What is a sheet metal worker?
Local 48 sheet metal workers have fulfilling careers in a wide variety of fields within the industry. From working in a shop, to traveling to different construction jobsites, to drafting and detailing and beyond, our industry has opportunities for everyone.
Many members fabricate, install and maintain HVAC systems, working on construction jobsites with high-volume mechanical systems. These systems deliver heated and cooled air to commercial buildings such as schools, hospitals, airports, factories and office buildings; high-profile projects in Alabama include work for Google, Facebook, Mercedes, Honda, Hyundai, Toyota/Mazda and the FBI.
Local 48 members in this field work in an exciting environment with dozens of other trade workers, creating something that is long lasting and enhances the quality of life and safe breathing for people all over our state.
Opportunities include:
- Installer
- Fabricator
- Welder
- Crew Leader
- Project Manager
- Customer Sales and Service
Sheet metal workers sometimes exclusively, or in conjunction with field installation work, fabricate, assemble, install and repair sheet metal products and equipment, such as ducts, control boxes, automotive paint booths and ovens, bag houses and furnace casings.
Work may involve setting up and operating fabricating machines to cut, bend and straighten sheet metal; shaping metal over anvils, blocks or forms using a hammer; operating soldering and welding equipment to join sheet metal parts; or inspecting, assembling and smoothing seams and joints of burred surfaces.
Architectural sheet metal is a combination of technical skills and artistry, shaping metal into useful and beautiful forms, and installing it on a variety of structures. Some of the most familiar 19th and 20th-century structures in the United States incorporate various types of sheet metal in their designs; in Alabama, Local 48 has worked on projects and with companies including:
- Birmingham Airport
- Ross Bridge resort
- Toyota/Mazda automotive plant
- First Solar
In this field, apprentices learn the basic principles of architecture and see the role that sheet metal plays in modern structures. Most work will be outside on a construction site, in a dynamic environment with architects, engineers and dozens of other trade workers. Journey workers help create buildings or bridges that are both functional and beautiful. This work may also include building decoration, shaping metal to create attractive and long-lasting designs. Opportunities in this field include:
- Installer
- Fabricator
- Solderer
- Crew Leader
- Designer
- Project Manager
- Customer Sales and Service
Welding is the most common way of permanently joining metal parts. In this process, heat is applied to metal pieces which melts and fuses them to form a permanent bond. Because of its strength, welding is used in shipbuilding, automobile manufacturing and repair, aerospace and thousands of other manufacturing activities. Welding also is used to join steel beams in the construction of buildings and other structures, and to join pipes, power plants and refineries. Local 48 sheet metal welders work on a variety of large-scale projects, custom projects and/or large shop-built modules, including paint booths and ovens at United Launch Alliance, Toyota/Mazda, Honda, Hyundai, Mercedes, bag houses and furnace rebuilds at Constellium Aluminum, industrial duct installation at 3M and many more.
Testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB) is an important part of air and water delivery systems. TAB technicians make sure that air and water in heating and air conditioning systems are delivered efficiently, quietly and safely throughout a building.
As a TAB technician, you will be responsible for working on air and water delivery systems to meet the specifications outlined by the design engineer. If you like math and the idea of working on complex systems and solving problems, TAB is a good career choice for you.
Sheet metal detailing, also known as sketching, is often thought of as CAD (computer-aided drafting). A certified detailer is a skilled commercial HVAC trade person who will advance to provide coordination between the fabricators and the installers from various trades.
Along with other job responsibilities and opportunities, you will work with project documents and plans and specifications, take field measurements and create 3-D digital drawings that are transferred into a Building Information Model (BIM) system that is used to help manage a project.
Work in sheet metal manufacturing can include sheet metal fabrication and blueprint reading; fabrication equipment programming; MIG, TIG, stick and flux-core welding and polishing; registered journey programs in industrial facility maintenance, electrical, and tool and die work; manufacturing assembly, refrigeration and refrigerant reclamation; brazing and soldering; and material handling.
The products you can manufacture as a Local 48 member encompass residential and commercial kitchen cooking equipment, refrigerators and freezers, air movement and heating and cooling equipment, tractor-towed trailers, storage coolers, steel storage buildings and garage doors, outdoor and indoor signage, sheet metal fabrications for farm and industrial vehicles, and steel shelving systems.
Local 48 members in this field work on installing and servicing complete residential HVAC systems. You’ll install ductwork for a wide variety of residences including single-family homes, town homes and apartment buildings. You may also work on duct systems for existing buildings to remodel, upgrade or troubleshoot. Most of your work will be done in the field.
Opportunities in this field include:
- New Construction Installer
- Residential Finish Installer
- Retrofit Technician
- Residential Services Technician
Apprenticeship
Local 48’s apprenticeship is a four-year program that gives participants the opportunity to learn the tools of the sheet metal trade while earning a living. Apprentices attend class four to six times per month and spend the rest of their time learning on the job alongside skilled journey workers, with pay raises every six months. By the time you graduate your apprenticeship — earning an increasing salary along the way — you’ll be set with skills, wages and union camaraderie that will last your entire career.
Local 48 training centers are located in Birmingham, Alabama, and Rogersville, Alabama. Find contact information for each region’s training center here:
SMART Local 48 (Birmingham)
1103 28th St. N.
Birmingham, AL 35234
Robert Bohannon
205-381-7996
Carlos White
205-515-2298
SMART Local 48 (Rogersville)
16245 US HWY 72
Rogersville, AL 35652
Robert Bohannon
205-381-7996
Carlos White
205-515-2298
Apprenticeship Requirements
- Copy of a diploma or GED
- School transcripts
- Three letters of recommendation
- OSHA 10 Construction course completion
Our Priorities
Labor unions empower working Alabamans to come together and leverage our collective strength to win higher pay, safer working conditions and a better standard of living for our families. Local 48 bargains for the priorities that you, the members, consider most important!
These include:
- Higher pay, including strong overtime pay guarantees
- Stellar healthcare benefits
- More protections and safety requirements on jobsites
- Work-life balance
- Strong pensions to help members retire with dignity
- And much more!
Local 48 is dedicated to growing our strength and helping our fellow workers experience all that union membership has to offer. We organize across Central and Northern Alabama to bring nonunion sheet metal workers into Local 48, sign contractors to our union and create a construction industry that prioritizes workers by fighting against exploitative employers.
In the legislative arena, Local 48 is active in cities, counties and the state government. We fight for candidates and policies that support union members and working Alabamans, regardless of party affiliation. Examples of legislation and candidates we’ve supported include project labor agreements, which put members and local workers on jobsites, and prevailing wages, which lift area pay and working conditions.