The SMART Education Department held its new “Right to Work and Member Retention” class in Atlanta, Ga., during the week of April 8th. The three-day class introduced topics such as the evolution of the open-shop movement and so-called right to work, right-to-work messaging, the impact of right to work, union loyalty, internal organizing, and representation and implicit bias. Participants worked together to problem solve and to create their own action plans. Each of the 31 attendees completed exercises focused on how to improve member retention at their own locals. Great work, all!
Tag: Members Journal
In March, mere weeks before the Federal Railroad Administration announced its federal two-person crew regulation, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin decided he was against public safety, common sense and protecting Virginia railroad workers’ jobs and pensions: He vetoed a bill that required a minimum two-person crew on Virginia’s freight trains.
An irresponsible choice
Both a certified conductor and an engineer are required to safely operate a long train responsibly, although railroads would like to find ways to eliminate one or both positions over time. SMART-TD is fighting to protect responsible crew sizes across the United States. Conductors are often the first people on site when there is an accident or derailment, and they often monitor the track or train while the engineer operates the engine. A two-person job requires a two-person crew (2PC).
As the rhetoric heats up this election year, conductors and other SMART-TD members are putting practical results ahead of political party. Transportation workers throughout the country are watching to determine whether a politician is with us, or against us.
Rather than keep his constituents safe and his state’s economy running, Youngkin placed more value in big business and the campaign dollars railroads can deposit in his political piggybank.
Make no mistake: Gov. Youngkin and those who chose not to support the two-person crew bill in Virginia are acting AGAINST us!
It’s not about party
In recent years, SMART-TD Virginia State Legislative Director (SLD) Ronnie Hobbs has worked with legislators along the political spectrum to advance our 2PC bill. Brother Hobbs and his team got 2PC (Senate Bill 143) through both chambers and the joint conference committee. Regrettably, Youngkin decided to reject the work of both parties when he used his veto power to reward railroad shareholders when he should have protected his citizens.
“I want to thank all of the legislators in this state for the time they took to learn about the role of freight conductors in Virginia,” Hobbs said. “We have found so many great partners and allies in this process of making the case for 2PC. I want to thank Delegate Shelly Simonds and Senator Jennifer Carroll Foy for sponsoring our legislation and championing our members’ cause from beginning to end. Most importantly, I’d like to thank them for their continued interest in our cause, which goes beyond this ill-advised veto.”
The fight for Virginia two-person crews continues in 2025
Though disappointed, Hobbs and his powerful team of Virginia allies are still in the fight, with an eye on the 2025 election.
Abigail Spanberger, a member of Congress, is running for governor. Spanberger has sponsored federal action on 2PC in every legislative session since 2018, proving she is interested in our issues and sees value in our work. Spanberger’s ACTIONS demonstrate that she is 100% with us in our pursuit of a minimum crew size in the Old Dominion.
“I want to personally thank every member of SMART here in Virginia, who took the time and effort to contact their legislators and come to the hearings,” Hobbs said. “The tremendous effort made by you and your friends/family was noticed, and you were heard. Unfortunately, Gov. Youngkin was too busy listening to Wall Street to pay attention.”
Tom Perez, a senior White House adviser and director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, spent March 22, 2024 with Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, highlighting local initiatives funded through the American Rescue Plan Act — including a county pre-apprenticeship program to promote apprenticeships and careers in the trades. As part of the day’s itinerary, SMART Local 312 (Salt Lake City, Utah) hosted a meeting with Perez and Wilson at the local’s JATC in West Valley City, where members are training up-and-coming sheet metal workers.
Salt Lake County’s pre-apprenticeship program is funded by $2.8 million from the American Rescue Plan, with the goal of helping 240 aspiring tradespeople become Utah’s next generation of union workers and build the future of our country
That bright future was on full display at the Local 312 JATC, as Perez and Wilson toured the training center and witnessed apprentices working on layout and project fabrication. Perez met with several members of Local 312, including Apprenticeship Coordinator Gordon Hyde, as well as Matt Brumbaugh and Derek Chapman, the JATC’s two fulltime instructors. Together, Hyde, Brumbaugh and Chapman have 64 years of teaching experience at the local, elevating it to the platinum status it has today.
