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Local 45, based out of central Iowa, reached the 100-year milestone as a charter under SMART on November 14, 2022. For nearly a year, active and retired members of the local worked with Union Histories to share stories, memories and pictures from the past century. Current and former business managers, representatives, presidents and JATC instructors all had a hand in creating this monumental piece of history. Union Histories, with help from 34 contractors and vendors, put together an amazing keepsake for Local 45 in the form of a commemorative book and slideshow.

Local 45 members

These items were showcased at the local’s annual Christmas party on December 3, 2022. As in years past, everyone pitched in to bring food and drinks for over 180 people, including 50 children who had the chance to talk with Santa and give him their Christmas wish list. Music and laughter filled the air while guests enjoyed each other’s conversations and good times in the festive space.

“We were blessed with generous gifts from 14 different friends of the local, which were given away as door prizes along with grand prizes for several lucky winners,” said Local 45 Business Representative Jon Quijano. “We would like to give a special thank you to all who were involved in marking these special occasions as we look forward to the next 100 years!”

Coworkers and union siblings of Local 18 (Wisconsin) member Jason Fellenz have long admired his dedication and artistry as a craftsman; since entering the trade in 2002, Fellenz has steadily climbed the ranks at JF Ahern Company, where he’s now shop foreman. But in 2022, the spotlight on his skill as a sheet metal worker shined brighter than ever when Thorogood, the employee-owned Wisconsin boot company, showcased a replica boot that Fellenz designed and fabricated out of 16-gauge black iron.

“I absolutely have a passion for fabrication and metal work,” Fellenz said in an interview with Thorogood. “I am always interested in bettering my fabrication skills and testing my abilities. … Being a Wisconsin native, home of Thorogood, and wearing their boots for almost 20 years, I had the idea one day to make a boot that I can display; a boot that represents the foundation of the working class.”

Fellenz started his sheet metal career out of high school, working for a small residential HVAC company. “Quickly, I found out that I enjoyed the challenge of measuring up new jobs and going back to the shop to fabricate the metal,” he said — however, he didn’t enjoy the service work. So when his dad read about a large union mechanical contractor (Ahern) looking for sheet metal apprentices, he applied without hesitation. From there, he transitioned from pre-apprentice, to apprentice, to foreman, to shop foreman — sticking with Ahern throughout and developing a passion for mentorship along the way. He was already overseeing 13 colleagues as a fourth-year apprentice, and he became a foreman after only six months in the field.

“Making it fun while teaching and mentoring the future apprentices was always a thing of mine,” he told Thorogood, adding that he moved into the shop foreman role in order to work on more jobs and create a legacy of helping younger workers.

Fellenz’s affinity for teaching makes him a natural fit for the union. A constant advocate for the trade, he believes the enormous variety of crafts and skills in the unionized sheet metal industry make it a great career path for a huge range of young workers — not to mention the training and compensation SMART members gain through collective bargaining.

“Being compensated for the knowledge and training put forth is why I’m able to earn a family-supporting wage package that includes retirement and health benefits,” he explained. “SMART has helped realize those benefits to the employers by offering skilled workers on demand. Being able to learn a craft that I can carry anywhere in the world is beneficial to my family’s growth and change.”

“I’m always interested in bettering my fabrication skills and testing my abilities,” he said in an interview for Ahern’s website. “You start from raw material and construct an object through tons of different processes with your own hands. Whether it’s a piece of art or a bracket of some sort, it took layout and several steps to accomplish.”

Fellenz used AutoCAD to design his replica of the boot, spending six hours in his home studio drafting a model based on his own shoe. After that, he dedicated another two weeks of fabrication and welding, crafting a stunning iron representation of working-class grit. The result, Fellenz told Ahern, is one of his favorite projects yet.

“When all is said and done, the product will outlast a lifetime and create ideas for the future tradesmen,” he declared.

