SMART Union
SMART Local 22 (central New Jersey) celebrated Memorial Day weekend with its annual flag placement in honor of those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
“The veterans of our military services have put their lives on the line to protect the freedoms that we enjoy,” the local wrote on Facebook. “They have dedicated their lives to their country and deserve to be recognized for their commitment.”
SMART-TD members in Maryland mobilized on short notice to serve their community in April, joining a CSX and City Year Service Day spent rehabilitating and sprucing up Curtis Bay Elementary School near Baltimore.
“CSX asked all their employees to be there, and this was really kind of last minute — they hadn’t done these in about two years because of COVID,” said Johnny Walker, SMART-TD Maryland State Legislative Board secretary. “This was an opportunity for us to go ahead and do something in the community.”
Despite the lack of long-term planning, SMART-TD Local 610 discussed the service opportunity at its local union meeting, and six members and their families turned out at Curtis Bay Elementary. Members painted the inside of the school, spread mulch in the outdoor area, cleared brush from the school’s garden area and even helped fix the school parking lot. They also had the chance to meet management on neutral ground, including new CSX CEO Joe Hinrichs.
“Overall it was a great opportunity for all of us to get together, take a break from what we do in transportation and really give back to the community,” Walker added.
To Walker, SMART Army events and other service opportunities are most important because of the role they play in local communities. But they also demonstrate how vital union workers are in cities, towns and neighborhoods across the country — both on and off the job.
“Unions are still here, and we do things more than just get good contracts and good benefits for our workforce,” he explained.
“It’s really important for us to show everybody that we’re more than a sheet metal worker, a train conductor, a bus driver. We really care about the communities that we live and work in.”
That union solidarity will benefit the students and teachers at Curtis Bay Elementary for years to come.
When 64-year-old Orchard Park, N.Y. resident Chuckie Sonntag found himself in need of an entry ramp for his home, the SM Local 71 (Buffalo, N.Y.) SMART Army leapt into action — demonstrating the vital role unions play in American communities, on and off the job.
Sonntag, who helped form a local charity that gives economically challenged Buffalo-area kids the chance to attend their first NFL games, is a double amputee who lost his limbs to a bone disease — his arm at age 35, and his legs eight years ago. Until recently, he only had an entry ramp at the front of his home, giving him just one way to enter and exit his house. A former member told Local 71 leadership about Sonntag’s plight, and the membership mobilized immediately.
“Our members find the time to help somebody; our [members] are workers who get satisfaction in helping others,” Local 71 Business Manager Paul Crist told WNYLaborToday.com. “When someone needs help in our community, why not us?”
“It’s important to help people who need,” added Local 71 Membership Development Organizer Andre Mayes. “We got a donated aluminum ramp, disassembled it at one location and then transported it over to Chuckie’s house just before the holidays (and in between two massive snowstorms that hit the Buffalo area, thankfully).”
Mayes, Local 71 Vice President Cary Hinterberger and eight-year member Scott Brodnicki then spent the afternoon reconfiguring and installing the ramp, which had been broken down into eight-foot segments, at the back of the house.
“I jumped on board and volunteered. That’s the way I was brought up,” explained Brodnicki. “It always goes back to my [late] father, who was also a SMART member: When someone needs help, you lend a hand – no matter who it is.”
SMART Army projects like the one at Sonntag’s house help spread the word about how all working people benefit from the presence of organized labor; they show clearly that unions are pillars of local communities. More importantly, such projects put labor’s principles into action, demonstrating the real, concrete power of community solidarity.
“I’m so happy — [Local 71] came through for me,” Sonntag told WNYLaborToday.com. “They’re a bunch of really nice guys. [The ramp] works really well, and it couldn’t have happened at a better time.”
In September 2022, SMART Local 280 (Vancouver, British Columbia) led the SMART Army’s involvement in the annual Terry Fox Run to raise money for cancer research. Fox was a Canadian athlete and cancer research activist who, after losing a leg to cancer, embarked on a cross-Canada run in 1980 to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Although cancer eventually forced him to end his quest, and ultimately cost him his life, his efforts resulted in a lasting legacy in Canada and around the world.
“For 143 days, Terry Fox ran a marathon a day,” Local 280 Business Representative Jeff Lind explained during an episode of SMART News. “He ran through rain and snow and wind, humidity. He stopped in almost 400 towns and just talked about why he was running. He was starting at 4:30 in the morning and usually didn’t finish until about 7pm at night.”
“He’s a legend in Canada,” Lind added. “And I think we all know somebody who’s been affected by cancer. So … if I look at SMART Army as a whole and our SMART membership, internationally, that was something I looked at and I thought ‘What can we all do together?’ You know, being in a union, the solidarity behind it … I thought, this is something we could do not just in Canada with the locals, but across the International.”
The Local 280 SMART Army team exceeded its $1,000 fundraising goal during the 2022 run, raising $1,575 for the Terry Fox Foundation to fund cancer research. And in spring 2023, the Terry Fox Run honored the local’s participation with a Certificate of Appreciation plaque, writing: “We are grateful for your team’s no-quit attitude, for setting a positive example for others, and for showing compassion for cancer patients.”
Congratulations, Local 280!
SMART sheet metal locals across the country mobilized for the first-ever Belonging and Excellence for ALL (BE4ALL) toy drive in December 2022, which served the dual purpose of distributing gifts to those in need and spreading the word about our union’s best-kept secret: the benefits of a career in the unionized sheet metal industry.
