Pictured in the governor’s office, left to right: Senator Carolyn McGinn (R); Mike Scheerer, LR Local 94; Troy Fansher, Local 1503; Governor Laura Kelly (seated); Nick Davis, Local 527; Ty Dragoo, SLD Kansas; Chad Henton, ASLD Kansas; Kyle Brooks, Local 1503.
In late April, members of the SMART Transportation Division joined Kansas legislators and Gov. Laura Kelly at the state capitol, where Gov. Kelly officially proclaimed April 28th “A Day of Honor and Remembrance for Railroad Workers” in the state of Kansas. Along with witnessing Kelly sign the proclamation, Legislative Representative Mike Scheerer of TD Local 94 (Kansas City), Troy Fansher of TD Local 1503 (Marysville), Nick Davis of TD Local 527 (Coffeyville), Kansas State Legislative Director (SLD) Ty Dragoo, Alternate SLD Chad Henton and Kyle Brooks of TD Local 1503 joined the governor to discuss the vital role railroaders play in the state and in the nation at-large — as well as honor, recognize and remember the ultimate sacrifice some railroaders have made.
“Today reflects our ongoing relationship with Kansas’ government and the recognition that rail labor is vital to the state, and that we are appreciated,” Dragoo said. “It is a proud day for Kansas’ SMART Legislative Board.”
Dragoo also noted that Gov. Kelly has been a steadfast champion of SMART TD members and all of railroad labor throughout her time in state government. “She has proposed the two-person crew regulation and has been a steadfast wall of support when legislation is directed to harm our jobs,” he explained. “She has been there on every issue; she includes us in policy discussions, and we always have a seat in Kansas.”
The text of the proclamation is below:
WHEREAS, since the first railroad was chartered to carry freight and passengers in the United States in 1827, this nation’s railroads have been vital to the national economy and defense; and
WHEREAS, it is estimated that each American freight rail job supports 9 jobs elsewhere in the U.S. economy; and
WHEREAS, over one-fourth of all freight movement in ton-miles annually in this country occurs by rail, including many of the goods upon which Kansas residents and businesses rely; and
WHEREAS, thousands of passengers arrive, depart, and travel through Kansas on Amtrak passenger trains annually; and
WHEREAS, the rail lines crossing Kansas provide a vital transcontinental link facilitating the movement of this freight and these passengers; and
WHEREAS, the safe and efficient movement of the trains transporting this freight and these passengers through Kansas is due foremost to the dedication, professionalism, and knowledge of those employees who are directly involved in train movements, including Train and Crew Dispatchers, Maintenance of Way personnel, Signal Maintainers, Mechanical personnel, and fully staffed two-person Train crews;
NOW, THEREFORE, I, LAURA KELLY, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF KANSAS, do hereby proclaim the day of April 28, 2022, as A DAY IN HONOR OF RAILROAD WORKERS.
Jim Trimby (left) and Neal Dahlman.
After 37 years of dues-paying SMART membership, Jim Trimby has decided it is time to put his hammer away. He is humbled that it is finally time for him to reap the benefits of his many years of service
Trimby came to the trade by way of his family. His father, Homer, was a member of SMART Local 50/265 in Carol Stream, Ill., for 50 years, serving as a business agent for the last 10; his grandfather, Ray, began his career at Local 50 in 1940, and his uncle, Ike, joined Local 50 after serving in World War II. Jim also has a twin brother retired from Local 265.
During Homer’s elected term, he signed up a shop in 1989, Dahlman Sheet Metal. Coincidentally, Jim worked his last day at Dahlman Sheet Metal, at a jobsite with the Dahlman owner’s son, Neal, where Jim had previously worked in 2008 installing a stack. Having worked his last day, the end of Jim’s career also signifies the end of the Trimby generation of sheet metal workers, with a total of 80 years spent actively working in the industry.
In addition to being a strong union member, a mentor and a great asset to our trade, Jim also served as a paratrooper in the Armed Forces. Local 265 wishes him a happy retirement and hopes to see him at the local’s retirement club events.
Ashley Deschenes has been with Kansas City’s Local 2 for six years, working at an architectural shop for the first three before moving to a specialty shop. Additionally, Ashley has spent the last two years working hard to grow her local’s Women’s Committee, where she was elected chairperson in 2022. Within her local women’s group, Ashley has worked closely with the LGBTQ+ community in order to recruit and retain a more diverse SMART membership. This year, she has seized the opportunity to get involved in the SMART International Women’s Committee, and she has also started working with two SMART Women’s Sub-Committees: Increasing Women and Parental Support/Resources. Ashley is eager to see where this career takes her and her family of seven!
