Today, the United States House of Representatives passed the Inflation Reduction Act, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden’s desk to be signed into law. In response, SMART issued the following statement.
“SMART applauds the work of the United States House and Senate for pushing this vital piece of legislation across the line for working families across our country. The Inflation Reduction Act will combat rising prices, cut the cost of healthcare for working Americans and invest billions of dollars into clean energy facilities and making homes and commercial buildings energy efficient. Importantly, the strong labor standards attached to the tax credits for production, energy efficiency and investment will help create good, union jobs – and SMART members are the workers with the skills and expertise to take on those jobs, from retrofitting schools to building green energy facilities. Our members are ready to meet the demands of this bill and will play a crucial role in solving the climate crisis.”
Day three of the SMART Leadership Conference focused on developing community solidarity and legislative power. From local efforts to engage members across sheet metal and transportation, to the International’s relationship-building with allies in federal and state governments, SMART sheet metal and transportation leaders performed the important work of creating Growth Through Unity via government and community action.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi
After General President Sellers called the third day of the conference to order, United States Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi joined the conference by video. Recalling the support SMART provided when she first ran for Congress, Pelosi recognized SMART locals as “stalwart defenders of members’ jobs, benefits and security.” She outlined recent legislative accomplishments of House Democrats and the Biden Administration, including the CHIPS and Science Act – complete with significant labor protections – before ending her address with a promise: “We will not relent until the Richard Trumka PRO Act is signed into law.”
Following Pelosi’s speech, SMART Director of Government Affairs Steve Dodd and National Legislative Director Greg Hynes provided an update on SMART’s political advocacy. After noting the SMART industry-specific victories in legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law – which calls for investments in HVAC work, indoor air quality, transportation and more – Dodd and Hynes explained that such achievements are largely due to the new level of access SMART has with the president, Congress and federal officials. As an example of the unprecedented emphasis on labor in U.S. policymaking, Dodd pointed to the pension relief included in the American Rescue Plan, which (among other unions) provided millions of pension dollars to SM Local 33 in Ohio.
Steve Dodd (left) and Greg Hynes
Hynes, meanwhile, focused on the difference the new president, Congress and federal appointees have made for SMART TD members – and described how the Transportation Division has consequently elevated its efforts to provide greater communication to members. Noting that favorability of SMART and TD locals has risen among members, Hynes listed some of the accomplishments won for transportation workers, including proposed legislation like the PUMP Act and the notice of proposed rulemaking requiring two-person train crews.
“We’re going for the [two-person crew] regulation and we’re going for the law, and we’re not backing down,” Hynes said to thunderous applause. “It’s important that everybody provides comments [for two-person crew rulemaking] – I’m talking about sheet metal and transportation.”
Finally, Dodd and Hynes ended their joint speech with a call to action: The access that SMART has right now can be taken away as quickly as it appeared. Locals across the country, across industry and across craft need to come together and elect more pro-worker candidates to secure our union’s future.
Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg
United States Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg also delivered remarks by video, demonstrating the exceptional status of the Transportation Division’s current relationship with federal officials. After summarizing the ways in which legislation like the American Rescue Plan and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are being used to improve and modernize the United States’ transportation systems – as well as programs like PROTECT, which is making American roads, bridges and rails more weather-resilient – Buttigieg acknowledged that “the most important part of our transportation systems isn’t the physical infrastructure, it’s the people operating it every day.” He ended his speech by dedicating his work to SMART members: “We really are living through a new dawn in American transportation, and you all are at the center of it.”
After Buttigieg’s video, California Building and Construction Trades Council President Andrew Meredith delivered in-person remarks on the continued work of the building trades and SMART to organize, secure more work and continue to build labor’s ability to pull workers into the middle class. In particular, Meredith emphasized how focusing on diversity and inclusion in organizing can help unions like SMART grow their numbers and break into relatively unorganized sectors, like residential construction.
Andrew Meredith, president of the California Building & Construction Trades Council.
