FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Consult your local chairperson immediately.

If you do not know your local number, call SMART TD headquarters at (216) 228-9400 and follow the prompt for the Updating Department.

Filing charges against a local official is spelled out in the SMART Constitution, Article 21B, Section 74, as well as in Articles 17 and 18. An advisable first step would be to call the TD president’s office at 216-228-9400 or to send an email to the president’s office at president_TD@smart-union.org to discuss the nature of your complaint.

You should first contact your local legislative representative and/or your local chairperson. Another option is to use the union’s Safety Condition Report if your state legislative board or local does not already have a reporting process in place.

You first should talk over your predicament with your local chairperson who can advise you on the next steps.

You are protected by federal law “whistleblower protections” from employer retaliation when you make such reports.

Contact your local treasurer. You need to know your local number in order to find the correct contact information.

Portions of dues collected are distributed according to what is set forth by the SMART Constitution and other local bylaws.

TRANSPORTATION DIVISION DUES: This is the only part of a member’s dues payment that supports the entire organization.

GENERAL COMMITTEE OF ADJUSTMENT (GCA) DUES: This amount is established by the general committee of adjustment to generate funds to take care of members’ interests on individual properties. The amount paid in this category differs from property to property. This rate is set by the local chairpersons, who are under the jurisdiction of the General Committee of Adjustment.

STATE LEGISLATIVE BOARD (SLB) DUES: This amount goes to operate the state legislative board and is set by a vote of the local legislative representatives who are members of the board. This legislative fund protects members on the state level by promoting policies and programs that deal with on-the-job safety and sanitation, and many other job-related problems. It is not used to assist political candidates.

LOCAL DUES: Local dues support the cost of operating the local, such as wages of the officers, rent, supplies and other expenses. The level of dues is set by a vote of the members of the local.

LOCAL COMMITTEE OF ADJUSTMENT (LCA) DUES: These dues are devoted to providing representation and protecting you and your job at the local level when your livelihood is at risk. The level of dues is set by a vote of the members of the local committee of adjustment.

Labor unions are groups of workers organizing and taking collective action to improve their lives. The labor movement is all unions, union members and union organizations acting collectively. There are approximately 15 million workers in unions and employee associations in the United States and approximately 4.5 million union workers in Canada.

Unions are the principal means for workers to organize and protect their rights on the job. The union contract, or “collective bargaining agreement,” establishes the basic terms and conditions of work.  Unions give workers a voice with employers and provide a means to gain a measure of security and dignity on the job. 

Unions pursue strategies and activities that serve the interests of their members. These include representing members and negotiating with employers, recruiting new members and engaging in political action when necessary to support policies that improve working conditions for all workers. 

In general, you’re considered Vested when you have earned five Years of Service. If you are Vested in the Plan, it means you have a non-forfeitable right to a pension benefit, even if you leave work before you retire.

Construction is cyclical in nature while fluctuating often in the demand for workers.  As members, we need to continue learning and upgrading our skills to continue as the most skilled and productive workers we can be, guaranteeing us the best opportunity for employment when the demand is there.

The first thing to do is contact your local union immediately for instructions.

An “exclusive” hiring hall arrangement means that the employer has agreed to hire only employees referred from a union hiring hall.

This is specific to each local depending on their local rules and policies.  Some locals have a strict hiring hall, and some have different variations of solicitation of work.

Members sent by their employers into the jurisdiction of another local union shall report into the local union they are traveling to.  Such report shall be made before starting to work and may be made in person, by telephone, or email.  Said members shall receive the established wage scale of their local union and in no case less than the established wage scale of the local they are traveling into, plus all necessary expenses.  Members should also comply with the established work rules and working conditions of the local they are traveling to.

Yes! Any good standing member of an affiliated local union who desires to travel or accept employment in the jurisdiction of another local union can.  The member must apply to the financial secretary-treasurer of their local union for an official transfer card prior to doing so.

Signatory contractors are only allowed to travel two (2) journeypersons per job, into another Locals jurisdiction in which the work is being performed.

Typically, there is no seniority in building trades contracts.  You are encouraged to continue learning and being the best and most productive sheet metal worker, you can, to make yourself as employable as possible.

Apprentice seniority Contact your local union as rules differ by jurisdiction.

Production/Manufacturing seniority   Seniority is a cornerstone of member rights in our production labor contracts. Seniority is widely accepted as the deciding factor in job posting, shift preference rights, over-time distribution, vacation scheduling, layoff and recall, and wage progression.  While employers sometimes bargain modifications to these rights, seniority rights are considered to be a combination of a recognition of long service and a predictable standard for administration of the member rights listed above.

You should contact your business representative.  This can be done anonymously if you so choose.

You always make the higher of the two wages.  In the event you’re traveling into or performing shop work for a local jurisdiction that has a higher pay scale, the difference between total packages would be added to your base rate.  However, it is always best to contact your business representative for the correct amount you are to be paid.

This is Local specific and will be outlined in your Collective Bargaining agreement.

It is the duty of all SMART sheet metal workers and their employers to protect the interests of the union sheet metal industry. Performing side work has the potential to undermine SMART signatory contractors who employ your fellow brothers and sisters.  Undermining their ability to employ union workers does harm to the union sheet metal industry and all its participants.

There will be a designated union representative in charge of the picket line.  You should follow his or her instructions at all times.

The first thing to do is contact your local union immediately for instructions.

Just because somebody from another trade tells you the work you are performing is out of your jurisdiction, it doesn’t mean that is necessarily true.  Contact your local union immediately, if and when this occurs.

Most SMART sheet metal contracts in the United States and Canada make clear that your employer must provide you with the necessary tools to perform your work.  Check with your local union as to what the rules are in your area.

The Standard Form of Union Agreement is a recommended contract form that is revised from time to time by SMART and signatory contractors belonging to the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA). It provides basic minimum standards for all union sheet metal contracts.

Dues provide the resources to stand up for good jobs and benefits, decent working conditions and a better future for our families. That’s why union members in private industry earn 27 percent more on average than non-union workers. They also receive 54 percent more in benefits. None of this would be possible without the collective strength that comes from our dues. Most of your dues stay with your local union in order to fund activities that give workers more power at the bargaining table, in the statehouse and in the community. Some of these activities include:

• Staff to help enforce your agreement, increase your employment standards, and assist in negotiations, grievances, arbitration and training;
• Organizing expenses;
• Office equipment and regular administration expenses;
• Attorneys to assist in negotiations, grievances and arbitration;
• Training;
• Research into companies and industries to gather information for negotiations and organizing;
• Accountants to analyze employers’ books.

Members receive information about how dues money is spent by their local at regular monthly membership meetings, and local unions also file annual reports with the U.S. Department of Labor. The international union publishes its annual audited financial statement in the SMART Members’ Journal, which is sent to every member.  Dues money is NOT used for political purposes.