Perez said he was proud of Wilson and other local leaders for investing in local workers.
“The most precious resource we have in any community is our human capital,” Perez said, telling the apprentices: “You are not only entering a great profession, but … a profession that has a brotherhood and a sisterhood that will always have your back.”
The meeting was attended by Local 312 Business Manager Tony Ericksen; Utah Women in the Trades President Concetta Defa; leaders from IBEW Local 354 and Iron Workers Local 27; and other members of the state AFL-CIO and the local building trades.
Each year in April, SMART members travel to Washington, DC, to gather with fellow trade unionists for the North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) Legislative Conference: a week for union members to forge alliances with pro-worker politicians, lobby for laws that benefit workers and strategize for a future that puts SMART to work. This year’s conference was no different; with a theme of “Foundations for the Future,” SMART local and International leaders spent April 21-24 working to secure a better tomorrow for working-class people across North America.
Tuesday: pro-worker allies demonstrate commitment, attendees hit the pavement in workshops
Tuesday’s conference began with a jam-packed plenary session, where attendees heard from government officials whose actions – not just their words – have benefited SMART members and families.
During his keynote address, NABTU President Sean McGarvey described the extraordinary difference building trades unions make in the lives of ALL workers across North America, from the apprentices who come from poverty and earn a union-made pathway into the middle class, to the workers building our nation’s transition to a green economy. He also outlined the progress unions have made in recent years: pro-worker laws that invest in our industries, an executive order from President Joe Biden requiring project labor agreements on large-scale federal construction jobs, permitting reform and expanded prevailing wage protections that raise pay for construction workers, to name just a few.
“Behind every policy win, behind every investment win, there are real workers’ lives at stake,” McGarvey reminded the capacity crowd. “We cannot back down, we cannot slow down – we must keep fighting.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has been stridently pro-worker throughout his time in office, signing laws that establish air ventilation programs for public schools (with strong labor standards attached to create jobs for SMART Local 10 members); implement the most expansive prevailing wage enhancements in state history and the largest increase ever to the Minnesota work compensation system’s permanent partial disability fund; ban anti-union captive audience meetings; and much more (including a two-person freight train crew law).
“It’s not about winning races so you can get more political capital to go out and win another race,” he declared. “You win races so you can burn the hell out of that political capital to improve people’s lives.”
Walz described how desperately needed repairs to the Blatnik bridge that connects Duluth, Minnesota, to Superior, Wisconsin, can finally be made thanks to funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. But that funding – and the union jobs it has already created – can disappear in an instant, he warned attendees. Only with pro-union policies and policymakers can unions like SMART continue to benefit workers across the United States.
“Vote your values, stand together — if we do that, we truly are building the foundations of the future,” Walz concluded.
Acting United States Labor Secretary Julie Su – along with her immediate predecessor, Marty Walsh – has been one of the most pro-union leaders of the Department of Labor since the 1940s, and she showed it with her appearance at the NABTU Legislative Conference. Throughout her speech, Su referred to the union apprentices and journeypersons she has met across the country, including SMART members in Cleveland, Ohio, and Kokomo, Indiana. Those workers, she said, are experiencing the life-changing benefits of federal investment in union jobs and American industry.
“We’re not just talking about jobs. We’re talking about careers. We’re talking about building intergenerational wealth,” Su said. “That is what’s possible when we invest in workers.”
In her still-young tenure at the Department of Labor, Su has implemented regulations that finalize President Biden’s executive order requiring PLAs on large federal projects – which means there are an estimated 100 PLA-covered jobs now breaking ground – updated prevailing wage regulations to increase pay for construction workers nationwide and more. From strong labor requirements in the laws funding new megaprojects to increased protections of union-won jobsite standards, she noted, union members and families are reaping the benefits of pro-union policy. And she commended unions like SMART for committing to extending those benefits to women, people of color, the formerly incarcerated and beyond.
