SMART Union
Pictured, left to right: Local 33 Business Manager Corey Beaubien, Business Rep. Hank Strahan, Frank Jones (50 years), Marvin Polo (50 years), Gus Williams (50 years), Thomas Frizzell (50 years), SMART General President Michael Coleman, Guy Disiena (50 years), Business Rep. Todd Alishusky, Richard Cartwright (25 years), Business Rep. Shane Vermilye.
While many teenagers were figuring out what classes to take the next school year, Emilee Och was making plans to be a union welder. As a student in the School to Apprenticeship Program, her aspirations were complemented with training while she was still in high school, and she earned apprentice wages throughout the process.
The School to Apprenticeship Program, known also as an apprentice readiness program, or ARP, provides a pathway for high school seniors to get a head start on their careers in the trades. Och was a student at Apollo Career Center when she was introduced to the program by Eugene Frazier, now-retired training coordinator for Local 24 (central Ohio).
Elements of the School to Apprenticeship Program have dated back to the late 1980’s, and high school seniors were added to the program around 2013. The program was officially formulized in the state of Ohio in 2021, said Tony Stephens, training coordinator for Local 24 in Dayton.
As a student in the program, Och became a pre-apprentice at age 16, between her junior and senior year of high school, and she was a first-year apprentice during her senior year.
This summer, Och, 22, graduated from the apprentice program in Dayton, Ohio, and received an award recognizing her as the highest achieving apprentice, the Eugene Frazier II Award — named for the coordinator who introduced her to the program — along with perfect attendance. Och is the first woman to receive this recognition.
The program is the equivalent of high school students taking college classes for dual credit, she said.
“I knew I wanted to go union, for sure, but what I really liked is I could join right then and there and go to school at the same time,” Och added. From her home in Lima, Ohio, it was nearly a 90-minute drive, and she still managed to be the first apprentice since 2016 to achieve perfect attendance. “I was definitely keeping track of that, for sure. It was hard to make sure I was there every week, but I was pretty dedicated to it. I knew it would be worth it in the end, and it would be a good career for me.”
The School to Apprenticeship Program, and ARPs in general, ease high school students into adulthood with a varied schedule. Students attend school for two weeks, then work in the field for two weeks during the day while attending apprenticeship courses at Local 24’s training center in the evenings. The program allows them to retain their high school identities — playing football, participating in band and choir, attending senior trips — while jumpstarting their careers.
“It’s not full time. We have a much better retention with the School to Apprenticeship Program students than with any other program,” Stephens said. “We will retain 80%, if not more, in comparison to the 50% of apprentices we bring in by traditional means. It’s almost as constant as gravity. It’s been true since I was an apprentice.”
Och went from tinkering in the garage with her father as a child to working in the sheet metal shop at Smith-Boughan Mechanical in Lima. Her next goal is to become a foreperson.
“[The program] makes you feel more comfortable, helps you get the basics down so you know what you’re getting into,” she said. “It gives you a sense of responsibility. You have to be to work on time. You have to be prepared. It gives you a sense of commitment. I definitely think it was a good path for me, for sure.”
On October 1, 2023, Tom Wiant moved from his position as SMART Region 3 International representative to become assistant to the general president — the latest step in a 30-plus-year career in the unionized sheet metal industry.
Wiant began his journey in the trade as a production worker in 1986, entering the Local 33 (northern Ohio) apprenticeship in 1987 and attaining journeyperson status in 1992. He successfully ran for election as a business representative in 2003; seven years later, he was elected Local 33 financial secretary-treasurer in 2010. After representing Local 33 members in that role for 11 years, Wiant was appointed SMART Region 4 International representative in 2021, moving to Region 3 in 2022.
While our online registration options for the upcoming Transportation Division Regional Training Seminars (RTS) to take place in Toledo, Ohio, Oct. 3 through 6 and in Davenport, Iowa, Nov. 6 through 9, have been disrupted, these events will go on as planned.
For those who have not yet registered, on-site registration for attendees will be an option at both events. The fee to attend the RTS is $50.
Lodging can be booked for the Ohio event by calling the Hilton Garden Inn Toledo Downtown at 419-464-9220. The discounted hotel room block has been filled.
A schedule for the Toledo RTS is available and has been published.
For more information, contact Ohio State Legislative Director Clyde Whitaker at 419-565-2629 or email smartunionoslb@gmail.com.
For the Davenport event, call the Rhythm City Casino at 563-328-8000 and mention that you are with SMART-TD to obtain a discounted rate. The TD event rate is $112 per night.
For more information, contact Iowa State Legislative Director Christopher Smith at 641-278-0699 or by email at utuislb@hotmail.com or Illinois State Legislative Director Bob Guy at 312-236-5353 or by email at bob.guy1@comcast.net.
Please note: Attendees are responsible for making their own hotel reservations for these events.
