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Kingspan workers in Santa Ana, Calif. are standing up for good jobs, safe workplaces and healthy communities. In October of 2021 they took their campaign public by presenting to their managers a majority petition demanding a fair process to decide whether to unionize. They also filed whistleblower complaints on health and safety violations, indoor air pollution and violations of the factory’s industrial pollution permit. Since then, Kingspan was cited by Cal-OSHA with 22 violations, including five serious ones, with current penalties at $21,785. Workers have seen their workplace become safer and multiple pay raises since going public. Kingspan has over a dozen production facilities in the U.S. and Canada, but only three are currently signatory to SMART.

“We started this campaign first and foremost for worker safety. We’ve been without proper ventilation for some time,” said Israel Maldonado, Kingspan assembly worker.

“Here in Santa Ana, we continue to ask Kingspan to listen to our health and safety concerns for our own well-being, our families and our community.”

From Santa Ana, Calif. to Manchester, England, SMART members and allies are supporting this struggle. As of August 1, 2022, SMART members have shown up at over 100 actions in the U.S. and Canada at offices of Kingspan shareholders, trade shows and other events.

On June 14, 2022, our union organized a memorial altar for the 72 victims of the Grenfell Tower fire in front of Capital Group Headquarters in Los Angeles, in solidarity with 18,000 marching for justice in London that day.

“Today, we as Kingspan workers stand united in solidarity with all those in London marching for justice for the 72 people who lost their lives in the horrific Grenfell Tower fire on this day five years ago,” said Micaias Pacheco, a welder at Kingspan. “Here in Santa Ana, we continue to ask Kingspan to listen to our health and safety concerns for our own well-being, our families and our community.” We were joined by Clergy and Laity United for Economic Justice (CLUE), National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (COSH) and the Labor Network for Sustainability.

To learn more about Kingspan, the Grenfell Tower Fire, and the workers in Santa Ana, visit:

• www.KingspanOnFire.org
• www.cleanupkingspan.org

Follow the campaign on Twitter:

• @CleanUpKingspan
• @KingspanOnFire

And facebook:

• www.facebook.com/cleanupkingspan

New SMART 11th General Vice President John Daniel has steadfastly served SMART members for more than 30 years. Since entering the industry in 1991, John has been a sheet metal fabricator and installer, an instructor, organizer, business representative, financial secretary-treasurer and most recently the president/business manager for Local 265. John’s career path has provided him with a well-rounded perspective of the sheet metal industry and the challenges facing the unionized sector. Having an open mind and being an active listener, leveraging assets both financial and relational, employing technology to not only capture more work opportunities but to attract the next generation of trades men and women — these are only a few of John’s priorities. John is a trustee on both local and national plans, and he received his bachelor’s degree in labor studies from the National Labor College.

New Chief International Rep. Scott Parks completed his apprenticeship and became a journeyperson in 1995, winning his election to become Local 20’s (Indianapolis, Ind.) business representative in 2001. In July 2010, he was elected to serve as the local’s business manager and financial secretary-treasurer. At the local, with a jurisdiction spanning Indiana and portions of Kentucky, Illinois and Michigan, his duties included responsibility for the supervision and direction of 13 business agents and one organizer.

Then, in 2019, he became a General Vice President as a member of the SMART General Executive Council. Scott is also an AFL-CIO delegate, president of the Indiana State Building Trades organization and secretary-treasurer of the Great Lakes State Council, and he has been active in building a bottom-up social media presence for the Local 20 membership.

SMART SM Local 23 (Anchorage, Alaska) won a wall-to-wall election at Ketchikan Vigor Shipyard in June 2022, bringing workers at the third-largest employer in Ketchikan into our union. This is a huge triumph for the shipyard workers and Local 23, giving SMART and working families an enormous presence in the community.

In January 2022, Vigor Shipyards in Portland, Oregon, reached out to Local 16 (Portland, Ore.) Business Agent Shawn Eckelberry about the possibility of sending a few SMART members to Ketchikan to work at their nonunion shipyard, which was very busy at the time. Eckelberry, recognizing the opportunity for his members, talked to Business Manager Brian Noble about allowing this to happen.

