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At the jobsite, senior members of the crew often tell us how important it is to speak up if we see an unsafe act. We all want to return home in the same condition we arrived. But when we fail to look out for one another while performing our work, incidents happen, and these can have lasting and devastating effects.

The same goes for workplace behavior. SMART wants our members to speak up for them­selves and others when they are uncomfortable or witness others who are in the compromising posi­tion of being bullied or harassed. As with safety, it is crucial to create a culture that encourages members to say something when they observe harassment or bullying. We all deserve to return home from work unharmed — physically, mentally and socially.

In fact, discrimination and harassment on construction sites can endanger the physical safety of members on the job. Due to the dangerous nature of our work, you need to be able to trust that the member next to you will keep you safe. If your coworker is harassing you, it is hard to trust that they will ensure your safety.

As members of SMART, we have the moral duty to ensure the safety and well-being of our fellow members and to encourage each other and build morale while on the job. The concept of a workplace free of harassment and discrimination should be owned by each member at every worksite. Intervention is an effective tool to curb and hopefully eliminate harassment and bullying in the workplace.

With all this in mind, SMART announced the expansion of the I Got Your Back Campaign — “Speak Up, Speak Out” in May. We seek to create and reinforce a culture where members Speak Up, Speak Out when they see something wrong. Therefore, we ask every member to do the following:

1. If you witness a fellow member being bullied, harassed, discrim­inated against or mistreated on the job, please Speak Up, Speak Out.

2. If you are being bullied, harassed, discriminated against or mistreated on the job, please Speak Up, Speak Out if you are comfortable doing so, or ask a trusted ally for help.

What does it mean to Speak Up, Speak Out? This can take many forms depending on the situation:

  • Ask the offender to stop. Here are some examples of things you can say: “This needs to stop right now.” “This is wrong, and you need to stop.” “This is not right. Leave [name] alone.”
  • Ask the individual if they are okay and if they would like to report this incident. Emphasize that they did not deserve to be treated this way and that you have their back.
  • Approach other bystanders and encourage them to Speak Up, Speak Out. Every voice matters, and there is power in numbers.
  • If you are not comfortable saying something in the moment, you can report the incident to your union rep or the employer.

In turn, we ask all of our union officials to commit to the following:

  1. Ensure each of our members receives the best quality union representation when they are facing harassment, bullying, discrimination or mistreatment on the job.
  2. Ensure there is no retaliation for speaking up and reporting an issue. Communicate repeatedly with your members that retalia­tion is not tolerated, ask members to report retaliation if it occurs, and take swift and decisive action if a member is retaliated against for speaking up.

This campaign expansion is designed to encourage our members to intervene when bullying or harassment occurs on the jobsite with the same sense of urgency as if a fellow member were facing unsafe work conditions. We believe the expansion of the I Got Your Back Campaign will help ensure this practice becomes universal throughout our union.

As part of the United States Department of Labor’s (DOL) Youth Apprenticeship Week in May, SMART Local 67’s Amber Oliver was named an Apprentice Trailblazer — one of just two DOL Apprentice Trailblazers in Texas, and the only sheet metal Apprentice Trailblazer in the country.

Pictured from left to right, back row: Bill Kenyon, SMART SWGCRC president; Mark Garcia, SWGCRC organizer; James May, Jr., SWGCRC Local 67 regional manager; Eddie Gonzalez, SWGCRC financial secretary-treasurer; Ralph Gomez, SWGCRC Local 67 organizer. Front row: Amber’s mother, Jessica Mayorga; DOL Trailblazer Amber Oliver; Amber’s father, Manual Oliver.

Oliver was recognized during a May 2 event at the Local 67 training center in Austin, where SMART Southwest Gulf Coast Regional Council (SWGCRC) and Local 67 leaders, the Texas AFL-CIO and others honored Oliver and her family.

The DOL’s Apprenticeship Trailblazer program has a dual goal: honoring pioneering apprentices, and enlisting those apprentices to expand awareness of, support for and enrollment in registered apprenticeship programs.

As a trailblazer, Oliver — per the DOL’s criteria — was lauded for demonstrating “exemplary leadership, mentoring, teamwork, promotional activities, and/or [having] a transformative story as an apprentice.”

