The Benchmark building information modeling (BIM) training software has become a feather in the cap of unionized sheet metal education. Members can be trained and certified on the system, a three-dimensional collaborative drafting program that allows skilled union workers to design heating and air conditioning systems, and take the technology with them to their contractor for continual on-the-job use. Benchmark contains a number of modules, including detailing, estimation, fabrication, field installation, land-based positioning, project management, administration and fitting input.
With approximately 160 training centers across the country, many in rural areas, workers can’t always make it to one of 39 training centers accredited to train and certify in BIM. Therefore, the International Training Institute for the unionized sheet metal industry (ITI) also offers online training, on-site contractor training for small and large companies and hosts academy classes for large numbers of students at training centers nationwide.
“They see Benchmark and they see savings,” said Ron McGuire, BIM program coordinator for the ITI. “For the big contractors, it’s a great opportunity. It’s also great for a small contractor because they can’t afford to spend $10,000 to $20,000 on software to be competitive on BIM.”
Apollo Mechanical, a $200 million annual contractor in Kennewick, Wash., saw an opportunity with Benchmark to get software, training and support for little monetary investment.
“We’ve always been detailers, but you’re always looking for that product to take it to the next level. Benchmark came along, and it was practical. We could put our union detailers to work. It was economical,” said Michael Daniel, CAD manager at Apollo Mechanical. Although it didn’t cost tangible dollars to have their employees trained, Apollo Mechanical invested 40 hours per employee to take the certification class. “If your department is set up to do BIM and detailing, you’re set up to run the program. But you have to invest in your people.”
As McGuire said, Benchmark software can benefit smaller companies as well. AIRmasters in Springfield, Ill. added a construction division to the 20-year-old heating, cooling, refrigeration and sheet metal company in 2012. The company started its detailing department last summer. Currently, Donny Kerber, HVAC project manager and estimator, is the only employee using Benchmark.
For a smaller company, having Benchmark available to them opens doors. The company can bid on retrofit projects and negotiate work they couldn’t before, as well as complete projects for existing service clients instead of referring customers to other contractors.
“If they have an outdated system and they need a new system, we can do it all in-house now,” Kerber said.
No matter the size of the company, Benchmark helps save time. Three-dimensional BIM software allows draftsmen more control over a project. Additional visibility, as well as the ability to make easier changes to existing designs, allows every detail to be in view as if the designer were standing in front of a finished product. The software allows the trial and error in a project to be reduced to very little, if any.
“Without any software like this, you’re sending a guy into the field to measure everything,” Kerber said. “With this, I have a three-dimensional drawing to work off of. It cuts many steps out of the process. It frees us up to do larger jobs.”
Kerber and Daniel agree Benchmark’s support staff is a great value. No matter the question or problem, the staff is there to guide them.
“A lot of the support staff with Benchmark have come up through the construction industry and know the type of things we go up against,” Daniel said. “In all, you really have to do what makes sense for your business, for your company. Commercial companies want to sell software. They say they’re going to do all these things, but when you get it, it doesn’t do what it said it would. Benchmark delivered on what it said it would. I’ve been doing this too long. I wouldn’t use something that didn’t deliver what it says.”More than 15,000 apprentices are registered at training facilities in the United States and Canada. The ITI is jointly sponsored by SMART, the International Association of Sheet Metal Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (formerly the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association) and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA).
Author: paul
Story provided by Steve Cooper at We Party Patriots
Addressing a crowd already energized from powerful speeches by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and American Federation of Teachers (AFT) President Randi Weingarten, surprise speaker Bill Clinton made clear his position on job-creation and economic growth at the Building and Construction Trades Department (BCTD) National Conference on Monday: “Investment, not financial transactions.”
The 42nd president repeatedly assured the crowd of nearly 2,500 that, “We’ve just begun to scratch the surface,” in terms of investment and infrastructure opportunities in the United States. Clinton, whose appearance was entirely unannounced but made perfect sense given the involvement of both BCTD and AFT in the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), cited painting Harlem roofs white as a bare bones example of energy-efficiency’s ability to create jobs. It put people to work without even beginning to harness the endless possibilities of the sophistocated upgrades and construction practices of the future, Clinton said.
But the undeniable charm of Clinton’s overall message was less technical than it was inspiring and, frankly, fed up. He admitted that the United States has one of the highest corporate tax rates in the world, but suggested that countless loopholes and a general culture of greed make this fact more or less moot. He hammered offshoring of profits, saying over one trillion dollars are overseas that should be brought home. How this money is returned to U.S. shores, however, is as important to Clinton as whether or not is happens. Again, he stressed the importance of putting this money to work, highlighting infrastructure banks. “It’s the proper way to invest in our economy because it works,” he said behind his now-trademark demi-specs. “These types of investments are a better job growth strategy than financial transactions.”
