APRI-Maine President & Former Afghan Pilot Speak to UCA Pre-Apprentices

PHOTO: Besmillah Omarzai addresses UCA pre-apprentices on May 8.

Last Friday, pre-apprentices with the Union Construction Academy of Maine were visited by Besmillah Omarzai of the Elevator Constructors Union (IUEC 4) and Garrett Stewart, President of the A. Phillip Randolph Institute – Maine Chapter. Stewart gave a 25-minute presentation the benefits of being part of a union and the APRI’s focus on fighting for racial and economic justice.

“I think it went fantastic,” said Stewart. “They were very engaged and excited.”

APRI-Maine is a constituency group of the AFL-CIO for union members of color, but all are welcome to join. Omarzai is originally from Afghanistan, where he served as a Black Hawk helicopter pilot in an elite airborne unit of the Afghan armed forces. As we wrote in a profile of Omarzai last year, he sought asylum in the United States in 2021 after the U.S. withdrew its troops and ended a 20-year occupation of the country.

After working a number of low-paying jobs in Maine, he enrolled in the Union Construction Academy and was accepted to a lucrative position as an apprentice with Elevator Constructors Local 4 after graduation. UCA pre-apprentices were astounded to learn that a journeyman elevator mechanic earns on average $150,000 a year with a generous benefit package worth upwards of $65,000, including a pension, quality health insurance and more.