Day one attendees also heard from Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs and Jeff Peoples, chairman, president and CEO of the Alabama Power Company. Bibb has worked hand in hand with the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades to implement federal funding in a way that puts union members to work improving the city, and he vowed to continue that partnership to create a prosperous, resilient city for ALL Clevelanders. Frerichs, meanwhile, has long been an advocate for unions in Illinois – and he has leveraged his position as state treasurer to come up with innovative strategies to benefit workers in his state. By using policy to create a state fund for infrastructure investment and joining with pension funds to push for labor considerations for investors, Frerichs said, states beyond just Illinois can ally with union members.
“We may not win every fight, but we aren’t afraid to sit across the table from CEOs to make sure they use skilled labor,” he declared.
And Peoples, the son of a coal miner with a long appreciation for organized labor, detailed how working with the building trades has helped develop jobs, innovation and reliable power sources in the South: “If we’re going to build in Alabama, we’re going to build it with you, we’re going to build it with union labor.”
Attendees spent the afternoon in various workshops, networking with fellow trade unionists to pursue organizing, legislative and investing strategies that build power for union members. In the capital strategies and organizing workshop, attendees heard from a panel that included asset managers, a union organizer and an investigative journalist, who each spoke to different aspects of private equity’s power in American society – and how unions can work together to pressure hedge funds and managers into adopting strong labor principles.
In a session on military service members’ rights, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) educational benefits and Helmets to Hardhats, attendees learned about the laws and benefits protecting servicemembers and veterans — and how to put those laws and benefits to work in JATCs.
And SMART General President Emeritus Joseph Sellers moderated a panel on investing in commercial real estate with leaders from Ullico and the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust (HIT), diving deep on questions of commercial real estate and detailing how investing in labor-forward companies can reap dividends for everyone. One example: the AFL-CIO’s investment in housing construction, which creates union jobs and yields a return on investment for union funds.
On Tuesday night, SMART local officers and International staff gathered for the annual SMART Political Action League (PAL) reception, where SMART General President Michael Coleman awarded plaques to the 31 local unions whose members donated the most, per capita, to the PAL fund – helping SMART support politicians who work to create jobs and protections for union sheet metal workers.
Wednesday: demonstrating our political power, lobbying for more
Attendees came together on the final day of the NABTU Legislative Conference to hear from governmental allies on the federal, state and municipal level, and to lobby Congress to pass pro-worker policy that creates union jobs and benefits our members.
The morning began with a fireside chat with U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Robin Carnahan, whose implementation of strong labor standards for projects related to federal facilities has put SMART members to work across the country. As the manager of federal government properties, acquisitions and more, the GSA is one of the largest players in the country when it comes to building, maintaining and retrofitting buildings, and as a pro-labor official, Carnahan has strived to ensure that work is performed using union workforces. She and NABTU President McGarvey discussed, among other things, the value of project labor agreements and how federal legislation provides the money GSA needs to put union members to work on “greening our federal carbon footprint.”
“Project labor agreements are just good business,” Carnahan declared.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm also spoke to attendees on Wednesday, outlining the ways in which the department is implementing funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act to pursue a decisively pro-union green energy policy. Thanks in large part to the public and private clean energy jobs breaking ground every day, Granholm said, construction employment is at its highest level in recorded history.
“These jobs are the result of a focused, strategic plan; a new industrial revolution is taking shape,” she told attendees. “It is historic, and your labor unions had a hand in shaping this strategy every step of the way. These wins belong to you.”
Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO and a longtime fighter for SMART members, took the podium to talk about labor’s resurgence — and the importance of maintaining a policy platform that makes it possible for unions to organize, build, grow and win. From a pro-labor National Labor Relations Board to updates to prevailing wages and job-creating laws, she said, it is more vital than ever to vote for union members’ interests in November.
“It does not matter which craft you are in, people respect the building trades,” Shuler declared. “People recognize that you are the ones that build our nation. … Finally, people recognize that the labor movement is the place to build power.”
And on the state and municipal level, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Scranton, Pa., Mayor Paige Cognetti, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Maryland Governor Wes Moore detailed the myriad ways in which pro-labor policy is extending from the federal scope to benefit union members in states and cities with a shared pro-worker outlook.
Johnson explained how Milwaukee works hand in hand with Wisconsin building trades workers to build a better city for residents, from huge residential projects — funded in part by the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust — to core infrastructure (much of it made possible by money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act).
