In their First General Convention, held August 11 – 15, 2014, in Las Vegas, Nevada, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers will bring together delegates from across North America to determine the course of the union through the next five years and beyond.
Over the course of the convention, delegates and committee members will meet and vote to ratify and finalize a new SMART Constitution, to elect a slate of officers, and to discuss reports on topics relevant to the industries and professions represented by SMART.
Guest speakers at the convention are set to include AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, President Sean McGarvey of North America’s Building Trades Unions, Nevada AFL-CIO Executive Secretary-Treasurer Danny Thompson, Southern Nevada AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Council Secretary-Treasurer Darren Enns, and Fred Myers of the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance. SMART General President Joe Nigro and Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association President Randy Novak are also slated to address the delegates.
The First SMART General Convention is also notable for its use of electronic voting and the use of e-readers to distribute convention daily news to all delegates. This green approach to convention communication falls directly in line with SMART members’ participation in green technologies on the job—through innovative HVAC practices and energy efficiency along with daily work in transportation systems (like rail and mass transit) that reduce greenhouse emissions and our dependence on foreign oil.
The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, is one of North America’s most dynamic and diverse unions with 216,000 members. SMART’s members produce and provide the vital services that move products to market, passengers to their destinations and ensure the quality of the air we breathe. We are sheet metal workers, service technicians, bus operators, engineers, conductors, sign workers, welders, production employees and more. With members in scores of different occupations, we advocate for fairness in the workplace, excellence at work and opportunity for all working families.
For more information, visit the SMART website at smart-union.org.
Year: 2014
The new SMART The Member’ Journal is now available online. Featured articles include the Victory at the Long Island Rail Road; SMART Locals Organizing Together In New Mexico; SMART Locals Working Together At the World’s Largest Rail Yard and a profile on the work being performed to preserve the memory of Dr. Martin Luther King at the National Civil Rights Museum. Click here to download your copy.
WASHINGTON — The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) has selected Linda Bauer Darr to succeed Richard F. Timmons as the Association’s President. Timmons is retiring at the end of 2014.
Darr is currently the President and CEO of the American Moving and Storage Association (AMSA), serving in that capacity since 2007. She previously held senior positions in the American Bus Association (ABA) and the American Trucking Associations (ATA). From 1998 to 2000 she served in the Clinton Administration as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Budget and Programs at the U.S. Department of Transportation.
“ASLRRA undertook a nearly year-long search for its new President and we believe we have concluded that search with an outstanding selection,” said ASLRRA Chairman Ed McKechnie. “Ms. Darr has significant experience in leading trade associations and has spent almost her entire career in the transportation industry. Her government service was at a very senior level in the Agency that has direct budget and programmatic oversight over the Federal Railroad Administration, the federal agency with the most interaction with the railroad industry,” said McKechnie.
Richard Timmons is concluding his 12th year as ASLRRA’s President. “Rich transformed our Association,” said McKechnie. “He made us a stronger, more effective and more member-focused organization and we are sincerely grateful for the energy and enthusiasm he gave us during his tenure. In Linda Darr we look to taking our Association to an even higher level of effectiveness as we address the challenges of improving safety, building on our legislative successes and enhancing the short line railroad brand,” said McKechnie.
“Short line railroads are a dynamic and increasingly important part of the nation’s transportation network,” said Darr. “They are owned by entrepreneurs who are risk-takers in the very best sense of the word and I am looking forward to helping them be as successful as possible.”
Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) President Ed Hamberger applauded the choice. “I have known and worked with Linda over many years,” said Hamberger. “She is a smart, energetic leader with a wealth of experience in the transportation industry. I look forward to maintaining the strong partnership we have enjoyed with ASLRRA under Rich Timmons’ leadership,” said Hamberger.
Darr is a graduate of the University of Maryland and has done post-graduate work at the University of Virginia and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Her current and past professional affiliations include the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Committee of 100 Top Association Executives, serving as an instructor with the U.S. Department of Agriculture Graduate School on the topic of association management and lobbying, working as an advisor to the Eno Transportation Foundation, actively participating in the Transportation Research Board, and serving as a Board Member of the U.S. – Mexico Chamber of Commerce. She will be the first female ASLRRA President in the Association’s 101 year history.
U.S. railroads hauled the highest number of carloads so far this year in the week that ended Saturday (Aug. 2), partly driven by low stockpiles at US utilities and pressure from producers to move more coal.
The Association of American Railroads said Thursday (Aug. 7) that weekly coal carloads originated on all U.S. railroads totaled 116,881, up 0.1 percent from the same week a year ago and 0.8 percent from the prior week. It was the highest number of carloads since 118,391 for the week that ended Sept. 14, 2013.
Read the complete article at Platts.
BRYAN COUNTY, Okla. — A Burlington Northern Santa Fe train conductor was taken to Texoma Medical Center in Denison early Wednesday morning after he possibly came in contact with hazardous materials.
