Member Spotlight
Anton Farkas: 101 Years and Counting
Anton Farkas turned 101 on December 7, 2007, and has been a member of Local 8 for over 50 years – a rare feat in any industry. He has many fond memories of his time working as a union bricklayer, and still critiques the craftsmanship of many buildings he sees.
Anton came to the U.S. in 1914 from Hungary when he was 12 years old. His first introduction to the bricklaying trade was when he helped build his family’s basement out of blocks he and his father made in their backyard shop. Not only did Anton and his father build their basement, but they built the stairs leading to their backyard as well as their shop. “It was hard work,” recalls Anton. “It wasn’t fun, but you were proud of what you accomplished from start to finish.”
From his first experience laying brick, Anton decided to become a union laborer, but quickly went back to the trade where he first got his feet wet. By 1920, he was an apprentice at Local 8 and remembers that his father fudged his age to get him a job. “I needed to become better at laying block and the best way was to get into the union trades,” Anton says smiling. “I wasn’t quite old enough, and that’s why we had to fudge a bit on my papers.”
Back in 1920, apprentices weren’t what they are today. “It was more like you were sworn in and then learned the trade,” Anton remembered. “You learned as you went and that worked for me.” Today, apprenticeships last anywhere from three to five years depending on the trade – much different from when he started.
Anton was a union bricklayer with Hunzinger on and off for 30 years. According to Larry Farkas, Anton’s son, his father joined the Coast Guard and had to leave Hunzinger from 1942 until late 1945. He trained at the Naval Station Great Lakes and was a Third Class Baker on a Coast Guard Cutter. During those days he spent time sailing through the Atlantic, the Panama Canal and patrolling the pacific. When Anton returned, he went back to Hunzinger, where he stayed until he retired in 1972.
Anton says he worked no matter what the weather was like, “If you had a good job it was in summertime when you were tied up through winter, but when you got laid off for a while it was best during winter.” Anton said, remembering how cold it could be during winter. “It was good to have winters off.”
Some projects Anton worked on were the planters at the Catholic Knights building and at M&I Bank downtown. He helped build the original Mayfair, a lot of Kohl’s grocery stores and the YMCA on 124th and North. When asked what it felt like when buildings were knocked down that he built, Anton said, “Hey, that’s progress.”
Nowadays, Anton spends his days staring out his window reminiscing with Larry. Larry has been working as a union laborer since 1968 after he got out of the service. Anton jokes that, “we tried to work with each other as little as possible.” Larry said his dad took a lot of pride in his work and that he was an excellent mason.
All in all, Anton was-and is-very proud of the work he did when he was a union bricklayer. He sees the progress in Milwaukee and knows that the current work is in good hands. He’s confident that union members will do Southeastern Wisconsin’s union construction industry justice, and will work just as hard as he did.
Power of One Newsletters
