KANSAS CITY, Mo. — While he was growing up in a non-union town of 7,550 residents, 80 miles from Kansas City, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers (BAC) Local 15 Apprenticeship Program Training Director Josh Franklin could not have pictured he would one day hold his current role.
Franklin, who has served as BAC Local 15’s apprenticeship training director since Feb. 23, was acquainted with his trade at 18 years old — working for a non-union company called Mid-Continental Restoration in his hometown, Fort Scott, Kan. While he shared he wanted to transition to a union company, at the time, for a majority of opportunities, it required a relocation to Kansas City, Mo.
It was in 2004, and with the assistance of his fellow high school comrades, when Franklin was able to join the union as a journeyman, with a promotion to foreman shortly afterward. Previously working as a journeyman, patching and replacing limestone, he shared that it is the historic restoration aspect of the trade, which remains his passion.
“Joining the union was a huge difference; I had a $10 an hour raise on the first day and pension contributions,” Franklin said in an interview. “I couldn’t believe it was real. Southeast Kansas is not strong with unions; it’s 80 miles from here, those 80 miles don’t understand unions.”
Throughout his years with BAC Local 15, Franklin has occupied roles including a Pointer, Caulker, Cleaner (PCC), lead organizer of BAC Local 15 and a PCC business agent for the union hall, which he held from 2020 through 2025 — his most recent role before becoming the apprenticeship training director.
And while Franklin shared his non-union experience was overall positive with a five-star worker safety program — while there were issues with other aspects — it was not until he became a PCC business agent where he was exposed to some core union versus non-union differences.
“Part of the job was to interview workers who came from non-union contractors; some are treated so badly,” Franklin said in an interview. “Seeing some of the other companies, that was all new to me; I just thought ‘Oh man.’”
In February, the local was in its sixth month without a permanent apprenticeship training director, having BAC Local 15 President and Secretary-Tresurer Dustin Himes as well as Director of Training Emeritus Don Hunt assuming the role in the interim.
“I was approached by the Board of Trustees to see if I would be interested [in the position]; my first reaction was no, I was having so much fun in my other role [as the union hall lead organizer],” Franklin said in an interview. “I developed this passion for growing the Bricklayers and making sure we were the best.”
However, after various conversations with Hunt and Himes, Franklin accepted the nomination. And as he had previously served as an apprenticeship trustee, Franklin shared it helped to give him a leg up, but that it was the everyday program operations, which required him to undergo some training of his own.
“I came in halfway through last semester, thankfully Don was here to train me,” he said in an interview. “Don has been such a champion for the bricklayers for multiple aspects; I’ve had some incredible bosses, including Dustin [Himes].”
After absorbing procedures from Hunt with the spring apprenticeship class, with a new season of apprentices arriving in September, Franklin shared he is ready to hit the ground running.
“I feel comfortable; I can’t wait, I have so many ideas I want to try and employ and can’t wait to start doing,” he said in an interview. “I want to try to expand the tile, marble and terrazzo program; I want to expand on that and create more opportunities there. Don was working on that before he left and the trustees have offered full support of that.”
Along with programming improvements, Franklin shared he additionally hopes to expand outreach to other field professionals including engineers and architects to help illustrate benefits of masonry, among other services, to the industry professionals.
BAC Local 15 is anticipating 120 bricklayers to join its apprenticeship program for the fall semester. And as the last round of apprenticeship classes concluded in June, Franklin shared BAC Local 15 has over a month to prepare for the next round.
Julia Williams — a Kansas City native — is a reporter and digital producer for The Labor Beacon. A University of Missouri School of Journalism alumna, she previously served as the editor-in-chief of The Northeast News before joining The Labor Beacon staff.
Williams’s grandfather was a Claycomo Ford Motor Company retiree and avid UAW Local 249 supporter, allowing her to understand the union difference from a young age.
In her free time, Williams enjoys spending time with her family, traveling to see her friends and hanging out at home with her cat, Greta. She loves a good cup of coffee, seeing local, live music and shopping secondhand. With a passion for storytelling, she hopes to bring her knowledge of journalistic integrity to the Kansas City union community — giving union and labor workers a voice, while holding people in powerful positions accountable.
