Category: Members Journal
SMART Chief International Rep. Scott Parks passes away
It is with deep sadness and heavy hearts that SMART announces the death of Chief International Representative Scott Parks, who passed away on September 6, 2023, surrounded by his family. All of us at SMART send our condolences to Scott’s loved ones during this difficult time. [...]
Sister Story: Tori Barth
SMART Local 20 (Indianapolis, Ind.) sister Tori Barth has been working in sheet metal for 10 years, with the last four spent as a union welder and fabricator. She looks forward to all the places the union sheet metal trade will take her in the future, she says – and she can’t [...]
The time is now: five reasons why belonging matters
The Belonging and Excellence for All (BE4ALL) initiative launched in December 2021. BE4ALL envisions a diverse, inclusive and unionized sheet metal industry that is welcoming and fosters belonging for all. The work of the BE4ALL Committee is a human endeavor, helping individu [...]
Heavy Metal Summer provides teens with hands-on intro to union sheet metal trade
Throughout the summer of 2023, more than 300 high school students and recent graduates participated in the Heavy Metal Summer Experience (HMSE), a free summer camp that introduces them to jobs and careers in the unionized building trades. At signatory contractor R.F. Knox in [...]
Northern California sheet metal worker shares member story
As part of the Belonging and Excellence for ALL (BE4ALL) Committee’s fall challenge, Anthony LaBeau, an eight-year member out of Local 104 (Northern California) recently shared how his life changed when he joined SMART: “I was 24, working dead-end restaurant jobs [...]
Local 5 members continue work at uranium processing facility
Since 2018, Local 5 (east Tennessee) sheet metal members have been hard at work on one of the largest construction projects in the history of the state — and one of vital importance to the country at-large. The National Nuclear Security Administration’s Uranium Processing Fac [...]
Local 104 showcases life-changing nature of trade for elected officials
In July, SMART Local 104 (northern California) partnered with the Construction Trades Workforce Initiative (CTWI), gathering with 42 elected officials to watch 54 talented MC3 graduates dive deep into our craft. The event helped demonstrate the strong connection between educa [...]
New signatory business earns Local 36 sheet metal worker “Contractor of the Year” honorable mention
Local 36 (St. Louis) sheet metal worker-turned-signatory contractor Rochelle Bonty was recognized by the Missouri Women in Trades (MOWIT) in early April, when she earned an honorable mention in MOWIT’s 2022 Contractor of the Year category. Bonty, the first Black woman in the [...]