“As we’re addressing the housing crisis, we’re holding a firm line for diversity and inclusion language to be included in contracts,” he said. “We create pathways for everybody.”
Meredith acknowledged that the unionized building trades have not always been open to all workers, pointing specifically to past practices that excluded women, people of color and those who speak English as a second language. Now, he said, the building trades in California are working to include contract provisions like childcare and educational opportunities, offering more opportunity to workers from every background – in addition to the wages, benefits and workplace dignity that unions stake their reputations on.
“I’m proud that your organization has a tremendous history of inclusiveness and diversity,” noted Meredith. “Make your programs the model for other organizations to follow.”
He concluded by echoing the call many others have made throughout the leadership conference, from General President Sellers to AFL-CIO President Shuler: It’s time to organize.
“It’s an unprecedented time for labor in this country,” Meredith declared. “Workers are clamoring to be organized.”
United States Labor Secretary Marty Walsh re-emphasized many of the points made by Meredith in a video address. Like others, he noted the extraordinary pro-worker achievements of the last two years, with specific Department of Labor initiatives like strengthening Davis-Bacon protections and fighting against worker misclassification. He also observed that while three quarters of young workers are interested in forming a union, only 10% know how – a gap that can and must be closed for the betterment of working people across our country.
“We need strong, diverse unions now more than ever,” Walsh concluded. “I know SMART is devoted to that.”
GP Sellers, Johnny Walker, TD President Ferguson, GST PowellGP Sellers, Kevin Turner, GST Powell
The joint session culminated with a focus on the SMART Army: our union’s cross-industry, every-member effort to make sure people across North America know SMART workers are the fabric of our communities. First, General President Sellers presented the 2022 Joseph J. Nigro SMART Army Service Award to two union members who have selflessly devoted themselves to both their union and their communities: Local 18 (Wisconsin) Retiree Kevin Turner and TD Local 610 (Baltimore) and SM Local 100 (Washington, DC-area) member Johnny Walker.
“The SMART Army brings us together in the community, it makes us apart of the community,” Turner said.
“The community knows who we are. We’re there,” Walker added. “The important thing about the SMART Army is you’re a part of something that’s a lot bigger than you.”
Paul Pimentel of SMART Communications followed the awards presentation with an overview of the SMART Army and its efforts in the recent past and looking towards the future, particularly with so much on the line in the 2022 elections. Describing the ways in which SMART has dedicated resources to member communications –surveys, focus groups and more – Pimentel listed methods that locals can use to let members know which politicians are walking the walk for labor: unified messaging, face-to-face conversation, social media content that speaks to members and more. All of that is crucial, he said, as SMART seeks to recruit, retain and organize its way to greater strength for all members.
“We are not on the defensive anymore, we are on the offense, and that’s something we need,” Pimentel announced.
And finally, Transportation Division President Jeremy Ferguson wrapped up the general session by reiterating the importance of two-person crews on trains, calling for members across our union to submit comments to the FRA.
“Because of greed on wall street, the railroads want to remove the conductor off the freight trains,” he said. “[But] it is important that have conductors on those trains to keep trains safe, engineers safe, America safe, and keep trains moving on time.”
Day two of the first-ever SMART Leadership Conference served as a continuation of day one: After hearing from a variety of speakers during the joint and industry-specific sessions, sheet metal and Transportation Division leaders decamped for more breakout sessions, carrying on the demanding work of educating themselves, forging relationships and pursuing Growth Through Unity for our union.
After General President Joseph Sellers called the conference to order, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler kicked off the joint session with a compelling speech, calling on SMART locals to seize this moment across industries by bringing more workers into the fold and mobilizing members to achieve more victories.
“I’m so honored to be here with you this morning, because I’m feeling pretty good about our future,” Shuler said. “Growth Through Unity is exactly what we need in this moment.”
