The artistry of union craftsmanship was on full display in New York in early 2024. Members of Local 83 performed stunning copper work at the New York State Capitol in Albany, with help from Local 40 (Connecticut), Local 17 (Boston) and Local 63 (Western Mass.). The approximately six tons of copper were installed by Local 83 members Mike Desourdy, Joshua Vadnais, Andrew Bell, Vernon Howe, Kenny O’Loughlin, Ed Schillinger, Jr., Superintendent Tony Brancati and Aaron Hebert, as well as Local 40’s Dennis Rodrigues, Local 17’s Keith Ruza and Local 63’s Stephen Bovenzi.
SMART Local 18 members and signatory contractors are working to spread the word about rewarding careers in the union sheet metal industry for young people across Wisconsin.
Wauwatosa East High School has partnered with local mechanical contractor firms JM Brennan and TOTAL Mechanical — as well as local manufacturers representing Air Flow, the Milwaukee and Southeastern Wisconsin Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors Association and Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors Association (PMC SMACCA) — to further develop its learning laboratory and better prepare the building and construction trades’ labor force of the future.
These companies, the regional contractors’ associations and the union members who make up their workforces have partnered with Wauwatosa East to advance the HVAC component of its technical training space so that students can be better prepared for a career in the building trades.
Craig Griffie is the technical educational teacher at Wauwatosa East High School and is the coordinator of one of only two certified pre-apprenticeship programs in the state of Wisconsin.
“At Tosa East we are very proud of our program. The students are building a really strong foundation, and it’s all due to the partners we have,” said Griffie.
“We believe in bringing up that next generation for our industry. This class gives students the opportunity to develop that through hands-on learning,” added Jessica Jahner, senior project manager at JM Brennan.
Local 18 members on site at Wauwatosa East demonstrated various aspects of the union sheet metal trade for students — introducing potential recruits to the industry and letting area students know about the life-changing power of a union.
“It’s been amazing working with the people from JM Brennan and TOTAL Mechanical, just learning all these new things and soaking up all this information,” said Hayden, a high school senior.
Members of the Local 27 (Southern New Jersey) SMART Army volunteered their time to benefit their community last spring, taking part in the 2024 Cumberland County Improvement Authority trash hunt. Thank you to the members who participated: Peter Kesnig, Mike Mendez, John Manera, Gavin Williams, Malcolm Hill, Jeffrey Brown, Pat Derbyshire, Matt Johnson, Bob Whittaker, Joe Ashner, Don Cooper, Mark Weatherby and Jaden Shepard.
In 2015, the SMART Local 218 (Springfield, Illinois) Retirees’ Club began fabricating a “memory wall:” a metal art piece featuring the names of sheet metal workers who came before us. Years later, the memory wall is a treasured showcase of Local 218’s history, proudly displayed as a tribute to all those who helped shape the local and to the hard work and skilled labor of those who created the piece.
The Springfield Retirees’ Club is led by President Roy Sims and Secretary-Treasurer Donald Noll.
Every year in April, the Klineline Kids Fishing Derby brings approximately 3,000 children, families and friends — around 10,000 people from across Southwest Washington and greater Portland, Oregon — to Salmon Creek Park/ Klineline Pond in Vancouver, Washington. Over two days, children of all backgrounds, including low-income and under-privileged kids and children with disabilities, learn about fishing and water safety, play outside and experience all that the natural world has to offer.
And for the last 15 years or so, SMART Local 16 and Northwest Regional Council (NWRC) members have played a crucial role in making the derby a success. That continued in 2024, with SMART volunteers doing their part to help kids across the region enjoy two days of fishing.
“I have been involved with the organization for close to 20 years, since my five children were under the age of 14,” said Local 16 Business Representative Dustin Hysmith. “They are all in their late twenties and early thirties. The event had such an effect on one of my children that he is now a commercial fisherman.”
After taking part personally, Hysmith helped get Local 16 and other area building trades involved in the fishing derby, eventually expanding to include other members of the NWRC and SMART Local 66 (Seattle, Wash.). He has worked to bring industry partners into the festivities: During this year’s derby, signatory contractor JH Kelly signed on as a sponsor, and union printer Hollywood Impress donated 1,000 cookbooks and 3,450 three-by-five name and timeslot cards. In previous years, SMART contractors fabricated many of the fish cleaning stations, all part of facilitating the largest event of its kind in Washington state.
But it’s the SMART Army members who make the biggest difference.
“Local 16 members have been pivotal in stringing the more than 3,000 fishing poles every year, putting together the 20 fishing racks, helping with setup and tear-down, staffing our outreach booth and — most popular — helping the kids catch fish,” Hysmith explained.
SMART members’ display of service and solidarity is rewarded every year when the thousands of fishing derby attendees get to experience the various activities and prizes available throughout the weekend. Friday is special needs day, Hysmith said, open to all those with a disability, regardless of age. Saturday is for all kids ages 5-14, with a $5 entry fee granting participants a free fishing pole, a T-shirt, the chance to catch two fish, entry in a drawing to win a bicycle or scooter, a goodie bag and much more. Plus, there’s button making, building activities, face painting, free ice cream and shaved ice — and no one’s turning any kids away, Hysmith added.
“The largest fish of the hour gets a tackle box full of lures, fishing supplies and a trophy. Second and third place get trophies. The smallest fish of the hour gets a coupon to Papa Murphy’s Pizza for a free pizza, because the fish is not big enough to feed the family,” he said.
The critical part SMART members play in the Klineline Kids Fishing Derby demonstrates for all attendees that union members are part of the fabric of communities across the country, and it shows that solidarity is more than just a word for union workers — it’s a principle. As a bonus, the Local 16 outreach booth stands throughout both days to give interested parents and guardians more information about our union and our trade.