Clinton derided the current recovery, saying, “We are hiring people at only half the rate of other post-recession recovery periods.” With 100 years of practices since similar economic collapses, Clinton suggested there is no excuse for this rate of change. For the most part, he placed blame on economic policies championed by multi-national corporate interests and misconceptions about the value of a hard day’s work.
This was pitted against labor’s more pro-active efforts, especially workforce development. “Your apprenticeship training is astonishing,” Clinton said, eliciting massive applause. Earlier in the morning, BCTD President Sean McGarvey reminded the construction worker gathering that together their unions, members and partners were investing $1 billion dollars annually in apprenticeship. “The thing I like about the labor movement,” Clinton said, “we want everybody to get rich, we just want them to get rich by putting them to work.”
Never before has the Northern California Sheet Metal Workers’ Local Union No. 104 seen such a vast mobilization of members as it did on Saturday, March 1st in Livermore, California. The 2014 Campaign for Jobs Conference hosted over 500 dedicated members who are willing to fight to secure future hours for their Local Union.
The theme of the Conference was Sheet Metal Warriors: Fighting to Build a Sustainable Future because as Local 104 Apprentice Tony Lam put it, “We are not just Sheet Metal Workers, we are SHEET METAL WARRIORS.” Tony and many others including California Governor Jerry Brown, California State Building Trades President Robbie Hunter, former California Secretary Treasurer Phil Angelides, and Local 104 Business Manager Bruce Word stressed the need for the Campaign for Jobs in the upcoming election year and how crucial it is to actively participate in our communities in order to protect future work and middle class jobs throughout the state.
The 2014 Campaign for Jobs plans on having over 800 members participate in actions ranging from phone banking and precinct walking during the election to attending City Council and planning meetings to let their own communities know that the Sheet Metal Warriors are here to defend Middle Class Jobs!
A video utilizing stop-motion animation by Evan Orlando, a sheet metal apprentice at Local 16 in Portland, Oregon. According to John Candioti, Local 16 Business Manager, “the video helps explain layout so much that the School Boards we invite to our Training Center for tours get it when they see the video instead of us trying to explain the process to them.” Click here or on the image to view the video.
In another example of the “war on workers,” Tennessee Representative Jeremy Durham (R-Franklin) introduces a bill denying the First Amendment right to free speech pertaining to a citizen’s right to picket. He makes it very clear his real reason for wanting to pass this bill when he quotes an article stating “Tennessee unions quietly added 31,000 members in 2013, representing the largest percentage increase in union membership in the country. I just feel like if that’s such a growing part of our economy that we need to take some preemptive measures.”
One of the smartest ways to improve America’s reliance on foreign sources of energy and protect the environment is through energy efficiency. Learn how SMART is on the cutting edge of new improvements in energy efficiency by viewing this video produced by our friends at the Blue Green Alliance.
In this video, SMART’s 3rd General Vice President David Zimmermann, talks about how SMART members are leading the way in developing news ways of tackling energy efficiency by repairing America’s buildings. That is why the new Local 36 building and training facility in St. Louis is a LEED Platinum building.
INTRODUCING THE UNION MEMBER ASSISTANCE COORDINATOR (UMAC) PROGRAM
On November 10, 2013, union representatives from twelve SMART local unions from around the country gathered together in Philadelphia, PA, to take part in a week-long training program. The training kicked off a pilot program designed to help union members and their families who are experiencing various forms of personal crisis. Once in place, the Union Member Assistance Coordinator, or UMAC, program will form a network of compassionate, respected, and competently trained union representatives who work together to assist our members and their families find assistance for struggles with depression, substance abuse and other mental health related issues.Union representatives assist members daily with issues such as travel pay or jurisdictional assignments, but these are relatively minor concerns when compared with a union member in personal crisis. The current recession that SMART members have been clawing out of has left an indelible mark on many of our members, and we thought: “Couldn’t we be doing more?”Many SMART local unions have contracted with third party Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), which provide necessary professional help, but we needed to do more than just pass along an 800 number.