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler
After recognizing the efforts of railroad workers in their battle against brutal attendance policies and for a fair national rail contract, the first female AFL-CIO president turned her attention to the future. The news media, Shuler noted, has been dominated by stories of worker activity: from organizing in new areas like breweries, coffee shops, REI and Apple, to walkouts, pickets and strikes, this is a moment unlike any other in the recent history of organized labor. For that reason, she said, “We need to be taking risks. We want to capture the energy that we’re seeing out there.”
Shuler referenced several of the ongoing fights in the labor movement, specifically the Amazon organizing campaign in Bessemer, Alabama – where AFL-CIO affiliates, including SMART, sent organizers in a strong display of unity. That type of bold, collaborative action, with unions across industries coming together for the betterment of workers, is crucial for the future of our movement.
“CEO pay is 324 times higher than the average worker’s pay,” she said. “That’s absolutely unsustainable, it’s unfair, it’s wrong. So how do we balance those scales? We organize.”
Organizing is more important than ever, Shuler elaborated, as we emerge into a future with ever-advancing technology, a needed focus on clean energy and other changes to our traditional sectors. Technology has transformed the sheet metal and transportation industries throughout our union’s history, and it will continue to do so at an even greater rate. But technological advancement can’t come at the expense of working people.
“If someone wants to develop technology that’s going to improve our workplaces, they should start by talking to the people who will work with it – us,” Shuler declared.
The same goes for clean energy. As industries change and governments around the world implement new policies to mitigate the effects of climate change, unions like SMART need to make their presence felt and ensure workers have a seat at the table. That can only happen, Shuler explained, if we have allies in elected office. The American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act – signed today – and the Senate’s passage of the Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) are all vital pieces of legislation that will help put SMART members to work on an enormous number of projects in the new future. Those opportunities evaporate if we return to an anti-worker Congress.
AFL-CIO President Shuler met with the BE4All Committee after her speech
“To make our vision of the future a reality, we need to elect people who will have our back, who share our values,” Shuler said, concluding her speech with a rallying cry for SMART leaders across the continent. “Let’s do what unions do. We join together and fight back … when they say game over, we say game on.” She then gathered with members of the BE4All committee, putting words into action to help SMART better represent all workers.
Shuler was followed by AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department (TTD) President Greg Regan, who has worked with SMART TD leadership on matters related to BNSF’s Hi-Viz attendance policy, national rail contract negotiations and more. Like Shuler, Regan praised the unprecedented solidarity uniting railroad unions across TTD and vowed to grow that unity; to fight tirelessly for the rights and protections transportation workers deserve.
“There is a level of strength and solidarity in the freight rail labor movement right now that is unmatched,” he said. “We are going to win this fight; we are going to deliver on the contract rail workers have earned.”
AFL-CIO TTD President Greg Regan
Walt Ingram, executive director and CEO of the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA), took the stand to speak on the importance of using programs like USA to engage with members, from the jobsite to the great outdoors. He then presented the 2022 SMART USA Conservationist of the Year Award to Local 80 (Detroit, Michigan) Business Agent Bryan McConnell.
Also speaking were Matt Haney, a California State Assemblymember representing the state’s 17th Assembly District, and Rick Martinez, executive director of the California Fire Foundation – an organization devoted to providing critical support to victims, firefighters and communities affected by wildfire and disaster throughout California.
Haney spoke about the challenges facing San Francisco, particularly housing shortages and a need for improved public transit, and the role union workers will play in overcoming those obstacles: “We’re not here to talk about good jobs or middle-class jobs, we’re here to talk about good, middle-class, union jobs.”
Martinez used his remarks to speak on the mission of the California Fire Foundation. The foundation is SMART’s chosen charity for the duration of the leadership conference – a mark of our union’s ongoing support for the brave men and women putting their lives on the line to protect Californians from the ongoing effects of disastrous fires. At the time of writing, SMART locals have already raised more than $100,000 for the California Fire Foundation.