SMART-TD appreciates your patience as service is restored.
Monday, Sept. 4, marked Labor Day in the United States and our members were out making their presence known in celebration of the work we do while raising awareness about the work that still needs to be done in this country to raise the profile of the working class and organized labor.
Bus Department Alt. Vice President James Sandoval, left, and other members of his Local 23 in Santa Cruz, Calif., take part in a Labor Day event.
SMART Transportation Division President Jeremy Ferguson and Alt. National Legislative Director Jared Cassity were in Galesburg, Ill., and continued the tradition of a TD presence in the the nation’s longest-running Labor Day parade.
Our members participated in a Labor Day parade in Omaha, complete with the traditional appearance of the SMART-TD-branded mini-locomotive.
SMART-TD’s Nevada State Legislative Board had a presence at the Reno LaborFest.
Members from TD Locals 2, 1529 and 1816 walked in the Toledo annual Labor Day parade with Sheet Metal members from SMART Local 33.
SMART Transportation Division had a presence at the Labor Day parade in Roanoke, Va.
New SMART General President Michael Coleman has been stepping up for his fellow members since his days as a rank-and-file sheet metal worker in Cleveland. He worked as a foreman shortly after becoming a journeyperson, then decided he wanted to represent his brothers and sisters in the local.
“I realized very early on I wanted to be a leader in the industry,” he said. “I wanted to help represent the membership — that’s what led me into becoming an elected official, just my desire to represent the members.”
Coleman became a business representative at Local 33 in his early thirties; as time progressed, he decided to run for business manager to ensure member voices took priority in northern Ohio. There, he garnered a reputation for innovation: pursuing groundbreaking strategies in order to recruit more members, effectively structure local funds, provide greater flexibility to members and more.
Local 33 Business Representative Corey Beaubien, Director of Partnership Development Eli Baccus and International Representative Tom Wiant specifically praised changes Coleman made to the local’s scope of work and organizing — from building out Local 33’s fire life safety capacity, to devising special agreements and intra-local travel incentives to maintain work during economic slowdowns, to restructuring the organizing department to maximize cohesion and effectiveness. The result: steady growth at the local.
“The members are the union — that was the core value of this union when I joined in 1985, and it remains the foundational principle of SMART to this day,”
“Every decision that he’s made, it’s always been about the members first,” Beaubien said. “He was very successful in pushing us in organizing as a leader, and with the success he had in Ohio, I believe it’s going to translate to the whole country.”
Current Local 33 President and Business Manager Tim Miller agreed, pointing to the redirect fund Coleman conceived to give members more choice in the disbursement of health and pension funds.
“The members love it to this day,” he said. “It works, and it’s an example of how Mike just doesn’t take no for an answer. He knows there’s a solution to the problem, and he continues until he finds that solution and then he implements it.”
After several years leading Local 33, Coleman moved to Washington, DC to work as SMART’s director of business and management relations. Mere months later, General President Sellers asked Coleman to become assistant to the general president, a position in which he served until May 31, 2023. He played a crucial role during SMART’s second-ever General Convention in 2019, serving as secretary of the Constitution Committee and shepherding through 114 proposed amendments — helping to facilitate the democratic process of our union. He also worked side-by-side with Sellers to push for legislation that positions SMART members for future success.
That work is now beginning to bear fruit. “It’s our time. Now is our time,” Coleman declared.
In the short term, he explained, the dozens of megaprojects breaking ground across North America present local sheet metal unions with both unprecedented opportunity and workforce challenges. At the same time, rail and transit operator safety has become a headline issue from California to Charlotte, presenting SMART Transportation Division members with the chance to go on offense and secure lasting legislation and regulation. Key to both sets of priorities, Coleman noted, is the need to recruit and retain workers across crafts and industries, no matter their background.
“This is an opportunity to organize; organize like I don’t know I have ever seen before,” he said. “We have a chance to grow, to strengthen our numbers, to become a force in markets, communities and government offices across our two nations. We need to reflect the communities we all live in, and we need to ensure every member of this union — regardless of race, creed, beliefs, place of origin, sexual orientation or anything else — knows that they belong.”
With opportunity comes great challenges, Coleman added. Staffing megaprojects while maintaining core sheet metal work requires a new scale of organizing and recruiting, and the flighty winds of politics mean that nothing can be taken for granted when it comes to securing meaningful transportation safety legislation. Nevertheless, momentum is on our side.
“The members are the union — that was the core value of this union when I joined in 1985, and it remains the foundational principle of SMART to this day,” Coleman said. “When we come together to fight for our jobs, our communities and our families, we cannot be stopped. I want all members to understand that we’re going to continue with our representation, and we’re going to continue coming up with new initiatives that make their lives and their families’ lives better.”