Once the union workers arrived at the yard, it very quickly became apparent to both union and nonunion workers that both sides were skilled and took pride in their work. SMART members soon started talking to the unrepresented workers, asking why they were not union and what prevented them from joining a union in the past. Our members also described the benefits of being in Local 16 and how the nonunion workers could create a path toward enjoying similar advantages.

In early March, our members called Eckelberry to report their conversations with the Ketchikan workers, adding that the shipyard workers wanted to be represented by SMART Local 16. Eckelberry, noting that those workers belonged to the jurisdiction of Local 23, discussed the situation with Local 16 Business Manager Randy Golding; Golding, recognizing that a campaign this large would compel Local 23 to seek assistance from other locals in the SMART Northwest Regional Council (NWRC), ended up calling the president and vice president of the NWRC, Tim Carter and Lance Deyette, to discuss — along with Noble and Eckelberry — the possibility of organizing the Ketchikan shipyard.

NWRC President Carter and Vice President Deyette decided to move forward using the resources of Local 23, Local 16 and Seattle, Wash. Local 66. (Local 16 and Local 66 already have collective bargaining agreements with Vigor in their areas.) President Carter held a strategy meeting with the three regional managers affected and International Organizer Aaron Bailey, and a campaign plan was developed and implemented.

On Sunday, March 27, the first boots hit the ground in Ketchikan, with Eckelberry and Darrin Boyce from Local 16, Kal Rohde from Local 66 and Jens Schurig from Local 23 meeting with workers before their shifts, during breaks and lunch, and after shifts. The business agents and organizers also put together evening meetings for workers to ask questions without employer monitoring. Perhaps most importantly, SMART helped four workers start a voluntary organizing committee (VOC) – a vital part of the plan that gave ownership of the campaign to the workers. Those four workers voted to elect Danny VanNostrand the leader of their group.

NWRC President Tim Carter handbilled outside the shipyard.

After receiving more than 25 signed union cards in the first three days, SMART organizers knew they had to ramp up their efforts and maintain a constant presence in Ketchikan. In April, the NWRC held its spring meeting in Kennewick, Washington, where SMART General President Sellers, NWRC President Carter and the business managers from Local 16, Local 23 and Local 66 facilitated a strategy session on how to move forward with the campaign. That resulted in more than 15 people – including President Carter, three business managers and various business agents and organizers – rotating in and out of Ketchikan during April and May, passing out handbills and meeting with workers to answer their questions or concerns. The concerted effort paid off: In May, SMART filed for a union election with the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), which ended up being a mailed ballot vote. On June 29, the vote took place via Zoom, where Local 23 won by a 26 to 19 margin! The Certification of Representation arrived from the NLRB on July 8, 2022.

Since then, information requests have gone out and have been received, and an all-hands meeting was conducted at the end of July for workers to express their opinions and wishes for upcoming contract negotiations. Every SMART leader, organizer and member involved in this momentous campaign looks forward to the day when Local 23 will announce a new collective bargaining agreement in Ketchikan!

Members of SMART Local 206 demonstrated our union’s commitment to acting on our values during the San Diego Wounded Warrior Project Carry Forward 5K, held on August 20. Carry Forward 5Ks – which take place at cities across the country throughout the year – are fitness and fundraising events that give participants the chance to both pay tribute to and raise money for wounded veterans, helping fulfil the Wounded Warrior Project’s mission of honoring and empowering wounded warriors. During the San Diego Carry Forward run, Local 206 showed out in force.

“The SMART Army represented like no other team in both numbers and dollars donated, with 97 registered and over $10,000 raised,” Financial Secretary-Treasurer/Business Manager Dave Gauthier wrote on Facebook.

As part of the fundraising effort, Local 206 challenged other area labor unions to get involved – and they did, most notably IBEW Local 569. It was a display not just of labor solidarity, but of the vital role union members play in serving their communities.

