On Wednesday, June 1, the Local 38 SMART Army helped assemble The Wall That Heals at Veteran’s Memorial Park in Norwalk, Connecticut.
Author: lpoling
Left to right: Nick Cometti, Dave Renshaw, Gabe Precourt, Doug Cox, Viki Siok, Jeff Herling and Trevor LeBeau.
On April 3, 2022, SM Local 58’s (Syracuse, N.Y.) SMART Army gathered in Utica to help Sleep in Heavenly Peace build twin-size and bunk beds for kids without beds in the Mohawk Valley. With the help of first-, second- and third-year apprentices Nick Cometti, Dave Renshaw, Gabe Precourt, Doug Cox, Viki Siok, Jeff Herling and Trevor LeBeau, plus volunteers from the local community, our SMART brothers and sisters were able to put together 276 beds.
“There were stations set up for cutting, drilling, sanding, staining, assembling and branding,” said Local 58’s Jeff Foster. “It was a nice feeling to know that we were there to help out with families that have come on hard times.”
Throughout April — the SMART Army’s month of community action — SMART Transportation Division members across Virginia mobilized to serve their neighbors, build solidarity and forge relationships that stand to better our union.
On April 22, members of SMART TD Local 854 (Portsmouth, Va.) were joined by first-term Virginia Delegate Karen Greenhalgh (R-85th District) for a visit to Arrowhead Elementary School in Virginia Beach, where members discussed trains and train safety and gave away engineer hats, train whistles and coloring books to kindergarteners. According to Virginia State Legislative Director Ronnie Hobbs, such visits provide the dual purpose of “giving back to the communities in which we work and live” and sending a message to political leaders on either side of the party line: The union life is about good jobs, safety and dignity on the job, supporting the community and having a family.
“[We want] political leaders to understand that we’re not here asking for unreasonable things, we’re asking for safety … These are vital issues in our community — we want to make sure [the state assembly] knows that,” Hobbs explained.
The next weekend, members of Locals 924 and 662 (Richmond, Va.) took part in food drives in Richmond and Norfolk, with Virginia Delegate Shelly Simonds (D-94th District) and local Legislative Representative Justin Treu joining the SMART Army in Norfolk. Later in the month, the Local 363 SMART Army visited Brookdale Assisted Living Center in Roanoke, spending the day painting birdhouses and sharing stories with Brookdale residents. Overall, such activities represented the goal of the month of community action: helping others and demonstrating that union members are friends and neighbors in every town.
“For me, April’s a great month because it’s a way for our membership to give back to their communities, and really to enjoy where they live and work,” Hobbs added. “We all preach unionism, solidarity and our jobs. It’s important our members are in our communities and explain that these are union jobs where you will have a family, raise a family and be proud of what you do.”
On Saturday, May 7, SMART Local 12 (Southwestern Pa.) hosted its annual Take Kids Fishing Day at Derry Rod and Gun Club Lake, inviting local SMART families and children, as well as youth from the Westmoreland County Autism Society, for a fun day of fishing followed by a picnic lunch. Despite rainy conditions and temperatures that hovered around 40 degrees, 20 children showed up for free fishing poles, bait, T-shirts and food — provided by Local 12 with help from the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance.
“When you see the look on the kids’ faces, it’s worth it — even the weather,” said Local 12 Business Rep. Daniel Maslo.
SMART Local 12 has hosted Take Kids Fishing events for three consecutive years; this year’s event benefited, as well as included, the Westmoreland County Autism Society. Before the event, Maslo explained, the local sent letters to all signatory contractors asking for donations to the Westmoreland County Autism Society, which were presented to the organization during Take Kids Fishing Day.
For members of the local union and the community alike, such examples of service and outreach demonstrate the lasting power of solidarity — beyond the jobsite — and the transformative impact a union can have in local communities.
“Thanks to Derry Rod and Gun Club for the use of their lake and for an extra fish stocking donation,” Maslo added.
On Saturday, May 7, members of SM Local 5 (East Tennessee) marched in the Knoxville Suffrage Parade: a celebration of the 102nd anniversary of the 19th Amendment, which granted women the right to vote. As Local 5 wrote on Facebook, “In the early 1900s, union trades in Knoxville stood up to intimidators and gave our halls as places to plan and organize the right for all women to vote.” Today, SMART members and unionists across trades and sectors continue the fight for equal rights.