Ohio native Cassandra Kline has been hired as NEMIC’s director of building construction technology. In that role, she serves as a field representative to SMART locals all over the United States and Canada and is responsible for creating and implementing strategies for the use of new and existing technologies in order to expand skills and opportunities for SMART sheet metal workers and signatory employers.
“I’m building relationships with local unions and contractors, promoting new business ideas and technology, as well as representing NEMIC on committees and developing documents for American National Standards Institute (ANSI) accreditation,” Kline said.
As a second-generation sheet metal worker, Kline began her apprenticeship on the advice of her father, who served as the training coordinator at Local 33 in Toledo, Ohio. Kline’s brother is also a sheet metal worker, and she has an uncle who works in the electrical trade, so union life runs in her family. After graduating high school, Kline moved to Panama City Beach, Florida, and worked in the food and beverage industry for several years before returning to Toledo to take a job as a shop maintenance manager’s assistant. This sparked her interest in the field, and she tested and entered the apprenticeship, graduating in 2020.
During that time, she worked at VM Systems Inc., where she gained experience in TAB, architectural, commercial and heavy industrial applications of sheet metal work. In 2021, Kline took classes through the International Training Institute and became a part-time instructor at Local 33 for fire life safety, indoor air quality and TAB. She then joined Gem Inc. as a field supervisor for the TAB division and was soon promoted to service manager.
She says her rise in the field is a testament to the fact that the sheet metal industry provides opportunities to anyone willing to put in the time and effort.
“Be prepared for the opportunities. Show up, work hard and learn everything you can,” she said.
Kline has been settling into her new role and is enthusiastic about working with the rest of the NEMIC staff.
“I’m fortunate to be surrounded by a great team,” she added. “I’m learning every single day and have great mentors looking out for me and helping guide me along the way.”
Kline spends her spare time golfing and enjoying walks with her dog, Huckleberry.
North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) hosted an event titled “Meeting the Moment” on Thursday, March 30 in Columbus, Ohio. The event, part of NABTU’s Opportunity Pipeline series, featured NABTU President Sean McGarvey, SMART Local 24 (southern Ohio) member McKenzie Quinn, representatives from the Ohio governor’s office, state politicians from both sides of the aisle, local union workers and more, all talking about one thing: $200 billion worth of megaprojects breaking ground in Ohio.
“Join us in rebuilding America and join us in establishing your place in the middle class,” McGarvey said at the event, addressing the union tradespeople of the future. “… We look forward to building this together as a team, as a community for the benefit of all in our country.”
As a result of massive investment and new megaprojects from companies like Intel, Honda and more – spurred in part by federal legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act – the Ohio State Building and Construction Trades Council estimates that more than 115,000 union workers will work full time from 2023 to 2025. That enormous number of jobs opens a huge window of opportunity for SMART sheet metal workers, both current and future members.
“In Columbus right now, we have a lot of exciting upcoming projects,” Local 24 journeyperson Quinn said. “We have chip factories, data centers, electric vehicle battery plants, and this is going to bring hundreds of good-paying jobs in the next few years.”
That not only means family-sustaining jobs for Ohio SMART members – it creates a golden opportunity for local unions to recruit, organize and grow their market share.
“We need to do our best to continue recruiting people from every background,” Quinn noted. “This opportunity is available to everyone.”
Multiple speakers at Thursday’s event testified to the power of a union apprenticeship when it comes to lifting workers up, no matter their background or identity. Year after year, the statistics demonstrate that unions reduce economic disparity for women, people of color and other members of historically marginalized communities. By taking advantage of megaprojects and bringing more workers into the unionized trade, SMART locals can do more than fortify their strength – they can create real opportunity for all.
“Joining a union has given me safety and security in my job and safety from discrimination, not only with wages but also gender-based discrimination,” Quinn said. “This is a great chance for everybody, including women and minorities, to get into the trades and have a great career.”
Watch further coverage of the event here.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been launched to investigate a 50-car Norfolk Southern derailment that caused an inferno in East Palestine, Ohio, the night of Feb. 3.
No injuries were reported from the fiery accident, which news media said produced plumes of smoke that registered on Pittsburgh weather radar.
As of Saturday morning, residents located within a mile radius of the accident site were evacuated and others were urged to stay indoors while emergency personnel worked to control the fire.
The village’s mayor reported that the crew was unharmed in the accident.
As part of the Easter holiday festivities in their community, SM Local 33 (Toledo, Ohio) members worked with A.N.G.E.L.S Outreach to hand out 110 food baskets to local families. Founded in 1995, A.N.G.E.L.S Outreach provides food baskets to those in need of a helping hand during Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. SMART members who participated: Rod Graffis, Clint Dockery, Julie Price, Chris Monaghan, Bill Dukeshire, Nadine Dukeshire, Gary Schwartz, Laura Blackwell, Gail Mistiatis, Ray Schlagheck, Dick Schuller, Nick Koelsch and Jim Domanowski.