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For graduating high school seniors, conventional knowledge dictates that the most viable career paths require a college degree. But an increasing number of young people are beginning to seek alternatives in the unionized trades – including HVAC technician Tyler Ziztka of SM Local 265 (Northern Illinois). The reasons? Better pay, less student debt, rewarding work and the promise of a career.

In a recent Fortune article, Zitzka explained that he knew union sheet metal was the career for him since high school, when a vocational teacher – now Zitzka’s union sibling – introduced his class to the trade.

“I knew I didn’t have the school-based smarts,” he told Fortune’s Jane Thier. “I wanted to use my hands, get dirty, and be outside. I’m happy to be where I’m at.” 

In her article on Zitzka and the burgeoning percentage of young workers who may be straying from the traditional undergraduate path – the fall 2021 college freshman class was 9.2% smaller than that of fall 2019 – Thier highlighted the many benefits of working in union sheet metal. The wages, for one: as Zitzka told Fortune, he took home $58,000 as an apprentice last year, and once he finishes his apprenticeship, he’ll make between $90,000 and $110,000. He has no student debt; last year, he was able to buy a home.

But it’s not all about compensation. Zitzka told Fortune that his sheet metal work provides a sense of fulfilment that he sees lacking in the office buildings he often services. “I have that feeling of ‘Hey, I did something important, I made someone happy,’” he said in the article.

“We’re the people who make this country move,” he added. “We’re the ones working overnights, early mornings, away from family.”

Zitzka told Fortune that contemporary society’s perception of the trades, especially in relation to higher education, is frustrating. For example, he explained, very few high schools – including his own – promote the trades as either a career path or a way of furthering one’s education, despite the fact that Zitzka’s local union and employer pay for the training and classes that have furthered his knowledge and skill set.

“Going into trades — they don’t accept that as a form of higher ed, even though I’m going through a four-year apprenticeship,” Zitzka recounted to Fortune, noting that the union offers various classes for workers to become certified in new skills and, consequently, more employable in different areas. What that amounts to, he said, is a greater amount of self-worth and opportunity.

“Being in the trades, you value yourself the more you educate yourself … The more I practice, the more I better myself, the more valuable I’m going to be, the more people are going to want me. People will be fighting over me.”

As the country continues to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, during which the tenuous nature of large swaths of contemporary work revealed itself, more people – including those just entering adulthood – are asking where and how they can find a steady, meaningful career. For sheet metal workers like Zitzka, the answer is in the union trades. As he told Fortune, “I get to make a living working in a job you can’t send overseas, and you can’t give away.”

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Last fall, SMART General President Joseph Sellers traveled to UBS Arena, then still in progress, to tour and meet members working on the brand-new, $1.5 billion multipurpose home of the New York Islanders, which opened on November 20, 2021. Watch the video of their trip to see how our entire union – including sheet metal, testing and balancing, sign installation and Transportation Division members – came together to construct UBS Arena, as well as track for a new rail station serving the stadium.

Unique to this project was the presence of SMART members from across our union, including Local 137 sign members who installed the giant center ice board, as well as signage around the arena and in the new train station built to handle swarms of fans from across Long Island and the NY metropolitan area.

SMART-TD members led the way in constructing the Long Island Rail Road track leading to the new station. SMART Local 28 sheet metal workers installed all parts of the HVAC system, including ductwork, rooftop units, fans, fire dampers and smoke purge systems. SMART members also installed architectural features, including roofing and decking, and specialty work such as kitchen equipment, lockers and toilet partitions.

Read more about the project:
Sheet metal and TD members have hands in UBS Arena project

BNSF “Hi-Viz” Attendance Policy and National Rail Contract Negotiations Were Focus of Discussion

For the March 2022 episode of Talking SMART, we sit down with SMART TD President Jeremy Ferguson to talk about a subject that is foremost on the minds of many members. In February 2022, BNSF arbitrarily changed its attendance policy and took advantage of a pro-management judge to force (as of now… this episode was recorded in early March), a draconian “Hi-Viz” attendance policy upon the very members who have kept the company operational through the pandemic – and who earned BNSF record profits in 2021.

President Ferguson also provides an update on contract negotiations with the national rail carriers.  

Jeremy Ferguson

Brother Ferguson, a member of Local 313 in Grand Rapids, Mich., started railroading in 1994 after serving in the United States Army and attending college, beginning as a conductor on CSX at Grand Rapids, before earning a promotion to engineer in 1995. Ferguson was elected local legislative representative in 1995; local chairperson in 1996; and secretary of the CSX/B&O General Committee, GO 049 in Jacksonville, Fla., in 2007. He was elected second vice general chairperson in 2008 and first vice general chairperson in 2011. At the first SMART Transportation Division Convention in 2014, Ferguson was elected to the position of vice president, and at the second convention in August 2019, he became president of the SMART Transportation Division.