“[The building trades] are working to make sure that they represent the interests of their members, yes, but those interests also coincide with what’s best for the city; what’s best for residents all across Milwaukee,” he said.
Cognetti, meanwhile, discussed how unions in Pennsylvania are helping lift workers in Scranton into the middle class — again, boosted by funding from federal legislation. Through workforce navigation money from the American Rescue Plan and infrastructure funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Scranton is helping lead people to apprenticeship programs and putting members to work on core public works projects. Plus, Cognetti’s administration has instituted strong labor standards in the city: Any $25,000-plus project funded by the city or the state government pays a prevailing wage, and Cognetti is proposing a responsible contractor ordinance this spring.
Maryland Gov. Moore detailed his long personal history with the labor movement, starting when his father died when he was three years old — and his father’s union paid for the funeral. Decades later, Moore talked about the importance of investing in apprenticeship programs and putting union members to work on infrastructure projects — particularly as the state mourns the deaths of six construction workers in the devastating Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore. That bridge, he said, will be rebuilt with union labor. And moving forward, he vowed, Maryland will continue to invest in its workers.
“When people say that you have to somehow choose between having a growing economy and a fair one, it’s a false choice. We don’t have to choose, because we can and we will have both,” Moore declared.
And Shapiro, a longtime friend of SMART Local 19, Local 12 and Local 44, went long on his relationship with organized labor and how working with the union building trades has helped Pennsylvania accomplish incredible things — not the least being the repair of the I-95 highway collapse in just 12 days in 2023. Shapiro, who issued a directive to all agencies in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania to use project labor agreements whenever possible (a directive that went into effect April 1), explained how policies like responsible contractor ordinances and PLAs benefit workers, high-road contractors and the building tradespeople of the future. And in order to benefit those future trades workers, Shapiro told NABTU, he signed an executive order to create a first-in-the-nation initiative to invest up to $400 million in federal funding to train up to 10,000 new workers in Pennsylvania.
“We are giving every Pennsylvanian the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed,” Shapiro said to a standing ovation. “We have a tremendous opportunity right now – and the progress we make is going to run right through your union halls.”
The conference’s final plenary session concluded with a speech from President Biden, who just that morning received NABTU’s endorsement in the United States presidential race. Biden drew a stark contrast between the anti-worker actions of 2016-2020 — a union-busting NLRB, a promised “infrastructure week” that never arrived and more — with the progress workers have made since 2021: 51,000 projects started since the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law; 15 million jobs created; an executive order requiring project labor agreements on federal jobs that cost more than $35 million; Davis-Bacon updates that expand prevailing wages for construction workers; and the repealing of Trump’s proposed Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs) rule, to name a few.
“Trump promised us an infrastructure week, but I’ll tell you: In four years, he didn’t build a damn thing,” Biden said.
With a pro-worker majority in Congress, more is possible, Biden added, calling for the passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act.
“It’s just beginning,” he proclaimed. “Roads, bridges, ports, airports, clean water systems, available high-speed Internet all across America and built by the building trades.”
Following President Biden’s speech, SMART members and trades workers departed for Capitol Hill, where they met with legislative staffers to push Congress to act on our behalf. And as attendees returned to their home locals over the following days, they carried the message resounding throughout the conference halls to union members across the country: We need to advocate for our interests, at the ballot box and beyond, to secure our collective future.
At the jobsite, senior members of the crew often tell us how important it is to speak up if we see an unsafe act. We all want to return home in the same condition we arrived. But when we fail to look out for one another while performing our work, incidents happen, and these can have lasting and devastating effects.
The same goes for workplace behavior. SMART wants our members to speak up for themselves and others when they are uncomfortable or witness others who are in the compromising position of being bullied or harassed. As with safety, it is crucial to create a culture that encourages members to say something when they observe harassment or bullying. We all deserve to return home from work unharmed — physically, mentally and socially.
In fact, discrimination and harassment on construction sites can endanger the physical safety of members on the job. Due to the dangerous nature of our work, you need to be able to trust that the member next to you will keep you safe. If your coworker is harassing you, it is hard to trust that they will ensure your safety.
