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By now you’ve seen the stickers on flyers and hardhats and in SMOHIT tweets and FB posts. I know because I am getting calls about assistance as well as calls asking what exactly a person can call about.
I’m talking about the SMOHIT helpline. I’m the trained counselor who responds to those calls.
So what exactly happens when you call 877-884-6227, and what sort of things does it cover?
The short answer is this: just about anything that gets in the way of you being your best self.
Below are some issues—not all, since problems can be unique to each person. But I hope it helps you decide whether or not to reach out.
Making that first call
For each call, I primarily will do a phone assessment to see if I can help right in that call, or that you need a referral to someone in your area who you can meet face to face.
Sometimes people just don’t know where to turn, and I may be able to help. When appropriate, I can arrange phone sessions, over time, to help someone through a crisis. Healing takes time, and I am available through that.
Remember, these may not be the only issues, but if you are hurting, suffering, please give it a try and make that first call.

  • Grief, trauma and loss
  • Alcohol and other drug issues
  • Depression, suicidal ideas PTSD
  • Anxiety, fears
  • Family issues: relationship with spouse/partner or others; parenting; aging parents/caregiving fatigue
  • Work Issues: coping with difficult people/bosses; work stress; deciding when to retire
  • Stress related to debt

Dovetails with SMART MAP
The Helpline began in 2017 to respond after the hurricanes, fires, floods and mass shootings that year. SMOHIT expanded its scope to all members and their families in the U.S. and Canada, because anyone in the SMART family might need help with those difficult problems of life.
SMART MAP trains peers to provide information, including sources of treatment. for drug and alcohol abuse and related symptoms. I have had the good fortune to attend some SMART MAP meetings and know that my work dovetails nicely with what the peers are doing.
Together, MAP and the Helpline have you covered. SMART MAP peers are on the ground in the Locals—trained members who are looking out to help those in need—and I am here via the Helpline to fill in any gaps. I also consult with MAP peers when they need some of my expertise.
Remember, no problem is too big or small, so give me a call any time. I’m Daria, at 877-884-6227, 24/7/365.
 

Today, November 30, is the date that was set as the deadline for the Joint Select Committee to agree upon legislation for troubled multi-employer pension plans and the impending insolvency of the PBGC.
Co-Chairmen Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) and Sherrod Brown (D-Ohio) released a statement that said, in part, “While it will not be possible to finalize a bipartisan agreement before November 30, we believe a bipartisan solution is attainable, and we will continue working to reach that solution.”
This means that the disastrous proposal we recently saw will not be moving forward at this time. It doesn’t mean that we should stop what we are doing. Thousands of SMART members answered the call to come together to protect our retirement. We need to ensure that multi-employer defined benefit pension plans that have made difficult decisions in the past to get on the right path aren’t harmed by attempts to help troubled plans. At the same time, we need solutions for those plans and for the PBGC to keep healthy plans on track.
Thank you for all your efforts, when we asked you to mobilize, you answered the call.
Thanks to you, Congress heard the voice of labor through over 40,000 calls, letters and emails from SMART sheet metal members and their Transportation Division brothers and sisters who joined in solidarity.
I encourage you to keep your eye on this issue as Congress continues to work on solutions in the future.
 
Fraternally,
 
Joseph Sellers, Jr
SMART General President

The General President, General Secretary Treasurer, General Executive Council, Staff of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers and the members and officers of SMART affiliates across the U.S. and Canada mourn the death of our esteemed brother and a legendary crusader for working people everywhere, SMART General President Emeritus Joseph J. Nigro.
Joe was a proud member of Local Union 17 in Boston and served as General President from July 2011 until April 1, 2015. In a letter to the locals and membership upon his retirement, he stated, “I have committed my heart and mind to accomplishing the goals we have set, but my health has taken me in a direction I did not anticipate. Unfortunately, I have been unable to recover to a level I expect of myself as your General President—the level of effort the members deserve”. A fitting response from Joe, who always gave the membership 100% of what he believed they deserved.
Nigro was the first General President of SMART and the leader of our more than 200,000 members. At the first SMART Convention Joe, who was very proud of SMART leadership at all levels stated, “we have had some successes and have laid the groundwork for moving forward, I have every confidence we have collectively built a team of International and Local Union leaders who can get the job done for the membership.”
Joe Nigro’s vision, guidance, kindness and sense of humor will live on to inspire not only those whose lives he touched, but also future generations of members who will benefit from his leadership. We will forever miss his friendship and unwavering support.
He will always be remembered as the “Members General President”. A title he richly deserved and cherished.
A viewing is scheduled 2 to 7 p.m. Monday, October 29th, 2018, at Sweeney Funeral Home, 74 Elm St., Quincy, MA 02169. The funeral home can be contacted at (617) 773-2728.
A funeral Mass will be 11 a.m. Tuesday, October 30th, 2018, in Most Holy Sacrament Church (Houghs Neck Section of Quincy), 40 Darrow St. (at Sea Street) in Quincy, MA 02169.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to:
“SMWI Scholarship Foundation/Joey Nigro Jr.”
c/o Christy Foley
1750 New York Avenue N.W. Suite 600
Washington, DC 20006
 
Cards can be sent to Pat Nigro and family at 5296 N. Princewood Drive, Beverly Hills, FL 34465.
Our hearts and prayers go out to Pat, Tina and the entire Nigro family on their irreplaceable loss.
 
