Meet our Team: John Salyer, AAEJATC Training Director
Meet our Team: John Salyer, AAEJATC Training Director
John Salyer is the Training Director for the Ann Arbor Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Training Center. John helped the AAEJATC/IBEW Local 252 apprentices form Union 4 Life in 2012 as a way for the apprentices to work together. John said that prior to Union 4 Life, the apprentices didn’t always get the opportunity to work together on projects outside of labs during their classroom training.
John said Union 4 Life has had a big impact on his life. “Being a member of Union 4 Life has given me the opportunity to experience the joy of helping others,” John said. “Union 4 Life has also allowed me to get to know our apprentices outside of work. The fundraising events we put on allow everyone to meet each other’s families and learn more about each other that we wouldn’t know otherwise.”
John said his favorite memory from a past Union 4 Life event was the first time the members were able to donate a check to the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center’s Breast Cancer Research Program.
“It was great to hear directly from the doctors at the check presentation,” John said. “We got to hear directly from the source how they would use the donations, and how important their work and receiving these funds is to them.”
John said if there was one important thing the public should know about Union 4 Life it’s that union members aren’t who they are portrayed to be. “Union members aren’t what you often hear about today,” John said. “We are your neighbors, your friends, and your family.”
