"They changed my life. They truly have," Tarita said with tears in her eyes. "They opened a door for me. It was a door I couldn't even find, even though I'd been looking for it for years."
Throw in benefits, and her union work pays more than double the best wage she earned before.
"For the first time, we were able to take a family vacation," Tarita said. The destination: nearby Universal Studios, followed by real camping in the San Gabriel Mountains, with lots of food, a stove and a new tent.
Tarita, who can sing a pretty mean tune, can also wax poetic on the joys of sheet-metal work. Like polishing chrome. Or a job that takes you to the beach.
"I was out there in Laguna, installing a soffit piece made out of copper," she told me. "Just beautiful. It sparkled. I felt like I was in the Taj Mahal. I'd work and see sailboats passing. It's like paradise when you work outside."
A good job you can do with your hands is good for the soul.
And in Tarita's case, that well-paid job is a union job.