Members of the SMART Transportation Division and other unionized rail workers came together for a day of protest on May 10 outside the North American Rail Shippers (NARS) annual meeting.
Early in the day, SMART TD Kansas State Legislative Director Ty Dragoo, TD Auxiliary President Kathryn Seegmiller and many other union members, spouses and supporters spent hours outside and around the Kansas City Marriott Downtown in Kansas City, Mo., to draw attention to Class I carriers’ Precision Scheduled Railroading scheme, BNSF’s “Hi-Viz” attendance policy and the fact that National Rail Contract negotiations are approaching a third year.
“We had people joining in just walking by, people honking showing support as they drove by,” Dragoo said. “We had people from many different Class 1 railroads there, not just BNSF.”
Dragoo thanked many of the lead organizers of the event, including SMART TD National Safety Team Alternate Director — East and Kansas State Legislative Secretary Dan Bonawitz (Local 1409, Kansas City, Kan.), Kansas State Alternate Legislative Secretary Mike Scheerer (Local 94, Kansas City, Kan.), Legislative Representative Tim Alexander (Local 1532, Kansas City, Kan.) and Local 1532 Trustee Matt Collins, as well as 1532 member Jason Bluett and member Rodney Sparks of Local 5 (Kansas City, Mo.).
Some of the protesters outside the North American Rail Shipper conference hold signs May 10 in Kansas City. (Photo courtesy Kansas SLD Ty Dragoo)
“Dan Bonawitz and his team have done a tremendous job getting the word out. These events are crucial as we wage the war of public opinion in legislatures across the country and Congress,” Dragoo said. “Citizens need to know that their communities are in danger not only by reducing crews from a public safety standpoint, but the economic impact that has on communities when good union jobs leave. We will keep the fight up, and we won’t back down!”
“The goal of this informational picket was to raise awareness with the public of the BNSF Railway policies that are not only degrading our workforce and harming our families but directly impacting our communities and increasing the cost of goods for all Americans,” he told reporter Mark DeLap. “The informational picket was also an effort to spotlight how BNSF Railway is directly at fault for the regressive policies causing these hardships.”
SMART TD Local 445 was in attendance at the May 15 rally in Ft. Madison Iowa.
The demonstration outside the NARS gathering, which was attended by C-suite-level executives from many of the Class I freight railroads, was not the only coordinated demonstration that has taken place.
More than 100 people took part in informational pickets in Guernsey and Gillette, Wyo., Local 465 Chairman Kevin Knutson told the Platte County Record Times.
“We, as families, friends, employees and retirees, have never experienced such an antagonistic approach to a workforce and their employees before,” Knutson said.
Additional events will continue to be organized at all levels in order to inform the public and other groups about the concerns of rail workers.
Stacy DeMonbrun – a journeyperson, instructor and recording secretary at SM Local 5 (East Tennessee and North Carolina) – has worked in the sheet metal trade for 30 years, where her leadership skills and unique perspective have made her a natural trailblazer. Read more about Stacy and her career as a SMART member below.
What unique strengths do you bring to your trade?
Leadership and a different point of view.
What do you love to do when you are not at work?
Spend time with the family, especially my grandchildren.
Goals in the future — any ambitions or changes to your trade?
I love where I am currently, so my future ambition is retirement (in about 15 years).
What surprised you about your trade?
All of it, honestly. I had no idea what sheet metal was about when I started, I just knew I wasn’t happy with where I was headed. My dad told me the hall was taking applications, and I figured I would give it a try.
What do you find frustrating about your job/trade?
Past coworkers that automatically thought a female couldn’t handle construction work.
What’s the coolest job you have been on?
The Department of Energy site I am on now. I love knowing what we do, the history of the site and where we are headed.
What traits do you think a good sheet metal worker has?
Show up — on time — every day with a willingness to learn (even if you have been in the trade for 30 years).
Why sheet metal?
I love how we can take flat stock material and make whatever we want. We are only limited by our imagination.
Tool you can’t live without?
The ability to think outside the box if needed.
Best advice you got as an apprentice?
It was from my dad: You make the same amount of money I do, you better do the same amount of work I do. (He never cut me any slack.)
Best advice for an apprentice?
Get involved. You are part of a family now, and family doesn’t sit back when there is a need.
What do you think about Tradeswomen Build Nations?