Jesse Wright (left) received his 25-year service award from Local 33 (Youngstown, Ohio) Financial Secretary-Treasurer Dave Larson.

WATCH: “I am very excited about the big jobs that are coming up. We have many opportunities that they offer for those who are willing to work, work hard and learn new skills.”

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.

McKenzie Quinn (front row, second from right) with the leadership of Local 24.

“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.”

Megaprojects, union apprenticeship programs create opportunity for all

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.

Megaprojects in the News

Left-Right: Former business manager and William’s son, Ken Greiner; Local 12 member William A. Greiner, aged 93; Business Rep. Geoff Foringer; former Business Rep. Dave Zychowski; Business Rep. Kevin Malley; former Business Manager and William’s son, Bob Greiner; William’s son and Local 12 member Bill Greiner; and William’s grandson and Local 12 member Ben Greiner

Longtime Local 12 (western Pa.) member and former Business Representative William Greiner passed away on March 11, 2023, at the age of 103. Greiner not only led a fulfilling life as a sheet metal worker, a unionist and an engaged retiree; he helped forge a deep personal and familial legacy within SMART.

“The Greiner family has a long, rich history embedded in the fabric of Local 12,” said Local 12 Business Rep. Geoff Foringer. “William had three sons, a son-in-law and two grandsons in the trade — two sons, Bob and Ken, were business representatives and went on to be business managers of Local 12.”

Greiner served in the United States Navy as a sub chaser during World War II before entering the sheet metal trade; he would live the rest of his life — 77 years — as a proud member of Local 12, including 18 years as a business rep. He ended up collecting a pension for longer than his years of service, Foringer added, and he was the definition of an active retiree: In addition to Local 12 activities, Greiner was an enthusiastic participant in Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) events, as well as an avid gardener.

Local 12 member William Greiner on his birthday
Local 12 member William Greiner on his 101st birthday
Local 12 member William Greiner as business rep., circa 1980
Local 12 member William Greiner as business rep.

“Bill loved to dance and was always the life of the party,” Greiner’s Legacy.com obituary reads. “Bill cherished his children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.”

In 2015, the SMART Members’ Journal published an article on the legacy of the Greiner family, noting at the time that, collectively, the family had contributed more than 480 years of service to the local. As we honor and remember William Greiner, it is clear that at least several generations — both in the Greiner family and beyond — benefited greatly from the more than seven decades he served as a SMART member.

“He lived a full and active life,” Foringer concluded.

In another step forward for SMART and the unionized sheet metal industry, SM Local 66 (Seattle) and SMACNA-Western Washington announced a joint initiative – the first in the industry – to make lactation pods available to new mothers, starting in April 2023. This is an important step that will help mothers in the sheet metal trade return to work without compromising convenience, privacy and comfort.

“They’ll have a seat, sink, HVAC, electricity for the breast pump and phone chargers, plus a refrigerator to keep the breast milk cold during the remaining hours of the workday,” reads a SMACNA-Western Washington press release. “The lactation pods are designed for comfort and accessibility and will keep women from the embarrassment of getting walked in on. They will also make it easier to keep breast milk fresh, reduce the difficulty of locating and getting to a private space and provide storage for their pumping gear.”

Returning to work as a new mother has historically been a very different experience for tradeswomen compared with those working in an office, for example. Many SMART sisters in the Pacific Northwest have reported that they frequently had to pump in places where privacy and peace of mind were anything but guaranteed, including port-a-potties, cars and more.

The Local 66-SMACNA-Western Washington partnership will aim to rectify those concerns: Through an exclusive partnership with a custom fabricator, the SMACNA-Western Washington press release adds, “the clean, sanitary pods will be digitally secure via an app.”

Local 66 – both leadership and the local’s Women’s Committee – collaborated with SMACNA-Western Washington, the Northwest Labor Management Organizational Trust and the Western Washington Sheet Metal JATC to raise funds for this landmark project. In addition to providing vital services to new mothers, the lactation pods will help strengthen Local 66 and SMART as our union seeks to grow across North America.

