The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) added the Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau (TABB) as a third certification body for certifying personnel and contractors who perform testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB) on heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC); water balancing; and sound and vibration equipment testing. The addition was effective Nov. 1.
With endorsements and acceptance/inclusion from the VA, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA), and construction companies nationwide, TABB is the professional’s choice for the testing, adjusting and balancing of HVAC systems.
The decision was based, in part, on a white paper released in 2020 by the University of California, Davis Western Cooling Efficiency Center (WCEC), “Testing, Adjusting and Balancing HVAC Systems: An Overview of Certification Agencies,” which examined the benefits of using certified contractors and favorably positioned TABB as the first and only personnel-certifying body accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) in this field. The paper also stated TABB conforms to ISO/IEC 17024, an internationally recognized standard for personnel certification bodies.
TABB has developed certifications to serve as verification that technicians and supervisors have the knowledge and experience needed to complete the job tasks at hand. A well-balanced HVAC system isn’t just efficient, it’s also safer due to enhanced ventilation rates and overall indoor air quality.
“Certification provides assurance to building owners that a particular contractor will meet a specified level of quality,” as stated in the white paper. “The need for highly skilled technicians has increased with the complexity of HVAC systems.”
In addition to the endorsement, TABB’s relationship with SMACNA ensures personnel will be trained and certified, as well as have access to technical publications and complete continuing education requirements to maintain expert status.
The Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau (TABB) is the first program to gain ANSI accreditation for certification in the testing, adjusting and balancing industry. Certification is a statement that the technician, supervisor and contractor demonstrate the highest level of professional expertise.
On Sept. 9, SMART General President Joseph Sellers and a delegation of union officials including SM Local 28 (NYC & Long Island- BT) Business Manager Eric Meslin, Business Manager Dante Dano from Local 137 (NYC Sign) and Alt. Vice President/General Chairperson Anthony Simon from SMART TD GCA-505 (LIRR) traveled to the UBS Arena project to tour and meet members working on that project.
UBS Arena is a $1.5 billion multipurpose arena under construction in Elmont, N.Y., next to the historic Belmont Park racetrack. Thanks to the work of SMART members from SM Local 28 (Building Trades, NYC & Long Island ), SM Local 137 (Sign) in NYC and TD members affiliated with GCA-505 (Long Island), the arena is set to open this November. The groundbreaking for the arena was held Sept. 23, 2019, and was attended by the governor of New York along with NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman and officials, alumni and current players from the NY Islanders, who will call the arena their home.
Unique to this project is the presence of SMART members from across the union, including Local 137 sign members who installed the giant center ice board as well as signage across the arena and in the train station newly built to handle the swarm of fans from across Long Island and the NY metropolitan area.
Much as the COVID-19 pandemic impacted work and events across the world, this arena project was no different. On March 27, 2020, construction was paused due to a state order to stop non-essential construction work until April 21. That pause was further extended several times to May 27, 2020, when construction was finally able to resume. Unique to this project is the presence of SMART members from across the union, including Local 137 sign members who installed the giant center ice board as well as signage across the arena and in the train station newly built to handle the swarm 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 were instrumental in seeing various critical pieces come together across the facility, installing all parts of the HVAC system, including ductwork, 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. Beneath the brick façade of the building is one of the most ultramodern spectator venues in the world, with large air shafts designed to safely handle the indoor air and lines of sight that allow even fans at the highest levels to feel close to the on-ice action. The concourses at the spacious arena are twice the size of those at the old Nassau Coliseum, whose dimensions this new arena replicates to preserve the feel of the old facility. The Islanders played in the previous arena from 1972 to their elimination during last year’s Stanley Cup playoffs. The Islanders’ dressing room area, built in large part by Local 28 building trades and Local 137 sign members, is a replica of the facilities at their training site, at the request of the team. In keeping with new innovations started by other franchises in places like Foxboro, Mass., where entire sports villages were built around stadium complexes, the Islanders plan on turning the arena into a destination where fans can not only go to cheer on their local team, but also to eat, shop and find multiple sources of entertainment. Adjacent to the arena is the first new train stop built for the Long Island RailRoad in over 50 years, thanks to the work of SMART-TD members. The new train station will be located between the Queens Village and Bellerose stations on the LIRR’s main line, straddling the Cross Island Parkway. Electric shuttle buses will serve LIRR riders traveling to games, as well as to the Belmont Park grandstand and retail village planned for the area surrounding the arena complex. The new full-time station will relieve pressure on the existing Belmont spur station during major events like the Belmont Stakes and Islander regular-season games. In addition to providing regular service to and from the new arena and surrounding sites, the station will also serve as a commuter hub for area residents, meeting the urgent need of taking cars off the road during intense periods of rushhour travel. The parking lot north of the Belmont racetrack, which has 2,860 spaces, will be shared by commuters and arena patrons. . Building the new station required upgrades to the existing LIRR Belmont spur, including the installation of automated track switches. These upgrades will allow trains leaving the spur after an event to serve stations both east and west of Belmont – providing another post-event public transit option for attendees and facilitating the efficient flow of attendees to and from events. Road conductors are providing all of the roadway worker protection for the third-party contractors being used to support the project. SMART-TD track workers from Local 29 are providing all of the switch and track work to support the infrastructure around the new station, as well as the interlockings that will manipulate trains to the location. Once the project is complete, train crews and maintenance of equipment members will run and support service operations at the station.
