BE4ALL Town Hall brings leadership, nearly 200 members together in Seattle

“What BE4ALL is about — for me, it’s about respect. It’s about respect for each and every person in this room, everybody out on the jobsites, in the shops, wherever you may be … To me, it boils down to the respect that each and every one of us should have for each other, because we’re part of an organization. We’re part of a family.”

Those words, spoken by SMART General President Michael Coleman, summed up the second-ever Belonging and Excellence for All (BE4ALL) Town Hall, which took place May 28, 2026, in Seattle, Washington. The Town Hall — featuring General President Coleman, SMACNA President Todd Hill and Funds Executive Director Michael Harris — brought nearly 200 SMART members and SMACNA contractors together at Seattle’s Museum of Flight to speak directly with leadership about an important initiative to strengthen the unionized sheet metal industry.

BE4ALL, a joint effort by SMART, SMACNA and the International Training Institute (ITI), started in 2021. Its goals are indicated by its title: Belonging and Excellence for All. In order to maintain the strength of our union, our signatory contractors and our market share, SMART locals need to be able to recruit and retain workers in communities across the United States and Canada. But that can only happen if all of us — from new apprentices to organized journeyworkers to longtime members to retirees, regardless of gender, race, sexual identity, political beliefs or country of origin — feel like we belong: on the jobsite, in the shop and at the union hall.

Coleman, Hill and Harris delved into the importance of BE4ALL during the Town Hall. The event, moderated by Dushaw Hockett, was divided into two parts: a conversation between Hockett and the three leaders followed by a question-and-answer portion, in which Local 66 members spoke directly with International leadership about BE4ALL.

In dialogue with Hockett, the three sheet metal industry leaders talked about what BE4ALL is — and what it is not — and why it is so important to every single member of our union. As General President Coleman said repeatedly throughout the event, BE4ALL is really very simple: It’s just about being a good human being. Being kind to one another, one and off the job. Making sure we all feel welcomed, in our union and in our workplaces.

But it’s also about taking specific actions and implementing strategies to counteract real issues that our industry is facing. With large portions of the skilled trades workforce approaching retirement, we need to recruit and retain members to maintain and grow our strength. That can’t happen if people come into our industry and immediately feel like they don’t belong. And the ugly truth of the matter is that, for too long, many talented individuals have left the trade because rather than being welcomed, they were met with hostility.

Those are people we lose to other trades or the nonunion sector. And that weakens our union.

To that end, the three leaders explained, BE4ALL has developed specific campaigns and resources to create a culture of belonging and excellence for every single member. A Rapid Response Protocol to help prevent and respond to hazing, bullying, harassment, discrimination and other harmful instances. Constitutional amendments, proposed and ratified by delegates to the last two SMART conventions, to take action against those same instances. Toolbox Talks and Learning Journeys to provide education and awareness around what we can do to welcome one another in the industry.

“It’s about all of the membership being exposed to [BE4ALL],” said Harris. “BE4ALL has a website, beforall.org. I challenge everybody in this room to go to that website, because all the resources we’ve talked about … are available on there.”

Early in the conversation, both SMART Northwest Regional Council President Devin Leingang and Heavy Metal Summer Experience President/cofounder Angie Simon told Local 66 members not to be afraid of bringing tough questions to the leaders on stage. Sheet metal workers took that to heart, asking for specific metrics for measuring BE4ALL’s success, inquiring about the specific problems BE4ALL was aiming to counteract, and more.

“Everything sounds good, but it seems like it’s more for the future than the present,” said Local 66 member Jerome. “What is happening now, for individuals who are in the situation now?”

In response, Coleman, Harris and Hill were open and honest with attendees. All of the resources discussed are available now, they reiterated. The BE4ALL Committee is working hard to develop both immediate, actionable items and forward-thinking strategies. But the culture change and the long-term work is just that: long term. And it needs to be adopted by all of us to be effective.

In the end, the three leaders emphasized, the stakes are clear. On one level, BE4ALL is strategic. If we don’t recruit and retain, we will lose talent, our contractors will be unable to go after the work that supports members, our market share will suffer, and ultimately, our pension and benefit funds will feel the impact.

On another, more important level, it’s about our union’s values. Solidarity. Having each other’s backs. Brotherhood and sisterhood.

“This organization is my family,” said General President Coleman, adding later: “It’s just not that hard, it really isn’t, to be a good person.”

With around 180 in-person attendees at the Museum of Flight, plus 296 views via livestream, the event had its intended impact: raising awareness about a crucial effort to strengthen our union and our industry. As Harris noted, BE4ALL — like our union and the labor movement — has to be an initiative driven by the members, for the members. Union sheet metal workers in every state and province need to engage with BE4ALL in order to accomplish the initiative’s goals and create opportunity for all members.

Judging from reactions at the Town Hall, that message resonated.

“I’m a first year apprentice, I’m 24, I don’t know sh*t — and so you guys are telling me what’s expected of me,” said Local 66 member Carlos. “So, thank you.”