Emergency crews responded to the train tracks just north of Platter Road around 3 a.m. A BNSF railroad conductor was inspecting a rail car when he started showing symptoms of possible exposure.
Read the complete story at Television Station KXII.
The insurance policies that most railroads have cannot cover the costs of many crashes or derailments involving oil trains, the Department of Transportation said.
New safety rules for oil trains proposed last week would not mandate higher insurance levels than the $25 million common to the industry.
But a DOT analysis released along with the rule found that the costs of oil train disaster average about $25 million, meaning many major incidents would exceed the threshold.
Read the complete story at The Hill.
I was honored to speak before the assembled delegates at the SMART Transportation Division’s recent convention in San Diego. The level of professionalism in putting together that important event and the solidarity shown by those assembled made me proud of my association with this great, united union.
I especially appreciated the chance to meet many of you, not just in San Diego but also while traveling the country. It has been a privilege learning from many of you about the operations of the transportation industry and the unique strengths you bring to this organization.
Several years ago, I was in Wisconsin and spoke to the protestors assembled in the state’s capitol rotunda that were standing up for their rights. I was just as proud to do the same when I went to Long Island to stand with the members employed there at the Long Island Rail Road, where the same energy and passion were on display.
I was never as proud to see our Sheet Metal Division brothers and sisters also there in Long Island, standing strong with the LIRR employees.
The unionized LIRR employees have worked without a raise since 1998. Two Presidential Emergency Boards have already found decisively in favor of them in their dispute with New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA).
This International will do everything in its power to assist those members in their fight. Their battle belongs to all of us, and I encourage everyone to join in and help their fellow brothers and sisters, especially if the dispute is not settled.
In August, SMART will be holding its first General Convention. This is a major milestone for our union.
For the first time, sheet metal workers, conductors, engineers, yardmasters, bus operators, aviation workers, sign workers and shipyard mechanics will be meeting to adopt a constitution that will guide our actions for the next five years.
There will be open discussion to ensure all viewpoints are considered in crafting our combined future together. There are always differences in a democracy. That is what a union is all about. I’m not afraid of that. In fact, I welcome all ideas.
We have to make sure the best interests of our members are paramount in our deliberations.
All I ask from you, as a member, is one thing: get involved. This union is only as strong as its members make it.
This is your union. Treat it like so. Attend your local meetings. Stand up for your fellow members both in transportation and sheet metal. Stand up for all working families through the activities of your union. This is how the labor movement was started – by our forefathers standing up together, shoulder to shoulder.
We did that in Long Island. We will do it again elsewhere.
We’ve built the foundation and our important work in Las Vegas at SMART’s First General Convention will show that together, we can make it even better and stronger
We all share the same cause. We all share the same great organization. We are all one union.
We are SMART!
In solidarity,
Joseph. J. Nigro
SMART General President
Strong, Proud, United. That was the theme of our recent convention in San Diego and it was reflected in all respects by the delegates, members and officers in attendance.
The heritage and traditions of this great union were on display throughout the meeting, illustrating the connection between our rich history and our promising future. From a video tribute to Al Chesser – the first elected president of the United Transportation Union – to the educational seminars for new delegates, it was apparent that our union is actively preparing for the future by utilizing the strength and knowledge that comes from more than 145 years of proud history.
The convention was called to order the morning of Monday, June 30, and from that point forward the delegates actively and robustly participated in the democratic process that governs our union.
Speaking on behalf of their local membership, the delegates elected some officers and unelected others, filled vacancies, debated recommendations for constitutional changes and reviewed resolutions submitted to the body.
When the striking gavel closed the meeting on Wednesday, July 2, the membership had spoken. A new leadership team was in place, composed primarily of incumbents who had successfully sought to return to office and also some new officers who emerged victorious from their hard-fought campaigns.
Recommendations were finalized on all resolutions and constitutional amendments that were submitted to the body for consideration. Our membership can stand proud knowing that they were well represented by their delegates and that our democratic process is alive and well.
This year’s convention cycle is not complete. The first convention of the consolidated International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers is taking place in Las Vegas,- Aug. 11-15. There, delegates will review and act upon not only the recommendations made by our delegates in San Diego, but also on other proposed amendments that may be presented to the body.
In addition, the delegates will elect SMART general officers and Sheet Metal Division delegates will elect the remaining 11 general vice presidents to join the six from the Transportation Division that will sit on our union’s General Executive Council.
It is critically important that all delegates who are eligible to attend the convention in Las Vegas be there to ensure the voice of their membership is heard. Whether they come from Sheet Metal or Transportation Division locals, the delegates in Las Vegas will debate issues that affect our entire membership across all craft lines. All members deserve a voice in that discussion, and that voice comes from the delegate or delegates elected by the local to serve as their spokesperson.
Strong, proud and united. As we continue to achieve the benefits of our merged organization, it is imperative that all delegates become familiar with the issues and challenges faced by every craft in our union.
