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In the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton — and the catastrophic damages inflicted on communities across the Southeast — SMART members union-wide banded together in solidarity, mobilizing to offer support to members and families in need.

“We make sure our members are taken care of,” said Local 5 (East Tenn., North Ga., Southwest Va. and N.C.) Business Manager Christian Fuller. “I want to personally thank all who were involved and the International for their help.”

Hurricane Helene hit the United States on September 26, with Milton making landfall just two weeks later — devastating broad swaths of Alabama, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky. Members, families and communities all felt the brunt of these disasters; many lost power and experienced extensive damage to their homes and livelihoods.

In the immediate aftermath of both hurricanes, SMART sent targeted emails and texts to members in impacted states, providing information on the SMART Disaster Relief Fund and instructions on the fund’s use. International leadership also maintained contact with officers at affected local unions, and General President Michael Coleman sent a letter to all local unions and International staff outlining the materials needed and local union distribution centers to send donations to.

The swift local and International action yielded results.

“The Disaster Relief Fund granted two local block grants and 13 member grants, and many members were also supplied with necessities from their locals and donations from General President Coleman’s mobilization letter,” said SMART Director of Special Projects Louise Medina. “The fund has provided $100,000 in grants.”

Locals 5 and 399 (South Carolina) were able to secure generators, power cords, chainsaws, ice machines, water, coolers and nonperishable food, helping sustain members across their jurisdictions. Local 85 (Georgia) and Local 435 (Jacksonville, Fla.) also leapt into action, working with the International and mobilizing local staff to help members confronted with property damage, debris clearage and, in some cases, the inability to leave their homes.

The same spirit of solidarity helped provide aid to SMART-TD members.

State Safety and Legislative Director Adren Crawford from Tennessee, along with Brother Jason Caldwell and other members of Local 1162 from Erwin, Tenn., donated funds and actively secured and distributed generators to affected members of their local.

Tommy Gholson and General Committee 898, as well as State Safety and Legislative Directors Clyde Whitaker from Ohio, Louis Costa of California, Jeff Mitchell of Kentucky and Don Roach of Michigan all stepped up to make donations. General Chairpersons Rick Lee of GCA 049, Brian Killough of GCA 513 and Luke Edington of GO 953 also offered significant contributions to bolster recovery efforts. Killough and the GO 513 members he represents raised an additional $12,000 for the relief fund.

And the UTU Insurance Association — SMART-TD’s in-house insurance company — added a $5,000 donation in the days following Hurricane Helene.

Overall, General President Coleman noted, the hurricane recovery effort put the principles of our organization into practice.

“Solidarity isn’t just a value that ties us together; it’s an action we take to support each other and fellow members of the working class,” he explained. “No matter your job, whether you’re a sheet metal worker, a bus operator, a railroader, we take care of each other.”

With the full-fledged support of SMART Local 18 (Wisconsin) members, signatory mechanical contractor JM Brennan recently raised more than $20,000 for local children with physical disabilities — putting the principles of our union into practice.

The effort started in 2022, when operations staff at JM Brennan — which is based in Milwaukee and Madison — started brainstorming ways to reinvigorate the company’s motorcycle poker run, at that point dormant for many years.

“The initial intent was to have this event and bring employees and vendors together,” the contractor wrote. “It turned out to be much more.”

Staff researched local charities, searching for an initiative that would benefit from the motorcycle run, and ultimately selected the Children’s Hospital of Milwaukee’s Go Baby Go! program. Go Baby Go!, designed to help kids with physical disabilities, allows young children to gain more independent mobility via custom motorized cars.

 “Each car is uniquely designed and fitted for the specific child, allowing them the maximum benefit and experience of motion,” JM Brennan explained. “This is important as wheelchairs will either not work, or will not fit them due to their specific disability.”

In 2022, the event brought 75 riders together to raise $6,000. One year later, with 90 riders participating and additional sponsors, the event raised $12,000. And in 2024, 17 sponsors, 110 riders and 20 volunteers raised $22,000 — which translates into 36 motorized cars for the kids who need them.