SMART-TD track workers from Local 29 are providing all of the switch and track work to support the infrastructure around the new station.
Currently, 60 SMART Local 28 sheet metal workers are employed at the location. This includes members working at Triple S Air Systems and Eastern Metal Works performing HVAC work around the facility, including work on ducts, units, fans, fire dampers and smoke purge systems. Architectural work onsite was performed by Local 28 members working for JC Steel Corp, L Martone and Sons and Metropolitan Roof Systems. The work includes decking, metal roofing, and coping. Specialty work onsite is performed by Donco Inc., Cross Country Kitchens and A.LISS & Company. This work includes installation of toilet partitions, lockers, walk-in boxes, kitchen hoods and kitchen equipment. Testing and balancing onsite is currently being performed by All City Testing & Balancing. All of the above contractors are signatory to Local 28. SMART Local 137 sheet metal workers fabricated and installed the massive jumbotron hoisted above center ice, thanks to members employed at Northshore Neon who also installed the center hung led display, sign letters as well the LED ribbons. The LED ribbons surrounding two levels of the stadium will be used for advertisements and keeping spectators abreast during the game. Exterior lights and signage were also installed exclusively by Local 137 sign members as well as signage across the facility. The day after the visit to members at the UBS Arena, SMART General President Sellers spoke as the keynote speaker at the LaborPress annual celebration in the Bronx. LaborPress is one of the largest labor news organizations in the nation. It was founded in August 2009 by LaborPress President Neal Tepel to provide a media outlet for unions and workers. Their articles regularly appear in the New York Daily News and on their website. iHeart radio’s WOR radio station features their daily reports. LaborPress.org regularly has features on the construction and transportation industries. Most notably, LaborPress recently posted spotlight features on members from Locals 28, 137 and SMART-TD GCA-505. This also includes an op-ed in the NY Daily News from General President Sellers that called for passage of the entire infrastructure package, as well as the importance of keeping schoolchildren safe by addressing indoor air quality in schools. During his lunchtime speech in front of an audience that included NY building trades and elected public officials, Sellers doubled down on his infrastructure points as he discussed the issues important to SMART SM and TD members, as well as other issues like the PRO Act, essential to all of labor. “We are honored to have our general president attend this event as the keynote speaker. This event takes place in New York, where many labor leaders throughout the state will join us to hear Joe’s opinions on the labor movement and the infrastructure bills that we are fighting for in Washington,” Local 28’s Meslin said. Dano added that “this event shows that when we all stand together across the labor movement, our voices and actions are stronger than ever.” Simon summarized that “SMART has a history here in New York of standing with one another when we need each other.” Simon concluded that, “when SMART has each other’s backs in NY, it’s not just in words but in our actions.”
After years of false starts, President Biden signed America’s most impactful infrastructure bill in its history.
Delivered on bipartisan votes in both the Senate and House of Representatives, the Infrastructure Bill will provide $1.2 Trillion in infrastructure funding over the next five years. To highlight the importance of SMART members, and the labor movement in this bill’s passage and our importance in rebuilding and transporting people and goods in America, the President invited and spoke with 5 rank and file SMART members from the transportation and sheet metal industries who joined me at the signing ceremony. It was a proud and historic day which symbolically kicked off years of new work opportunities and revitalized transportation network for future Americans.
