Tag: Members Journal

Home>News>Members Journal

The SMART MAP mental health sessions have been evolving since they began more than a decade ago to combat the high suicide and substance use disorder rates among construction workers. Participants in the class become SMART MAP mentors, as they learn to be mental health first responders, peer counselors able to lend a listening ear and guide SMART members to local resources.

The three-day session offers theoretical as well as practical knowledge and the basic skills necessary for crisis intervention. SMART MAP general mental health sessions provide information about substance abuse disorder and relapse, motivational interviewing, confidentiality and ethics, legal issues, marijuana, health insurance and treatment center options, suicide prevention, aftercare programs and how to change the culture of the union and help end the stigma of addiction and other mental health issues.

While Canadian brothers and sisters have been included in SMART MAP sessions in the past, due to the pandemic, a session hadn’t made its way north since 2018. With some help from Patricia Pike, a Canadian-American dual citizen and CEO and founder CanAm Interventions, the SMART MAP session held in Toronto March 26-28 provided a tailored presentation.

“Since we’ve been doing education and training through SMART MAP the last 10 years or so, we’ve had Canadian members attend regular SMART MAP sessions,” said Chris Carlough, SMOHIT SMART MAP coordinator. “It’s not brand new, but the program we delivered this time was specifically designed for Canada.”

The key to a successful SMART MAP mental health session is a group of participants willing to share their experiences and engage with the speakers. The class was full with a long waitlist within 18 hours of the registration opening. Due to the need, SMOHIT allowed 57 members to attend the course, nearly double the size of a normal session.

Typically, having more than 25-30 participants takes away from the course’s intimacy and engagement. Not this time, said Jeff Bradley, SMOHIT program director.

“It was like a bunch of buddies going out together and talking,” he said. “It was cool.”

“We’ve had sessions before when you’re trying to pull out words, experiences, thoughts out of the attendees, but Canada wasn’t like that,” added Carlough. “It was a raucous event for three days.”

SMART MAP mental health sessions are typically held for local leadership, and the SMART MAP team also presents a peer-to-peer session for rank-and-file members. In July, the team returned to Toronto to impart skills and mental health knowledge to members of Local 285.

“We are doing peer training throughout North America, and we will be present in Canada in 2024,” Carlough said.

The combination of mental health sessions for leadership and peer-to-peer trainings for rank-and-file members helps bring awareness of mental health and substance use disorder to the entire local, from the top down, Carlough said.

“In the mental health trainings, we’re talking to people in the room directly,” Carlough said. “But we’re also talking about the people who they’re going to go back and help in their local unions.”

The success of the session is measured in the knowledge and skills gained and how members use that knowledge to help one another. During this session, members developed the confidence to talk about difficult subjects, see different perspectives on addiction, and understand the true definition of self-care and useful statistics, according to post-event evaluations.

“We can put this gained knowledge to use immediately,” one member said.

Another added, “Everything covered during this session has been well worth it, and I want to thank the team for all the work you do and help that was given to me.”

For additional information about future SMART MAP sessions, visit the SMOHIT website at www.smohit.org/smart-map.

For the first time in its more-than-50-year history, the International Training Institute (ITI) has hired a full-time curriculum writer on staff, Mark Colone.

The Pennsylvania native comes to the ITI after a long history of working with the union training fund on curriculum projects for more than 20 years. Colone was hired by MetaMedia Training International Inc., where he was instrumental in the development of the ITI’s curriculum library, including Core, architectural, welding, indoor air quality technician, fire life safety and testing, adjusting and balancing (TAB). He worked for the company for 16 years, first as an instructional designer and then as a senior instructional designer.

Colone and his team’s work on the Core curriculum was honored with CINE Golden Eagle, Bronze Telly and Grand Telly awards. He also has experience working on curricula and multimedia-based programs for other organizations including the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), NASA, the International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), and the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), among others.

“I’m glad we were able to bring curriculum writing directly in house,” said Mike Harris, ITI administrator. “Mark worked closely with us before, but now, as part of the team, he can really help the ITI update its current curricula as well as help construct the future training materials apprentices will need to become successful sheet metal workers. It’s great to have him officially as part of the ITI staff.”

Joe Pickens officially joined NEMI as a field staff representative for the Midwest region on April 1. In this role, he serves as a liaison for local unions and members of SMART, helping identify solutions and opportunities in the market.