As members of SMART, we have the moral duty to ensure the safety and well-being of our fellow members and to encourage each other and build morale while on the job. The concept of a workplace free of harassment and discrimination should be owned by each member at every worksite. Intervention is an effective tool to curb and hopefully eliminate harassment and bullying in the workplace.
With all this in mind, SMART announced the expansion of the I Got Your Back Campaign — “Speak Up, Speak Out” in May. We seek to create and reinforce a culture where members Speak Up, Speak Out when they see something wrong. Therefore, we ask every member to do the following:
1. If you witness a fellow member being bullied, harassed, discriminated against or mistreated on the job, please Speak Up, Speak Out.
2. If you are being bullied, harassed, discriminated against or mistreated on the job, please Speak Up, Speak Out if you are comfortable doing so, or ask a trusted ally for help.
What does it mean to Speak Up, Speak Out? This can take many forms depending on the situation:
- Ask the offender to stop. Here are some examples of things you can say: “This needs to stop right now.” “This is wrong, and you need to stop.” “This is not right. Leave [name] alone.”
- Ask the individual if they are okay and if they would like to report this incident. Emphasize that they did not deserve to be treated this way and that you have their back.
- Approach other bystanders and encourage them to Speak Up, Speak Out. Every voice matters, and there is power in numbers.
- If you are not comfortable saying something in the moment, you can report the incident to your union rep or the employer.
In turn, we ask all of our union officials to commit to the following:
- Ensure each of our members receives the best quality union representation when they are facing harassment, bullying, discrimination or mistreatment on the job.
- Ensure there is no retaliation for speaking up and reporting an issue. Communicate repeatedly with your members that retaliation is not tolerated, ask members to report retaliation if it occurs, and take swift and decisive action if a member is retaliated against for speaking up.
This campaign expansion is designed to encourage our members to intervene when bullying or harassment occurs on the jobsite with the same sense of urgency as if a fellow member were facing unsafe work conditions. We believe the expansion of the I Got Your Back Campaign will help ensure this practice becomes universal throughout our union.
As part of the United States Department of Labor’s (DOL) Youth Apprenticeship Week in May, SMART Local 67’s Amber Oliver was named an Apprentice Trailblazer — one of just two DOL Apprentice Trailblazers in Texas, and the only sheet metal Apprentice Trailblazer in the country.
Oliver was recognized during a May 2 event at the Local 67 training center in Austin, where SMART Southwest Gulf Coast Regional Council (SWGCRC) and Local 67 leaders, the Texas AFL-CIO and others honored Oliver and her family.
The DOL’s Apprenticeship Trailblazer program has a dual goal: honoring pioneering apprentices, and enlisting those apprentices to expand awareness of, support for and enrollment in registered apprenticeship programs.
As a trailblazer, Oliver — per the DOL’s criteria — was lauded for demonstrating “exemplary leadership, mentoring, teamwork, promotional activities, and/or [having] a transformative story as an apprentice.”
Moving forward, she will partner with DOL and apprenticeship ambassadors to promote registered apprenticeships, bring more people into apprenticeships — particularly women, people of color and workers from other underrepresented communities — devise strategies to expand and modernize apprenticeship programs, and much more. Not only will this help Oliver develop a wide array of relationships with fellow workers and leaders in South Texas; it also has the potential to aid the local’s efforts to boost its union workforce.
Congratulations, sister, on this remarkable achievement!
On August 1, 2024, Belonging and Excellence for All (BE4ALL) launched its brand-new standalone website, beforall.org — fulfilling a need the BE4ALL Committee had heard numerous times from SMART members and signatory contractors, and providing visitors with a one-stop shop for information, resources and more.
“Our duty as a union is to represent our members – to ensure they are protected and safe, from the job to the union hall,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “The new BE4ALL website expands our ability to provide welcoming, inclusive environments for all members of the unionized sheet metal industry, providing our members with needed information, resources and avenues for officers to protect their well-being.”
Launched in 2021, BE4ALL is a joint effort of SMART, SMACNA and the International Training Institute (ITI), created to ensure that all current and future members of the unionized sheet metal industry experience welcoming, belonging and inclusion. By better recruiting and retaining SMART members from all backgrounds, BE4ALL aims to grow and strengthen our union – both today and well into the future.