The bill can create jobs for existing SMART members and spur new union jobs, which will help us grow the power of union.
The bill includes over $1 billion in funding for Indoor Air Quality for schools along with commercial and residential buildings that can be used for badly needed HVAC upgrades. There is also funding for thousands of electric school buses to help school districts across the country buy clean, American-made, zero emission buses that will create more jobs for SMART members employed not only in their production, but also in their operation.
The bill includes over $1 billion in funding for Indoor Air Quality for schools along with commercial and residential buildings that can be used for badly needed HVAC upgrades.
The legislation also invests $25 billion in airport and $17 billion in port infrastructure a to not only address repair and maintenance backlogs, but invest in keeping America’s supply chain moving to ensure goods are delivered with speed and efficiency to market.
And all of this will be done with funding conditional on the use of American made products and material – an important diversion from the past, where government purchases and toothless Buy America enforcement undermined American workers and jobs.
SMART members in the transportation industry are also one of the key winners, with Amtrak’s annual appropriations doubled along with an additional $3 billion for badly needed railroad crossings; $36 billion for Regional Passenger Rail, $16 Billion for Amtrak’s National Network, and important progress on bus and transit operator safety with public transportation agencies ordered to enhance safety plans, safety training, and procedures to reduce assaults on vehicle operators.
Brothers and sisters, this has been a long time coming. We have seen a tidal wave of the Biden Administration pro-labor and pro-worker developments in the past year. From the passage of the Infrastructure and Investment Act, to the American Rescue Plan to critical pension relief and to all the progress made in between, America’s workers have been the direct beneficiaries of the change that has come to Washington. We accomplished this because we stood together for bread and butter working family issues.
There is still much work to be done. We must work together at the federal, state and local level to make sure the promise of the Infrastructure and Investment Act is realized in our communities. This means we’ll need to work with our policy makers on implementation to help make sure the funding comes to truly create good, union jobs.
Let’s continue to stand together as we work to expand on the progress made through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Bill. We still have the chance to add millions of new sheet metal and transportation hours with the addition of thousands of jobs through the Build Back Better Act along with critical labor law reform that is long overdue. Text the word PASS to 67336 (message and data rates may apply) to let your Senators know that now is the time to continue to put the needs of working families first by passing the budget reconciliation bill.
We are in the age of the Great Resignation. No matter what you hear about it, this has always been avoidable.
Everywhere you look, there are stories about employers struggling to hire and retain workers. We see reports about retail stores and restaurants slashing hours and closing early during the week due to staffing shortages. Grocery stores are offering retention bonuses to recruit qualified workers, and even in our industries there are hiring bonuses for workers looking to travel to large-scale projects across North America.
Last summer, some political leaders argued that these labor shortages were caused by the enhanced unemployment benefits available to workers for a short time after COVID came to our shores. If that were true, job openings would have been quickly filled as soon as those benefits expired. But that did not happen. Instead, the expiration of benefits made no measurable impact at all, while so-called labor shortages continued to increase.
The current situation was caused by decades of trickle-down economics that created a vast gulf between those that work for a living and the one percent.
The fact of the matter is that the current situation was caused by decades of trickle-down economics that created a vast gulf between those that work for a living and the one percent.
In the 20 years prior to February 2021, one year after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the resignation rate for workers in the United States never exceeded 2.4% of the total workforce. Normally, high quit rates are an indicator of worker confidence in the ability to get higher paying jobs. This happens during times of high economic stability and low unemployment rates.
While unemployment has been lowering – especially during the last 12 months – wages did not keep in line. In fact, workers’ wages have been stagnant for so long that they remained flat, with increases in productivity and lowered unemployment having little to no effect. COVID may very well have been the straw that broke the camel’s back. New restrictions and an increased workload, along with no or little change in pay, saw a massive backlash against 40 years of corporate policies that have depressed wages and working conditions. Workers in the U.S., many paid low wages and described as “essential” during the early stages of the pandemic, were now forced into working overtime in short-staffed conditions while being underpaid, they learned very quickly that it wasn’t only about whether or not you could get injured on the job. For many frontline workers, going to work could kill or seriously harm you or your family members: a risk many considered too great for work that has been increasingly underappreciated and undervalued.
