Union members who helped set up the DNC stages and tents were “pumped up” as thousands entered United and McCormick

Hundreds of craftsmen have spent the past six weeks preparing the United Center to host the four-day Democratic National Convention, which began Monday.

The United Center was transformed from the Bulls’ arena into a space for tens of thousands of political delegates, media and other attendees. And union workers were instrumental in preparing for the convention, also being held at McCormick Place – 30 unions, including those representing carpenters and electricians, worked behind the scenes to prepare for the convention.

“I feel the energy. It’s a great feeling to be building here,” Jaclyn Ramirez said Friday as she prepared for Monday’s festivities. “Everyone is pumped up and ready to go.”

The 34-year-old from Gage Park is one of the union carpenters at Show Strategy, a Chicago-based event management company. Ramirez has been a union carpenter for two years.

She was joined by Emmitt Wright, 48, also of Show Strategy. The two are part of the Mid-America Carpenters Regional Council, in which 70 union members from various companies worked on the DNC.

Carpenters built CNN’s media center, media tents, office space and other temporary structures at the United Center, among other projects. Ramirez and Wright built a deck for FOX News, box suites for BMO Bank, picnic tables, desks, walkways and more. Last week, they helped erect a giant mural of Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential nominee.

In April, Chicago unions signed a “labor peace agreement” promising not to strike during the DNC. For the first time in the convention’s history, hotel workers were included in the agreement.

Ramirez and Wright specialize in trade shows and have worked on major events such as the Chicago Auto Show.

Wright, an Auburn Gresham resident, said he might watch part of the DNC on television. “We get to show off the things we’ve built,” he said. Wright has been a union carpenter for nine years.

Carpentry was a natural talent for Wright, as he grew up in a family that was involved in the construction business. His superpower as a carpenter? “I could carve a rocking chair out of a tree stump,” he said.

Ramirez said she has family members in the carpenters’ union, including two brothers, a sister, an uncle and cousins. Her ability is “to figure everything out. It’s like putting a puzzle together.”

In addition to the historic nature of the convention, the collaboration with many teams of craftsmen was remarkable, Wright and Ramirez said. But the DNC was less hectic compared to other conventions and projects they have worked on because the schedule was longer. Chicago was chosen as the host city last year, beating out bids from Atlanta and New York.

“We’re under a lot of pressure when we do other things. Sometimes we have two days to get something done,” Wright said. But at the DNC, “everyone stays calm. It’s better planned than what we normally work with.”

Plus, Ramirez said at the United Center, “we’re fortunate to be able to work indoors rather than outside in the rain. Air conditioning is a plus.”

During the DNC, Wright and Ramirez will also be working on other projects, but they will likely return to the United Center to help with dismantling — such as stages, office space, platforms and supports for lighting. Dismantling will take about two weeks.

“We need to put things back the way we found them,” Wright said.

While the DNC attracts worldwide attention, carpenters and other tradesmen are constantly working on large conventions.

“This is what we do every day,” Wright said. “We come here and get it done.”