In late March, SMART members joined union brothers and sisters from across the Oklahoma labor movement for a good cause. Together with the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) and Major League Fishing (MLF) Fisheries Management Division (FMD), local union members teamed up at REDCREST — MLF’s Bass Pro Tour championship — to build 120 artificial fish habitats. The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation, MLF co-founder and Bass Fishing Hall of Fame inductee Gary Klein, FMD members and MossBack Fish Habitat deployed some of the structures into Lake Bixhoma shortly after to improve the quality of life for numerous fish species.
“Much of the natural fish habitat once found in many of our reservoirs has been buried by siltation or slowly degraded over time as it decomposes,” said Steven Bardin, a fisheries biologist with MLF-FMD. “This habitat loss must be addressed if we plan to continue to support healthy fish populations. That’s why a project like the Ferguson Habitat build and partnerships with Union Sportsmen’s Alliance, MossBack Fish Habitat, the KVD Foundation and Berkley Labs are so important to MLF Fisheries Management Division.”
In projects like the one at REDCREST, community engagement is a concrete aim — and that aim was certainly achieved in Oklahoma, in no small part because of the enthusiasm and skill set of union members who took part
Habitat restoration projects like the one at REDCREST target fisheries near MLF Bass Pro Tour stage locations and — using science-based methods, a community-driven approach and materials preferred by local agencies — help to reestablish natural areas of local communities. The event at REDCREST saw 41 union volunteers representing Sheet Metal Workers Local 270, the Oklahoma AFL-CIO, Transportation Workers Local 514, Roofers Local 143, Electrical Workers Local 584 and National Letter Carriers Local 1358 donate 530 hours — a $28,090 value — to build the habitats using tools donated by Milwaukee Tool and materials provided by Ferguson and MossBack Fish.
“The Oklahoma AFL-CIO has partnered with the USA on multiple projects in Oklahoma, and the communities are always grateful for the work we do. During the expo, many attendees stopped by the booth to ask questions about the habitat builds and the work the USA does,” said Jimmy C. Curry, Oklahoma AFL-CIO president, who organized volunteers for the project. “I’ve personally done work with our unions and different charities for over 30 years, and the projects we have done with the USA have been my most memorable. Seeing the work the USA does has made me a Union Sportsman for life.”
MLF and the USA signed an agreement in July 2021 to pursue angler recruitment, retention and reactivation via each entity’s staff and respective pools of member volunteers in order to put together local and state fishing events, MLF fishing events and USA habitat conservation projects.
“Through our Work Boots on the Ground conservation program, the USA reaches into local communities to create and improve access and opportunities in the outdoors,” said Forrest Parker, USA director of conservation and communications. “Combining the USA’s workforce of union volunteers with the resources and influence of Major League Fishing through projects like this propel both of our organizations’ efforts to pass on the fishing heritage to a whole new level.”
In projects like the one at REDCREST, community engagement is a concrete aim — and that aim was certainly achieved in Oklahoma, in no small part because of the enthusiasm and skill set of union members who took part.
“An added benefit of bringing together skilled union volunteers to complete a conservation project in the middle of an event attended by tens of thousands of bass fans was the educational component,” said Sam Phipps, USA conservation programs manager. “There were hourly demonstrations and printed instructions available, so expo attendees can now build habitats on their own to benefit additional water bodies and fisheries.”
On March 19, 2022, the SM Local 27 (Southern N.J.) SMART Army filled 42 contractor trash bags with litter during a trash cleanup spanning two miles of Silver Run Road in Millville, N.J. Local 27 Business Agent John Whittington and his son joined members Don Cooper, Ken Andeloro, Mike Mendez, John Davidson, Pete Polumbo, Malcolm Hill, John Manera, Jaden Sheppard, Dave Cooper, Mark Weatherby, Clarence Harris, Organizer Greg Goble and Business Agent Matt Johnson for the effort.