“One of the initiatives that we decided to get involved in this year was to start a toy drive, or at least partner with our locals and our contractor industry partners that are already involved in toy drives,” said SMART International Organizer and BE4ALL Committee member Josh Garner in an interview with SMART News. “We wanted to provide them with a gift tag that has a QR code on it that takes the recipient of these gifts to a landing page where they can learn about what it is to become a sheet metal worker, they can learn about our trade, they can learn about our industries.”
The BE4ALL Committee designed a template for the gift tag, which included the QR code linking to a website designed to appeal to prospective sheet metal workers of all ages. Locals then requested either printed tags or emailed templates to be printed on Avery labels and affixed to gifts. Additionally, locals and contractors were encouraged to collect union-made, construction-themed toys, maintaining a cohesive theme for the event.
Garner explained that, as union members, SMART sheet metal workers are already involved in the community, giving back via their essential labor and through year-round community service. The BE4ALL toy drive offered the opportunity to further those service efforts while providing more information to the general public on what sheet metal workers actually do.
“We have a lot of young parents who may be looking for that opportunity to provide a better life for their families, their children,” he told SMART News. “This gives us an opportunity to bring awareness to our industry, to our trade, and hopefully pay it forward and pass those opportunities on to other individuals as well.”
The principles of solidarity and lifting people up are core to SMART and the labor movement at large. The BE4ALL toy drive embodied those values and demonstrated the fact that all workers benefit when we act to support one another.
“When you’re able to be involved in an initiative like this toy drive and you’re able to give back – there’s not a better feeling, there really isn’t,” Garner added.
More than 300 SMART sisters, allies and leaders gathered during the 2022 Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference in Las Vegas for a SMART Army service event, creating paracord bracelets for military servicemembers. The effort served as a powerful reminder that SMART’s union solidarity always extends beyond our membership.
Paracord bracelets, also known as “survival bracelets,” are made from durable paracord strands that can be repurposed to meet an enormous range of needs, including carrying gear, creating makeshift pulley lines, hanging tarp, suturing wounds and much more. That utility makes the bracelets an ideal accessory for active servicemembers. Beyond that, though, paracord bracelets serve as an ever-present morale boost — a reminder, for those deployed, of the countless Americans back home who support soldiers and veterans
The SMART Army’s bracelet-making event, which specifically benefited Soldiers’ Angels, took place following a SMART reception on Friday, October 28, with members from across North America — spanning rank-and-file union sisters, local leaders and international leadership — putting in the hard work to benefit those who serve. By the end of the night, the SMART Army had created 357 bracelets: a staggering number that illustrates our union’s commitment to honoring those who sacrifice for us.
SMART Local 18 (Wisconsin) was named a finalist for the 2022 BizTimes Media Nonprofit Excellence Awards, an annual recognition of local organizations dedicated to bettering Wisconsin communities. Local 18 was nominated by the Association for the Rights of Citizens with Handicaps (ARCh) Camp Pow Wow, which the local rehabilitated ahead of the organization’s first in-person camp for kids with disabilities since 2019.
Pictured: ARCh Assistant Director of Operations Kristin Lindahl, Local 18 Director of Organizing Hallie Jennerman and Local 18 President/Business Manager Scott Knocke.
For the last six years, Local 20 (Evansville, Ind.) has hosted a food drive during November, with all the food collected going to the Tri-State Food Bank.
“When we started this fundraiser in 2017, we collected 750 pounds of food,” said Kreg Homoky, Local 20 business representative. “Each year after that, the amount has increased — last year we collected 1,100 pounds.”
The food drive was especially important this year, Homoky explained. Food prices across the country have spiked as a result of high inflation, putting into perspective the challenges faced by working families.
“Hopefully this food drive we do every year will go a long way to help those in need,” Homoky added. “The Evansville area would like to thank all who participated. Your generous contributions will go a long way.”
SM Local 265 (DuPage County, Ill.) members proudly demonstrated the spirit of union solidarity in late October, when they volunteered to deliver toys with DuPage County Toys for Tots.
“A huge thank you to Local 265 Sheet Metal Workers!” Toys for Tots wrote on Facebook. “After a long work day, they volunteered their time and energy to help us at Santa’s Workshop with a large delivery. Thank you for making magic happen!”
The U.S. Marine Corps Toys for Tots mission is to spread cheer to all during the holiday season, collecting and distributing toys to children who may otherwise go without gifts. SMART commends our Local 265 brothers and sisters for taking part in this great cause!
Members of SMART Local 206 demonstrated our union’s commitment to acting on our values during the San Diego Wounded Warrior Project Carry Forward 5K, held on August 20. Carry Forward 5Ks – which take place at cities across the country throughout the year – are fitness and fundraising events that give participants the chance to both pay tribute to and raise money for wounded veterans, helping fulfil the Wounded Warrior Project’s mission of honoring and empowering wounded warriors. During the San Diego Carry Forward run, Local 206 showed out in force.
“The SMART Army represented like no other team in both numbers and dollars donated, with 97 registered and over $10,000 raised,” Financial Secretary-Treasurer/Business Manager Dave Gauthier wrote on Facebook.
As part of the fundraising effort, Local 206 challenged other area labor unions to get involved – and they did, most notably IBEW Local 569. It was a display not just of labor solidarity, but of the vital role union members play in serving their communities.
“Although this money is going to help our wounded heroes, the day had a big impact on our members and their families too, including several of our veteran members – two of them came to us directly from Wounded Warriors here in San Diego,” Gauthier added. “You could see the excitement and appreciation in their faces as we gathered together to make a difference in our community and our country.”