At SMART, we have developed and revised COVID protocols and resources for members to stay up to date and help us protect ourselves from the ongoing pandemic. Your safety, dignity and the health of you and your family are basic foundational labor values. We will continue to stand by them and to advocate for all workers – including those whose employers and politicians have ignored them for far too long – as we build our nations back from the horrors of this pandemic.
Fraternally,
Joseph Powell
SMART General Secretary Treasurer
Brothers and sisters:
As we enter this new year, it is important to reflect on where we have been, what challenges we have faced and what accomplishments we have made together. I am excited about our future and can say, with certainty, we are more prepared now than ever to face it head-on, with the best interests of our fellow brothers and sisters at the forefront.
While the last few years have had their share of trials, I am confident better days are ahead.
Amit Bose, President Joe Biden’s nominee to lead the Federal Railroad Administration, was confirmed Jan. 12 after a long wait. His ascension is one more step toward a common-sense regulation of freight rail crew size with safety, not profits, in mind. TD leadership looks ahead with great anticipation as we continue building the relationship we have established with him and the federal Department of Transportation.
I am also pleased to note that the Biden administration nominee for the vacant position on the National Mediation Board, Deidre Hamilton, was installed. This creates a 2-to-1 Democratic majority and a much more labor-friendly board than what we have had to deal with the last four years. This confirmation likely spurred NMB to work on the logjam of requested representation elections ignored by the previous administration. Our Organizing Department has six cases filed and reported that ballots are out on five. We are hopeful we’ll be able to welcome these properties into the SMART family soon.
I hear you loud and clear that better working conditions (removing bad attendance policies and getting better quality of life) are at the top of your list of things that need fixed as soon as possible.
Of course, NMB will play a key role as we, along with the other Coordinated Bargaining Coalition unions, announced in late January that national rail contract discussions had reached an impasse. They will select a mediator whom we hope will move negotiations past the past two years’ worth of insulting offers that the carriers have presented and into a truly constructive and realistic phase. Our members deserve nothing less after moving America’s freight during this pandemic. I hear you loud and clear that better working conditions (removing bad attendance policies and getting better quality of life) are at the top of your list of things that need fixed as soon as possible. That is why we challenged BNSF’s draconian and punitive Hi Viz attendance policy. We will stand up to mistreatment of our members, especially when carriers continue to crow about record profits.
The last couple of years have seen membership numbers drastically decline, but I am thrilled to announce we have a new local, 1706, opening up in the Kansas City area for approximately 200 new members working for Student Transportation of America. Vice President Calvin Studivant has been working closely with these new members and has completed their first fully ratified agreement. Congratulations to our new bus members, and welcome!
I have been fortunate to be invited and to attend a number of union meetings, Labor Day events and holiday cookouts recently. This allowed me the opportunity to openly talk with the membership and update them on the state of our UNION. I am looking forward to many more of these face-to-face meetings in 2022. I hear you loud and clear that better working conditions (removing bad attendance policies and getting better quality of life) are at the top of your list of things that need fixed as soon as possible.
It has been frustrating that we have not had our normal annual regional meetings the last two years, but I must say that I am proud of a number of our state legislative directors and general chairpersons who stepped up and took matters into their own hands. They organized “Regional Training Seminars” that consist of a variety of training and classes for local officers. I was honored to be asked to address the groups and spend time with those in attendance. SMART-TD provided a number of the facilitators and additional support and that, along with the hard work of the aforementioned SLDs and GCs, made all of them huge successes.
These have been so impactful that we are planning on additional seminars to be scheduled next year. If this is something you have an interest in attending, please let your SLD or GC know. I look forward to seeing more of you in the coming year at these meetings!
“Solidarity” is a word we throw around a lot, but it is always an adrenaline rush when you see it in action. I was excited to be invited and participate in a huge rally in Chicago in November to assist the Metra Passenger Rail Coalition. All Metra crafts were fighting for a good contract after being faced with what seemed to be never-ending mediation. VP Jamie Modesitt, Alternate National Legislative Director Jared Cassity and I didn’t need to be asked twice by GC Chip Waugh if we wanted in. The big blow-up rat and bullhorns blaring with the Chicago PD out to keep the crowd under control was exhilarating to say the least. We had local and state legislators and U.S. Reps. Chuy Garcia and Marie Newman show up to lend their support. It was yet another example of what organized labor can accomplish — together!