“This type of initiative demonstrates our ongoing commitment to progress; to making sure all workers are welcome on the job,” said SMART General President Joseph Sellers. “This is a groundbreaking first step as we continue to organize workers across our two nations.”

SMART Local 265 (DuPage County, Ill.) sheet metal worker Danielle Wilson has always impressed her fellow union members with her expertise and craft as a welder. In February, she also impressed contractor Walsh Construction, which featured Wilson – an employee at GT Mechanical – as part of its ongoing progress newsletter tracking the construction of a new Chicago Jesuit Academy (CJA) school building.  

“Danielle currently lives in Coal City, Ill., and makes the hour-long commute to CJA every day,” Walsh wrote in its newsletter.  

Though Wilson comes from a family of tradespeople – her father and brother are laborers, while her brothers-in-law are sheet metal workers – she originally planned to become a surgeon. After a short stint as a painter, she joined Local 265; since then, Walsh wrote, “she has never looked back,” developing her skills as a welder to such a degree that she is now the go-to stainless steel welder at GT Mechanical.  

Her current job, the new CJA building, will serve as the future home for female students attending the academy. Wilson, a journeyperson, is currently working on installing and connecting ductwork for the building’s HVAC system – a vital task that will ensure the quality of the air that future students breathe. However, Wilson is more than a sheet metal worker to the students at CJA; she’s also a role model. 

“Danielle recently spoke to the first class of 3rd and 4th grade girls to attend the school,” Local 265 shared on Facebook in February. “She did a fantastic job explaining all the ins and outs of the trade and answered a number of great questions from the students.”  

By serving as ambassadors for the sheet metal trade and our union, members like Wilson do more than demonstrate the importance of skilled labor on the job: They pass on knowledge about the fulfilling, life-changing nature of a union sheet metal career. This is vital as SMART works to strengthen the union’s future and lift working families across our two nations.  

“Local 265 is very proud of Danielle Nicole Wilson,” the local’s Facebook post concluded.  

SMART members and fellow workers from the San Diego Building Trades.

The SM Local 206 (San Diego, Calif.) SMART Army helped secure the future for themselves and their fellow workers in La Mesa, Calif. on March 14 — making their voices heard, loud and clear, as the city council voted in favor of a project labor agreement (PLA) in La Mesa.

“The City of La Mesa’s 5–0 Council vote to negotiate a citywide PLA was a huge success for our SMART Army and members of all trades in La Mesa and San Diego County,” said Local 206 Financial Secretary-Treasurer and Business Manager Dave Gauthier.

The citywide PLA legislation, introduced by La Mesa City Councilmembers Colin Parent and Patricia Dillard, will help ensure city construction projects are performed by local union members, with strong wage guarantees, local hire provisions and other stipulations that will lift up working families across the community. By showing up and fighting for themselves and their fellow workers, the members of Local 206 helped guarantee that public projects in La Mesa will benefit local residents — and provided an example of how SMART members across North America can collectively influence their working conditions.

“Congrats to the city of La Mesa for voting unanimously to enter into a Project Labor Agreement,” the San Diego Building Trades wrote on Twitter. “PLAs are good for workers, good for taxpayers, and good for the local economy.”

In September 2022, SMART Local 280 (Vancouver, British Columbia) led the SMART Army’s involvement in the annual Terry Fox Run to raise money for cancer research. Fox was a Canadian athlete and cancer research activist who, after losing a leg to cancer, embarked on a cross-Canada run in 1980 to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Although cancer eventually forced him to end his quest, and ultimately cost him his life, his efforts resulted in a lasting legacy in Canada and around the world. 

“For 143 days, Terry Fox ran a marathon a day,” Local 280 Business Representative Jeff Lind explained during an episode of SMART News. “He ran through rain and snow and wind, humidity. He stopped in almost 400 towns and just talked about why he was running. He was starting at 4:30 in the morning and usually didn’t finish until about 7pm at night.”

