News Archive
Richard Mangelsdorf joins SMART as International instructor
Richard Mangelsdorf began his new position as SMART International instructor on November 1, 2023, taking the next step in his union career. Mangelsdorf became a member of SMART Local 280 (Vancouver, B.C.) in 2001. He worked as a part-time instructor with the Sheet Metal Worke [...]
SMART Women’s Committee spotlights apprentices for National Apprenticeship Week
During National Apprenticeship Week — November 13–17, 2023 — the SMART Women’s Committee spotlighted apprentices from around the country. Kacey Grierson, third-year apprentice, Local 206 (San Diego, Calif.) “Joining the apprenticeship was life changing. It offered me a career [...]
Kingspan workers in California take action for safety, workplace protections
More than 125 people rallied and marched in support of workers at Santa Ana Kingspan Light + Air on October 20, occupying an intersection in downtown Santa Ana, California, and unfurling a giant parachute banner that read “¡Kingspan Escucha!” as they called on the multi-billi [...]
Ford megaproject drives massive union growth, organizing in Kentucky
The massive Ford Blue Oval battery plant in Glendale, Kentucky, is a case study in how megaprojects are driving growth and sparking new organizing in the unionized sheet metal industry. Local 110 (Louisville, Kentucky) has nearly doubled in size since January 2023, bringing h [...]
SMART Local 46 apprentices help give the “gift of mobility” to children with disabilities
Following a chance social media interaction, SMART Local 46 (Rochester, N.Y.) apprentices are helping provide the gift of mobility to hundreds of children across the world, according to WNYLaborToday.com — showcasing both the values and the craftsmanship of union labor. Bella [...]
Local 56 partners with First Nations bands to change lives on Cape Breton Island
Cape Breton Island lies in the northeast quadrant of Nova Scotia in Atlantic Canada. For centuries, the island was inhabited by people of the Mi’kmaq First Nation, who call the island Unama’ki. Their traditional lifestyle centered around hunting and fishing due to the rough a [...]
SMART TD, TTD Set For Victory Over Carriers On Train Length Data Collection
For more than a century, the carriers’ lobbyists and lawyers have been paid very well for their ability to argue out of both sides of their mouths. One of the battlefields where our union and the carriers have clashed since the onset of Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) i [...]
Ontario sheet metal workers gather for conference, apprenticeship competition
From September 12–14, during the Ontario Sheet Metal Workers’ and Roofers’ Conference, apprentices from nine different local unions gathered in Peterborough, Ontario, for the 50th annual Ontario Sheet Metal Workers Apprenticeship Competition. The challenge? Building copper re [...]