Your union also is continuing to get things done. We added many more features to the SMART app, making it more of a vital resource and advancing our technological presence. We’ve been able to adapt to a new way of leadership training with regional training seminars and coming soon our virtual educational efforts with SMART University. We are also developing a new website that will be more interactive, to name but a few.
There’s a lot going on and a lot more to come. I am excited and proud to be on this journey with you.
In closing, I ask that you do everything in your power to keep yourself and your fellow sisters and brothers safe on the job. Safety is a gift we give our families each and every day.
Please stay safe and God bless!
Jeremy R. Ferguson President, Transportation Division
On October 1, 2021 the torch was passed as SMART Eighth General Vice President James Paquette retired and Brother Jack Wall was elected as a vice president to the SMART General Executive Council. Brother Wall began his career with Local 56 (Cape Breton, Nova Scotia) 35 years ago. He started as the recording secretary and served in that position from 1990 through 2005, when he left that office to become business manager, a position he holds to this day. Along the way, he has sat on the board of the Nova Scotia Construction Sector Council from 2006 to the present. He has been on the executive board of the Canadian Council of Sheet Metal Workers and Roofers since 2008 and last year became council president.
He has also served as a member on the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Committee for the last 16 years, became the president of the Cape Breton Building Trades Unions in 2012 and has sat as a trustee to the Local Union & Council Pension Fund since 2018. He is a sitting member of the Nova Scotia Labour Board and has been listening to hearings since 2019.
James Paquette
Brother James Paquette, a second-generation sheet metal worker, started in the trade working as an apprentice shortly after his high school graduation in 1978. Completing a four-year apprenticeship in 1982, he worked in most trade areas, from shop fabrication to the installation of all types of HVAC products, as well as siding and roof decking, and served as a job site steward for several large industrial projects sites, including job site foreman. An avid motorcycle enthusiast, he purchased his first Harley-Davidson motorcycle just out of high school, before he started working in the trade. He has ridden all along the West Coast of the continent, stretching from the Alaska border to as far south as Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. He attended the Sturgis Rally three times over the years, after making four attempts. He continues to enjoy riding motorcycles whenever he has the opportunity.
Following the successful completion of the Labour Management Studies program at the British Columbia Institute of Technologies, Brother Paquette was elected to hold local union office as a business representative in 1997 and attended the new business agents class held that year at the National Labor College. He was re-elected as a business representative and in 2003 was nominated and elected to serve his local union membership as the business manager/financial secretary treasurer and has been consistently re-elected afterwards.
In addition to his duties as business manager/financial secretary treasurer for his home local, he was president of both the Canadian Council of Sheet Metal Workers & Roofers and the Western Canadian Conference of Sheet Metal Workers & Roofers and also served the British Columbia & Yukon Territory Building Construction Trades Council as financial secretary treasurer. He also served as co-chair of the British Columbia Jurisdictional Assignment Plan of the Construction Industry.
Michael Wilson is a new SM Local 206 (San Diego, Calif.) member working at the new San Marcos Medical Center in San Marcos, Calif. He recently shared how much he is enjoying his new career and learning every day from his journeyperson, Troy Lewis, who has been a union sheet metal worker and mentor to many for over 20 years. They are both proud to have each other’s back, as well as the back of every SMART member they work with in the future.
SMART SM Local 219 (Rockford, Ill.) Journeyperson Mike Cassidy is taking time every day to pass on his 29 years of experience to fourth-year Apprentice Sandy Peters.
Sandy Peters, left, and Mike Cassidy.
SMART’s “I Got Your Back” campaign aims to promote solidarity and a safe haven among all members of our union. The campaign is focused on promoting awareness of work environment discrimination, bullying, hazing and harassment.
Do you have that special mentor who had your back? Now is the time to let them know how their support impacted you and recognize them for their solidarity.
Share an “I Got Your Back” sticker with them to show that they and YOU will have all members’ backs.
It lets a member who is in need of an ally have a safe place to turn.
Send your story about those who mentored you to mentors@smart-union.org or share on social media with the hashtag #SMARTIGOTYOURBACK.
This is a critical moment in the movement for equality, equity and justice in both of our countries, and SMART has taken steps to lead the way. When we welcome and support members from communities that are currently underrepresented in our membership, our union only becomes stronger.
The Recruitment and Retention Council was formed to create an action plan for locals to recruit, retain and include diverse groups in our organization. The council also looks to champion workplace equality within our industries and to promote respect, inclusion and safe, non-hostile work environments at all levels within SMART.