A recipient family attended the 2024 ride. Laurie and her son, Emmet, told participants face-to-face just how important Go Baby Go! has been to their family.

“Laurie indicated that the freedom of motion cannot be understated, or even appreciated — and the joy that he experiences,” JM Brennan wrote. “Just like motorcycles bring elation and freedom to riders, Emmet’s car draws a suitable parallel.”

“A notable and profound thank you to Local 18, Steuart Wilson and Craig Wagner, who have been supportive and instrumental from day one,” the contractor concluded.

The SMART Army showed out in force for kids in Bradley County, Tennessee, last October: Local 5 members partnered with the local chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, building 30 beds for children who need a safe place to sleep.

SHP’s mission is that “no kid sleeps on the floor in our town” — with the help of Local 5, that dream moved one step closer towards reality.

“The nonprofit was very pleased and wants to partner with us again,” reported Local 5 Organizer Hunter Gossett.

Great work, brothers and sisters!

The SMART Army showed out in force for kids in Bradley County, Tennessee, last October: Local 5 members partnered with the local chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, building 30 beds for children who need a safe place to sleep.

SHP’s mission is that “no kid sleeps on the floor in our town” — with the help of Local 5, that dream moved one step closer towards reality.

“The nonprofit was very pleased and wants to partner with us again,” reported Local 5 Organizer Hunter Gossett.

Great work, brothers and sisters!

Union workers from SMART Local 85 (Atlanta, Ga.), IBEW Local 613, IUPAT DC 77 and UA Local 72 joined the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) and the United States Army Corps of Engineers for a transformative community service project in June, replacing the aging Blockhouse Boat Ramp dock at Lake Allatoona. The successful “Unions Unite” event concluded months of organizing by Local 85 apprentice Dyana Lee, whose dedicated unionism helped make the project a historic one.

“We ended up having over 30 volunteers on site day of, and almost 20 people assisting me behind the scenes to create a $70,000 volunteer event,” Lee explained. “It was one of the largest union volunteer events in Atlanta history, with multiple trades coming together to build and better something for our community while creating a sense of solidarity among union brothers and sisters of Atlanta.”

“Thanks to Dyana’s hard work and determination, this project was a huge success,” added Local 85 Business Manager and SMART General Vice President Steve Langley.

Lee, who recently completed the first year of her apprenticeship, started getting active in her local in January 2023: attending Local 85 Women’s Committee meetings and taking on responsibilities within the committee at the request of chair and Local 85 President Jan Chappell. But the inspiration for a cross-trades, solidarity-driven community service event was sparked in earnest during the 2023 Tradeswomen Build Nations (TWBN) conference in Washington, DC. Lee attended the TWBN all-tradeswomen hike sponsored by the USA, learning about the organization’s conservation and restoration efforts through its Work Boots on the Ground program.

“While I was at the conference, I was inspired by the community, strength and solidarity shown between different trades,” she said. “I took the lessons I learned at TWBN and decided that I would like to spearhead a project in Atlanta to bring people from multiple trades together to give back to our community and start to foster that sense of unitedness between tradespeople.

“With the full support of my local and my mentor, Jan Chappell, I reached out to the USA to start the ball rolling on this idea.”

Lee met with USA Conservation Coordinator Cody Campbell, who walked her through the steps needed to create the type of project she envisioned. Lee then started organizing: attending meetings at other locals in Atlanta, talking to tradespeople at jobsites and eventually contacting Atlanta & North Georgia Building Trades Business Manager Randy Beall (a member of Local 85) to help connect her to other local unions. All told, she spent six months networking with potential volunteers, also delivering a speech at the USA’s Atlanta fundraising dinner to rally her union brothers and sisters to the cause.

In the meantime, Lee and Campbell worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to identify a project, eventually landing on the replacement of the courtesy dock at Blockhouse Boat Ramp. The old dock only had a few mooring points for community members, leading to traffic, congestion and safety concerns, and it was no longer ADA-compliant – restricting the number of people that could use the dock and limiting accessibility.

