HOWELL - The ties that bind iron workers and crane operators on construction sites are well-established.

But until now, the interaction of iron workers and operating engineers on construction sites has never been the subject of formal, structured training: on-the-job instruction has been virtually the only method of teaching.

May 6 was the start-up date of a new, joint training program at the Operating Engineers Local 324 Howell Education Center. Apprenticeship course curriculums for both Local 324 and Iron Workers Local 25 members will now include 40 hours of working together, doing all the tasks necessary to erect structural steel under the watchful eyes of instructors.

"The operating engineers and the iron workers have had a long working relationship in structural steel assembly," said Gary Ganton, apprentice coordinator for Local 324. "It's vital that a raising gang and crane operator work in unison. Having the frame on this site is a great way for our apprentices to develop that working relationship."

Remarkably, this is thought to be the first joint apprenticeship iron erection curriculum in the nation between iron workers and operators. One of the major reasons that it has been slow to catch on is the cost. Ganton figures it took more than $1 million to start this program, including an $800,000 crane, $250,000 in iron, and $100,000 in permanent footings.

The Great Lakes Fabricators and Erectors Association (GLFEA) provided a large grant and made the project possible with the purchase of more than 200 tons of iron. Douglas Steel and Midwest Steel were also major contributors of materials.

The iron frame can be erected as high as six stories, and can be built in four different configurations. Layouts can include different types of iron and a variety of floor systems, for maximum instructional flexibility. "A lot of thought went into the design," Ganton said.

The course curriculum for both trades requires the operators and iron workers to work together on the steel framework for 40 hours. There are usually 10 iron workers and two operators in each class, which extends over the period of a week.

"You can look at books and videos all day, but until you get your feet on the steel, you can't understand what iron work is all about," said Local 25 Apprenticeship Coordinator Doug Levack. "That's what makes this frame so valuable. We've re-written our curriculum to incorporate it. This is the kind of thing that keeps us ahead of the nonunion."

A different raising gang "foreman" among the iron worker apprentices is named each day during the training. On May 8, that title belonged to Dave Nelson.

"It's really valuable, everybody has learned a lot," he said. "You get a lot of hands-on experience, look at the blueprints, and they explain a lot of techniques you'd probably never hear on the job."

Ganton and Levack said input from a number of people made the steel framework possible, including: Jim Walker and Jerry Mendek of the GLFEA; Bill Treharne of Midwest Steel; iron workers Al Friend and Dave Hannah; retired iron workers Gary Monte, Mark Morton and Sonny Wilburn; current iron worker instructor Dallas Campeau, and operators Mike Sherwood and John Hartwell.

Union officers who sat on the committee or approved of the unique training program include Local 324 Business Manager Sam T. Hart and President John Hamilton, and from the Iron Workers, past Business Manager Greg Hicks and current Business Manager Frank Kavanaugh, President Shorty Gleason, V.P. Jim Hamric, and BAs Art Ellul and Bill Sennett.

OPERATING ENGINEER apprentice Dave Winslow looks on as Local 324 instructor John Hartwell moves a section of iron during the operators-iron workers joint training program.