The council aims to facilitate members coming together as one organization, have these necessary conversations and collectively work on these important issues. The first meeting, featuring attendees from dozens of locals across North America, looked to introduce members to each other, with SMART General President Joseph Sellers, Jr. joining leaders from across the union in kicking off proceedings by addressing its immediate goals. The council is working to create an action plan for locals to recruit, retain and include diverse groups within the organization, while ensuring these new members feel welcome. In meeting this goal, the council aims to ensure workplace equality by promoting respect, inclusion and safe, nonhostile work environments at all levels within SMART.
Louise Medina, a SM Local 265 (DuPage County, Ill.) member who chairs the council, remarked that, “this meeting was only a first step in a long road ahead. I look forward to taking a look at how we recruit and how we will help shape the future for our union brothers and sisters.”
President Joe Biden signed on Nov. 15 the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) that will expand work opportunities for Union sheet metal workers rebuilding America’s schools and public buildings as well as boost U.S. passenger rail service, lead to improved safety measures for bus and transit operators and adjust how freight rail safety is handled by the Federal Railroad Administration.
The bill provides $1.2 trillion in funding for infrastructure, with a large proportion of the funding going directly to the industries SMART represents. This bill=union jobs for SMART members.
“Our union was proud to stand with President Biden today to sign this historic bill into law. It will create an unprecedented number of good, union jobs and put SMART sheet metal workers to work improving indoor air quality in our schools and in commercial and residential buildings. It also makes long-overdue railroad safety improvements and will help school districts across the country buy clean, American-made, zero-emission buses that will drive demand for the products and services provided by SMART members,” union leadership stated after the bill’s signing, which was attended by SMART General President Joseph Sellers as well as five members from across the mid-Atlantic who were invited to the ceremony. These included SMART TD D.C. Legislative Director Jarad Jackson of Local 1933 (Washington, D.C.), SMART TD Local 610 (Baltimore, Md.) Chairperson Michael Harbin, Kalima Ramsay from SM Local 100 (Washington, DC), along with fellow Local 100 members Mike Moran and Rolando Javier Montoya Garzona.
President Biden made one of his principal promises the pledge to rebuild America’s infrastructure after years of neglect. This legislation proves his Administration is delivering on this promise. However, this is only the start.
Now we’re working with his administration to implement the bill. Every SMART local must work at the local and state level to help with implementation of the bill to secure the work and make sure funding from the bill results in jobs for SMART members.
And there is the potential for even more union jobs. Another $1.75 infrastructure bill is pending that would deliver thousands of additional jobs. It’s now up to all of us to do our part to make sure Congress acts and passes this second bill quickly. America should have world-class infrastructure built by skilled union workers and it must be done quickly so the nation can catch up to its competitors on the global stage and once again set the precedent other nations follow. Text the word PASS to 67336 to let your Senators know the importance of investing in America’s workers by addressing the nation’s infrastructure. (message and data rates may apply).
Important Highlights of This Historic Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Actand How It Impacts SMART Members are Listed Below:
Energy Efficiency & HVAC upgrades:
$250 million to be used for energy efficiency revolving loan fund, which can be spent on indoor air quality in commercial and residential buildings.
$50 million for an energy efficiency pilot program for non-profit buildings to conduct energy efficiency upgrades, including HVAC systems.
$500 million for school energy efficiency that can be used to upgrade ventilation.
$40 million for an energy audit training program to train individuals to conduct energy audits or surveys of commercial and residential buildings.
$250 million in grants for federal buildings to improve energy performance targets.
Electric school buses:
$5 billion for the replacement of existing school buses with zero emission and clean school buses
Registered apprenticeship/workforce development:
$10 million for career skills training programs where students concurrently receive classroom instruction and on the-job training for the purpose of obtaining an industry related certification to install energy efficient buildings technologies.
$15 million for a pilot program to restore, retrofit and construct eligible transportation facilities. The grants should employ residents impacted by the project through targeted hiring programs, in partnership with registered apprenticeship programs and contract and subcontract with disadvantaged business enterprises.
Requires at least 5% of grants for buses and bus facilities is used for workforce development, including registered apprenticeship programs.
$550 million for industrial research and assessment to maximize energy efficiency. Registered apprenticeship programs qualify to receive the funding.
