The conductor

Jaime Lopez
Cornelius Skeahan
Paul Vance
Co-edited by Barrie Cline

Deck job by Paul Vance (February 2012) from the Paul Vance interview conducted by Setare S. Arashloo and Barrie Cline and Jaime Lopez, 2016-11-17. Illuminating History: Union Electricians in New York City, Archie Green Fellows Project, 2016-2017 (afc 2016/035), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

Imagine you are outside in a blizzard, trying to manipulate a piece of thick but very cold copper wire. It feels like shaping rock into a form other than that it was given. You struggle with the cable to get it to do what you want, trying your best to act with precision. One mistake in your splice can later lead to disastrous consequences.

Copper, at room temperature, has astounding malleability. The wire can be cut, bent, chopped, twisted and shaped, to run throughout a building wherever power is needed. But if it is too thin a gauge, or—in the case of high voltage work, has an air gap beneath the wrapped insulation—the heat will elevate, and an explosion may result. It must be visually inspected constantly throughout the process, and closely monitored for heat levels. If it is humming, the system may need proper grounding. You must listen carefully to how wire communicates to you.

Electricians are the neurologists of the construction industry. Our goal is to make the safest, most efficient, and precise network of connections possible. If done right, the building’s occupants barely know what is happening. Akin to the human nervous system, symmetrical streams of conduit flow in and out of buildings, parks, running through streets and subways. Although silver is the best current conductor for this flow, precious metals are far too expensive. Copper, on the other hand, has an ideal combination of cost and conductivity, making it an excellent metal for moving both high and low voltages through a number of different raceways. It has a high heat threshold, and creates its own natural layers of protection from corrosion. Copper is durable, and with proper insulation, can survive extreme conditions of weather intact.

Wire cart (December 2012) from the Paul Vance interview conducted by Setare S. Arashloo and Barrie Cline and Jaime Lopez, 2016-11-17. Illuminating History: Union Electricians in New York City, Archie Green Fellows Project, 2016-2017 (afc 2016/035), American Folklife Center, Library of Congress.

In the highly specialized and treacherous operation of high voltage splicing, teams of electricians must marshal all of their training with this material and deploy it with the utmost care. Were the general public to peek down into a manhole on the street, they would see an elaborate labyrinth of insulating cable outlining the perimeter of the vault. The arrangement might seem haphazard, but the union-trained professional can read the installation like a detective reading a crime scene. For this electrician, each layered cable stitches together a story of the past, suggesting clues as to how to retrofit and adapt them for future use. The safety and efficiency of the system depends on the excellence of its design and installation.

The unseen workmanship of high-voltage splicing entails many discrete maneuvers. First, the cables are wrestled into position, so that they rest smoothly on the shelves in the vault to protect the layers of insulation around the copper. The cable is cut precisely with powerful hydraulic tools. With the precision of a surgeon, the splicer uses a curved knife to score the outer layer, peeling back the insulation and the semiconductor layer. Then, the electrician cuts through the conductor itself—a compacted strand of copper. To make a joint, connecting tubes are slid over the cables to be connected, ensuring there is no space separating the two ends of the copper strand. A crimper, carefully deployed, connects the compacted copper wires together. If this is not done consistently, a buildup of heat will eventually break down the copper’s insulation, leading to an explosion. Electricians therefore carefully inspect each crimp, both visually and by feel.

There are many more steps to the process, none of them performed without care, or indeed alone, as each splicer team requires at least two people. The communication between electricians working together—spoken and unspoken—can be the difference between life and death.

When the job is done, the current—the electrons in the copper wire moving in the same direction from the power source through the grid—can flow. This is the transmission of civilization itself, and we are union electricians, shepherding it safely to you.

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Barrie Cline is art faculty of the Harry Van Arsdale School of Labor Studies (HVASLS) and co-editor of “The conductor”.

From Corona, Queens, Jaime Lopez is an IBEW Local 3 A-Journeyman Electrician and has over 20 years of electrical experience and service to the union. He graduated from Empire State College, HVASLS, and was awarded the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for student excellence.

Cornelius Skeahan is part of a long history of NYC rank-and-file organized labor family members. He is a first-generation Local 3 electrician and graduated from HVASLS in 1989. He has worked as a Journeyperson in different capacities of supervision and became a Shop Steward in 2007 and Safety Director in September 2019.

Paul Vance is an artist and has been a Local 3 union electrician for the past 9 years. Paul is a graduate of Pratt Institute as well as from HVASLS. He recently began a ceramic practice.