Attendance at the First SMART General Convention is an opportunity to engage with our brothers and sisters to help craft a unification that will set the tone of this organization for generations to come.
Each and every delegate has a role to play in that dialogue. As legendary Green Bay Packers Coach Vince Lombardi once said, “Individual commitment to a group effort – that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work.”
Members of the Rail Workers Hazmat Training Program Advisory Board, including SMART Transportation Division National Legislative Director James Stem, met July 10, 2014, to review and discuss the offerings and progress of the program since the transition from the National Labor College (NLC) to the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT).
The board discussed issues related to dealing with rail carriers and ways in which the rail program can continue providing quality hazardous materials and instructor training to rail workers, Rail Workers Hazardous Material Training Program Manager Henry Jajuga said.
In its 24th year of training rail workers, the rail program continues to receive funding from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and from the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to provide this valuable training and remains committed to provide this quality training for rail workers.
Dates and details for upcoming training programs are below:
- Chemical Transportation/Emergency Response (5 days)
- DOT Hazmat Instructor Training (6 days)
- DOE Modular Emergency Response Radiological Transportation Training (2 days)
The program’s website also provides course schedules and detailed information about all of the training courses being provided. The website also provides an application for training which can be completed and submitted online.
For additional information on course dates and locations, visit the Rail Hazmat website at http://railworkertrainingprogram.org, contact Training Manager Henry Jajuga by email at bsafe2day@gmail.com, or by telephone at (281) 812-6436 Monday through Friday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. CST.
“Green” can be a buzzword, or it can be a way of life and doing business. Sheet Metal Workers Local No. 10 in White Bear Lake, Minnesota and Local No. 20 in Indianapolis are two examples of schools that are not only incorporating green initiatives into their work, but they are teaching sheet metal workers of the future how to incorporate it into their industry.
Energy efficiency in Indiana’s five training centers began with the Indianapolis school, which sunk its energy bills by sinking four coil cribs in a nearby pond to use water as an energy source to heat and cool the training center using geothermal equipment. Since the fall of 2012, four coils have been placed in the pond. This summer the three remaining heating/cooling systems will be replaced when coils are buried in the earth, which stays at around 55 degrees, using another form of green energy.
In both cases, instead of using air to either cool coils or pull heat out of the air, the systems are using the water or ground temperature to do the work, said Tim Myres, training director in Indianapolis.
“Our utility bills have dropped significantly,” Myres said. Compared to the last two years, April’s electric bill was 25 percent less, and the natural gas bill has been reduced to nearly nothing. All the hot water in the building is produced by geothermal systems as well.
“As utility prices go up, people are looking for a way to heat and cool their facilities. In Indiana, there has been increased interest in geothermal. People’s utility bills are high no matter what time of the year it is. Here, it’s 100 degrees in the summer and -10 degrees in the winter.”
The renovation to the center’s heating and cooling system provided training opportunities for the apprentices, who are working for contractors who work to meet consumer demand to help lower utility bills.
“Everything we’ve installed we’ve installed as a teaching module. As we teach geothermal theory, or installation or service, they can practice on the training center’s systems,” Myres added. “We’ve had a lot of requests in the last year or so for green energy training from members and contractors. And there is a big push on service training in Local No. 20. This goes hand-in-hand with that, also.”
At Local No. 10 in Minnesota, the membership encourages and entices apprentices and journeymen to study for and pass the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Green Associate exam with a reimbursement and bonus program. The training center will reimburse the apprentice or journeymen the $250 exam fee, and – if they pass – a $150 bonus. To date, 20 members have been credentialed.
Apprentices who achieve the credential also are credited with 40 bonus school hours to use as a substitute for any of their regularly school time. Studying for the exam takes at least 40 hours, so giving those hours back when they pass adds flexibility the apprentices appreciate, said Buck Paulsrud, training director for Local No. 10.
“You have to know the material and be pretty well-rounded. In today’s construction world, the white hats, the ones who manage the job site – an awful lot of those people are LEED credentialed, and we’re driving that level of expertise to the boots on the ground,” Paulsrud said. “If we use the wrong products, or if we park on a part of the site that can’t be disturbed, that loses (LEED) points for the project that can’t be regained. Anybody on the site can screw up these points. Once they’re gone, they’re gone.”
Employers seek apprentices and journeymen who are LEED credentialed order to offer the expertise to entice projects.
“The individuals who have earned their credential have gained new employment or bettered themselves with their employer. The people who get this tend to do very well,” Paulsrud said. “The first apprentice who earned this was unemployed. After he earned the credential, he got hired right away. The employer reached down past all the other out-of-work apprentices in front of him and grabbed him because they wanted this expertise in the field.”
Recent green projects include the future new Vikings football stadium and the recently completed Target Field and TCF Bank Stadium.
“Even projects that aren’t LEED-certified are still built to LEED standards,” Paulsrud added. Utility bills are always a concern in regards to a business’ bottom line. “Some entities are choosing to follow all the rules to getting a greener building but don’t necessarily go for the certification.”