America's Work Force Union Podcast

After a lull, Iron Workers are busy in Central Florida

Written by awfblog | August 9, 2022

Ironworkers Local 808 Business Manager and Financial Secretary/Treasurer Bobby Knost joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and spoke about the current job market in Florida.

The Local’s membership is about 900, with a jurisdiction over eight Florida counties.

Work is booming once again for Local 808 members, said Knost. The workload dipped following the pandemic when supply chain issues arose. This led to a lot of members on the bench. However, things have picked up. 

He said their current projects include a large job in downtown Orlando; work at many of the theme parks including Disney and Universal Studios; As well as work at Kennedy Space Center and Port Canaveral. Essentially, whenever a new ride is constructed at a theme park, the members of Local 808 are involved in the project. 

Besides the current workload, the Local is also focused on growing its apprenticeship program. Knost explained how they implemented a new program that targets the non-union workers and brings them into the Local to talk  about a multitude of issues. 

Listen to the interview to learn more about these topics.