - $37.36 per hour*

*Exact wage depends on the local in which the allied crafts professional is a member.

Benefits Include:

• Family health insurance • Pension and Annuity Funds • Disability Insurance

Working Conditions & Career Outlook
Because much of their work involves crafting the exteriors of buildings, allied craftworkers traditionally work outdoors in the elements. They stand, kneel and bend for extended periods. Though some heavy lifting may be required when working with large pieces of stone, both men and women excel in this profession.

The work is relatively safe, though precautions must be taken when working on scaffolding. Minor injuries do occur from accidents with tools.

According to the federal government’s Occupational Outlook Handbook, the job prospects for stone masons are expected to be “excellent through 2010…as population and business growth create a need for new houses, industrial facilities, schools…and other structures.”

The Handbook also foresees that the need to restore a “growing stock of old masonry buildings, as well as the increasing use of brick and stone for decorative work on building fronts, lobbies and foyers” will stimulate demand.

Entrepreneurial Opportunities: Fair
For students interested in eventually starting their own business, the prospects are fair. Three out of 10 bricklayers and stone Masons work for themselves, performing mostly residential work like patios, walkways and fireplaces.

Apprenticeship
Much of an apprenticeship is spent learning on real projects under the supervision of a contractor to whom the apprentice has been assigned. Before being assigned to a contractor, the apprentice must complete a 12-week training course. This 480-hour orientation course teaches the apprentice the basics of the craft.

When assigned to a contractor, the apprentice will start learning the basics of the craft. From the beginning, they work side by side with journeymen, constructing walls and other parts of structures. They are taught how to spread mortar, align and lay brick and block and set stone. As their skill develops they learn and perform more advanced tasks, such as cutting stone and performing more intricate procedures.

Apprentices continue to attend courses at the training center for hands-on and classroom instruction. Attendance of these courses, which take place at night after the workday, is required. Apprentices are subject to dismissal after three absences.

There are two qualified training facilities in New Jersey:

Bricklayers, Local 4, in Morristown

Bricklayers, Local 5 in Bordentown

Apprenticeship Requirements
The minimum requirements for eligibility in the Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers
apprenticeship program are:

Students interested in a Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers Apprentice program must fill out an application that can be obtained at one of the two training centers. Applicants will then be asked to provide a transcript of their high school record, two character references (references cannot be relatives) and proof of age.

Candidates will then be called to take an oral interview with a committee comprised of representatives of both labor and management. Candidates will be ranked according to their interview performance for placement in the program.

Specialties
The allied craft profession is broken out into many branches. Though an allied craft professional may specialize in one of these branches, they are trained and ready to perform work in a variety of branches. The branches of the trade include:

Profile
Students who have the following characteristics, are ideal allied craft apprentice candidates:

Where to Go:

Sidebars

What’s a Steeple Jack?
Steeple Jacks have been around for centuries. They build chimneys, towers, smoke stacks and, of course, steeples. Steeple Jacks also must repair these structures when they become older.

What Does a Pointer Do?
Pointers repair brickwork, apply sealant around masonry work, re-caulk older buildings, and clean the stone and brick on older buildings to bring back their luster.