Moving forward, she will partner with DOL and apprenticeship ambassadors to promote registered apprenticeships, bring more people into apprenticeships — particularly women, people of color and workers from other underrepresented communities — devise strategies to expand and modernize apprenticeship programs, and much more. Not only will this help Oliver develop a wide array of relationships with fellow workers and leaders in South Texas; it also has the potential to aid the local’s efforts to boost its union workforce.

Congratulations, sister, on this remarkable achievement!

Local 25 sheet metal workers in northern New Jersey recently completed work on the brand-new Terminal A at Newark Liberty Airport. The huge project, funded by a $3 billion investment from the Port Authority of New Jersey/New York, included 33 airline gates and eight bridges, as well as restaurants, bars and retail.

“Local 25 covered all sheet metal and HVAC work in the terminal: restaurants, bars, stores, gates, airways to planes, exhausts and kitchen equipment to all bars and grills,” said Local 25 Organizer Gregory Conte. “Local 25 had over 90 members on the job at any given point in the project.”

Newark Liberty Airport Terminal A
Newark Liberty Airport Terminal A, post-redevelopment

At more than one million square feet, the new Terminal A was the largest design and build project in New Jersey. The terminal was designed and built by Tutor Perini and Parson in a joint venture development; signatory contractors WDF and Halo Sheet Metal began work in September 2021 and finished the project – on time – on January 24, 2023.

“We are proud of everyone who worked on this massive new terminal,” said Local 25 President and Business Manager Joseph Demark, Jr. and area Business Agent/Financial Secretary-Treasurer Calvin Brooks. “Next up will be Terminal B and then C. Great job!”

Members work on the Newark Liberty Airport Terminal A project
Union ductwork at Newark Liberty Airport
Local 25 members on the job
Organizer Gregory Conte (left) and Financial Secretary-Treasurer Calvin Brooks

On August 1, 2024, Belonging and Excellence for All (BE4ALL) launched its brand-new standalone website, beforall.org — fulfilling a need the BE4ALL Committee had heard numerous times from SMART members and signatory contractors, and providing visitors with a one-stop shop for information, resources and more.

“Our duty as a union is to represent our members – to ensure they are protected and safe, from the job to the union hall,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “The new BE4ALL website expands our ability to provide welcoming, inclusive environments for all members of the unionized sheet metal industry, providing our members with needed information, resources and avenues for officers to protect their well-being.”

Members of the BE4ALL Committee gather around a table.
Members of the BE4ALL Committee meet in Chicago.

Launched in 2021, BE4ALL is a joint effort of SMART, SMACNA and the International Training Institute (ITI), created to ensure that all current and future members of the unionized sheet metal industry experience welcoming, belonging and inclusion. By better recruiting and retaining SMART members from all backgrounds, BE4ALL aims to grow and strengthen our union – both today and well into the future.

The new BE4ALL website is part and parcel of that goal. In the past, SMART members and officers noted that information about the initiative felt scattered, and resources were difficult to track down. The BE4ALL website stores information about BE4ALL, progress updates, frequently asked questions and much more in one place; in addition, past BE4ALL resources can be easily accessed by visitors, including Toolbox Talks (many available in Spanish), recorded BE4ALL Learning Journeys and the BE4ALL Calendar, to name a few.

But that’s only the beginning. A BE4ALL Member Portal gives SMART members, local union and regional council officers and SMACNA contractors the ability to log into the website and access resources tailored specifically to them and their jobs, from Toolbox Talks on difficult conversations with coworkers to guidance on how to use the BE4ALL Rapid Response Protocol. Importantly, the website also provides the ability for members to submit Rapid Response Protocol complaints to their local union or regional council through a web form – offering a secure avenue for members to detail incidents of harassment, discrimination, hazing, bullying or other inappropriate behavior on the job or at a union event.

“We are strongest when every single member, no matter who they are or where they’re from, knows that they have a home in our union and in our industry,” Coleman concluded. “We will continue to use every tool at our disposal, including the new BE4ALL website, to create environments that foster welcoming and belonging as we move forward.”

Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems are on the rise, making up an ever-growing portion of the HVAC market share in the United States. And in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Local 49 is taking proactive steps to ensure VRF work is performed by SMART members.

