Skilled Elevator Mechanics Join IUEC

Experienced vertical transportation professionals want the industry’s best training, safest jobsites, and benefits they can rely on. The International Union of Elevator Constructors (IUEC) delivers this combination through North America’s most respected education programs, a commitment to jobsite safety, and an extensive network of signatory employers that value craftsmanship and skill.

Education

Apprenticeship Foundation

IUEC elevator constructor apprentices in the United States complete a four-plus year U.S. Department of Labor Registered Apprenticeship through the National Elevator Industry Educational Program (NEIEP). In Canada, IUEC elevator constructors complete their apprenticeship through the Canadian Elevator Industry Educational Program (CEIEP).

The model blends classroom instruction with supervised field experience. For elevator technicians who begin their careers working in the non-union sector, part of the value of moving to the IUEC is moving from learning the hard way to enrolling in a structured educational program that is organized, current, safety-focused, and built around long-term careers.

Chris Ramirez, President of IUEC Local 18 in Los Angeles, started his career in the elevator trade working for a non-union company. “Family brought me in as a youngster,” he said. “I didn’t know how to read a tape measure. I came in, started from the ground [up], so I learned the hard way.”

Apprentice elevator technicians who join the IUEC don’t have to figure everything out on their own – they are able to enroll in NEIEP courses that give them a solid theoretical foundation combined with hands-on classroom labs and high-tech virtual training they can use to practice new skills in a safe, controlled environment under the supervision of experienced instructors.

Advanced Training for Experienced Professionals

For experienced elevator constructors, NEIEP and CEIEP’s continuing education (CE) courses provide an opportunity to build on their skill set.

Ken Michalik, Local 18 Business Representative, outlines his first impressions of non-union elevator technicians who make the switch. “I think the biggest thing they notice right away is the education,” he says. “That’s a little bit of a learning experience, but I think that’s the part they appreciate the most.”

Randy Thurston is the President of Thurston Elevator Concepts, an IUEC-affiliated elevator company based in Azusa, CA, that installs, repairs and maintains passenger, freight and custom residential elevators.

He explains, “(NEIEP has) a training facility that’s state of the art. They learn not only on the job, but they also learn in a very high-tech training facility, and I think that gives an edge as a signatory company that you wouldn’t really get in a non-signatory company.”

As one Local 18 member puts it, “Our school’s top notch, you can’t touch us.”

Through the apprenticeship and continuing education curriculum, mechanics and apprentices share the same vocabulary for installation, maintenance, and repair of vertical transportation systems. That shared baseline accelerates troubleshooting, and tightens handoffs between construction, modernization, and service.

Courses That Align with Field Realities

The IUEC structure makes continuing education accessible and targeted. Members can enroll in courses that cover topics including microprocessor logic, hydraulic theory, traction systems, escalators, door operators, meters and measurement, and in the U.S., they can earn a nationally-recognized ANSI/ANAB certified rigging and signaling credential.

Continuing education courses are scheduled for working mechanics and tied to high-level skills that employers recognize. This is focused development that converts into results on jobsites.

Advancing a Culture of Safety Across North America

Safety is the foundation of quality. Crews plan work, review hazards, verify isolation, and halt when conditions change. Communication is constant. Ken Michalik captures this perfectly when speaking to Local 18 members, “You take care of each other, you communicate with each other. You’re a good crew working together, worrying about not only your safety, but the safety of the riding public.”

This culture of safety is reinforced consistently. Chris Ramirez describes the daily goal simply: connect with people, make sure they are learning, make sure they are safe, make sure they get home. “That’s the most important thing to all of us.”

Training on Industry Code Regulations

As part of the NEIEP and CEIEP training, IUEC elevator constructors learn about the regulatory framework that governs elevator construction, modernization, repair, and maintenance. This includes electrical safety, fall protection, rigging and signaling, scaffolds and lifts, confined spaces, and machine room housekeeping. Compliance is taught, practiced, and expected.

Best Practices

Benefits

Pension

In the U.S., IUEC elevator mechanics participate in a defined benefit pension. Service credit adds up over time and yields guaranteed retirement income. This formula gives professionals a clear path to retirement and rewards the years already invested in the trade.

In Canada, the Canadian Elevator Industry Pension Plan (CEIPP) is one of the finest multiemployer pension plans in North America. Retirees enjoy a lifetime guaranteed pension as early as the age of 55.

Health Care

Members consistently point to medical benefits as a top reason for joining. Randy Thurston frames it through the lens of a parent: “The medical benefits are incredible. As a father with four kids and a family, that is one of the biggest takeaways that I’ve gotten out of what the IUEC has to offer.” Comprehensive coverage supports routine care and the unexpected, replacing uncertainty with predictability.

Annuity and 401(k)

In the U.S., benefits include an annuity and a 401(k) alongside the pension. Ken Michalik summarizes the structure and the outcome: “We have everything we need from the IUEC. We have our benefits. They’re saving money for us through our annuity. Really all we have to concentrate on is our job.”

Working Conditions

IUEC elevator mechanics work in the best conditions possible, largely thanks to the collectively-bargained agreements that shape compensation practices, overtime rules, and more. One Local 18 member contrasts this with non-union ceilings: “Non-union you top out at a certain percent. You don’t get your annual raises.” This member’s conclusion is clear: “Everything’s way, way better.”

Safety as a Benefit

Jobsite safety is built into training and reinforced by colleagues, mentors, and leadership. Fewer injuries protect health and earning power, and better planning reduces stress and turnover. This makes it possible for working crews to stay intact, which further improves outcomes for owners, riders, and the workers themselves.

Camaraderie

True Brothers and Sisters

IUEC crews share information, emphasize communication, and succeed together through teamwork. Ken Michalik notes what he admires most about the MTA crew at Local 18 – “It’s about the team.” That mindset is common across IUEC jobsites and is one reason elevator company owners continue to choose to be IUEC-affiliated companies.

Mentorship

Chris Ramirez explains his approach to mentorship and how camaraderie can come in many different forms and from many different directions, “I love being able to mentor a lot of the [new members] that are coming in. I really strive to reach out to them and connect with them and just make sure that they’re learning and make sure that they’re being safe at work every day and they get home to their families.”

Ken Michalik emphasizes the long-term guidance that the IUEC offers. “We always got to be planning ahead for our next generation. That’s what interests me most, having an influence on the young generation and carrying this great union forward.”

Join the IUEC

Joining the IUEC upgrades your career through targeted education, enforceable safety practices, and robust benefits. You gain a wider employer network, portable credentials, and working conditions that respect your time and skill. As Randy Thurston advises, “Learn the business. Learn the trade… If you have the opportunity to get involved with the IUEC… the benefits are second to none.”

Compare your current path to this structure, review the training catalog, confirm the certifications, and talk to members who made the move.

To learn more about the advantages of becoming an IUEC elevator constructor checkout this YouTube video or visit https://www.elevatorinfo.org/elevator-technicians/