SMART TD President Jeremy Ferguson (left) and GP Joseph Sellers (center) applaud FRA Administrator Amit Bose (right).
Throughout the morning, the joint session highlighted SMART’s relationship with elected and federal officials. That peaked with a rousing, standing-ovation-garnering speech from Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Administrator Amit Bose, whose tenure at the FRA has led to unprecedented access and a seat at the table for our union. In his remarks, Bose touched on a variety of topics: the proposed federal rule requiring two-person crews on freight trains, funding to expand and modernize freight and passenger rail systems, and much more.
“As we forge ahead with new passenger and freight rail projects, the FRA understands the important role SMART members will play,” Bose said. “My staff and I will strive to continue to be available to you and listen to your concerns.”
After the joint session, Transportation Division and sheet metal leaders dispersed for industry breakout sessions; on the TD side, that included another session with FRA Administrator Bose, while sheet metal attendees heard updates from Dushaw Hockett on the work of the BE4All Committee; Erin Gatling on Voyager, a new software system designed to improve local union operations; Dave Bernett, administrator of NEMIC, who outlined how the organization is working to secure more work and market share for SMART; and Lori Wood, who reviewed the welcome fact that the Sheet Metal Workers National Pension Fund is in the green zone and provided an overview of the SMART Local Unions & Councils Pension Fund. Then, attendees separated for more breakouts, with topics including Time Management, Technology Shaping the Sheet Metal Industry, Indoor Air Quality and more.
It was a long day, with local leaders committing to the work SMART members deserve. And just like day one, it was all in pursuit of one goal: strengthening our union.
Today, President Biden signed the CHIPS and Science Act, codifying legislation that will strengthen America’s ability to build, expand and modernize semiconductor facilities. In response, SMART released the following statement.
“We commend President Biden for taking swift action and signing the CHIPS and Science Act into law. Not only will the CHIPS and Science Act invest billions of dollars into the semiconductor industry – expanding our national capacity to develop chips and incentivizing companies to increase production – it will mandate that manufacturing to happen in America, and it will support good-paying, union construction jobs by requiring Davis-Bacon prevailing wage rates for facilities built with CHIPS funding. Companies are already responding to the passage of this legislation by making historic investments in American semiconductor manufacturing. SMART members are uniquely qualified to take on this work, and we look forward to taking on that responsibility.”
SMART General President Joseph Sellers opened the inaugural SMART Leadership Conference on Monday, with local leaders from sheet metal and transportation gathering in San Francisco for four days of hard work on behalf of SMART members across North America. The theme, “Growth Through Unity,” encompassed the focus of the day: in the joint session, sheet metal and Transportation Division sessions, and breakouts, SMART leadership focused on how to secure the future of our union – together.
Leaders emphasize unity in joint session
In his opening remarks, General President Sellers summarized the many events of the last several years for attendees, noting that political developments in both the United States and Canada have created unprecedented opportunity for our union – as well as the labor movement at large.
He began by recounting some of the legislative victories achieved for SMART members across North America: huge investments in the union transportation and sheet metal industries in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, pension protection in the American Rescue Plan, project labor agreements on federal projects above $35 million in the United States; and the achievement of the Labour Mobility Tax Credit and real apprenticeship funding for SMART brothers and sisters in Canada. He also noted the recently proposed rule for two-person crews and the importance of working together, across sheet metal and transportation, to secure that victory for SMART rail workers.
SMART General Secretary-Treasurer Joseph Powell
“We must be proactive and seize our opportunities to strengthen and grow our union,” Sellers said. “We must build our capacity and capitalize on union-friendly administrations in both the U.S. and Canada.”
That being said, he pointed out, all those gains will be in danger if anti-labor politicians take back Congress. Elections in battleground states don’t only matter for locals in those states – they will impact the future of our entire union.
“Either we determine the future of our union, or our adversaries will do it for us,” Sellers declared. “So let’s organize, mobilize, recruit and fight like hell to increase our density and our market share across industries.”