 
Joseph Sellers, Jr.                                                               Richard L. McClees
General President                                                               General Secretary-Treasurer
 

The ITI Business Development program  has completed a highly successful pilot program, garnering high praise, strong interest, and—as pilot programs are intended to do—important enhancements to the ongoing curriculum.
The post-pilot courses include a Phase-Three collaboration with the Small Business Administration (SBA) and a Phase-Two module on the many advantages of a diverse workforce.
The ITI Business Development program was created to educate members on the financial, human resources and general operation of a business in three phases—including distance learning; hands-on and face-to-face training; and business planning—all meant to answer one question: Do you want to start a business?
The new elements bring the content even closer to the real-world opportunities—and decisions—that are part of starting a Sheet Metal business.
SBA can assist with process of applying for funding
The central issues for any business, new or established, are financial, and the new-business expertise of the SBA offers updated information on taxes, regulations and business practices important for first-time business owners.
Students come out of phase two with ITI and SMART ready to take on the effort of planning to start an actual business, which is Phase Three. They can freely choose to hold off or to move ahead.
For those who do move forward with the course, Phase Three has now been modified to allow a chance to learn, from the experts of SBA, how to create a business plan. They also can call on SBA expertise if they wish to apply for funding.
“To get more current information, those who do want to continue will have the opportunity to create an account with the SBA and complete modules to help them develop their business plans,” said Aldo Zambetti, ITI field staff and facilitator of ITI Business Development.
“What’s more, there is no timeline on that. This is when they’re going to make the ultimate decision whether or not to go into business. They’re going to continue their fate from there.”
BA can assist with process of applying for funding
Another key enhancement comes during the second phase, attended by all students before to deciding whether to continue or hold off on starting a business at that moment.
In Phase Two, which takes place at Local 33 near Cleveland, students from across the country meet to learn about legal, insurance, finance, labor and sales, as well as to seek advice, gather information and ask questions.
New to this phase is Chris Carlough, SMART director of education, leading the SMART Diversity program, which educates future contractors on equal opportunity and the benefits of a diverse workplace.
“If they’re going to be employers, they need to know this. I think it’s a great match,” Zambetti said. “We added this part to the business program, so we can get these men and women thinking about going into business with full awareness of their responsibilities as contractors.”
 

by Bill Salvatore
Local 28 SMART MAP Director
 
At a park in Flushing, N.Y., Local 28 took a swing at striking out addiction by hosting a softball tournament highlighting the issue.
The opioid epidemic has been declared a national health crisis, with Hydrocodone, Oxycontin, Vicodin and Fentanyl starting as pain medication that can progress to addiction. Opioid overdoses have passed auto accidents as the #1 cause of accidental death in the U.S.
SMART has not escaped the crisis that’s affecting our members, and their sons, daughters, spouses, neighbors and co-workers. In response, the International has enhanced SMART MAP peer assistance and SMOHIT’s permanent, professionally staffed hotline (see facing page).
Locals are also battling the issue, and, as one member put it, “When something needs to be done, Local 28 steps into the batter’s box.”
Local 28, Philadelphia SM Local 19—with its own strong apprentice awareness program—and eight other N.Y. building trade unions fielded teams for this vital cause.
All proceeds ere directly donated to The Villa Veritas Foundation, which has provided drug and alcohol addiction treatment for communities, union members and first responders for more than 45 years.
Participating providers Seafield, Long Island Center for Recovery, Bridge Back to Life and Geisinger Marworth were also there, handing out literature and assuring members and families that help is available.
Families In Support of Treatment and Narcotics Anonymous brought their common message, “you’re not alone.” City Councilman Roy Lanceman stopped by to lend support.
This was the first such N.Y. event with Union members, their families and treatment providers all getting together under one umbrella.
The purpose was serious; so was the tournament. Even a 90-minute rain delay didn’t dampen spirits. In the semi-finals, SM Local 19 beat SM Local 28 and Local 3 Electricians took a close game from Local 638 Steam Fitters. Local 3 Electricians edged Local 19 for the crown. Local 28 said, “We’ll get ‘em next year.“
 
 