The Great Recession of 2008 derailed the lives of working Americans and families. For SMART members, the economic downturn made its impact felt in a variety of ways — among the most devastating being its effect on union pensions. With assets plummeting, the Sheet Metal Workers’ National Pension Fund and local union pension funds alike were forced to take steps to secure their retirement plans, leading to drastic cuts to retiree benefits.
For SMART Local 33 (Northern Ohio) member James Chester, who had already taken a reduced pension payment in order to retire at age 55, the loss felt earthshattering.
“It was a shock to my financial system,” he said. “It was a shock when I had everything worked out to the details, worked out [for] when I retired.”
Local 33 retiree James Chester, whose pension was restored by the American Rescue Plan, stands next to his van at the Local 33 union hall.
For Chester and fellow retirees, the promise of a union-won pension was a motivating factor throughout decades of hard work, offering not just financial security but the chance to enjoy their “golden years” with their loved ones. The inability of legislators to provide needed pension relief in the years following the recession left many of those workers flailing, paying the price for an economic catastrophe spawned by unchecked Wall Street greed.
“I probably lost a third [of my pension],” Chester said. “And that was a big hit.”
“I had to sit down and really get my pencil sharpened. Really had to do some figuring out — how am I going to make [it through] this?”
And then, in early 2021, workers finally got the reward they deserved for their decades spent building our nation. President Joe Biden signed the American Rescue Plan Act into law, which included funding for multiemployer pension relief. For the approximately 1,600 SMART members in the Sheet Metal Workers Pension Fund based in Massillon, Ohio — James Chester being one of them — that meant the full restoration of their retirements.
“I looked to my wife with a smile on my face. She said, ‘James, what are you smiling about?’ What are you smiling so much about?’” Chester recalled. “Until I [told] her, ‘Babe, guess what. We’re getting it all back.’ … I got all the money back. I was ecstatic.”
Along with pension restoration for retirees, pension protection funding in the American Rescue Plan will put the Ohio Sheet Metal Workers Pension Fund on the path to solvency going forward – helping to secure the future benefits of active SMART sheet metal workers. According to Chester, that fact alone, on top of investments in union jobs and American industry, make it vital to vote for pro-union candidates in the upcoming election.
On March 26, 2024, Local 18 (Wisconsin) members, family and friends attended the local’s eighth annual blood drive/SMART Army event at the union hall. Local 18 provided fresh grilled brats — cooked by retiree and SMART Army award-winner Kevin Turner — and refreshments to all who donated or attempted to donate. Twenty-three donations were made that day, potentially helping 53 people in need.
“We can’t say enough about how impressed we are by the support by our neighbors, members, family and friends to come out to donate to Local 18’s blood drive under the direction of the Versiti Blood Center,” said Local 18 Business Representative Steuart Wilson.
Local 36 apprentices Keira Krentz and Lilly Gibson attended Women’s Lobby Day at the Missouri Capitol on Wednesday, March 6. Both apprentices are pictured with Missouri AFL-CIO President Jacob Hummel and State Senator Elaine Gannon, a union-friendly Republican.
The SMART-TD Washington, DC, and Virginia State Legislative Boards (SLBs) met in Williamsburg, Va., on March 4th and 5th for their 2024 reorganization meeting. Ronnie Hobbs and Jarad Jackson were reelected as the Virginia and DC state legislative directors, respectively.
Preparing for the future of work isn’t new to SMART Local 33 in Cleveland. During the recession, contractors learned how HVAC Fire Life Safety skills could keep workers on the job while providing valuable services to commercial buildings in the area. With the pandemic in the rearview mirror, Local 33 hosted the National Energy Management Institute (NEMI) during a Ventilation Verification/Indoor Air Quality Awareness course on March 15.
With all the federal funding available — not just for schools, but for commercial and residential buildings too — Corey Beaubien, president and business manager of Local 33, and Lisa Davis, NEMI administrator, thought it was an opportune time to show the local’s sheet metal contractors that the work scope for Ventilation Verification/Indoor Air Quality isn’t just for TAB contractors.
“It’s a great way for people to continue their connection with their customers after the building is built by maintaining their contact through ongoing Ventilation Verification/Indoor Air Quality audits and monitoring,” Davis said. “In this way, the building owners not only get continuing increased indoor air quality throughout the life of the building, but the contractors are there to provide other services as well when other needs come up.”
NEMI, ITI and SMART contributed to the one-day course, which presented the scope of Ventilation Verification/Indoor Air Quality, challenged attendees to a hands-on portion and educated them on grant and funding opportunities as well as training and certification resources.
In addition to finding ways to keep workers on the job — just as educating contractors on fire life safety did in the 2010s — Ventilation Verification/Indoor Air Quality also opens doors for state and federal grants that fund renovations of a building’s HVAC system, Beaubien said.
“The class has generated interest. They had a better overall understanding about how it works, and that’s the beginning,” he added. “The class was meant to get the ball rolling.”
The skills needed to complete Ventilation Verification/Indoor Air Quality are typically taught during apprenticeship, and it doesn’t take TAB expertise to complete, which came as a surprise to some in attendance. Like fire life safety, this course showed contractors a different perspective — it’s a chance to get more work, but it’s also an opportunity to teach building owners of assisted living facilities, government and commercial buildings how to keep their buildings healthy and safe for their occupants, Beaubien said.
“Fire life safety was a big success. It was an idea to generate work opportunities but also to save lives,” he added. “This is another opportunity to educate contractors and the end users about what is going on above their ceilings.”
Davis added: “We are looking forward to assisting contractors and Local 33 with implementation of Ventilation Verification/Indoor Air Quality in their area, whether that looks like assisting them in helping their customers apply for grants or going after code or specification changes that would include a skilled, trained, certified workforce.”