On April 16, 2024, the local welcomed representatives from Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US (METUS) to its JATC to open the first-ever METUS VRF lab in the U.S.

METUS representatives joined Local 49 members and SMART leaders to officially open its new VRF lab.

“This collaboration between the Local 49 JATC, Trane and Mitsubishi showcases cutting-edge VRF technology and provides hands-on training for apprentices and industry professionals,” explained Local 49 Business Manager and Financial Secretary-Treasurer Isaiah Zemke. “Our curriculum is tailored to the latest advancements in VRF technology, ensuring industry relevance.”

VRF HVAC systems offer sophisticated, energy efficient heating and cooling by using a single outdoor condensing unit to provide hot and cool air through indoor units, utilizing heat pumps or heat recovery systems. With a greater national emphasis being placed on such environmentally beneficial and cost-effective technologies for commercial and multi-family residential buildings, the demand for VRF expertise will only continue to grow – and as of today, the only METUS VRF lab in America is in the Local 49 JATC. (Importantly, Zemke noted, METUS is New Mexico’s exclusive vendor for all the state’s air moving equipment.)  

Not only does that ensure Local 49’s apprentices have the skills needed to take on VRF work in New Mexico — the lab can also function as a de facto organizing tool, bringing nonunion workers in need of training to the one place where they are guaranteed to witness, without any interference, the union difference.

“It’s going to be the future of heating and air conditioning,” said Local 49 member Miguel Lopez of Butler Sheet Metal, who led apprentices in helping build the lab.

The journey to the April 16th ribbon-cutting had an unexpected origin. Local 49 President Chuck Lees is an avid fly fisherman. As it turns out, so is Trane Sales Representative Larry Anderson. Years ago, through their shared love of fly fishing, the two men forged a relationship that led to collaborations on testing and balancing work — and, some time later, the idea of a VRF lab. Thanks to the friendship between Lees, Anderson, Zemke and the rest of the local, labor and the manufacturer swiftly established a partnership, and METUS signed a memorandum of understanding with Local 49 for the JATC’s innovative new lab.

“Basically, Mitsubishi supplies all the VRF equipment and will replace it with any new, updated equipment,” Zemke explained. “Our obligation on the training side is to make sure that we install it and put in all the controls.”

For Local 49 members, the VRF lab couldn’t have come at a better time. The state of New Mexico is applying for a variety of grants to perform work related to lowering emissions and building a green economy. One example of that work: constructing and retrofitting multi-family housing. Thanks to its in-house VRF training, Local 49 anticipates being able to take on those jobs from start to finish.

“For low-income housing, they would do an assessment of the windows, the roof, the HVAC system,” Zemke explained. “So, it will be our testing and balancing contractors that can go do that assessment. And then we would have our contractors go and install these Mitsubishi split VRF systems.”

The new lab demonstrates how vital it is for labor unions to be active and forward-thinking when it comes to training, organizing and collaborating with management-side partners. Zemke views it as an example of “organizing the work” that will benefit all the entities involved.

“When all the parties come together — the training center, the labor union, the contractors — we can build great things together,” he concluded. “And that’s basically what we’ve done with this.”

In May, Chris Carlough was appointed the first-ever SMART director of wellness and mental health support, taking the next step in a long career dedicated to enhancing the well-being of SMART mem­bers across the United States and Canada.

Carlough has spearheaded numerous programs aimed at meeting the unique needs of union workers and industry partners, demonstrating his passion for advo­cating for mental health awareness and support.

Carlough, standing with microphone.

One such initiative, started in 2013, was the SMART MAP (Members Assistance Program), which focuses attention on a variety of mental health issues, such as substance abuse and suicidal ideations, through various awareness trainings — locating top-tier mental health resources and building a network of compassionate union members and other peers who offer support and guidance to fellow members and their families. Another, more recent program has been the training and distribu­tion of naloxone throughout local unions in the United States and Canada in an effort to reduce opioid over­dose deaths.

“I strongly believe that empathy and vulnerability through shared experiences can reduce the stigma of mental health issues and will build a culture of support, caring and solidarity throughout our organization, where members and their families feel safe seeking help for mental health issues without fear of judgment or reprisal,” said Carlough, who has been active in his recovery from drug and alcohol addiction for more than 20 years.