It is an amazing experience. Many times [in my career], I was the only female sheet metal worker (several times I was the only female) on the jobsite. To see that many like-minded women in one place was unbelievable. To know you really are not alone on a jobsite helps when you are having a rough day.
Are you active in trade-related activities such as career fairs, volunteer work or the SMART Army?
Absolutely. Any time I can make it, I am there to help out.
There is no doubt that recruiting has been impacted by the pandemic. Virtual hiring is here to stay, and for good reason. Virtual recruiting efforts are more cost effective and extend an employer’s reach, whereas in-person recruiting events and career fairs require supplies, travel costs and time spent by employees. They can also be a challenge for prospective candidates to attend, whether due to lack of transportation, childcare needs or time spent traveling. It’s important to recognize the investment involved for all parties and ensure you are set up to take complete advantage when such events do come together — while they are challenging, the opportunity for meeting candidates face to face is valuable if you are well equipped and prepared.
The best skilled worker recruiting strategy is to show that your local is a place where people should want to work.
Online tools such as LinkedIn Recruiter and Facebook Jobs can be effective in recruiting sheet metal apprentices, especially as we target a younger generation. LinkedIn Recruiter is a hiring platform that helps you find, connect with and manage potential recruits. Sixty percent of the workforce is not looking for a new job but is willing to discuss a new opportunity, and LinkedIn Recruiter allows you to search for such passive candidates. It also provides advanced search filters and recommended matches to prioritize candidates based on who is most open to hearing from you.
With nearly 3 billion users, more than any other social media platform, Facebook can reach a wide pool of candidates. Posting a job to a local’s business page only takes a few minutes, and applicants can apply with a few clicks. Facebook also has groups and pages related to sheet metal work, such as Metal Fabrication Tips and Union Sheet Metal Workers. To reach a more relevant audience, a job posting can be shared in these groups (just be sure to read the group’s rules!).
Many locals already have their own Facebook business page. Jobs can be posted here, and that post can be shared by employees and seen by their network of family and friends. This method can be very effective; candidates will be more likely to click on a job listing posted by someone they know and trust compared to an ad that happens to appear in their feed.
Task force findings
The Partners in Progress Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force has developed a number of resources designed to support local areas in their recruiting efforts. A few points were discussed at the recent task force meeting:
1. The average age of a first-year sheet metal apprentice is 26. That age seems to be a sweet spot, where individuals are mature enough to understand the value of a career in sheet metal; they have some work experience; and they are starting a family and/or seeking stability, good wages and the benefits that are offered in a sheet metal career.
2. Parents are more involved in career selection. Because kids are waiting longer to get married and start a family, parents are more influential in their kids’ career choices. As groups are looking at online options for attracting apprentices, taking parents’ involvement into targeting consideration can be helpful.
3. Local areas are using the task force resources in a number of ways, as well as creating their own.
Print and physical recruiting materials available
As 26 is the average age of first-year sheet metal apprentices, many potential workers are more likely to currently hold lower-paying jobs. As a recruiting tactic, a couple of local areas have created “Consider a Career” business cards to show those individuals the benefits of a career in sheet metal. The task force will be making similar cards that can be given to people you meet who you feel may be good candidates for a sheet metal apprenticeship; you can hand them out when you have a great service experience at a car wash or cash register, for example.
Infographics and other materials are available to order at pinp-materials.org or by contacting info@industrialathleteofficial.org; we will happily send you the posters, banners and/or handouts you need! All materials can be customized for your local area, can be used in digital or print form, and they are offered in Spanish and English. There is even a handout that can work as an online ad or a banner ad for your site that is designed to help parents understand why sheet metal is a great career choice.
Kathy Kerber, a member of the task force, has seen in-person job fairs return in recent months, and her local has been creating engaging handouts for their booth at trade shows. Working with Local 24 (Southern Ohio), Kathy has found success generating excitement and interest in the trade by giving away laser-cut metal projects instead of traditional printed materials. Contact information is included on the giveaway. Additionally, the JATC hands them out at job fairs, replacing the toolkits they distributed in the past. The result: They have lines of career seekers at their booth, and interest in the trade is high.
Spreading the word
A large percentage of sheet metal workers heard about the trade through friends and family. For that reason, the Partners in Progress Best Practices Task Force has created a social media campaign to encourage sheet metal workers to post about their jobs. When union sheet metal workers post about their job with the hashtags #MJMG (“My Job is My Gym”) or #tinisin, they are recognized by the task force, and members with notable posts are awarded $100 gift cards.