The Virginia resident entered the apprenticeship at SMART Local 100 in the Washington, DC, area in 2008. He graduated first in his class, also receiving a perfect attendance award for the five-year program. From the start of his career through 2021, Pickens worked for ADJ Sheet Metal. During his time there, the company tripled in size to more than 300 employees, and Pickens gained experience in many different areas of the industry.

This experience led to Pickens teaching a variety of courses at his local union’s training center, and in 2023 he was named training coordinator. Pickens became a general fund trustee in 2022, working with the business manager to oversee various funds and ensure accounts are in good standing at Local 100, where he is still a dues-paying member. He holds over a dozen industry certifications and has participated in extensive instructor training from the International Training Institute (ITI), the education arm of the unionized sheet metal, air conditioning and welding industry, over the years.

Congratulations, Brother Pickens!

Five Local 280 (Vancouver, B.C.) apprentices at the Sheet Metal Workers’ Training Centre (SMWTC) have mastered the Forces of creativity, problem-solving and hard work by creating a life-size, working R2-D2 model — complete with a soundboard and spinning head — for their fourth-year project.

“We encourage creativity at the training centre, and in fourth year, apprentices traditionally build a generic tin man as a group project,” said Jake Leblanc, head instructor at SMWTC. “Most groups customize their tin man and pick a theme — we have had Batman, a golfer, a German guy with lederhosen, Bender the Robot, a devil Bender the Robot, Santa Claus and many more.”

In his third year, Colin Nam made the character Bender from Futurama, so in fourth year, instructor Matt Brown approached him with a challenge: one-up the Bender project. After brainstorming a few ideas, the two decided an R2-D2 replica model would be very challenging but possible.

Photo by Colin Nam

Nam assembled a crew. He called on classmates Troy Martins, Ethan Picano-Nyberg, Mitch Guillermo and Aaron Arnal to help fabricate and assemble the pieces of this complex puzzle.

But first, there was research to be done. Nam joined a forum dedicated to building replica R2-D2 models, where he found the correct sizes and proportions. He used these to make AutoCAD drawings of R2-D2 and started to dissect how to fabricate and assemble each piece.

“Next, I created detailed layout drawings of the pieces required for each part,” he said. “I gave these drawings to the rest of the crew to start shearing, braking and forming.”

Ethan and Mitch — chosen for their high attention to detail and fast hand layout skills — sheared and formed most of the pieces.

“They came out extremely well, which made it easy for Aaron to weld them together,” Nam said. “Aaron was fast and efficient, and I felt like our team was able to cooperate well together with this assembly line. We all spent extra time after class and some time during our lunch breaks to complete this project.”

While most of the pieces are similar to HVAC fittings, thus fairly simple to make, the head was an entirely different matter. It took a few hours in AutoCAD to figure out how the team was going to make the shallow dome.

“I decided on 12 tapered pie pieces that we would roll up to make them meet in the middle,” Nam said. “I’ll be honest — I had no idea if it was going to work.”

He sent the DXF file from AutoCAD to Mitch, who, luckily, was able to cut the pieces on a laser table at his shop. “I don’t think we would have been able to do it as accurately if we had to cut these by hand,” Nam recalled. “And it saved us a whole day’s work.”

Photo by Colin Nam

Troy, the most experienced with rolling pipe and pieces to match precise measurements and diameters, had the daunting task of rolling up the pie pieces for the head. Each piece had to be rolled perfectly, the same way, to the right diameter. “Because they taper, we had to reduce the tension of the rolls near the tip of each piece,” Nam explained. “This means changing the rolls for each piece and replicating the process precisely. Troy did an excellent job with it.”

Photo by Colin Nam

Originally intended for static display, R2-D2 soon became much more. Nam wanted to try adding lights, sounds and moving parts, so he added three extra components that would later lead to a bigger challenge than expected.

In the quest to make R2-D2’s head spin, Nam discovered that a “Lazy Susan” bearing would be the perfect size to fit the body’s diameter. In AutoCAD, he designed an 18” diameter ring that had a smaller gear on the inside with matching teeth.

“This was intended for a small motor to be mounted to the inside of the body,” Nam said. “The small gear would be attached to the motor and the ring would sit on the Lazy Susan and spin the head as the gear turns.”

