ROI Influencers: Unions 2024
Greg Lalevee
Business manager
International Union of Operating Engineers, Local 825
Greg Lalevee is proud of all the things the approximately 7,800 members of the International Union of Operating Engineers Local 825 have worked on in the state.
The widening of the New Jersey Turnpike and efforts on the Portal Bridge/Gateway Tunnel project immediately come to mind — but the influence of Local 825 goes much deeper than that.
Lalevee traces its impact through an average day.
“If you woke up to an alarm clock, chances are we either built the plant that is manufacturing the electric or had something to do with the distribution system,” he starts. “If you took a shower, we worked on the water infrastructure. If you made breakfast on your stove, we worked on the gas infrastructure system. We worked on the roads and bridges you travel on to go to work — or the airport you use for a business trip.
“And, if you go to the Shore for fun, we’ve worked on the beach replacement. And, if you go to an event at the Pru Center, we’ve worked there, too.”
It’s all very impressive — and just some of the reasons why Lalevee is No. 1 on the 2024 ROI Influencers: Union Leaders.
The reasons for the recognition go deeper, too.
Local 825’s commitment to training and cultivating the next generation of workers is just as impressive — and impactful.
This year, the organization graduated its first cohort of apprentices/students who earned an associate degree from Hudson County Community College (30 hours in the field; 30 hours in the classroom) in a unique “Earn and Learn” program that is believed to be the first of its kind in the country.
And anyone who has seen the 61-acre 825 Training Center and Technical College while traveling through Middlesex County has had a firsthand look at others getting top-shelf training.
“It’s where people get the training, so they do it right when they are on the job,” Lalevee said.
The training and teaching all goes back to the ultimate mission of the operating engineers: Building an economy in New Jersey that works for everyone.
“At the end of the day, construction survives, and the state thrives, when the economy is at its healthiest,” Lalevee said. “We’re driven to make sure we have a healthy economy all the time.”