The new BE4ALL website is part and parcel of that goal. In the past, SMART members and officers noted that information about the initiative felt scattered, and resources were difficult to track down. The BE4ALL website stores information about BE4ALL, progress updates, frequently asked questions and much more in one place; in addition, past BE4ALL resources can be easily accessed by visitors, including Toolbox Talks (many available in Spanish), recorded BE4ALL Learning Journeys and the BE4ALL Calendar, to name a few.
But that’s only the beginning. A BE4ALL Member Portal gives SMART members, local union and regional council officers and SMACNA contractors the ability to log into the website and access resources tailored specifically to them and their jobs, from Toolbox Talks on difficult conversations with coworkers to guidance on how to use the BE4ALL Rapid Response Protocol. Importantly, the website also provides the ability for members to submit Rapid Response Protocol complaints to their local union or regional council through a web form – offering a secure avenue for members to detail incidents of harassment, discrimination, hazing, bullying or other inappropriate behavior on the job or at a union event.
“We are strongest when every single member, no matter who they are or where they’re from, knows that they have a home in our union and in our industry,” Coleman concluded. “We will continue to use every tool at our disposal, including the new BE4ALL website, to create environments that foster welcoming and belonging as we move forward.”
Variable refrigerant flow (VRF) systems are on the rise, making up an ever-growing portion of the HVAC market share in the United States. And in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Local 49 is taking proactive steps to ensure VRF work is performed by SMART members.
On April 16, 2024, the local welcomed representatives from Mitsubishi Electric Trane HVAC US (METUS) to its JATC to open the first-ever METUS VRF lab in the U.S.
“This collaboration between the Local 49 JATC, Trane and Mitsubishi showcases cutting-edge VRF technology and provides hands-on training for apprentices and industry professionals,” explained Local 49 Business Manager and Financial Secretary-Treasurer Isaiah Zemke. “Our curriculum is tailored to the latest advancements in VRF technology, ensuring industry relevance.”
VRF HVAC systems offer sophisticated, energy efficient heating and cooling by using a single outdoor condensing unit to provide hot and cool air through indoor units, utilizing heat pumps or heat recovery systems. With a greater national emphasis being placed on such environmentally beneficial and cost-effective technologies for commercial and multi-family residential buildings, the demand for VRF expertise will only continue to grow – and as of today, the only METUS VRF lab in America is in the Local 49 JATC. (Importantly, Zemke noted, METUS is New Mexico’s exclusive vendor for all the state’s air moving equipment.)
Not only does that ensure Local 49’s apprentices have the skills needed to take on VRF work in New Mexico — the lab can also function as a de facto organizing tool, bringing nonunion workers in need of training to the one place where they are guaranteed to witness, without any interference, the union difference.
“It’s going to be the future of heating and air conditioning,” said Local 49 member Miguel Lopez of Butler Sheet Metal, who led apprentices in helping build the lab.
The journey to the April 16th ribbon-cutting had an unexpected origin. Local 49 President Chuck Lees is an avid fly fisherman. As it turns out, so is Trane Sales Representative Larry Anderson. Years ago, through their shared love of fly fishing, the two men forged a relationship that led to collaborations on testing and balancing work — and, some time later, the idea of a VRF lab. Thanks to the friendship between Lees, Anderson, Zemke and the rest of the local, labor and the manufacturer swiftly established a partnership, and METUS signed a memorandum of understanding with Local 49 for the JATC’s innovative new lab.
“Basically, Mitsubishi supplies all the VRF equipment and will replace it with any new, updated equipment,” Zemke explained. “Our obligation on the training side is to make sure that we install it and put in all the controls.”
For Local 49 members, the VRF lab couldn’t have come at a better time. The state of New Mexico is applying for a variety of grants to perform work related to lowering emissions and building a green economy. One example of that work: constructing and retrofitting multi-family housing. Thanks to its in-house VRF training, Local 49 anticipates being able to take on those jobs from start to finish.
“For low-income housing, they would do an assessment of the windows, the roof, the HVAC system,” Zemke explained. “So, it will be our testing and balancing contractors that can go do that assessment. And then we would have our contractors go and install these Mitsubishi split VRF systems.”