In addition, listen for the open mic segment with SMART General President Joseph Sellers at the end of this episode. He responds to a member question about what labor and management are doing to work together in the sheet metal trade and outlines the stakes for the unionized industry.

Return to Talking SMART index page.

Talking SMART is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network — working people’s voices, broadcasting worldwide 24 hours a day.

The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA) applaud the efforts of the Biden Administration as they continue to innovate and press forward to ensure safe and clean air. The air we breathe within our buildings and schools must be safe for the people who live, learn and work in them. This clean air endeavor is of the upmost necessity, and we believe the administration is working to place that importance front and center with their efforts.

SMART and SMACNA have a vested interest in the success of the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge. The training, skills, and certifications our members have in indoor air quality, ventilation and filtration is the cornerstone of our craft. The quality of training and work our members and contractors do are important to us, as is the people who breathe the air that we deliver.

SMART’s partnership with SMACNA has been providing skilled, trained, and certified workers to respond in a timely manner to meet industry demands for more than a century.

SMART, with more than 203,000 members, provides classroom, hands-on, on-the-job and rapid response training to its members through federal and state registered apprenticeships in more than 150 state of the art training centers located throughout the United States and Canada.

SMACNA, representing 3,500 signatory contracting firms with more than 100 chapters throughout the United States, Canada, Australia, and Brazil, employ the SMART member apprentices (in an earn-while-you-learn program) who are mentored by trained, skilled and certified journeypersons.

SMART and SMACNA have witnessed the ups and downs of the HVAC industry in the past. Our membership and contractor base has always adapted to the challenges and grown with the needs of the industry. We feel confident in the ability of SMART, SMACNA and other Contractor Partners to meet and exceed the needs of the work ahead.

The Antelope Valley Transit Authority recently achieved North America’s first fully zero-emission fleet thanks to the work of SMART SM Local 105 members employed at BYD (Build Your Dreams) in Lancaster, CA.

57 of AVTA’s 87 battery electric coaches and buses were built by BYD at its Lancaster Coach & Bus Manufacturing facility. Many BYD employees and their families are served by the agency in the Antelope Valley.

Portions of the fleet were purchased with the help of state funding, including $28.5 million from the California Transit and Intercity Rail Capital Program (TIRCP) administered by Caltrans and the California State Transportation Agency.

Every American-built, zero-emission BYD bus eliminates approximately 1,690 tons of CO2 over its 12-year lifespan, according to the U.S. Transportation Department. This is equivalent to taking 27 cars off the road. Each bus also eliminates 10 tons of nitrogen oxides and 350 pounds of diesel particulate matter, improving air quality in the communities that they serve.

BYD is America’s first battery-electric bus manufacturer that has both a unionized workforce and a Community Benefits Agreement, which sets goals for hiring veterans, single parents, second chance citizens, and others facing hurdles in obtaining manufacturing employment.  According to SMART’s 6th General Vice President and Local 105 Business Manager Luther Medina, “We are proud of our partnership with BYD and the work we have done to ensure the Antelope Valley sets the standard for clean transportation options not only here in California but cross North America.”

Today the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the White House launched its Clean Air in Buildings Challenge to improve indoor air quality in buildings. This is a component of the National COVID-19 Preparedness Plan.

The challenge is a call to action and a set of best practices to assist building owners with reducing risks from airborne viruses and other contaminants indoors. The Clean Air in Buildings Challenge highlights a range of recommendations and resources, with significant input from SMART, for improving ventilation and indoor air quality, especially with the risk of spread of COVID-19.

Key actions outlined in the Clean Air in Buildings Challenge include the creation of a clean indoor air action plan, Optimization of fresh air ventilation, the enhancement of air filtration and cleaning, and community engagement, communication and education around the importance of enhanced air ventilation.

In response, SMART issued the following statement.

“We appreciate the continued efforts of the Biden administration to address indoor air quality to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 and other airborne viruses. Despite its importance, poor ventilation has been a widespread and persistent problem in buildings for decades. Proper ventilation is not only a key to our recovery, but it will also help cut building emissions, lower energy costs, ensure systems are meeting design intent and make buildings safe for occupants. HVAC systems are complicated, but SMART members and our training programs set the standard for the work that is required to ensure buildings are safe and healthy. Recent passage of the American Rescue Plan Act and Bipartisan Infrastructure Legislation will help buildings have the resources they need to improve indoor air quality. Employing a skilled, trained and certified workforce to complete this work, is the surest way to ensure federal dollars are used effectively and efficiently to protect public health.”

This summer, the Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust Inc. (SMOHIT) welcomed Aldo Zambetti as program director.

Zambetti started in sheet metal in 1980 and spent 20 years at the same company where his father worked his entire 36-year career. Of Zambetti’s own 41-year career, he worked in the field for 20 years, 16 of those years as a full-time apprentice instructor and training coordinator for Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 in Philadelphia, his home local.

