This past spring, 42-year-old ONeil, a member of ironworkers union Local 1, found himself jobless for the first time in his five years in construction. After collecting unemployment checks for two months, he was able to get on a high-rise job tying rebar for locally based Walsh Construction.
ONeil now is trying to pick up the pieces from his recent financial troubles. "People say the economys fine but I cant tell," he says.