With the project decided, Lee doubled down on her organizing, successfully recruiting dozens of volunteers from other trades. On the day of the project, the skilled volunteer force gathered at 7 a.m., with work starting at 7:45.  

“The temperature was 88 degrees at 6 a.m., and the humidity was off the charts,” said Lee. “However, that didn’t stop my determined team from getting the job done, not only well, but fast.”

The new, accessible boat dock will benefit Atlanta community members for years to come. But to Lee, the impact extended to the worksite, where she said the sense of cross-trade community she was working to foster started to have tangible outcomes. On her job, for example, she started to see workers from different trades gathering for lunch each day, and the environment began to feel more positive and supportive – everyone had each other’s back.

“My goal in organizing and creating the first annual Unions Unite event was to take that first step to building that for every jobsite, for every local,” Lee noted. “This sense of community won’t just create more amicable jobsites; it will help to break down the stigma of being a union member in the eyes of the city, showing that union culture includes a sense of belonging and acceptance for everyone.”

Moving forward, Lee is working with the Georgia Building Trades to collaborate with some of the tradeswomen she met through the Unions Unite event to create a Georgia Building Trades Women’s Committee. She sees that effort as part of a greater endeavor to strengthen and grow the labor movement in Atlanta — and beyond.

“I want the young adults to know that there’s a place for them with us, no matter the trade they go into,” Lee declared. “We are all brothers and sisters; united we stand, divided we fall.”

On Saturday, August 10, the Local 38 (Westchester and Rockland Counties, N.Y.) SMART Army held its first Annual Benefit Car Show for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation — an organization that, since 9/11, has worked to provide “mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and … [build] specially-adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders,” among other efforts. The event brought in approximately 200 spectators to view the cars and take a tour of Local 38’s union hall and training center, and raised more than $5,000 for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.

Union solidarity was on full display at the SMART Local 219 (Rockford, Ill.) union hall in August, where the local presented recipients with scholarships to help them continue their education.

“Our members are dedicated to supporting our own by investing $70,500 in scholarships for 47 family members enrolled full-time in college,” the local wrote on Facebook. “Each recipient received $1,500 to help pave the way for a brighter future.”

As part of Women in Construction Week 2024, the SMART Women’s Committee called on union members to take part in a day of community service during the month of March, demonstrating the power of solidarity and spreading the word about the union sheet metal trade. And from coast to coast, SMART sisters answered the call.

Local 206 (San Diego) members, Building Trades Sisters, tradeswomen and allies taught an APR class at Southwestern College some hands-on skills making tissue boxes and picture frames!

Local 206 members pictured: Annet Del Rosario, Tatjana Sebro, Demetria Gamble, Kacey Grierson and Belen Martinez.

Local 63 (Springfield, Mass.) volunteered at Lorraine’s Soup Kitchen in Chicopee on March 29, 2024. From left to right: Brandie Benoit, Rebecca Sturtevant, Deb St. Peter and Rachel Murphy.

Local 2 (Kansas City) sisters celebrated Women in Construction Week by performing repairs at a local Youth Resilience Center, showing the meaning of union solidarity and the fulfilling careers available in our trade.

On March 16th, for their 2024 Women in Construction Week Service Project, Local 17’s Women’s Committee, the Big Sister Association of Greater Boston and Girls at Work worked with 15 young women aged 8–18 and their Big Sisters to build picnic tables for organizations in the Boston area. Volunteers included seven SMART sisters, one husband and five other tradeswomen from the Electricians, Elevator Constructors, Plumbers and Carpenters unions.

“At the end of the day, we raised $11,830 from individual donors, contractors and unions,” said Local 17 Business Development Rep. Shamaiah Turner. “We built six picnic tables. Three tables were donated to the Brookview House, which is a charity focused on getting homeless women and children stabilized. Three tables were also donated to Boston elementary schools that work with the United Way. One of the successes of the day was working with a 14-year-old who is a freshman at a vocational school. She was thinking of doing a criminal justice or nursing track. At the end of the project, she stated that she was going to also consider metal fabrication.”

This article was originally published on WNYLaborToday.com.