By continuing to be a vocal proponent of policies and initiatives that prioritize members’ well-being, Carlough aims to advance the conversation around mental health in the workplace. His goal is to help ensure that SMART members have the resources and support they need to maintain their mental and emotional welfare so that they can spend more time in comfort and happiness — on and off the job.

Each year, the International Labor Communications Association (ILCA) honors workers and unions at its Labor Media Awards, recog­nizing excellence among member publications, websites, film, video and other media. It’s the largest competition exclusively for labor organizations and journalists, and in 2023, the SMART Communications Department took home a variety of prizes for its 2022 output — fueled by the inspirational stories of SMART members.

ILCA’s “Visual Communications” awards highlight the best layouts, illustrations, photographs and informational graphics submitted to the Labor Media Awards, with judges considering the entry’s quality of production, content and effective­ness with its intended audience. SMART won first place for “Best Design — Website, App or Electronic Publication” for its relaunched website, smart-union.org — a testament to SMART staff’s dedica­tion to putting together a modern, interactive resource that serves existing and potential new members. (The website won a third-place award in the “General Excellence” category.) SMART’s Cleveland staff took home second place in a Visual Communications category: “Best Front Page/Cover — Newspaper or Newsletter” for the SMART Transportation Newspaper.

Throughout 2022, SMART produced a broad range of video content: telling member stories, covering major events, educating members and non-members, and much more. The SMART Communications Department won first place in “Electronic Media: Best Education and Training Video” for its animated guide to forming a union — a demonstration of our union’s focus on conveying vital information to nonunion workers seeking SMART representation. SMART also won second place in the “Best Issues/Advocacy Video” competition for our profile of Jeff Hillery, as well as two third-place awards — in the “Best News Video” and “Best Promotional Video” categories — for videos on the 2022 Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference and signatory contractor McClure Stainless, respectively.

The Labor Media Awards include four writing prizes named after the late Saul Miller, a director of the AFL-CIO Department of Information and a founder of ILCA. These awards highlight writing related to key union activities: orga­nizing, collective bargaining and political action. SMART won third place in the “National/International Organizing” category for its coverage of workers’ successful unionization campaign with SMART Local 23 at Vigor’s shipyard in Ketchikan, Alaska.

And finally, SMART took second place in the crowded field that was the “Best Audio/Podcast/ Radio Broadcast” category. The award-winning Talking SMART installment, a conversation with SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson, reflected the timeliness and urgency of that episode, which was released during national freight rail contract negotiations.

While the SMART Communications Department created and submitted these websites, videos, articles and podcasts for ILCA consideration, the awards belong to you: the SMART members whose stories of working-class power define our union. Thank you for all that you do, and thank you for sharing your experiences with the communications department!

SMART Local 285 (Toronto, Ontario) member Samara Samp­son won the March 2024 NABTU Tradeswomen Heroes Award — an acknowledgement of her dedication to her craft, her union and her active practice of labor solidarity.

“Samara’s unwavering commitment to her career, tireless efforts to empower women in the trades and remarkable contributions to the community make her an exceptional candidate for this prestigious recognition,” Local 285 wrote in its letter nominating Sampson for the award.

Sampson’s sheet metal career began when she enrolled in the Welding and Fabrication Techniques program at Algonquin College, from which she graduated in 2015. She joined Local 285 in 2016, and having swiftly realized the benefits of her union membership, she actively promoted SMART, the value of union apprenticeships and other sisters in the trades. Sampson spent the bulk of her apprenticeship performing HVAC instal­lations in new developments and custom home projects.

After earning journeyperson status in 2021, Sampson was appointed to the SMART International Women’s Committee in 2022, becoming the president of the Local 285 Women’s Committee later that year. And with the support of her local, she has been a steadfast ambassador for the union sheet metal industry, speaking to various organizations and groups about her experience as an apprentice and the value of a career in the trades.

In 2022, Sampson co-founded the nonprofit Women on Site, an organization aimed at connecting otherwise isolated women in the trades, manufacturing and STEM industries. As the local wrote in its nomination, Women on Site is yet more proof of her resolve to uplift working women across Canada:

“Sister Sampson is driven by a profound passion for advocating for equity and inclusion, not only within SMART but also on jobsites and within the wider community. She envisions a future where the trades are a welcoming environment for everyone, and she actively works toward this goal. Samara’s determination, instilled in her by her trade and mentors, shines through in her commitment to finding solutions and getting the job done.”