The new lab demonstrates how vital it is for labor unions to be active and forward-thinking when it comes to training, organizing and collaborating with management-side partners. Zemke views it as an example of “organizing the work” that will benefit all the entities involved.
“When all the parties come together — the training center, the labor union, the contractors — we can build great things together,” he concluded. “And that’s basically what we’ve done with this.”
In May, Chris Carlough was appointed the first-ever SMART director of wellness and mental health support, taking the next step in a long career dedicated to enhancing the well-being of SMART members across the United States and Canada.
Carlough has spearheaded numerous programs aimed at meeting the unique needs of union workers and industry partners, demonstrating his passion for advocating for mental health awareness and support.
One such initiative, started in 2013, was the SMART MAP (Members Assistance Program), which focuses attention on a variety of mental health issues, such as substance abuse and suicidal ideations, through various awareness trainings — locating top-tier mental health resources and building a network of compassionate union members and other peers who offer support and guidance to fellow members and their families. Another, more recent program has been the training and distribution of naloxone throughout local unions in the United States and Canada in an effort to reduce opioid overdose deaths.
“I strongly believe that empathy and vulnerability through shared experiences can reduce the stigma of mental health issues and will build a culture of support, caring and solidarity throughout our organization, where members and their families feel safe seeking help for mental health issues without fear of judgment or reprisal,” said Carlough, who has been active in his recovery from drug and alcohol addiction for more than 20 years.
By continuing to be a vocal proponent of policies and initiatives that prioritize members’ well-being, Carlough aims to advance the conversation around mental health in the workplace. His goal is to help ensure that SMART members have the resources and support they need to maintain their mental and emotional welfare so that they can spend more time in comfort and happiness — on and off the job.
Each year, the International Labor Communications Association (ILCA) honors workers and unions at its Labor Media Awards, recognizing excellence among member publications, websites, film, video and other media. It’s the largest competition exclusively for labor organizations and journalists, and in 2023, the SMART Communications Department took home a variety of prizes for its 2022 output — fueled by the inspirational stories of SMART members.
ILCA’s “Visual Communications” awards highlight the best layouts, illustrations, photographs and informational graphics submitted to the Labor Media Awards, with judges considering the entry’s quality of production, content and effectiveness with its intended audience. SMART won first place for “Best Design — Website, App or Electronic Publication” for its relaunched website, smart-union.org — a testament to SMART staff’s dedication to putting together a modern, interactive resource that serves existing and potential new members. (The website won a third-place award in the “General Excellence” category.) SMART’s Cleveland staff took home second place in a Visual Communications category: “Best Front Page/Cover — Newspaper or Newsletter” for the SMART Transportation Newspaper.
Throughout 2022, SMART produced a broad range of video content: telling member stories, covering major events, educating members and non-members, and much more. The SMART Communications Department won first place in “Electronic Media: Best Education and Training Video” for its animated guide to forming a union — a demonstration of our union’s focus on conveying vital information to nonunion workers seeking SMART representation. SMART also won second place in the “Best Issues/Advocacy Video” competition for our profile of Jeff Hillery, as well as two third-place awards — in the “Best News Video” and “Best Promotional Video” categories — for videos on the 2022 Tradeswomen Build Nations Conference and signatory contractor McClure Stainless, respectively.
The Labor Media Awards include four writing prizes named after the late Saul Miller, a director of the AFL-CIO Department of Information and a founder of ILCA. These awards highlight writing related to key union activities: organizing, collective bargaining and political action. SMART won third place in the “National/International Organizing” category for its coverage of workers’ successful unionization campaign with SMART Local 23 at Vigor’s shipyard in Ketchikan, Alaska.
And finally, SMART took second place in the crowded field that was the “Best Audio/Podcast/ Radio Broadcast” category. The award-winning Talking SMART installment, a conversation with SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson, reflected the timeliness and urgency of that episode, which was released during national freight rail contract negotiations.
While the SMART Communications Department created and submitted these websites, videos, articles and podcasts for ILCA consideration, the awards belong to you: the SMART members whose stories of working-class power define our union. Thank you for all that you do, and thank you for sharing your experiences with the communications department!