Transportation funding:
$6B for Northeast Corridor Grants
$16B for the National Network
$36B for Fed-State Partnership for Intercity Passenger Rail, with $24B set aside for the Northeast Corridor
$5B for CRISI
$3B for Railroad Crossing Elimination Program
$50M for Restoration and Enhancement
Amtrak Reforms:
Amtrak Mission Statement, Sec 22201: Amtrak’s mission is modified to better reflect the primary goal of providing quality service, including eliminating references to “justifying expending public money.”
Amtrak Food and Beverage, Sec, 22208: Eliminates harmful language on food and beverage revenues that stunted growth of Amtrak on board options and sought to ultimately reduce or eliminate on board service and creates a new food and beverage working group that includes labor participation.
Amtrak Quality Jobs, Sec 2213: Prohibits contracting out of work if employees who can perform that work are currently furloughed.
Station Agents, Sec. 22203: Requires Amtrak to staff station agent positions at stations that receive certain levels of traffic.
Critical Incident Stress Plans, 22424: Amtrak and commuter rail employees who are victims of assault must now be covered by critical incident stress plans, and the benefits and protections provided by such plans.
Long Distance Trains, Sec. 22210: Increases the difficulty for Congress to eliminate a long-distance route.
Rail Safety:
Train Length, Sec. 22422: Requires a National Academies study on the safety of trains longer than 7,500 feet.
FRA Reporting Requirements, Sec. 22421: requires FRA accident reports to include information on train length and number of cars as well as the size of the crew on board. Additionally, increases transparency for regulatory waiver requests, including requested suspensions of rules.
FRA Accident and Incident Investigations, Sec. 22417: DOT must create a process to better involve stakeholders, including rail labor representatives, in its investigations.
PTC Failures, Sec. 22414: requires a quarterly report on failures and functions of positive train control technology. This includes cutouts, malfunctions, and enforcements where an accident was actually prevented.
Buy America Provisions:
Limit federal financial grants to infrastructure projects that only use iron, steel, manufactured products, and construction materials that are produced in the U.S.
Direct the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to establish a Made in America Office that President Biden established with an executive order in January.
Require the Secretary of Commerce, the United States Trade Representative, and the Director of OMB to assess impacts of all U.S. free trade agreements, World Trade Organization Agreements on Government Procurement, and federal permitting processes on the operation of Buy American laws and include their impacts on the implementation of domestic procurement preferences within 150 days.
Require the OMB Director along with the Federal Acquisition Regulatory (FAR) Council, to issue guidance to standardize how federal agencies comply with and enforce the Buy American Act within one year.
Include a Sense of Congress that the FAR Council should increase the domestic content requirements for domestic end products and domestic construction material to 75%, or in the event of no qualifying offers, 60%. President Biden issued an executive order that aligns with this provision in January. In addition, there was a notice of proposed rulemaking in July, to gradually raise the domestic content threshold from 55 to 75% over five years.
Establish a centralized online hub (BuyAmerican.gov) that would contain information on all waivers and exceptions to Buy American laws that have been accepted, requested, or granted to increase the transparency of the waiver process.
Make the Buy America requirement permanent for Drinking Water and Clean Water State Revolving Funds (DWSRF), a program that provides loans and grants to fund water infrastructure improvements. $23.4B for DWSRF is provided in the bill overall.
On November 20, SMART women from across Canada and the United States along with supporters and allies held the second annual Virtual SMART Women’s Caucus. This year’s keynote speaker was Liz Shuler who drew upon her experiences rising up through the ranks of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) to AFL-CIO President. She shared the experiences and challenges she overcome during her journey and urged her fellow sisters to continue to establish themselves within their union and participate whenever possible.
SMART Assistant to the General President Donna Silverman outlined the I Got Your Back campaign for participants and its role in building solidarity and mentorship throughout the union. Participants then broke up into smaller caucuses and discussed issues facing union sheet metal workers and in particular women employed in SMART’s industries. The discussion focused on on the paths they followed to get into the trade as well as the mentors they were able to find along the way.
Participants also learned about what the Union is doing to promote diversity, equity and inclusion in the sheet metal trade in conjunction with our partners at SMACNA. Union leaders on the call, including General President Sellers and General Secretary Treasurer Powell solicited feedback from attendees on how the union can better represent woman and minority members and ensure all members feel included within the union.
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