Union officers strengthen SMART member representation at revamped New Representatives class

The SMART Education Department held its New Representatives I class in St. Louis, Mo., during the week of September 15, 2025. The class, completely revamped for 2025, provided officers with the chance to develop their skills across a range of areas — ultimately benefiting SMART members.

Topics included researching labo(u)r laws, practicing conflict resolution, differentiating grievances from complaints, practicing full and fair investigations, engaging in mock member charge trials, claiming work at a pre-job meeting, and preventing a decertification attempt. The course also delved into representatives’ responsibilities under the SMART Constitution and Ritual.

Along with Education Department staff, guest presenters included Dale Clark from the International Training Institute, who covered Bias and Belonging; Chris Carlough, director of Wellness and Mental Health Support, who presented on self-care; Luke Rebecchi, SMART house counsel, who overviewed trials and fiduciary responsibility; and Tim Miller and Jason Kirchevel from the SMART Jurisdiction Department, who covered jurisdictional disputes and pre-jobs.

On each of the five days of the class, participants honed their representational skills with role-play exercises. Attendees alternated between acting as representatives of a local union and as members working at a fictitious company, which helped them to understand different sides of a given scenario.

“Groups worked together throughout the week, and a point system was in place,” said SMART International Instructor Richard Mangelsdorf. “Congratulations to Jeremiah Hale (Local 20, Indiana), Tom Blotzke (Local 26, Reno, Nev.), Paul Shymske (Local 33, Northern Ohio), Curtis Cantrell (Local 68, Dallas), Jordan Chechitelli (Local 105, Southern California) and Mel Price (Local 312, Salt Lake City) for being recognized by their peers as the top group in the class!”