Nam started to model parts after school on his home 3D printer. While most of R2-D2 is made from aluminum, these parts added some intricate details that would otherwise be impossible to make within the given timeframe. On the forum, he found soundboard ideas, basic wiring diagrams and a lighting kit, which he ordered.

These were the most challenging parts of the build, since the team had no experience with wiring motors, motor controllers or soundboards. R2-D2 is powered by a 12V drill battery connected to an Arduino, which is the motherboard and “brains” that transmit data from a button input to a soundboard, motor and speaker.

“I have never coded before, but I had to learn how in order to connect all these devices together,” Nam said. “By the time we got to this stage, I had four days to learn how to code and get all the motors and sounds synced up.”

After spending 8–12 hours over three days after school, Nam managed to bring R2-D2 to life. “Press a button and the signal tells the motor to spin a certain direction for a specific amount of time while playing a sound,” Nam said. “There are six available sounds and each one does something a little bit different.”

R2-D2 is basically split up into four main sections: head, body and two legs. After each section was welded and the 3D printed parts were attached, the team managed to finally put it all together on the last available day they had in the shop, which was on the weekend outside of regular school hours.

“While I was working on the design and moving parts, I fully trusted in the guys to get all the pieces fabricated properly,” Nam noted. “Everyone I chose to help with this project had a specific role, which helped us work together efficiently.”

Currently, R2-D2 is at the training centre on display. Nam plans to take R2-D2 home for an upgrade that will include motors and wheels in the feet and remote operation capabilities.

“I will eventually bring it back to the school so people can play around with it,” Nam said. “The long-term future for R2-D2 is unknown, but for now our team has decided that the intention is to inspire other students to make cool projects.”

This article was originally published on WNYLaborToday.com.

When it comes to giving back to the Rochester, N.Y., community, SMART Local 46 members are ready, willing and able to do what they can, when they can. In 2023, that meant giving their time and skills at the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum, where apprentices are working to restore an idled trolley car that once ran the rails in downtown Rochester.

“We’ve been sending 10 apprentices at a time, about 40 in all, and they are loving it,” Local 46 Training Director Allen Mort told WNYLaborToday. com about the restoration work being done at the Railroad Museum. “They’re working on the car’s roof and their sheet metal paneling. This has been awesome — they’re working to preserve our local history.”

Museum President Otto Vondrak says Local 46’s apprentices are helping restore a trolley car that ran on the Rochester system from 1938 to 1956.

“We got it donated to us back in 1998,” Vondrak said. “It also has a wood interior, and it’s been sitting here for more than 20 years. Before Local 46 got involved, we were fundraising to get the money to repair, and it was being restored — incrementally.”

“This makes me feel proud,” said SMART International Organizer Warren Faust, who joined WNYLaborToday.com for a tour of the Railroad Museum with Mort, Vondrak and Jonathan Perna, a Local 46 marketing representative.

“You have to have a diverse skill set to do work like this, and most people just don’t know we have it,” Faust added. “This is giving everyone a sense of pride, and it ties in with the fact that we band together to help.”

Offering what it describes on its website as “the most unique museum experience in the greater Rochester area,” the Rochester & Genesee Valley Railroad Museum is a nonprofit educational organization that traces its roots back to 1937 as the Rochester chapter of the National Railway Historical Society, the third-oldest chapter in the organization. Its purpose, according to Vondrak, is to educate the public on the technology, history and impact of Rochester’s railroad industry through the preservation, restoration and operation of railroad equipment — as well as the display of relevant historic artifacts and documents.

In 1971, the museum group purchased an abandoned Industry Depot from the Erie Lackawanna Railroad with the goal of restoring it as a museum — and over the last 50 years, the organization has preserved more than 40 pieces of historic railroad equipment and built its own demonstration railroad to bring Rochester’s rich railroading heritage to life. In fact, the museum operates and offers train rides every month from April through December.

Vondrak told WNYLaborToday.com he is “super excited” to have Local 46’s apprentices working to help restore the rail car.

“They’re helping preserve the railroad heritage for all to enjoy, and their expertise in metalworking was something we don’t have here. [Local 46’s apprentices] have the expertise to help get it over the finish line,” he said.

The museum has spent more than $100,000 to date to help pay for the majority of restoration work that needs to be done, added Vondrak, who knows his nonprofit is “literally saving hundreds of thousands of dollars” thanks to the work being donated by Local 46.

