The Los Angeles community-based nonprofit 2nd Call does a lot for the people it serves, but for John "Big John" Harriel Jr., it all comes down to three words.
“It saves lives," said Harriel, a 25-year member of Los Angeles Local 11, which works with the organization to get its participants into the trades.
Started in 2006, 2nd Call works with at-risk residents from areas like South Los Angeles, Compton, Watts and Inglewood, neighborhoods that are often known more for poverty and gang violence than they are for turning out the next generation of tradespeople. Many have been to prison, but not all. Some are just struggling with other life issues, the result of growing up in an underserved community. It's where Harriel comes from, and it's one of the reasons he's so effective at working with 2nd Call's participants.
"I come from this world," Harriel said. "I've been to prison. I've eaten out of trash cans and slept in alleys before. With this work, you have to be authentic."
Now he's a superintendent for Morrow-Meadows, one of the largest contractors in the area, and chairs Local 11's executive board. And he still teaches classes with 2nd Call — for free.
"Now I'm a civilized, tax-paying citizen," said Harriel, who has spoken before Congress on the challenges facing former prisoners when they're released. "I'm not a wild dog anymore."
It's those classes, and the philosophy behind them, that have helped countless people get their lives back on track, and in a lot of cases into an IBEW apprenticeship.
"We're in the business of changing lives," said Local 11 Business Manager Joel Barton. "It's about supporting the community, and it's the right thing to do."
2nd Call is a lot of things, but one thing it isn't, says Harriel, is a program. Programs have beginning and end dates. 2nd Call is infinite. It's more of a way of life.
"If you want a good employee, you have to have a person who's made themselves whole," Harriel said. "So let's talk about unresolved trauma, about having spent 20 years in prison, about having a mother on crack. Let's have those difficult conversations."
Where a program will teach someone some skills and then send them on their way, 2nd Call works with the whole person to get them through whatever it is they're going through, and then stays with them.
"A program doesn't talk about anger management or trauma. They'll give you a certificate and then tell you to go out there and work hard. How can I work hard when I only eat three days a week? When I've spent time in prison and never had a dad? How do I mingle with others on the job who aren't like me? These are real issues. So we talk about these things."
Harriel is also adamant about getting people ready for a career, not just a job, not to mention one that's in demand and pays well, benefits included.
"I only talk about careers," Harriel said. "I've probably gotten thousands into the trades over the years. And I have gotten people in who are leaders, who end up as contractors, foremen and inspectors. It's not perfect, but I've got a good batting average."
Those who go through 2nd Call have access to classes in subjects like anger management as well as math, to get them fully back on their feet and ready for an apprenticeship. Mentoring is also offered, sometimes with help from Local 11's Electrical Workers Minority Caucus. Participants also get help with things like getting a GED, passing the entrance exam, and interview preparation.
"We teach them effective communication," Harriel said. "We teach them how to listen, how to not get emotional, and specifics like avoiding filler words like 'um.'"
Harriel also offers classes on money management and home ownership, since a career with the IBEW can afford someone those options, something that may not have been on the table before.
"I still live in the community, but now I own my home," Harriel said. "I don't rent anymore."
Harriel says he owes a lot to the IBEW for his success and all that he's been able to do.
"The IBEW is my guiding light," Harriel said. "I learned integrity from the IBEW. It gave me the strength to love myself. If I could, the whole world would be one big IBEW union."
Harriel also started a nonprofit called Big John Kares that works with youth and young adults from underserved neighborhoods. Those who participate and make it into an apprenticeship get a free bag of tools, that's purchased at a discounted rate by Harriel from Milwaukee Tool. It's another way for the former gang member to give back to his community and make it a little better. Because, for him, there are more good seeds than bad.
"I'm not bringing victims. I'm bringing suspects, people who show up with no fear of working hard. They just need someone to show them what to do," Harriel said.
Barton and Harriel both give a lot of credit to contractors like Morrow-Meadows for being open to hiring so many apprentices who've come through 2nd Call.
"Morrow-Meadows has been a leader in diversity and inclusion," says Harriel. "They have raised me to be the leader I am."
According to a video by the National Electrical Contractors Association, members like Morrow-Meadows have hired over 100 electrical workers and supervisors through the organization.
"They have a great attitude," said Morrow-Meadows Director of Corporate Marketing Mark Freedman. "These are people that come from very difficult upbringings. They've battled to get here. They never quit on themselves, and they have been fantastic employees for us."
It's positive for Local 11 in other ways too.
"Local 11 gets good workers from 2nd Call," Barton said. "They're committed, they realize what they have now and they don't want to give it up. And beyond that, we get leaders, people who join the EWMC and who volunteer with our Day of Service. In the end, we get good, involved union members."
Local 11's work with 2nd Call is also an example of what the International's IBEW Strong program aims to do. IBEW Strong is the international-level effort to promote the recruitment and retention of a more diverse and inclusive workforce.
"We need to embrace everyone and increase our ranks, and 2nd Call is a great pathway for doing that. It fits right in with IBEW Strong," Barton said.