General Secretary-Treasurer Joseph Powell elaborated on General President Sellers’ speech, noting the need to accelerate our union’s growth while touching on the battles facing the Transportation Division and the ways SMART has used technology to expand member services without increasing expenses. The general secretary-treasurer pointed out that, given the growth in construction jobs, sheet metal locals need to increase their organizing, recruitment and retention.
“We have learned at this point that we can’t predict the future,” he said. “But two things we know for certain. One is that there is an enormous amount of opportunity ahead. The other is that we will need to work hard to make the most of that opportunity. Together, we will do just that.”
SMART TD President Jeremy Ferguson
Jeremy Ferguson, president of the SMART Transportation Division, used his opening remarks to reflect on the massive efforts to bring SMART together in the past – particularly the 2019 General Convention – and vowed to work tirelessly across sheet metal and transportation to make our union stronger than ever. Ferguson also spoke on the furious fight to safeguard and expand working conditions for Transportation Division members against corporate onslaught, particularly the Class 1 freight railroads.
“When things get tough, I know that the one thing we’re not afraid to do in the face of adversity is to show up and step up,” he said. “We’re not fearful of the challenges that we see ahead, after what we’ve been through.”
Ferguson touched on the ways the Transportation Division has dedicated itself to better serving members, from an app that allows workers to report safety violations, to the rolling out of SMART University, to the improvement of the Transportation Newspaper – including a column written by Ferguson titled “What your union is doing for you.” All of these initiatives, he explained, are part of the Transportation Division’s effort to strengthen, to unify, to come together and meet the needs of the membership as a whole.
Through all the difficulties of the last several years, a bright spot has emerged: friendly figures in government and federal agencies. Ferguson noted that, thanks to relationships with FRA Administrator Amit Bose, Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and others, SMART members have a voice in the halls of power. And most importantly, he declared, the unity and solidarity of SMART provides a road map to a better future for all members.
“The changes we made in 2020 that we were all a part of have opened the doors to lasting progress for our organization and hope, even as we fight through all that the carriers and their Wall Street oligarchs throw at us to grind us down, such as draconian attendance policies,” Ferguson said.
Also speaking during Monday’s joint session were SMART TD California State Legislative Director (SLD) Louie Costa and SMART SM Local 104 (San Francisco) Business Manager Rick Werner. In each of their speeches, Costa and Werner touched on the histories of union transportation and sheet metal in California: the challenges, the battles fought and won, the ongoing struggles and the great potential for growth across all SMART crafts. Notably, both Costa and Werner recounted specific instances where unity – between different locals, and between sheet metal and transportation industries – helped spur the success of SMART.
“It is only together, as one, in all crafts, that we can, and will, solidify the theme of this year’s conference: ‘Growth Through Unity,’” Costa said.
GP Sellers, San Francisco Mayor London Breed, GST Powell
To cap off Monday’s joint session, the SMART Leadership Conference welcomed San Francisco Mayor London Breed and United States Surface Transportation Board (STB) Chair Marty Oberman – both figures who have showed themselves to be allies of working people and SMART. In her speech, Mayor Breed recapped the efforts of the San Francisco government, under her leadership, to bolster the rights of organized labor, including raises for union city employees and the CityBuild program – a pipeline for people from underserved communities to enter the unionized construction trades. She also addressed the city-wide project labor agreement signed into law in 2019.
“Having a strong PLA is important to ensure not only that we get these projects done, but the men and the women who work to push these projects through are supported through good living wages,” Breed said. “I know that’s what you all represent.”
Oberman, meanwhile, discussed the STB’s efforts to investigate the decline of freight rail service in the United States. Pointing to the reckless workforce slashing that has helped spur current freight rail disruptions, Oberman noted that much of the railroads’ difficulties hiring the workers needed to keep America’s supply chain running resulted from current working conditions – no business, he added, could function on the back of a nearly 30% workforce cut.