Thomas De Bartolo, Jason Pedersen, Stephen Langley and Matthew Fairbanks have been appointed to the SMART General Executive Council as eighth, ninth, tenth and eleventh general vice president, respectively.

After graduating from Rutgers University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in journalism and urban communications, Thomas De Bartolo began his four-year apprenticeship as a second-generation sheet metal worker at SMART Local 27 (Southern New Jersey), becoming a journeyperson in 1989.

Thomas De Bartolo

De Bartolo served his local union in various capacities including shop steward, foreman and general foreman for union contractors. In 1999, he was elected to the Executive Board of his local, where he sat for almost five years, and he was appointed as a full-time organizer in 2002 — signing multiple sheet metal shops to Local 27 in a two-year period.

In 2004, De Bartolo was elected a business agent of Local 27, a position he held until 2021. During his time as an agent, he was also a trustee on various funds and aided in negotiating multiple collective bargaining agreements. De Bartolo became president and business manager of Local 27 in March 2021.

In addition to his local union, De Bartolo was elected president of the Monmouth & Ocean Counties Building and Construction Trades Council in 2010 and still serves in that capacity today. Prior to becoming president of the council, he was its secretary-treasurer from 2006–2010. In 2024, De Bartolo was elected president of the Metropolitan Association of Presidents & Business Representatives. The “Metro” consists of 18 sheet metal local unions from Region 1 of SMART, which share information pertaining to the area and the International.

De Bartolo’s labor leadership has been recognized through the years by organizations such as the Monmouth County Workforce Investment Board, Monmouth County Democrats, Ocean County Democrats and the New Jersey Alliance for Action. In 2023, he was honored as Labor Person of the Year by the Middlesex & Somerset Counties AFL-CIO Labor Council. De Bartolo and his wife, Suzanne, have been married for 25 years; they have two children, Olivia and Tyler, a daughter-in-law, Caitlin, and a granddaughter, Peyton.

Jason Pedersen began his sheet metal apprenticeship in 1990 with Local 280 in Vancouver, British Columbia, working in stainless steel fabrication. In 2002, Pedersen moved to Vancouver Island and transferred to Local 276, where he furthered his career in custom fabrication for the next 14 years — the last five of which he worked as foreman.

Jason Pedersen

In 2016, Pedersen was elected business manager and financial secretary-treasurer of Local 276, not only leading the local union but also acting as the administrator of the local’s pension and healthcare plans. He also sits on various councils and committees, including the Vancouver Island Building and Construction Trades Council; the Vancouver Island Metal Trades Council; the B.C. Building Trades Council Executive Board; the SMART Roofing and Building Enclosure Council; the SMART Canada Local Unions and Councils (LUC) Pension Fund; and the Canadian Pension and Benefits Steering Committee. Pedersen is the president of the Western Conference and vice president of the Canadian Council.

Local 85 (Atlanta, Ga.) Business Manager/Financial Secretary- Treasurer Stephen Langley entered the local’s apprenticeship in July 1990, graduating from the program in June 1995. Over the last 30 years, he rose through the ranks to become a foreman, managing some of the largest projects in the Atlanta area, and has served in every office within Local 85: on the Executive Board from June 2004–2005; as recording secretary from July 2005 until September 2010; as a trustee to the Vacation Fund, Building Fund, Pension and Health Funds and president of the Death Benefit Fund; as Local 85’s Retirement Club coordinator; and as Local 85’s legislative liaison and a SMART Members Assistance Program (MAP) representative. Langley served as a business representative starting in 2010, and he was elected Local 85 business manager and financial secretary-treasurer in 2020.

Steve Langley

In addition to his local leadership, Langley has an extensive history serving on the Southeast District Council, the SMART Production and Sign Council, the Nuclear Hazard Council and as delegate for all Georgia local and state AFL-CIO labor councils. He was recently appointed as an ICB (International Certification Board) trustee by General President Michael Coleman.