Watch Jeff Lind discuss the Terry Fox Run on SMART News.

“He’s a legend in Canada,” Lind added. “And I think we all know somebody who’s been affected by cancer. So … if I look at SMART Army as a whole and our SMART membership, internationally, that was something I looked at and I thought ‘What can we all do together?’ You know, being in a union, the solidarity behind it … I thought, this is something we could do not just in Canada with the locals, but across the International.”

The Local 280 SMART Army team exceeded its $1,000 fundraising goal during the 2022 run, raising $1,575 for the Terry Fox Foundation to fund cancer research. And in spring 2023, the Terry Fox Run honored the local’s participation with a Certificate of Appreciation plaque, writing: “We are grateful for your team’s no-quit attitude, for setting a positive example for others, and for showing compassion for cancer patients.”

Congratulations, Local 280!

Apprentice Completions:

Front Row, L-R: Alexander Schmitz; Perry Byrd; Evan Vogt; Mark Carron,
Instructor; Joshua Chandler; Matthew Bafaro, Julie Koontz, Office
Manager; Tyler Kiefer; Joanna Mason; Douglas Gruebel; Zachary
Warren; Garrett Mills; Phillip Killian; Dylan Black

Back Row, L-R: Chris Racherbaumer, Instructor; Joseph Kehder,
Apprentice Coordinator, Matthew Groeper; Ginger Moore; Jeremy
Brutcher; Robert Fleis; Michael Porter; Jason LaChance, Instructor
Andy Smith, Assistant Apprentice Coordinator/Assistant Organizer

25-year service awards:

Back Row, L-R: Jeremy Snyder, FST; Charles Lamar; James Schulte,
Business Rep.; Ray D. Reasons II, President/Business Manager; Dan
Sutter, Business Rep.; Kristopher Harmon, International Organizer; Ted
Ramsdell, Business Rep; Jacob Crismon, Business Rep.

Front Row, L-R: Steven Quinn; Douglas Piant; Ronald Kimble; Brian
Gruenloh; Jason St. Gemme; Terry L. Williams; Bradley Wallin; Gregory
Feth; Larry Schulte; Glenn Tammons III; Steven Frost; Walter Warren; Jason
Campbell; Michael Ortmann; Gregory Northcutt; Christopher Andrews

40-year service awards:

Back Row, L-R: Jeremy Snyder, FST; Charles Lamar; James Schulte,
Business Rep.; Ray D. Reasons II, President/Business Manager; Dan
Sutter, Business Rep.; Ted Ramsdell, Business Rep.; Jacob Crismon,
Business Rep.

Front Row, L-R: James Tharp; John Lang; Kevin Stough; Stephen Baker;
Arthur LeBeau III; Michael Dickherber; Daniel Fanter; Steven Veselsky;
George Donovan III; Richard Morris; Bill Rector; Gary Rector

50-year service awards:

Back Row, L-R: Jeremy Snyder, FST; Charles Lamar; James Schulte,
Business Rep.; Ray D. Reasons II, President/Business Manager; Dan
Sutter, Business Rep.; Ted Ramsdell, Business Rep.

Front Row, L-R: Francis Meyer; Dominic Petruso; Timothy Wilkinson;
Joseph Meeka III; Mark Grayson; Rodney Buchek; Donald Elders;
William Price Jr.; Michael Bishop Sr.; Ronald Deneke; Raymond Lawler;
William Griese; Hugh Henderson; Gregory Stumpf

70-year service awards:

Back Row, L-R: Jeremy Snyder, Financial Secretary-Treasurer (FST);
James Schulte, Business Rep.
Front Row, L-R: Floyd Walker; Vernon Kraemer; Ray D. Reasons II,
President/Business Manager; Dan Sutter, Business Rep.; Ted Ramsdell,
Business Rep.
Seated: Richard F. Sambo