“It’s quite clear that the main force driving how the railroads are being managed these days are the pressures of stockholders,” he said.
Following Oberman’s speech, General President Sellers closed the joint session – but the day’s work had only begun, as sheet metal and Transportation Division leaders separated for industry-specific breakout sessions. Read more here.
In the SMART Leadership Conference general sheet metal session, General President Sellers delivered an extensive state of the industry for local union leaders, underscoring the fact that this is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to strengthen the union sheet metal industry – if SMART takes advantage.
From legislation to manufacturing developments, Sellers observed, an enormous number of projects are incoming; projects that require sheet metal workers. There is a renewed emphasis on indoor air quality and ventilation verification, from government buildings and schools and beyond. The newly passed Chips and Science Act will bring semiconductor manufacturing – a sector SMART members are uniquely qualified for – back to the United States. There are huge mega projects in the burgeoning electric vehicle and battery manufacturing/storage field.
“We need to make sure that across the U.S. and Canada, we are capturing that work,” Sellers said. “Because if we don’t, if we don’t organize more than we ever could imagine, than that’s going to hurt.”
SMART can only acquire that work, he explained, if our union – at the International and local level – greatly expands its ability to grow union membership and market share. That can only be done through innovative organizing, recruiting and retention, with a specific focus on diversity, equity and inclusion: making sure our union is welcoming to all. Sellers pointed out that expanding our membership will require new initiatives, from the BE4ALL effort to a move away from exclusive word-of-mouth recruitment.
“If we keep the same [recruitment] patterns, we’re going to lose. … If we keep doing things the same way, frankly, I think generations will suffer,” he said. Adding that every local needs to ensure women, people of color and LGBTQ+ workers are welcome, he declared: “It doesn’t matter what you want to be called – she/her, he/him, great. We’ve got to represent everyone.”
That emphasis on innovation extends to organizing. General President Sellers explained that the SMART organizing department has worked to constantly develop new techniques, learning from fellow unions – including non-building trades unions like UNITE HERE – as it seeks to build capacity and endurance. And the time to organize like never before, he repeated, is now. We need to strike while the iron is hot; while we have allies in Congress and in the presidency.
In conclusion, General President Sellers referred to a familiar maxim: that many leaders run for union office to leave the local better than how they found it. This is the time to commit to that cause whole-heartedly.
“Everything I have in my life is from the union sheet metal industry, and it deserves our best effort,” he said. “Through our unity, through our solidarity, through our sweat equity and our hard work, we will grow this union. And maybe, just maybe, we will be able to say we left it better than when we found it.”
GP Sellers, SMACNA CEO Aaron Hilger, GST Powell
Following the general president’s remarks, sheet metal members heard from Aaron Hilger, CEO of SMACNA, who echoed many of Sellers’ comments from the contractors’ perspective, as well as Helmets to Hardhats Northwest Regional Manager Nick Weathers.
“BE4All is probably the most important thing that we are doing together [with SMART right now,” Hilger explained. “We are never going to build the best workforce unless we make our workplaces welcoming.”
Finally, after the joint session, industry-specific sessions and lunch, attendees separated to attend further breakouts, with topics including Job Actions, BE4All, a GP & GST town hall, Shaping Our Future, Implementing Technology, Mental Health, Arbitration and many more. (Breakout sessions are held each day of the conference.)
Throughout the day, whether in the joint session or in breakouts, every attendee devoted themselves to the work that will build our union’s strength for generations: to Growth Through Unity. That work will continue for the rest of the conference.
Two years of pro-worker progress create jobs; SMART members directly benefit from new work opportunities
On Nov. 15, 2021, after years of political pressure from SMART and fellow unions, President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), now known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which will invest more than $1 trillion in our nation’s crumbling infrastructure. The law promises to create good union jobs and put SMART members into action, improving indoor air quality in schools and commercial and residential buildings.
The International Training Institute (ITI), National Energy Management Institute Committee (NEMIC) and Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT) will all benefit from the passage of this legislation, as the law will bolster the need for training more SMART members.