When it comes to giving back to the Rochester, N.Y., community, SMART Local 46 members are ready, willing and able to do what they can, when they can. In 2023, that meant giving their time and skills at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum, where apprentices are working to restore an idled trolley car that once ran the rails in downtown Rochester.

“We’ve been sending 10 apprentices at a time, about 40 in all, and they are loving it,” Local 46 Training Director Allen Mort told WNYLaborToday. com about the restoration work being done at the Railroad Museum. “They’re working on the car’s roof and their sheet metal paneling. This has been awesome — they’re working to preserve our local history.”

Museum President Otto Vondrak says Local 46’s apprentices are helping restore a trolley car that ran on the Rochester system from 1938 to 1956.

“We got it donated to us back in 1998,” Vondrak said. “It also has a wood interior, and it’s been sitting here for more than 20 years. Before Local 46 got involved, we were fundraising to get the money to repair, and it was being restored — incrementally.”

“This makes me feel proud,” said SMART International Organizer Warren Faust, who joined WNYLaborToday.com for a tour of the Railroad Museum with Mort, Vondrak and Jonathan Perna, a Local 46 marketing representative.

“You have to have a diverse skill set to do work like this, and most people just don’t know we have it,” Faust added. “This is giving everyone a sense of pride, and it ties in with the fact that we band together to help.”

Offering what it describes on its website as “the most unique museum experience in the greater Rochester area,” the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum is a nonprofit educational organization that traces its roots back to 1937 as the Rochester chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, the third-oldest chapter in the organization. Its purpose, according to Vondrak, is to educate the public on the technology, history and impact of Rochester’s railroad industry through the preservation, restoration and operation of railroad equipment — as well as the display of relevant historic artifacts and documents.

In 1971, the museum group purchased an abandoned Industry Depot from the Erie Lackawanna Railroad with the goal of restoring it as a museum — and over the last 50 years, the organization has preserved more than 40 pieces of historic railroad equipment and built its own demonstration railroad to bring Rochester’s rich railroading heritage to life. In fact, the museum operates and offers train rides every month from April through December.

Vondrak told WNYLaborToday.com he is “super excited” to have Local 46’s apprentices working to help restore the rail car.

“They’re helping preserve the railroad heritage for all to enjoy, and their expertise in metalworking was something we don’t have here. [Local 46’s apprentices] have the expertise to help get it over the finish line,” he said.

The museum has spent more than $100,000 to date to help pay for the majority of restoration work that needs to be done, added Vondrak, who knows his nonprofit is “literally saving hundreds of thousands of dollars” thanks to the work being donated by Local 46.

“They are doing it all right — the first time,” he said.

For Local 46, such projects aren’t only the right thing to do for the community; they help raise public awareness of the important role unions play, both on and off the job.

“It’s baffling, the perception [the general public has about what labor unions and union members do] — you just never get a good answer, but there’s a lot SMART does to help people,” Perna said. “When people ask me, I say: ‘Sure, we’re going to get our apprentices involved, because they care. And our focus is to give people a better life.’

“If you’re not in a union, you’re doing it wrong — you’re missing out on the benefits. I feel good for our members and our apprentices that we’ve given them these opportunities [to do good things across the Rochester community].”

According to Mort, Local 46 apprentices who have participated in the effort include: Rand Warner, Earl Delong, Hunter Angarano, John Bertolone, Karl Biedlingmaier, Robert Dettore, Anthony Hayslip, Matthew Olek, Alexsi Ortiz, Cody Pascalar and Richard Andrew Ross.

Union railroaders across Virginia came together in a proud display of solidarity and service during the SMART Army’s month of community action in April. From rallying together to fight childhood cancer to supporting local food banks and honoring area veterans, SMART-TD members in the commonwealth stayed active in their cities, towns and neighborhoods, showing their fellow Virginians the true value of unions.

“Congratulations to our Virginia SMART-TD Locals 854, 924 and 363,” said SMART-TD Virginia State Legislative Director Ronnie Hobbs. “Our SMART Army coordinators and members are making a difference in our communities.”