Two years ago, SMART Local 18 (Wisconsin) retiree Kevin Turner received the Joseph J. Nigro SMART Army Service Award — honoring his dedication to serving both his union and his community. In 2024, Turner’s deserved recognition reached new heights when Union Plus awarded him first prize in the Unions Power America Contest.
Turner was surprised with a $20,000 prize after being nominated for the award by his daughter, who wanted to celebrate the many impactful roles Turner plays in his community and in his family, including his volunteer efforts.
“I chose to nominate my dad because I feel like not only is he an outstanding dad and grandpa, but he does a lot of things for the community, a lot of things for friends and families and neighbors,” Turner’s daughter, Kristen, said in a Union Plus video honoring her dad.
Turner has been involved with Habitat for Humanity for more than six years, raising $10,000 for the organization and working hands-on to build homes for those in need. His commitment to the organization deepened after he showed up to an initial volunteer shift and noticed that some of the materials weren’t sized correctly by a nonunion sheet metal shop.
“We got involved in it and decided that, you know, we could do this right,” Turner said. “[We] talked to the union, and we got our approval and everything else.
“I worked with a friend of mine that I have known since seventh grade, and between the two of us, we got it going.”
The unexpected loss of his oldest daughter motivated Turner to expand his service work. In addition to Habitat, Turner helps other community groups like the local Elks Club, and he tirelessly organizes blood drives, food pantries and other charitable causes.
“[My friend and I] try to keep nonprofit organizations going by doing trade work so that they don’t have to go out and spend money for something needless when we can help them,” he explained.
Turner is still an active member in his union: attending meetings, grilling brats for SMART Army events and more. He joined Local 18 more than 40 years ago, when he started working in a sheet metal shop through a friend of his brother. The solidarity he experienced from day one changed his life forever.
“At the [start of my career], I had no idea what I was getting into,” he recalled in the Union Plus video. “I worked my way up into running larger jobs and just had a really incredible career with the help of others, because unions always help their [brothers and sisters]. When you needed something, they were always there for you, and it’s a good camaraderie that I’m still involved in — always will be.”
It’s for that reason that Turner knows union solidarity isn’t only about supporting other SMART members — it’s about standing with and serving fellow working-class people, and doing what you can to help those who need it most.
“It’s not a hand out, it’s a hand up,” he said. “The more we help others, the more they can help others, and kind of pay it forward.”