“Although this money is going to help our wounded heroes, the day had a big impact on our members and their families too, including several of our veteran members – two of them came to us directly from Wounded Warriors here in San Diego,” Gauthier added. “You could see the excitement and appreciation in their faces as we gathered together to make a difference in our community and our country.”

In late July, Local 33 (northern Ohio) Business Agents Jim Jackson and Jamie Bostic spent a day volunteering to support the 2022 Local 33-sponsored charity Camp Mountain Heart. The camp is a free, week-long experience for children ages 8–17 with congenital or acquired heart disease, created to give camp-goers the opportunity to connect and forge friendships with others who have had similar life experiences. Camp counselors include physicians and nurses, helping Camp Mountain Heart maintain a safe environment for campers to experience independence and activities that are both fun and help build confidence. Local 33 is proud to support such a great cause!

Third-year apprentices at SMART SM Local 12 (southwestern Pennsylvania) had the opportunity to perform hands-on architectural sheet metal fabrication and installation in late July. After separating into three sections — Group A, Group B and Group C — each group of apprentices was assigned a different application of architectural sheet metal, enhancing their day-to-day study with practical experience.

Group A’s task was to make improvements to the sheet metal shop at the Local 12 training center, which had a gypsum board wall that was damaged from a roof leak. The apprentices first had to safely remove the drywall, the wood substrate and the old, damaged insulation. Then, after cleaning the area, the apprentices sealed any openings and installed new insulation, new substrate on two-foot centers, a new metal water table, J-channel and corrugated metal panels, and window trims.

Meanwhile, the local tasked Groups B and C with a community service project at a local baseball/ softball field. The concession stands at Scharmyn Park, the home of the West View Ross Athletic Association in Pittsburgh, Pa., required several upgrades. The wood siding needed painting. The wood ceiling had been removed and lacked the necessary replacement. The gutters were in desperate need of improvement, and wood soffits needed to be covered.

The project gave all three groups of apprentices firsthand training in the installation of architectural metal walls and roofing systems in real-life situations.

In response, the Local 12 apprentices took to the work quickly and efficiently: They installed new metal trims (J-channels, siding sill, fascia) and vertical siding panels that covered the old wood siding. They also mounted a corrugated metal ceiling onto rafters on two-foot centers and metal trims on three dugouts, plus corrugated metal roofing.

The project gave all three groups of apprentices firsthand training in the installation of architectural metal walls and roofing systems in real-life situations. The buildings were not as plumb, level and square as they would be in ideal circumstances — making them perfect examples of the conditions sheet metal workers run into in the field. Additionally, the apprentices had to build the scaffolding to access the work area, lay out the panel systems to develop symmetrical appearance, install the metal trims, cut the metal panels and cut in any penetrations that were in the way — all obstacles they are likely to face on future jobsites. The apprentices completed these tasks in a safe, effective manner, helping them develop on-the-job skills and give back to the community.

These experiences were made possible by the donation of metal siding and metal roofing panels by ATAS International, Inc. Local 12 elected to use these donated materials to help West View Ross Athletic Association with its concession stand, which was in dire need of attention. Local 12 also wishes to thank Miller, Thomas, Gyekis (trim fabricator), Pennsylvania Roofing Systems (trim fabricator), Business Manager Greg Blose, Apprentice Coordinator Joshua Moore, Instructors Mike Shields, Dan Lyons and John Naples, and Business Agents Geoff Foringer, Kevin Mally, Dan Maslo and Todd Deitrick for bringing this real-world learning event to life.

As a way to help the homeless in the local community, SMART Local 20 (Evansville, Ind.) partnered with Aurora and Echo Housing to build the strike zone stand for the first-ever River City Wiffle Ball Classic, with members also participating in the tournament.