SMART Director of Education Chris Carlough put together a training program that was originally developed by Bobby Bonds, a specialist in the mental health profession from IQOL, LLC Consultants Philadelphia. Nationally recognized as a leader in crisis intervention, Bobby Bonds has trained more than 25,000 lay-professionals, volunteers, and mental health professionals in the United States and Europe to deal with workplace and family crisis interventions. “Bobby’s association with the transportation industry and the transportation trade unions spans a period of over 25 years. The majority of those years, Bobby has dedicated his career to developing and administering helping programs dealing with all aspects of members’ and their family’s well-being,” Carlough stated.
SMART predecessor organizations SMWIA and UTU have an impressive history with peer and member assistance programs. Today’s Union Member Assistance Coordinator program offers assistance and support for every facet of crisis that our members face, living the true meaning of “union family.” The coordinators in the UMAC program have close ties to members on and off the job. They see attitudes and behaviors as they develop and are therefore in a better position to detect a problem and take early action. As business agents, they have already earned the respect and trust of members and the union leadership. Their credibility, mixed with compassion and a deep understanding of a member’s situation, makes for a powerful combination that cannot be offered by any other professional.
The core components that comprise UMAC training are: Confidentiality, Communication, Interpersonal Skills, Introspection of Oneself, Assessment of Crisis, Ethical Responsibility, Relapse and Follow-up, and Navigating through Health Care Plans.
The UMAC education program includes both theoretical knowledge and practice of basic skills necessary for crisis interventions. There are three distinct areas UMACs will play a vital role at SMART:
• Early Intervention—The UMAC recognizes the signs and symptoms of a variety of substance abuse and mental health problems. The UMAC will offer “emotional first aid” and develop a proactive intervention to help members deal with the problem. UMACs are always searching for ways to help the member find the best solution. The UMACs remain visible and accessible, and will demonstrate their concern around quality of life issues when a member or a member’s family is experiencing a crisis. The UMAC tries to help the local by helping the member identify a problem before it reaches a serious “crisis stage,” decreasing the hardship, complexity and consequences associated with problems left unchecked. By advocating earlier for the member, the UMAC helps avoid employer discipline, family complications, and disassociation with other members in the local.
• Understanding Member Benefit Plans—UMACs will be able to identify appropriate effective resources and direct members to help within the member’s eligible health plan. UMACs will network and have the ability to augment a member’s mental health plan with other supporting social services when necessary. Today’s mental health benefit plans are confusing and often prove difficult to navigate. Finding the appropriate treatment provider can become frustrating and exacerbates an already difficult situation. Many health plans have restrictions and only offer access to limited in-network providers. By understanding these constraints, UMACs will help the member search for all available resources and determine the best option for their specific needs.
• Follow-up—UMACs will be able to support the member when returning back to work and to assist in coordinating the member’s continuing care plan for a successful continuation of their recovery. Once a member completes their initial treatment, their re-integration back into their home and work life can offer some steep obstacles. The therapeutic value of one union member understanding and helping another union member is without parallel. This important support is often times the difference between a successful recovery and relapse. The UMAC can direct members to additional resources and provide them with the positive support and reinforcement every member needs in the early stages of ongoing recovery.
Core Skill Sets for a UMAC
• High credibility within the local
• Strong interpersonal and attentive listening skills
• Natural desire to help others
• Preferred elected union officer or agent
• Willingness to learn and availability of time
Program Goals
• Create direct access to union resources. “Promoted by members for members.”
• Establish a trusted gatekeeper for information/support and resources. “People don’t care what you know, until they know that you care.”
• Provide confidential nonjudgmental union services to members. “Members who judge don’t matter, and members who matter don’t judge.”
• Heighten awareness and attention to health issues.
• Increase efficient utilization of eligible contracted benefit plans.
• Enhance the quality of life for SMART members.
UMAC Objectives
• Reduce relapse occurrences through case management, personal care, and follow-up.
• Provide broader access to member benefit plans through established relationships and trust.
• Inspire, incentivize, and motivate the member into positive lifestyle changes.
• Reduce the risk of a troubled member negatively impacting the workplace or home by creating a culture of positive and constructive intervention.
Every day we are working to make life more prosperous for our members. To know that we will also be there when our members are experiencing personal difficulties is comforting and very much appreciated. I applaud our business agents’ willingness to build for our organization this network of helpers. Their work will enhance our solidarity as a union and reflect our purpose as a caring organization in the truest spirit of unionism. The main reason most people seek help from a professional is not because they have a “problem” that has become insurmountable, but because the social supports in their social circles are no longer accessible or willing to provide the needed assistance.