The law promises to create good union jobs and put SMART members into action, improving indoor air quality in schools and commercial and residential buildings.
Specific parts of the legislation will directly impact the SMART workforce. Below are some of the highlights of the law and where growth is anticipated over the next five years:
Energy efficiency in public schools
Under the law, the Department of Energy (DOE) will have $500 million to run a competitive grant program for public schools to make energy efficiency improvements. This program aims to improve indoor air quality and make repairs or renovations that directly reduce energy costs on school grounds.
In addition, states have been allocated funds to enhance energy security, advance energy initiatives and maximize the benefits of energy efficiency. Through additional grant programs, states are encouraged to establish initiatives to conduct commercial or residential energy audits or upgrades and retrofits.
Efficient building envelopes, testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB) and indoor air quality will be instrumental in retrofitting school buildings and new construction projects.
TAB technicians and supervisors needed
The Energy Auditor Grant Training Program will provide funding — up to $2 million per state — to train individuals to conduct audits or surveys on commercial and residential buildings. Training centers that do not already offer TAB should look to pair up with their state to apply for these grants or contact the ITI for assistance.
Opportunities to change local building codes
A total of $225 million has been designated for a competitive grant program within the Building Technologies Office to enable sustained, cost-effective implementation of updated building energy codes. This funding is designed to be distributed over five years, averaging $45 million per year.
These grants are available to states and tribal governments — either alone or in partnership with local building code agencies, codes and standards developers, relevant professional organizations, local and utility energy efficiency programs or consumer advocates. The overarching goal is to help understaffed and underfunded local governments upgrade their building codes to the most up-to-date energy efficiency standards.
New markets and emerging technologies
Building information modeling (BIM) will be more important than ever. Experts are predicting that connected construction technologies like BIM will drive the construction industry in the future. A larger integration of modularization and prefabrication in the design and build process is at the forefront.
The law will open new markets for SMART members and present new challenges in the training and deployment of those members. Over the next five years, we will all need to work together to press for funding for our registered apprenticeship programs.
We have a substantial opportunity to change and update building codes at the local, state and national levels. And we have a once-in-a-generation chance to put more members to work.
Safety is paramount
When the initial hiring begins, a labor shortage is anticipated. One of the main concerns with filling a large labor gap is doing so in a safe manner. SMOHIT and the ITI have created training and have the resources needed for work to be completed correctly and safely.
Moody’s Analytics, an economic research company, projects that the law’s peak labor force impact will occur in the fourth quarter of 2025, when there will be 872,000 more jobs as a result of the law. Of those jobs, about 461,000 are expected to be in construction; 227,000 in manufacturing; 75,000 in transportation and distribution; 35,000 in government; and 73,000 in other industries.
Apprenticeships will be more important than ever as the law is implemented. While we have the tools to train the next generation of sheet metal workers, we need the companion Build Back Better legislation to provide more funding for training. If you haven’t done so already, contact your senators and tell them to pass the Build Back Better Act.
It is time to get to work rebuilding America’s infrastructure.
The Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association (SMWIA — now SMART) began organizing roofers in the Toronto area in the early 1950s. It seemed like the perfect marriage, as sheet metal workers were already organized in most of the roofing shops. The roofers worked long days with no benefits, poor working conditions and sub-par wages — $1.20 per hour at the time.
It was Thursday, Nov. 12, 1952 when roofers in Toronto held their historic meeting and reported that union certification had been received at four firms: Cloke Construction, Apex Roofing, Heather & Little and A.E. Furnival. Roofers who worked for R.S.C. Bothwell, the Board of Education and Plewman were also present at the meeting. A motion was made that a committee investigate roofer classifications and draw up a collective agreement to officially bring roofers into the SMWIA.
This was the beginning of 70 years (and counting) of solidarity and craftsmanship in the roofing industry, with union members standing shoulder to shoulder.