Military veterans who have honorably transitioned into civilian life often don’t know what their next steps will be. Instead of doing a job to get by, a boot camp to introduce veterans to a career as a sheet metal worker is offered by the Southern California Sheet Metal JATC and SMART Sheet Metal Workers Local 105. The local covers Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside and San Bernadino counties.
High mechanical aptitude, spatial relations, problem solving, and work ethic are often skills members of the military already possess and the basis of the pre-apprenticeship program, said Steve Hinson, business representative for Local 105.
“They’re focused,” said Hinson, a Marine Corps veteran, “They understand about getting the task done. They understand protocol and process.”
Local 105 enlisted Helmets to Hardhats to help connect them with the local, national and international military community.
“I had one veteran emailing me from Japan before he was discharged,” Hinson said. “The transition was three months for him, from serving our country to becoming a sheet metal worker.”
The boot camp is scheduled twice a year (March and October) with the next class beginning Oct. 1. For two nights a week over five weeks, pre-apprentices not only learn about a career in sheet metal, they are trained in OSHA 10, which includes CPR and first aid training; introduction to drafting, layout, shop fabrication, welding and introduction to architectural sheet metal; and interview preparation. The training center staff and instructors conduct the training using a curriculum outline.
Out of the nine recent graduates of the program, two have passed the entrance exam and interview process and have become apprentices while four are awaiting interviews. While they await their exam and interviews, they can work as pre-apprentices will local contractors, who attend the graduation.
“The last graduation turned into a draft like you’d see for a professional sports team,” Hinson said. “They were all hired that night.”
Once veterans are hired as pre-apprentices, they will receive a $150 union boot voucher; two months of union dues and initiation fees; and a tool kit consisting of pouches, setting hammer, lefts and rights snips, bulldog snips screwdriver, vice grips, side cutters, tape measure and tool bag, funded by the Local’s Labor Management Corporation Trust.
The pre-apprenticeship boot camp was originally conceived through a partnership with the Los Angeles Federation of Labor, which teamed up with local veterans’ organizations in 2015. The program was revamped to better fit the needs of the industry and the veterans and relaunched in January.
Of the approximately 13,000 apprentices currently enrolled in more than 150 training centers across the United States, 11 percent are military veterans, according to the International Training Institute (ITI), the education arm of the unionized sheet metal, air conditioning and welding industry.
“The ITI [International Training Institute] is proud to provide training curriculum not only to apprentices across the country, but to our nation’s military veterans,” said James Page, administrator for the ITI. “Some of our best apprentices have been military vets, and we are proud to welcome more veterans into our brother and sisterhood.”

Voting is one of the most important things we can do to effect change in our local communities and now, more than ever, we must hold our elected leaders accountable. As you may know, SMART has a special stake in our local communities. It’s where decisions are made on transit funding, whether new projects will be approved, whether PLAs will apply to those projects and what wage rates will be set at for our industry via Davis Bacon.
Unfortunately, millions of our neighbors aren’t registered to vote.
Are you one of them?
Voter registration is easy and takes just a few minutes.  Register to vote at www.SMARTVote2018.org where we have made it as easy as possible to update your voter registration and check on your status.
We also hope you’ll tell your friends and family about our union’s online voter registration tool. In order to hit as many households as we can, we’re asking you to forward this email to 5 friends who might need to register or re-register — and ask them to join you in using #NationalVoterRegistrationDay on September 25 throughout social media.
Remember, the more of us who vote in our local communities, the stronger our union be will and the more resources we will have to maintain workplace, wage and living standards for all of us. Thanks for taking a few moments to strengthen your community – and our country – with your voice.
 

At the recently held Canadian Roofing Contest, held in Victoria B.C. July 7th & 8th, apprentices got the opportunity to get some hands-on training on the new Soprema SBS cold application systems.  Thanks to Bill Bowers of Convoy supply, who arrange for Soprema Technician, Bogdan Kurowski to be available, and supplied the space, materials and mock -up, the apprentice spent an afternoon learning about this new system
Bogdan demonstrated the installation of Sopra board onto the plywood deck of the mock-up and proper use of Elastocol primer to adhere Sopralene stick 40 base sheet. The apprentices had a chance to use the product including the use of a hot air welder to weld the seams.
With the base sheet and stripping complete, Bogdan demonstrated the proper procedure for adhering the cap sheet, Sopralene stick Hr Gr again using the Elastocol primer.  Detailing of the Cap Sheet at the laps requires special attention and the use of Soprema’s  Comply trowel grade adhesive  and also welding of the seams. 
After Bogdan’s demonstration the apprentices took turn doing the lap details.  When the mock up was complete Bogdan took time to explain other specific details of the system such as adding a vent or curb to an existing roof with this product.
 
 
 
 
Appreentice take turns working with cap sheet untill mock up is completed