CRISIS INTERVENTION IS NOT PSYCHOTHERAPY:
An important element in crisis intervention is remembering that crisis intervention is NOT psychotherapy. While it certainly contains psychotherapeutic elements, it is not therapy as practiced by licensed mental health clinicians. It may be thought of as a form of emotional first-aid. Thus, as physical first-aid is to the practice of medicine, crisis intervention is to the practice of psychotherapy.
“Just trying to get caught up after that intense week of training. It was a little overwhelming at times but worth every minute. I learned a lot and will be a better brother and agent because of it.„
Bob Greiner, Local 12 Business Representative
“I think the UMAC program is very good and all business agents should take the training.„
John Chase, Local 10 Business Representative
“The best potential benefit of the UMAC program is instructing the union leadership in how to get better at getting our members to take advantage of the resources that are already available.„
Buck Paulsrud, Local 10 Metro Apprentice Coordinator “The UMAC program will help us help our members through difficult times. Agents are, a lot of times, the first and last lines of defense in helping out our members.„
Dave Holzer, Local 10 Business Representative
“The notion of union brotherhood implies a sense of family. A sense of family implies a group of people who watch out for and help each other. That is what the UMAC program is all about.”
SMART Director of Education Chris Carlough put together a training program that was originally developed by Bobby Bonds, a specialist in the mental health profession from IQOL, LLC Consultants Philadelphia. Nationally recognized as a leader in crisis intervention, Bobby Bonds has trained more than 25,000 lay-professionals, volunteers, and mental health professionals in the United States and Europe to deal with workplace and family crisis interventions. “Bobby’s association with the transportation industry and the transportation trade unions spans a period of over 25 years. The majority of those years, Bobby has dedicated his career to developing and administering helping programs dealing with all aspects of members’ and their family’s well-being,” Carlough stated.
SMART predecessor organizations SMWIA and UTU have an impressive history with peer and member assistance programs. Today’s Union Member Assistance Coordinator program offers assistance and support for every facet of crisis that our members face, living the true meaning of “union family.” The coordinators in the UMAC program have close ties to members on and off the job. They see attitudes and behaviors as they develop and are therefore in a better position to detect a problem and take early action. As business agents, they have already earned the respect and trust of members and the union leadership. Their credibility, mixed with compassion and a deep understanding of a member’s situation, makes for a powerful combination that cannot be offered by any other professional.
The core components that comprise UMAC training are: Confidentiality, Communication, Interpersonal Skills, Introspection of Oneself, Assessment of Crisis, Ethical Responsibility, Relapse and Follow-up, and Navigating through Health Care Plans.
The UMAC education program includes both theoretical knowledge and practice of basic skills necessary for crisis interventions. There are three distinct areas UMACs will play a vital role at SMART:
• Early Intervention—The UMAC recognizes the signs and symptoms of a variety of substance abuse and mental health problems. The UMAC will offer “emotional first aid” and develop a proactive intervention to help members deal with the problem. UMACs are always searching for ways to help the member find the best solution. The UMACs remain visible and accessible, and will demonstrate their concern around quality of life issues when a member or a member’s family is experiencing a crisis. The UMAC tries to help the local by helping the member identify a problem before it reaches a serious “crisis stage,” decreasing the hardship, complexity and consequences associated with problems left unchecked. By advocating earlier for the member, the UMAC helps avoid employer discipline, family complications, and disassociation with other members in the local.
• Understanding Member Benefit Plans—UMACs will be able to identify appropriate effective resources and direct members to help within the member’s eligible health plan. UMACs will network and have the ability to augment a member’s mental health plan with other supporting social services when necessary. Today’s mental health benefit plans are confusing and often prove difficult to navigate. Finding the appropriate treatment provider can become frustrating and exacerbates an already difficult situation. Many health plans have restrictions and only offer access to limited in-network providers. By understanding these constraints, UMACs will help the member search for all available resources and determine the best option for their specific needs.
• Follow-up—UMACs will be able to support the member when returning back to work and to assist in coordinating the member’s continuing care plan for a successful continuation of their recovery. Once a member completes their initial treatment, their re-integration back into their home and work life can offer some steep obstacles. The therapeutic value of one union member understanding and helping another union member is without parallel. This important support is often times the difference between a successful recovery and relapse. The UMAC can direct members to additional resources and provide them with the positive support and reinforcement every member needs in the early stages of ongoing recovery.
Core Skill Sets for a UMAC
• High credibility within the local
• Strong interpersonal and attentive listening skills
• Natural desire to help others
• Preferred elected union officer or agent
• Willingness to learn and availability of time
Program Goals
• Create direct access to union resources. “Promoted by members for members.”