In 2014, he accepted a position as field staff representative with the International Training Institute (ITI), the educational arm of the unionized sheet metal industry, where he oversaw 35 training centers in the northeast United States. In addition to being the in-house authority on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), he also is an OSHA master trainer.

“My new job is to enhance and maintain programs that SMOHIT offers,” Zambetti said. “I will be focusing on pulling together all the threads of job site safety: the physical safety, illness prevention and mental safety.”

Zambetti began his new job by spending a significant amount of time on SMOHIT’s suicide prevention measures and integrating those efforts into the SMART Member Assistance Program (MAP). He’s also working on the SMOHIT website to make sure necessary resources are readily available to members.

“I thought I really enjoyed my job before,” Zambetti said. “But this new job brought my enjoyment to a whole new level. I really like that now I’m able to help members and their families. It’s just awesome.”

Today the Department of Labor announced a notice of proposed rulemaking updating the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts (DBRA) regulations. In response, SMART issued the following response.

“We welcome the Department of Labor taking steps to update and modernize the DBRA to reflect advancements in construction technology. This is the first time in 40 years the Department of Labor has performed a comprehensive review of these regulations, and it couldn’t come at a more opportune time. As the Biden administration administers the historic bipartisan infrastructure bill, modernization of the DBRA is necessary to help ensure fair wages and protect workers in the construction industry. We look forward to working with the administration to finalize the rule.”

Abbe, a SMART Local 28 sheet metal worker, kicks off the series of Sister Tips for the 2022 Women in Construction Week. In this video she gives a short tip to help with communication skills. Watch for more Sister Tips throughout the week, and don’t forget to join your SMART Sisters for the SMART Women’s Happy Hour this Friday, March 11 at 7pm Eastern. Register here for the event.

Adriana Farren has always been into numbers. She earned a bachelor’s degree in human resources with a minor in finance and worked in the front office of the former Sheet Metal Workers Local 41 in Puerto Rico before moving to Pennsylvania in 2011.

This was the point where her life took a much different turn, and it all started with a job working in the office of Comprehensive Test and Balance in Dover, Pennsylvania.

After two years overseeing Farren working in the office, reading plans, going over forms and entering data, Todd Walter, owner of the company, approached her with a question: would you be interested in becoming an apprentice?

“I said, ‘yes.’ Then, he said, ‘You’ll have great benefits,’ and I said, ‘yes’ twice,” Farren recalled with a laugh. “By looking at the reports, I thought it would be a career I would be interested in.”

Walter saw Farren working on bids and learning the drawings, documentation and paperwork and offered up the change to a career instead of a job. A second-generation sheet metal worker, Walter also took the opportunity to guide Farren through the process and mentor her as others had mentored him.

The first lesson: integrity and honesty are important in testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB), he said.

“No matter what you do, they have to believe what you tell them. Adriana had good personal skills. She had the insight. She is very smart, and she was at the top of her class. She fit the bill,” Walter added. “It’s something my father said a long time ago — you can have a job or you can put your head into it and make it a career.”

The first two years of her apprenticeship at Sheet Metal Workers Local 19, Central Pennsylvania, Farren knew she wanted to do testing, adjusting and balancing. So, at night, she took air and water classes and was certified as a technician in 2015 while she was still an apprentice.

Since her graduation in 2017, Farren has continued to gain certifications. She said testing keeps the skills fresh in her mind. To date, she holds a welding certification in addition to duct leakage testing and high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) testing.

“It’s a continuous learning process. I want to continue learning more about the balancing concept. I like to learn new things every day. I would like to expand my knowledge in different areas related to TAB,” she said. “Having a certification shows people you’re certified in that concept and you know what you’re doing. In order to be a TAB tech, you don’t have to have the certification, but if you do, it proves you know what you’re doing.”

Knowledge, in Farren’s case, was definitely powerful. Although she took English classes on her native island of Puerto Rico, it was her second language. Being the only female balancer at Comprehensive Test and Balance — something Walter would like to see change — has its challenges, but all the challenges she’s faced have been nothing she can’t handle, she said.

“Back when I was in college, I thought I wanted to look after the employees and watch over them from a human resources point of view,” Farren said. “Looking back, 12 years later, that would have been very boring for me. I would have had to be in an office with the same four walls. No offense to the people who do it, but I like the fact I’m always somewhere different and learning something new.”

Walter took a chance asking Farren if she would be interested in a career. Now, as a full-time balancer at Comprehensive Test and Balance, she sees how her love of numbers led her to the career she now has. An interest in math, problem solving and finance isn’t relegated to an office and four walls. Those interests also can lead outside to various Comprehensive Test and Balance locations, continuous learning and a skillset that can last a lifetime.

“If you think you can do it, give it a try,” Farren said. “You don’t lose anything by trying, not just in this career, but anything. Trust your gut feeling. If you think you can do it, you probably can.”