As part of the Easter holiday festivities in their community, SM Local 33 (Toledo, Ohio) members worked with A.N.G.E.L.S Outreach to hand out 110 food baskets to local families. Founded in 1995, A.N.G.E.L.S Outreach provides food baskets to those in need of a helping hand during Christmas, Thanksgiving and Easter. SMART members who participated: Rod Graffis, Clint Dockery, Julie Price, Chris Monaghan, Bill Dukeshire, Nadine Dukeshire, Gary Schwartz, Laura Blackwell, Gail Mistiatis, Ray Schlagheck, Dick Schuller, Nick Koelsch and Jim Domanowski.
Will Griffin (second from left) with his family and Vice President Kamala Harris
On Tuesday, April 12, SMART General President Joseph Sellers, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and others rallied at the SMART SM Local 19 (Philadelphia, Pa.) union hall to publicize an important Department of Labor (DOL) initiative.
On April 8, the DOL Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) created a National Emphasis Program (NEP) on workplace heat hazards, launching a targeted effort to protect workers from the threat of heat-related illness which, as a result of climate change, has increased in 18 of the last 19 summers. Workers suffer more than 3,500 injuries and/or illnesses related to heat each year, with low-wage workers and workers of color disproportionately impacted. With the implementation of the NEP — which is effective starting April 8 and will remain in effect for three years unless canceled or extended — the DOL aims to protect workers in more than 70 industries, including those that employ SMART workers. Learn more at OSHA.gov/heat.
Facts on the NEP from OSHA:
The NEP is a nationwide enforcement mechanism for OSHA to proactively inspect workplaces for heat-related hazards in general industry, maritime, construction or agriculture operation alleging hazardous exposures to heat (outdoors and/or indoors).
- This means that OSHA can now launch heat-related inspections on high-risk worksites before workers suffer preventable injuries, illnesses or fatalities.
The NEP encourages employers to protect workers from heat hazards by providing employee access to water, rest, shade, adequate training, and implementing acclimatization procedures for new or returning employees.
- The NEP contains both enforcement and outreach/ compliance assistance components.
The NEP establishes heat priority days when the heat index is expected to be 80°F or higher. On heat priority days:
- OSHA will initiate compliance assistance in the targeted high-risk industries.
- OSHA will also continue to inspect any alleged heat-related fatality/catastrophe, complaint or referral regardless of whether the worksite falls within a targeted industry of this NEP.
OSHA will conduct pre-planned inspections in targeted high-risk industries on any day that the National Weather Service has announced a heat warning or advisory for the local area.
OSHA also recognizes that many businesses want to do the right thing by developing heat illness prevention plans to keep their employees safe.
- On heat priority days, OSHA field staff will engage in proactive outreach and technical/compliance assistance to help keep workers safe on the job.
In addition to the NEP, Vice President Harris, Secretary Walsh and President Shuler reaffirmed the Biden administration’s support for organized labor and working people across the country. Following an introduction by Local 19 third-year apprentice Will Griffin, in which he spoke about his journey in the trade and the benefits he’s experienced since joining SMART, Vice President Harris discussed planned improvements to schools and other local infrastructure using Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding — improvements to be completed by members of organized labor, including SMART. “It will put thousands of union workers … and, yes, sheet metal workers, to work across the country,” Harris said.
“[The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law] will put thousands of union workers … and, yes, sheet metal workers, to work across the country,” Harris said.
“President Joe Biden and I are determined to lead the most pro-union administration in America’s history,” she added. “Because you see, we are clear and we know, each and every day in ways big and small, unions change lives. Unions negotiate better wages and safer working conditions for millions of workers around our country.
Pictured left to right are SMART Local 71 members Paul Holland, Nick Hoffman, Anthony Paris, Shilo Rogers, Dan Morino, Jeff Gatti and Ryan Hurley. As part of Local 71’s SMART Army and Apprenticeship Community Service programs, these members participated in a cleanup of Raymond Klimek Veteran’s Park in North Tonawanda, N.Y., a suburb of Buffalo. Spearheaded by Paris, a U.S. Army National Guard veteran, the beautification project took place on May 21–22, one weekend ahead of Memorial Day. Not pictured are Business Manager Paul Crist and Business Agent Timothy Benes, who also participated in the cleanup.