I make the following disclaimer:
Curmudgeon – a crusty, ill-tempered, and usually old man.
You may remember when the current President of the U.S. was campaigning for his first term in office back in 2008, that a plumber in the crowd asked him about income redistribution plan and how he planned to tax those earning above a preconceived amount of money. The plumber’s name is Joe Wurlzbacher, and the firestorm that engulfed him because of his question was as impressive as it was wrong.
The media and the political operatives ran to every known source in order to bury the poor guy. If you recall, one of the first (and to my mind, only) items to come out about our poor brother was the fact that he was ... (gasp) unlicensed! Hence the headline of this column.
First, let’s ask ourselves what exactly is a license and what exactly is its purpose? The Merriam/Webster dictionary defines the word in ways that are diametrically opposed:
1.) An official document, card, etc., that gives you permission to do, use or have something.
2.) Freedom to act however you want to.
In Joe’s case, the media and pundits jumped on the first definition as some indication that he was, somehow, less than a real plumber. The fact that he was unlicensed was reported ad infinitum, ad nauseum by all the news outlets in such a way as to marginalize, chastise and ridicule the guy.
In my opinion, it was a hatchet job of the first order, on a regular guy who asked a question the candidate did not particularly want to answer. So Joe’s unlicensed status became the means by which his perfectly valid question could be marginalized, because he was unlicensed, and therefore somewhat less of a person.
The real question I have regarding licensing is why? We all know, or should know that trade licenses are only a means by which government can exert control over the practitioners. Let’s face it, if you are a trained craftsman, you certainly are not less of one if you don’t have a license are you?
We all know, or should know that trade licenses are only a means by which government can exert control over the practitioners.
The sole purpose of licensing anything or anybody is government control. Some would argue, with a degree of success, that licensing the trade is a way to weed out charlatans and scammers or the untrained and unworthy practitioners of a craft (and that might be true). However, the marketplace does that much more efficiently than the government can.
Where practical examinations are not required of licensees, a good test taker can pass the licensing exam and hang out his shingle, so to speak. Whether or not that person is capable is moot. He has a license ... period. The marketplace then takes over and does what the government intended to do. If the guy is a lousy plumber, he will soon be out of business either because of the poor quality of his workmanship or through lawsuits. The bottom line is, he’ll be gone, licensed or not. A skilled, knowledgeable craftsman does not need a license to effectively do the work. He only needs a license because the state needs a way to leash him for purposes including tax collection (sales tax, unemployment tax, etc.) various and never-ending fees.
History of industry titles
Moving further afield from the licensing “name game” is the use of titles. The history of the plumbing trade is a rich one, with titles denoting expertise bestowed by historical significance and recognized by the craft at large as having been earned.
Everyone knows the steps — apprentice (1 through 4 or 5), journeyman, foreman, master. As with most things in the modern world, these titles have become almost meaningless. In a world where children receive trophies for participating rather than real achievement, why should anyone care if an apprentice with minimal skills decides to call himself a journeyman? For that matter, a journeyman, even one with good skills, bestowing upon himself the title of master is not commented on by many, but it should be.
A master plumber is expected to know almost everything there is to know about his trade, including the latest new technology and how to apply it.
A journeyman is just that, a mechanic who is traveling (journeying) the course of the trade, learning things as he goes which he adds to his knowledge base. Eventually the journeyman has been educated enough that he is elevated to ‘foreman’ status. Wherein he now directs the work of other journeymen and apprentices. The next step is a bit more difficult.
Moving from a journeyman/foreman status to master, if I may use the analogy, is like a single engine VFR rated private pilot who flies a Cessna 172, moving up to the left seat of an Airbus A380. A master plumber is expected to know almost everything there is to know about his trade, including the latest new technology and how to apply it.
Whether the work involves replacing faucet washers or diaphragms in flush-o-meters to doing the plumbing for a 110-story luxury hotel in Dubai or providing expertise in clean room piping for a computer chip manufacturing facility, the master must either know it or be able to perform is as he goes.
So the next time you think about titles, think long and hard before you go bestowing unearned ones. Our trade is at a fragile crossroads right now. Learning from history as we move forward will help keep it strong. Cherishing the things that matter is worthwhile.
The Brooklyn, N.Y.-born author is a retired third generation master plumber. He founded Sunflower Plumbing & Heating in Shirley, N.Y., in 1975 and A Professional Commercial Plumbing Inc. in Phoenix in 1980. He holds residential, commercial, industrial and solar plumbing licenses and is certified in welding, clean rooms, polypropylene gas fusion and medical gas piping. He can be reached at [email protected].