Member Spotlight: Jon Ramos

For carpenter Jon Ramos (Local 2776 – Kalamazoo, MI) being part of the union means much more than simply showing up to work.

Jon works at Interkal, an all-union shop of approximately 100 employees that manufactures bleachers for high schools, colleges, and other facilities. As a lead in his department, Jon has spent the past five years building more than bleachers, he has built relationships with the people he works alongside and a deeper understanding of what it means to be part of a union.

Jon noticed that while everyone at Interkal was part of the union, not everyone was involved in meetings or fully understood the representation they had. He wanted to change that.

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“I wanted to be more involved and go back to work and show them, speak to them and encourage them to be involved and appreciate the representation they have,” Jon said.

For Jon, union membership is about much more than paying dues. That belief pushed Jon to take the next step in his involvement. Rather than simply encouraging others to participate, he decided he wanted to become someone who could help lead the conversation.

That led Jon to run for a delegate position in his local and he was sworn in on August 14, 2026 in Detroit, MI.

For Jon, becoming a delegate means having a voice for his coworkers and helping them recognize the value of the representation they have. He wants to be someone who makes a difference.

“I don’t want to just be a union member. I want to be someone more and I felt important,” he said of the moment.

That desire to make a difference extends beyond union meetings and representation. Jon also serves on Interkal’s safety committee, a role that would show him just how important safety training is and how as a union member it is a top priority.

This past summer Interkal recently established a safety committee and a Code Red protocol designed to ensure employees know how to respond when a serious emergency occurs. When ‘Code Red’ is called over the loudspeaker, employees evacuate the building while members of the safety committee immediately respond to the situation.

On June 10, 2026, that protocol was put to the test.

Near the end of the workday, a Code Red call came over the loudspeaker. Employees were told to evacuate as Jon and the other members of the safety committee sprang into action.

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A coworker had been seriously injured by a piece of sheet metal. A thin piece had sliced deeply into his forearm, near an artery, causing significant blood loss.

Jon and the safety committee ran to the scene. A tourniquet was applied to the injured worker’s arm, while Jon held pressure on the wound as they worked to control the bleeding until emergency responders arrived.

“The guy was losing a lot of blood,” Jon recalled. “We just reacted really fast.” The coworker was transported by ambulance for treatment and, thankfully, survived.

For Jon, the incident brought a whole new meaning to the work he and the safety committee had been doing. The committee was not just another workplace responsibility. The safety procedures were not just something discussed in a meeting. He was forced to act and display the safety that the union values above all else.

Jon understands how easy it can be to come to work every day and think of yourself simply as an employee.

“Sometimes everybody just comes to work, and then you get discouraged sometimes, like, ‘Oh, I just work for a company or a factory, nine to five. I want to change that.”

As a delegate, Jon wants everyone to know that the union is about more than a paycheck or a set of benefits. It is about having a voice, having representation, looking out for one another and being willing to step up when your coworkers need you.

For Jon, that means being a delegate, serving on the safety committee, and encouraging the people around him to become more involved, too.