On the following evening, Nov. 13, the inaugural meeting was held, and the first SMWIA roofing officers were elected. The new roofer representatives were President Wm Munroe, Vice President Sandy McLeish, Financial Secretary J. Johnson, Recording Secretary R. MacMahon, Warden F. Guerin and Conductor L. Cadieux. This was the beginning of 70 years (and counting) of solidarity and craftmanship in the roofing industry, with union members standing shoulder to shoulder and working diligently to represent the best interests of these skilled workers. Today, almost every local in Canada has roofers in its membership.
The roofing industry has seen many changes over the last seven decades. Coal tar pitch, steep pitch and Trinidad asphalt were used back in the 1950s. Now we have conventional and inverted roofing systems, EPDM and single-ply PVC. Green roofing is now populating the skyline; builders are installing green roofs on their projects not just because they are visually appealing, but to help reduce greenhouse gases and to improve air quality. As the government looks to reduce emissions and retrofit buildings, the roofing sector will continue to thrive. The skills of our members will be increasingly in demand.
The Infrastructure Health & Safety Association’s (IHSA) Roofing Trade Committee has been active in producing safety manuals and public periodicals to help keep roofs safe. The committee’s work includes a health and safety manual, heat stress brochures and advisories on roof openings and skylights. The roofing industry is constantly changing, and SMART and its members are committed to organizing and improving the health and safety of all roofers.
Today our members provide their services for new roof construction, roof repair, restoration, maintenance and roof replacement using the most up-to-date methods and roofing technologies. Every two years a national roofing apprenticeship competition is held, where roofing members from all over Canada come together to compete and showcase their skills. This year’s roofing competition will be held in Newfoundland this August. I want to wish the best of luck to all the competitors.
We’ve come a long way in 70 years. Congratulations on seven decades of solidarity!!
A Local 16 member holds a piece of metal dedicated to Carrie Barber.
Chelsey Bus recently graduated from her apprenticeship at Local 16 in Portland, Oregon. During her five years of training, she experienced much of the same adversity that other women in the trades face; although SMART has made great strides to recruit and retain women, they remain a minority of the membership. That’s what makes stories of “I Got Your Back” solidarity – including Bus’s – so vital for the growth of our union.
When Bus began her apprenticeship, she said her duties involved menial work, like moving materials. But she began to see a shift in her job responsibilities around the time she was assigned to work at General Sheet Metal in Clackamas, Oregon, on an architectural sheet metal job.
“I didn’t have a lot of experience working on the architectural side,” explained Bus. “So I was kind of surprised when I was given the assignment.”
Nevertheless, Bus thrived. Over the course of her apprenticeship, she worked in residential HVAC, commercial HVAC, TAB, a mechanical shop and an architectural shop.
While working on an architectural project at General Sheet Metal, her friend and project manager, Carrie Barber, passed away unexpectedly.
“During that period, immediately after he passed away, people started telling me that he had gone to bat for me. He stuck his neck out and believed in me and got me placements. I had no idea,” Bus said. “His encouragement and faith in me were really touching. He had my back; I didn’t even know it.”
Bus said Barber’s faith in her was inspiring, and she plans to pay it forward – both on and off the job.
“I plan to make an effort to be that person for others,” she said. “I want everyone to experience that level of support, that same feeling that I’ve got your back.”
On August 31, 2021, the Local Union Officer and International Staff Retiree’s Club met in historic St. Charles, Missouri, with 56 attendees gathering for a cocktail reception, luncheon, meeting and a trip to Missouri wine country. As part of the meeting, union woodworker Jim Langsdorf crafted a tinner’s hammer made of solid hickory (pictured) in memory of past Regional Director Mike Krasovec.
Please join the Local Union Officer and International Staff Retiree’s Club for its 2022 meeting at the Isleta Casino and Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico on August 30. Contact Tom Wilkens (618-407-5570/618-473-9384) or Larry Tucker (636-577-4312) for more information.
