Union workers who helped build DNC stages, tents 'pumped' as thousands enter United and McCormick
Hundreds of tradespeople have spent the past six weeks getting the United Center ready to host the four-day Democratic National Convention, which kicked off Monday.
The United Center was transformed from the Bulls' arena into a space for tens of thousands of political delegates, media and other attendees. And union workers were key to setting up for the convention that's also taking place at McCormick Place — 30 unions, including ones representing carpenters and electricians, worked behind the scenes to set up the convention.
“I feel the energy. It brings up your spirit while you’re building here,” Jaclyn Ramirez said Friday. “Everyone is pumped up and ready to go.”
Emmitt Wright (right), a carpenter with the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council union, helps assemble a mural of Vice President Kamala Harris outside the United Center on Friday. Wright is one of hundreds of tradespeople who helped construct stages and other structures for the Democratic National Convention.
Pat Nabong/Sun-Times
The 34-year-old from Gage Park is one of the union carpenters with Show Strategy, a Chicago-based event management company. Ramirez has been a union carpenter for two years.
She was joined by Emmitt Wright, 48, also with Show Strategy. The two are part of the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council, which had 70 union members from various companies working on the DNC.
Carpenters built CNN’s media center, media tents, office spaces and other temporary structures at the United Center, among other structures. Ramirez and Wright built a deck for FOX News, box suites for BMO Bank, picnic tables, desks, walkways and more. Last week, they helped assemble a giant mural of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate.
In April, Chicago unions signed a “labor peace agreement” promising not to strike during the DNC. For the first time in convention history, hotel workers were included in the agreement.
Ramirez and Wright specialize in trade shows, and their work has included big events such as the Chicago Auto Show.
Wright, an Auburn Gresham resident, said he might watch some of the DNC on TV. “We can brag about the things we built,” said Wright, who's been a union carpenter for nine years.
Carpentry came naturally for Wright, who grew up with family members who were in construction. His carpentry superpower? “I could carve a rocking chair out of a tree stump,” he said.
Ramirez said she has family members in the carpenters union, including two brothers, a sister, uncle and cousins. Her skill is an ability to “figure everything out. It’s like putting a puzzle together.”
In addition to the historic nature of the convention, working with many teams of tradespeople is notable, Wright and Ramirez said. But the DNC has been less hectic compared with other conventions and projects they’ve worked on because of the longer timeline. Chicago was named the host city last year, beating bids from Atlanta and New York.
“There’s a lot of pressure doing other jobs. Sometimes we have two days to get it done,” Wright said. But at the DNC, “everyone is calm. It’s more planned out than what we normally work with.”
Plus, Ramirez said at the United Center, “we’re blessed to work indoors and not out in the rain. Air conditioning is a plus.”
During the DNC, Wright and Ramirez will also be working on other projects, but they'll likely return to the United Center to help break everything down — stages, office spaces, platforms and trusses for lighting. The tear-down process will take about two weeks.
“We have to put things back the way we found them,” Wright said.
The DNC is capturing attention worldwide, but carpenters and other tradespeople work on massive conventions all the time.
“It’s what we do every day,” Wright said. “We come here and get it done.”