Our Program - What is an Apprentice? An apprentice is a worker who learns a skilled trade through planned, supervised, on-the-job training and related classroom instruction. An apprentice is a regular part of the work force and earns wages while acquiring important skills. The length of our apprenticeship is approximately 3.5 years and 4500 on-the-job training hours. At the completion of our program, an apprentice becomes a journeyman, fully qualified to perform the work of the roofing trade and earns the industry top pay for their skill. Our apprentice program has been sponsored jointly by labor and management on the local union level. We serve to provide the highly skilled workforce necessary to apply the quality roofing and waterproofing systems that keep America's buildings dry. Our program is approved by the Department of Labor, Bureau of Apprenticeship and Training. We are also approved by The Veterans Administration for VA school benefits to eligible Veterans. We train our Apprentices for over 50 Union Signatory Contractors, many of which belong to St. Louis Union Roofing, The Midwest Roofing Contractors Association and the National Roofing contractors Association. Roofers Local #2, which is this country's oldest roofing union has over 700 members to professionally install various roofing and waterproofing systems. Our jurisdiction covers St. Louis, Western and Southwestern Illinois and Eastern Missouri. How Much Will I Earn? Union journeymen Roofers and Waterproofers earn wages and fringe benefits that are negotiated on their behalf by the union through collective bargaining and roofing contractors. Wages vary according to the geographic location of the local union. They may be as high as $30 per hour to a low of $10 per hour, but generally average around $18 per hour. Fringe benefits can include health and welfare contributions that protect the Union Roofer and his or her family with medical coverage, pensions to help the Union Roofer plan for retirement, vacation funds, annuities, and other benefits. A Journeyman is a Competent Craftsman Union roofing apprenticeship programs pride themselves in their product: an individual with job skill, knowledge of the trade and a positive attitude toward the union, the employer, the public and most certainly the paying customer; an individual with pride, dignity and self-respect. With your roofing apprenticeship completion certificate, you will be ready to begin your career as a union trained roofing and waterproofing worker. You will be qualified to work for any union or waterproofing employer in the country at higher wages and for better benefits than are available in the non-union sector of the industry. What Type of Work will I do? Union journeyman Roofers and Waterproofers work on a variety of types of buildings, protecting those facilities aainst water intrusion and ultimate damage to the structure and its contents. Roofing in the commercial and industrial sector is generally of the built-up type or the single-ply category. In built-up roofing, layers or piles of felt are set in hot bitumen over insulation boards to form a waterproof membrane. An aggregate may be imbedded in a final bitumen coat to protect the membrane from ultraviolet radiation of the sun and other environmental hazards. Single-ply roofing encompasses all of the newer plastic, polyvinylchloride (PVC), rubber (EPDM) and other elasto-plastic type membranes that have their seams welded by solvent or hot air or glued with contact adhesive to form a monolithic waterproofing membrane. These systems may have a stone or rock or paver block ballast installed over them or they may be partially or totally adhered to the substrate. These systems are also installed over roof insulation boards. A separate category of roofing is the modified bitumen system that may be applied with hot bitumen or torched-on with high intensity propane burners. Another area of roofing is the residential type. Although these applications can also be done in the commercial and industrial sector as well. They include composition shingles, slate, tile and metal roofs. Waterproofing is a specialty aspect of the roofing trade but is no less important than a roof in protecting a building against moisture intrusion. Waterproofing can be below grade, which is usually foundation work. It can also be done on plaza decks, parking garage floors and other sections of a building where water or moisture protection is crucial. Materials used in waterproofing are generally of the same type used in roofing, although there are many specialty application materials that may be specified fo this type of work. Earn While You Learn Contact Us Our Program Application Pay Rates Contents © 2000 St. Louis Roofers Apprenticeship - JATC May not be redistributed or reproduced without written permission.