• Establish a trusted gatekeeper for information/support and resources. “People don’t care what you know, until they know that you care.”
• Provide confidential nonjudgmental union services to members. “Members who judge don’t matter, and members who matter don’t judge.”
• Heighten awareness and attention to health issues.
• Increase efficient utilization of eligible contracted benefit plans.
• Enhance the quality of life for SMART members.
UMAC Objectives
• Reduce relapse occurrences through case management, personal care, and follow-up.
• Provide broader access to member benefit plans through established relationships and trust.
• Inspire, incentivize, and motivate the member into positive lifestyle changes.
• Reduce the risk of a troubled member negatively impacting the workplace or home by creating a culture of positive and constructive intervention.
Every day we are working to make life more prosperous for our members. To know that we will also be there when our members are experiencing personal difficulties is comforting and very much appreciated. I applaud our business agents’ willingness to build for our organization this network of helpers. Their work will enhance our solidarity as a union and reflect our purpose as a caring organization in the truest spirit of unionism. The main reason most people seek help from a professional is not because they have a “problem” that has become insurmountable, but because the social supports in their social circles are no longer accessible or willing to provide the needed assistance.
CRISIS INTERVENTION IS NOT PSYCHOTHERAPY:
An important element in crisis intervention is remembering that crisis intervention is NOT psychotherapy. While it certainly contains psychotherapeutic elements, it is not therapy as practiced by licensed mental health clinicians. It may be thought of as a form of emotional first-aid. Thus, as physical first-aid is to the practice of medicine, crisis intervention is to the practice of psychotherapy.
“Just trying to get caught up after that intense week of training. It was a little overwhelming at times but worth every minute. I learned a lot and will be a better brother and agent because of it.„
Bob Greiner, Local 12 Business Representative
“I think the UMAC program is very good and all business agents should take the training.„
John Chase, Local 10 Business Representative
“The best potential benefit of the UMAC program is instructing the union leadership in how to get better at getting our members to take advantage of the resources that are already available.„
Buck Paulsrud, Local 10 Metro Apprentice Coordinator “The UMAC program will help us help our members through difficult times. Agents are, a lot of times, the first and last lines of defense in helping out our members.„
Dave Holzer, Local 10 Business Representative
“The notion of union brotherhood implies a sense of family. A sense of family implies a group of people who watch out for and help each other. That is what the UMAC program is all about.”
The SMART Convention will be held Monday, August 11th through Friday, August 15th, 2014 at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada. We have negotiated a convention hotel room rate of $159.00 per night plus tax. Please mark your calendars.
Each year, tens of thousands of American workers are made sick or die from occupational exposures to hazardous chemicals. While many chemicals are suspected of being harmful, OSHA’s exposure standards are out-of-date and inadequately protective for the small number of chemicals that are regulated in the workplace. To help keep workers safe, OSHA has launched two new Web resources.
The first resource is a step-by-step toolkit to identify safer chemicals that can be used in place of more hazardous ones. The Transitioning to Safer Chemicals Toolkit (https://www.osha.gov/dsg/safer_chemicals/index.html) provides employers and workers with information, methods, tools, and guidance on using informed substitution in the workplace.
OSHA has also created another new Web resource: the Annotated Permissible Exposure Limits (https://www.osha.gov/dsg/annotated-pels/index.html), which will enable employers to voluntarily adopt newer, more protective workplace exposure limits. Since OSHA’s adoption of the majority of its PELs more than 40 years ago, new scientific data, industrial experience, and developments in technology clearly indicate that in many instances these mandatory limits are not sufficiently protective of workers’ health.
“From steel mills to hospitals, from construction sites to nail salons, hazardous chemical exposure is a serious concern for countless employers and workers in many, many industries, in every part of this nation,” said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. “With these new resources, OSHA is making sure that all business owners have access to information on safer exposure limits and safer alternatives to help protect their workers and their bottom lines.”
On September 11, the Carol Stream, IL, Fire Department marked the opening of its new 9/11 Memorial & Museum with a memorial ceremony. The Local 265 Labor Management Cooperative Committee (John Boske) partnered with Gengler Lowney Laser Works (Jack Gengler), a signatory contractor with Local 265, to contribute the two stainless steel plaques embedded in the floor of the museum. Gary Rasmussen, the local fire inspector, got the idea when he was doing a yearly inspection at Local 265 and saw a stainless steel plaque on the wall that Gengler Lowney Laser Works had also done.