“Our donation and participation were a great way to show the community how Local 20 wants to do their part in helping the homeless in the Tri-State,” said Local 20 Business Rep. Kreg Homoky. “These strike zone stands will now be used for future tournaments throughout the years. I want to thank Jim Dempsey, Evansville Sheet Metal, Neil Hammelman, Grant Hammelman, Keith Irwin and Aaron Friel for their help and participation.”

SMART SM Local 265 (DuPage County, Ill.) celebrated the graduation of 40 apprentices to journeyperson status on Friday, August 26, with International Organizers Paul Hayes and Darrell Garrison joining the Local 265 and Local 219 (Rockford, Ill.) leadership and staff for an honorary reception.

“Turnout was great for a graduation ceremony,” said Dennis Moran, a member of the Local 265 education department. “I’m very proud of all the graduates, they have worked very hard to get to this point.”

Of the 40 new journeypersons, 19 are sheet metal workers, while 21 are service technicians — including four from Local 219, who used the Local 265 service program for their training. SMART congratulates these brothers and sisters on their hard-earned achievement!

SMART Local 265 Business Manager: John Daniel

Business Agents: Matt Gugala, Kevin Galass, Brian McSherry, Ron Mika, Brian Dahlman

Organizer: Jay Jones

SMART International Representative: Paul Hayes

International Training Institute: Darrell Garrison

Local 219 Business Manager: Joe Cook

SMART Local 265 Education Staff:

Dennis Moran: Director of Training

Instructors: Joe Carone, Anthony Aarns, Kelly Marcellis, Chris James, Joel Orozco

Graduates 2022:

Sheet Metal: Joseph Balzer, Matt Beaudoin, Michael Callahan, Dan Courtright, Grant Fehrenbach, Hunter Freres, James Gerasco, Bryan Granzow, Tim Greenhill, Pete Helms, Greg Krupa, Lucas Lage, Adam Miller, Alyssa Moss, Jay Smithberg, Dan Spencer, Nick Svoboda, Wesley Taylor, Danielle Wilson

Service: Rocco Cervone, Brandon D’Ambrosia, Jordan Dotson, Eric Estes, Justin Garrelts, Shawn Gilles (Local 219), Robert Harris, Martin Heidkamp, Tanner LaFew (Local 219), Alec Mingl, Michael Napier, Clayton Omelson, Brett Piller, Michael Rueck, John Straple, Anthony Tortorelli, Keven Ward, Kyle White (Local 219), Matt Wolf (Local 219), Tyler Zitzka, Drake Zollers

Business Representative Josh Williams, West Franklin Elementary Principal Dr. Dawn Lauridsen, Local 24 apprentice Katie Fertig, Business Representative Jeff Hunley.

The SM Local 24 (southern Ohio) SMART Army helped area kids and families stay healthy as summer began with a food drive benefiting elementary-aged students at West Franklin Elementary School in the Southwestern City School District; the fourth-largest school district in the state. Organized by Local 24 apprentice Katie Fertig, the food drive saw the SMART Army partner with West Franklin Elementary Communities in Schools Coordinator Brooklyn Brown to put together more than 50 food kits to send home to families in need over the summer months — a time when many children in the community lose access to school breakfast and lunch programs.

Local 24 members are currently at work helping build and remodel several new school buildings, as well as other projects, for the Southwestern City School District. The local hopes to further grow its relationship with the district and expand its food drive effort in future years to continue supporting the community and keep kids and families healthy.

Business Representative Jeff Hunley, Business Representative Josh Williams, Local 24 apprentice Katie Fertig

Thirty-one of the scholarship recipients, as well as Local 219 Recording Secretary Mike Sneed, President Todd Whitlock and Business Manager/Financial Secretary-Treasurer Joseph Cook (right to left, to the left of the podium).

On Tuesday, July 26, SM Local 219 (Rockford, Ill.) awarded $1,500 academic scholarships to 38 local students — amounting to a total of $57,000.

“It means a lot to me, it means a lot that they were able to give out that amount of money, and I know it’s helping a lot of people — including me,” local student Brennen Cook told Rockford NBC affiliate WREX 13.