The best skilled worker recruiting strategy is to show that your local is a place where people should want to work. Build your digital brand via social media, share videos of your employees and members, and give real-life examples of the work culture. Utilize the resources provided by the Best Practices Task Force and invest in an updated, mobile-friendly website that includes a career tab for trade workers to apply through your site. For assistance navigating the resources available, feel free to reach out to info@industrialathleteofficial.org, or go to pinp-materials.org to order!
During the first week of May, the SMART Department of Education held an in-person basic organizing training session in Portland, Oregon — part of the vital work the education department performs to keep our union strong and geared towards growth.
Participants from across the region immersed themselves in study and conducted role play exercises to prepare for circumstantial and situational topics that are important for building a basic organizing foundation for local unions.
Topics included, but were not limited to:
1. Organizing under the National Labor Relations Act in both construction and production settings;
2. Basic “street law” rules for in-field activity;
3. Initiating and perpetuating value-based representation communications with nonunion workers;
4. Initiating and perpetuating value-based business, top-down conversations with employers;
5. Investigating and outlining basic organizing strategies; and more.
Participants were also given a presentation on the SMART indoor air quality (IAQ) initiative. Instructors broke down the complexities of the initiative’s sequences, answered questions and discussed with participants how the IAQ initiative could be utilized as a tool for organizing, growing market share and increasing density within their local unions.
In addition to in-person sessions, participants had the opportunity to engage in the training via remote conferencing with both SMART Director of Organizing Darrell Roberts and SMART Director of National Campaigns James White, both of whom gave presentations about their departments and answered questions.
L–R: GMMI Owner Greg Martin, SMART Local 9 members Brandon McPherson, Eric Biermann, Larry Hall, Derek Costa, Brandon Inskeep, Jason Ramon, Mitchell Pinnell and Jesse Redeye
In the fall of 2021, the craftsmanship and skill that defines union labor was on full display, as members of SM Local 9 (Denver, Colo.) completed the installation of an eight-foot spiral duct system at CoorsTek in Grand Junction, Colo. After six weeks of planning, Greg Martin, owner of Grand Mesa Mechanical Inc. (GMMI), and Local 9 members Brandon McPherson, Eric Biermann, Larry Hall, Derek Costa, Brandon Inskeep, Jason Ramon, Mitchell Pinnell and Jesse Redeye — with the assistance of Girardi Crane Service — first built a 150-foot-long trolley system 35 feet above the finished floor of the building, using three articulating boom lifts to put together the trolley system before installing the spiral duct.
“The run consisted of 40 feet of 60-inch round, 45 feet of 84-inch round and 50 feet of 96-inch round,” said Hall, Local 9 sheet metal worker at GMMI, who pointed out that installation took one week. “It took us longer to engineer and install the trolley system than it did to get the spiral installed.”
“We hoisted all the large spiral to the roof and then positioned it so it could be maneuvered through the side of the building. Once it was in position and connected to the trolley system, we began moving it down the trolly track,” Hall explained. “We then put it in its hangers, and then we made all the connections.”
To finish the job, the eight-foot round was secured to the edge of the building and later attached to an air handler on the roof, with all the taps installed after the spiral was fully secured. “All the work was done above live equipment and 35 feet in the air; this made it exceptionally challenging,” Hall added.
The mechanical unit that serves this area is a UMP model #CELODO- 197 and was purchased from Western Mechanical Solutions in Denver. The unit provides 98,000 cfm of air and is conditioned with a series of Celdek materials for summer use. The general contractor, FCI Constructors, fabricated a raised deck above the roof for this unit to sit on, and it was ducted from that point into the building and converted to spiral piping above the operations area.
By: Matt Haines, Organizer, Local 16
As of April 15, 2022, SMART SM Local 16 (Portland, Ore.) is in the middle of negotiations with Vancouver, Wash.-based 360 Sheet Metal after workers there successfully won their vote to unionize. Getting to the negotiating table is statistically very difficult — the result of hard work, collaboration and true worker solidarity. These workers ran just such a campaign.
360 Sheet Metal almost exclusively builds custom ductwork and pays workers just above the minimum wage. By flooding the local market with cheap duct made at poverty wages, they have emboldened small, nonunion plumbing shops to go “full mechanical,” driving down area standards.