Matthew Fairbanks, along with his two brothers, is a second-generation sheet metal worker at SMART Local 10, representing Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota. He began his career in the sheet metal industry in 1995 when he enrolled at St. Paul Technical College, entering the three-year Local 10 apprenticeship program after completing two years of full-time day school. Fairbanks worked at various shops throughout his apprenticeship, eventually turning out as a journeyperson in 2000 while working for Metropolitan Mechanical Contractors, where he became a foreman and worked for nine years.

Matthew Fairbanks

Fairbanks was elected to the Local 10 Executive Board in 2006, becoming vice president of the board later in his term. In 2009, he was elected business representative, which included a specified appointment as the apprentice liaison; he also served on numerous negotiating committees throughout the three-state local, as well as a trustee or chair of trust funds affiliated with Local 10. In 2018, he was elected business manager/president of Local 10, where he has continued serving on negotiating committees and as trustee or chair of various trust funds.

In addition to his local leadership, Fairbanks is the current secretary-treasurer of the Minneapolis Building Trades Council. He also sits on various boards, including as a trustee for Union Bank & Trust (a union-owned financial institution in Minneapolis); a work compensation advisory committee; and the St. Paul Building Trades, among others.

SMART-TD Local 1785 (Santa Monica, Calif.) General Chair Markeisha Haynes has wit­nessed firsthand what bus operators face on the job —from the everyday challenges of skillfully driving a 30-to-60-foot vehicle to the shocking rise in assaults on transit operators in recent years. Now, as a recently appointed Bus Department alternate vice president, Haynes and fellow transit leaders across the country are working to make sure unions and workers have a say in formulating real solutions to the vio­lence facing SMART-TD members.

“Properties or transit agencies should involve the union,” Haynes said. “Most of the decisions, as far as where to go when it comes to assaults, are made within the [employer], and the unions are not being asked to join those conversa­tions. To really understand where an operator is coming from, the union needs to be involved.”

Haynes, a 17-year motor coach operator for the Big Blue Bus in Santa Monica, took her first step towards union representation as a member of her local’s safety and training department, helping teach new hires the tools of the trade and working to make sure safety came first on the road. The urge to help others came from a natural affinity for community with her fellow members and a drive to better the lives of transit workers in the area 29

— and soon, Haynes was running for local union office, winning election as local chairperson of LCA-SMB and the first female general chairperson of GCA-SMB in November 2021.

Such milestones came with difficulties. Haynes encountered some members who didn’t see the general chairperson’s title as one that a woman could hold, initially refusing to give her the respect she deserved.

“I just stayed persistent,” Haynes recalled. “I knew what my ultimate goal was, and that was to bring a difference in our local and to show that women, we can do this, too.”

“At the end of the day, it’s about the membership and the member­ship only,” she added. “I always remember that: Before I hold any position, I’m an operator first.”

Haynes, third from right.

Haynes’ determination paid off for the members of Local 1785 during recent contract negotia­tions. After years of 3% raises, the local’s negotiating team won a 13% pay increase for members in 2021, along with a compensation study in the memorandum of under­standing that required the city of Santa Monica to compare pay rates with other local agencies. With the data from the compensation study, Haynes and Local 1785 were able to add an additional 5% pay bump on top of the original 13%, amounting to an 18% raise over three years.

Of course, pay is only part of what members are seeking on the job — in public transportation, safety and workplace protections are crucial and have become an even higher priority as attacks on transit operators continue to make headlines nationwide. SMART-TD is doing vital work to influence legislation and raise awareness about the epidemic of violence against transportation workers, Haynes said. Moving forward, employers need to ensure unions are involved when it comes to member well-being — preventing attacks and ensuring adequate resources in the event of an assault.

“There’s nothing there for us, as operators, to even take time to grasp what just happened to you, first, and number two, to see if you even have the strength or the mental capability to do it all over again,” Haynes said. “It definitely needs to be addressed, as far as mental health is concerned.”

A first-ever exclusive training session for bus and transit officers in March 2024 demonstrates SMART-TD’s wholesale commitment to our transit workers; something Haynes said is crucial for winning the protec­tions that members need.

“The training has been amazing,” she concluded. “SMART is and has been very geared towards training, making sure information is distrib­uted so we, as general chairs or local chairs, are effective in the jobs that we are doing.”