Title Images: LEFT: Retiree Bill Jensen stands in front of the Caterpillar RD6 he donated to the IUOE Local 139 District Office in Altoona. RIGHT: Retiree Jeff Johnson with the Wayne Crane he donated to Local 139, now displayed at the Appleton Union Hall.

Bill Jensen’s Story

Bill Jensen is many things: a husband, a 45-year Union member, a Wisconsinite, a jokester. There’s often a joyful glint in his eye when he tells a story from days past. And, in terms of his work, it’s present in nearly every story he tells.

Bill began working on the interstate as a laborer right out of high school, eventually becoming an Operating Engineer. “It was like a tech school,” he says. “I learned as I went.” Early in his career, Bill worked at L. G. Arnold, Inc., under Vice President Frank Carr. A World War II veteran who fought in the Battle of the Bulge, Carr hired many of his fellow servicemen after the war. “They took a liking to me for some reason,” Bill explains. “They took me under their wing and helped me.”

From there, Bill moved onto a variety of jobs throughout the state of Wisconsin. All the jobs that he worked on were important in his eyes. In the 1960s, he was part of what at that time was the biggest cut in Wisconsin. Working with equipment far less advanced than what operators have today, Bill and the rest of his crew helped to haul away 124 feet of earth along Highway 27. On another job, Bill recalled the equipment stretching on for half a mile when it was all lined up. 

With so much of his life devoted to being an Operating Engineer, Bill’s answer to how he stayed so diligent throughout each workday is telling. “It was my hobby,” he says. “I didn’t want to quit at night; I worked daylight till dark. I had guys tell me, ‘Bill, that’s good enough.’ But you can’t do it partway… I’d do it the way I would have done it for myself.”

In the 1990s, Bill Jensen met a police officer named Jeryl Vonderheid while digging out basements in Eau Claire. The two of them became fast friends, bonding partially over a shared love of heavy machinery. Jeryl told Bill of the 1935 Caterpillar RD6 on his family’s hobby farm, and after some consideration, Bill decided to purchase the crawler tractor from the family, having developed something of a hobby collecting equipment. Decades later, he would graciously donate the RD6 to Local 139. It is now displayed in front of the office in Altoona.

Bill has continued to collect and operate equipment into his retirement, admitting he has more D2s and moldboard plows than he probably should. He looks back at his time in Local 139 fondly. “We had lots of fun,” he says. He’d never dreamt of having a pension and health insurance back when he was starting out in the industry. “You know what they used to tell us? ‘We’ll just jump on a brush pile and get another one. Get us another worker.’ That’s the attitude they had.” As to that, when asked what being a member of Local 139 means to him today, Bill responds very simply. 

“It’s the best thing that ever happened to me,” he says. “It means everything.” 

Jeff Johnson’s Story

Retiree Jeff Johnson has accomplished a lot in his life. Getting a head start on his career from a young age, he was already teaching his peers how to weld in high school. It didn’t take long before his father, Jim Johnson, was introducing him to cable rig operation out in the field.

Jeff began his career with J.O. Johnson Incorporated, the construction company founded in 1936 by his grandfather, Julius Oscar Johnson. He would eventually become vice president of the family business. After leaving J.O. Johnson, he was hired as a mechanic with another contractor before transitioning into crane operation. In 1986, he joined Local 139, taught for several years at the Coloma Training Center, and in 1995 accepted a position as a Local 139 business agent.

On how much the industry has changed over the course of his career, Jeff has a straightforward answer: “Big time.” OSHA had only just been established when Jeff reached adulthood. Hydraulic excavators did not yet exist, and Caterpillar was still emerging into its position at the top of the heavy equipment industry. Construction was a highly manual process compared to the technology-driven industry of today.

As construction practices advanced, however, Jeff retained a special love for cranes. Operating one was uniquely rewarding work for him. Even as he went on to become a business agent, a role he calls “the best job he had, and the most interesting,” he still missed being in the operator’s seat. “I looked at the hook for many years,” Jeff reminisces. 

Perhaps that attachment to cranes is why he stepped in when he heard his father Jim was going to scrap a 1951 Wayne Crane that belonged to the family. Jeff asked his father if they’d rather donate it to Local 139, and after Training Director and Vice President Dan Sperberg came to inspect the equipment, the father and son went forward with the donation. Local 139 Training Center staff helped to make the crane like new again by fixing up a few things and putting on a fresh coat of paint. “We have the greatest training facility in the world,” says Jeff.

Now in retirement, Jeff enjoys a wide range of hobbies. He collects coins and has resumed trap shooting, a hobby from his younger days. It’s a rarity to catch him on a day he isn’t building something. “I have the cash to do it,” he says, referring to his pension. “It gives a lot of opportunity to do a lot of things…You get a chance to pull the pin early and make a good living. It’s a great thing.” And Jeff Johnson certainly has made a good living. 

Local 139 article by Alec Rousseau, photos provided by Jeff Johnson and Local 139.