After a top-down organizing effort was rebuffed by management, it became clear that a bottom-up campaign was needed. In 2019, a Local 16 covert salt reported that 360 Sheet Metal built duct for at least four prevailing wage projects — and the workers on those projects never received the wages due to them. When confronted about this, 360 General Manager Joe Martin exclaimed to Local 16 Business Representative Dustin Hysmith and Organizer Darrin Boyce: “We don’t agree with the law.” (He apparently didn’t in the early 2000s, either, when his previous business, Reliable HVAC, went bankrupt after Local 16 exposed to the state of Oregon the company’s nearly $1 million in prevailing wage theft.)
After leaving 360 Sheet Metal, our salt reached out to several 360 coworkers about his decision to join a union apprenticeship. This inspired a fired 360 worker to join Local 16. That newly organized member then reached out to his former coworkers at 360. Fed up with poor wages, poor working conditions and unaffordable health benefits, one such member called Boyce at Local 16 and asked to join the union. Minutes later, that worker called back and asked if he could bring some friends. An hour later, half the workers from the 360 Sheet Metal shop showed up at the union.
Boyce realized they had a campaign on their hands, explaining to 360 workers that it was their right to unionize their own shop. Workers signed authorization cards, eventually forming an organizing committee. While SMART Local 16 was there to help, Boyce emphasized that the campaign belonged to the workers. They bravely stepped up: reaching out to the others, getting cards signed, hand billing and inviting coworkers to their weekly meetings. Former 360 Sheet Metal and Reliable HVAC workers came to share information about the union and help with strategy. They were invited to dispel myths and answer any questions current workers had. Local 16 organizers and representatives, along with Regional Manager Brian Noble, continued to meet with the workers — sharing expertise, support and information. Organizers and leaders from Locals 55 (Pasco, Wash.), 66 (Seattle, Wash.) and the International offered support in various ways throughout the process. It was a true team effort.
Getting to the negotiating table is statistically very difficult — the result of hard work, collaboration and true worker solidarity. These workers ran just such a campaign.
By spring of 2021, about 70% of the bargaining unit of workers signed cards, and Local 16 filed for an NLRB election. The election was scheduled for mid-June 2021. Armed with facts, the workers proudly wore union swag onto the production floor. Fortunately, the advice and information organizers shared with the workers had inoculated them against 360’s anti-union rhetoric. A union buster was called in, and that guy didn’t even have a chance! Our workers challenged the propaganda they heard throughout many captive audience meetings. Every form of intimidation from the bosses was met with brave resolve. Rather than cowing, the workers grew stronger. When the votes were tallied, the union supporters prevailed 12–9!
As contract negotiations grind on, we should all be proud of the hard work, collaboration and solidarity shown by our organizing sisters and brothers.
NLRB General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo
Since her appointment as general counsel of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by President Joe Biden, Jennifer Abruzzo and the NLRB have put together a track record of policy decisions that are conducive to union organizing and directly benefit the lives of workers and their families. On April 7, 2022, General Counsel Abruzzo issued one of her most-impactful memos yet when she encouraged the NLRB to outlaw employer captive audience meetings — the pernicious, bad-faith practice of forcing employees to attend mandatory meetings designed to promote antiunion misinformation. The next week, in a case called Cemex, Abruzzo formally filed a brief asking the NLRB to do so.
National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo, appointed by President Joe Biden: The decision to unionize belongs to workers, and workers alone
“This license to coerce is an anomaly in labor law, inconsistent with the [National Labor Relations Act’s] protection of employees’ free choice. It is based on a fundamental misunderstanding of employers’ speech rights,” said General Counsel Abruzzo. “I believe that the NLRB case precedent, which has tolerated such meetings, is at odds with fundamental labor-law principles, our statutory language, and our Congressional mandate. Because of this, I plan to urge the Board to reconsider such precedent and find mandatory meetings of this sort unlawful.”
Simply put, the decision to unionize belongs to workers, and workers alone. Forcing employees to attend captive audience meetings is an antidemocratic practice that takes freedom away from workers and unintentionally illustrates what management often fears: That, if allowed to join together in a union, workers will be able to take power — plus higher wages, greater benefits and better working conditions — into their own hands.
If adopted, General Counsel Abruzzo’s memo and brief will allow workers across the country to organize unions without having their rights at work — as well as precious time needed to complete jobs — taken away from them. It will give workers the ability to spread factual information about the benefits of unionizing without employers countering those facts with mandatory-attendance falsehood sessions. And there is a very good chance it could lead to a growth in union membership across the United States. SMART applauds General Counsel Abruzzo and urges the NLRB to swiftly implement proposals that convey that all such meetings are strictly voluntary.