“They are doing it all right — the first time,” he said.

For Local 46, such projects aren’t only the right thing to do for the community; they help raise public awareness of the important role unions play, both on and off the job.

“It’s baffling, the perception [the general public has about what labor unions and union members do] — you just never get a good answer, but there’s a lot SMART does to help people,” Perna said. “When people ask me, I say: ‘Sure, we’re going to get our apprentices involved, because they care. And our focus is to give people a better life.’

“If you’re not in a union, you’re doing it wrong — you’re missing out on the benefits. I feel good for our members and our apprentices that we’ve given them these opportunities [to do good things across the Rochester community].”

According to Mort, Local 46 apprentices who have participated in the effort include: Rand Warner, Earl Delong, Hunter Angarano, John Bertolone, Karl Biedlingmaier, Robert Dettore, Anthony Hayslip, Matthew Olek, Alexsi Ortiz, Cody Pascalar and Richard Andrew Ross.

Union solidarity is everlasting, and Local 19 (Philadelphia, Pa.) apprentices proved that on April 4, 2024 — installing an accessibility ramp for a retired member who recently started using a wheelchair.

“It only took several hours to install, but this ramp will help the retired member connect easier with the outside world,” Local 19 wrote on Facebook.

Solidarity forever!

The artistry of union craftsmanship was on full display in New York in early 2024. Members of Local 83 performed stunning copper work at the New York State Capitol in Albany, with help from Local 40 (Connecticut), Local 17 (Boston) and Local 63 (Western Mass.). The approximately six tons of copper were installed by Local 83 members Mike Desourdy, Joshua Vadnais, Andrew Bell, Vernon Howe, Kenny O’Loughlin, Ed Schillinger, Jr., Superintendent Tony Brancati and Aaron Hebert, as well as Local 40’s Dennis Rodrigues, Local 17’s Keith Ruza and Local 63’s Stephen Bovenzi.

SMART Local 18 members and signatory contractors are working to spread the word about rewarding careers in the union sheet metal industry for young people across Wisconsin.

Wauwatosa East High School has partnered with local mechanical contractor firms JM Brennan and TOTAL Mechanical — as well as local manufacturers representing Air Flow, the Milwaukee and Southeastern Wisconsin Plumbing and Mechanical Contractors Association and Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors Association (PMC SMACCA) — to further develop its learning labora­tory and better prepare the building and construction trades’ labor force of the future.

These companies, the regional contractors’ asso­ciations and the union members who make up their workforces have partnered with Wauwatosa East to advance the HVAC component of its technical training space so that students can be better prepared for a career in the building trades.

Craig Griffie is the technical educational teacher at Wauwatosa East High School and is the coordinator of one of only two certified pre-apprenticeship programs in the state of Wisconsin.

“At Tosa East we are very proud of our program. The students are building a really strong foundation, and it’s all due to the partners we have,” said Griffie.

“We believe in bringing up that next generation for our industry. This class gives students the opportunity to develop that through hands-on learning,” added Jessica Jahner, senior project manager at JM Brennan.

Local 18 members on site at Wauwatosa East demonstrated various aspects of the union sheet metal trade for students — introducing potential recruits to the industry and letting area students know about the life-changing power of a union.

“It’s been amazing working with the people from JM Brennan and TOTAL Mechanical, just learning all these new things and soaking up all this information,” said Hayden, a high school senior.

Members of the Local 27 (Southern New Jersey) SMART Army volun­teered their time to benefit their community last spring, taking part in the 2024 Cumberland County Improvement Authority trash hunt. Thank you to the members who participated: Peter Kesnig, Mike Mendez, John Manera, Gavin Wil­liams, Malcolm Hill, Jeffrey Brown, Pat Derbyshire, Matt Johnson, Bob Whittaker, Joe Ashner, Don Cooper, Mark Weatherby and Jaden Shepard.

In 2015, the SMART Local 218 (Springfield, Illinois) Retirees’ Club began fabricating a “memory wall:” a metal art piece featuring the names of sheet metal workers who came before us. Years later, the memory wall is a treasured showcase of Local 218’s history, proudly displayed as a tribute to all those who helped shape the local and to the hard work and skilled labor of those who created the piece.

The Springfield Retirees’ Club is led by President Roy Sims and Secretary-Treasurer Donald Noll.