By Brendan Spiegel

For much of his adult life, Kristopher Lospitalier wasn't thinking about pensions, career paths or retirement plans. He was simply trying to find steady work.

Growing up, construction was all around him. His father owned a residential construction business, while two uncles were union steamfitters. But rather than following either path, Lospitalier spent years working a variety of jobs in different fields, including retail, and restaurants, trying to figure out where he belonged.

"They were fine jobs for your 20s," he said. "But if you wanted more out of life, that kind of work probably wasn't going to provide you much of a path."

Eventually, he landed at a glass company installing storefronts, office partitions and other architectural glass as a nonunion employee. At the time, he liked the work and was relatively happy there.

Then, in February 2022, everything changed.

While opening a shipping pallet of glass at a jobsite, the load suddenly shifted. Standing on a sheet of ice, Lospitalier slipped as the glass came crashing down, breaking his kneecap.

He spent the next several months recovering at home. Since he was earning lower nonunion wages, the workers’ compensation payments he received were so small  they barely covered his expenses. Getting to physical therapy appointments and doctor's visits became an added financial burden.

"It definitely was tough to get by," he said. "I'm just very fortunate to have the family I do. I would have been in a really bad place if I didn't have my family to fall back on."

While he recovered, one of his friends, a union dockbuilder, kept encouraging him to consider a different path.

The friend described the benefits of union membership—health insurance, retirement benefits, training opportunities, and long-term career options that extended far beyond the next paycheck.

The conversation made Lospitalier look at his own future differently.

Just two weeks after breaking his knee, still on crutches and wearing a leg brace, he took the train into Manhattan to apply for the New York City District Council of Carpenters apprenticeship. Staff at the training center were surprised when he walked through the door on crutches, but his determination left an impression.

Four years later, the 37-year-old graduated from the apprenticeship program as a member of Dockbuilders Local 1556. The apprenticeship also allowed him to earn multiple American Welding Society certifications, as well as New York State Department of Transportation welding certification—training he says would have cost tens of thousands of dollars on his own.

"If you're willing to show up after work at night, they will teach you whatever you want to learn," he said. "It's pretty amazing."

He even earned the Golden Hammer Award, recognizing outstanding performance during his apprenticeship and in a competition with his peers. But he says the biggest reward isn't the plaque—it's discovering a career he never realized was possible.

What he enjoys most about dockbuilding is the variety. Since joining the union, he's worked on projects ranging from the new Manhattan Detention Complex in Lower Manhattan to a community boardwalk in Broad Channel, Queens. One assignment might involve concrete formwork. The next could mean working from a tugboat alongside divers. Another might require specialized welding or underpinning buildings.

"I just feel like we have such a large scope of work," he said.

One of his favorite projects came early in his apprenticeship, when he helped build the boardwalk in Broad Channel using reclaimed lumber salvaged after Hurricane Sandy.

"It'll be there for probably a few decades," he said. "It's something that's going to be used by our community."

Perhaps the greatest value of his union benefits became clear more recently, when his wife developed an unexpected medical condition that required surgery.

The procedure ultimately cost about $40,000. Thanks to the family's union health insurance, they were responsible only for limited co-pays and out-of-pocket costs.

"If this happened two years prior when I was still working for a non-union company, it could have financially ruined us," Lospitalier said. "We would be in debt. We'd be struggling."

Instead, he said, the experience confirmed he had made the right decision.

"It 100% solidified that I made the right choice," he said. "To have the peace of mind of having health insurance—not just for me, but for my wife and our future kids—it means everything. You sleep easier at night."