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Local 206 (San Diego, Calif.) members working for signatory contractor A.O. Reed made history on the IQHQ Research & Development District project — previously covered in the Members’ Journal — by fabricating and installing what SMACNA considers the largest ductwork ever fabricated, measuring 248” x 142”.

“Our BIM team worked hand-in-hand with SMACNA and the engineer to ensure these large systems operate at the highest quality,” A.O. Reed said in a press release. “After fabrication and installation, SMACNA reviewed its records and found the ductwork was the largest ever fabricated.”

A.O. Reed employs the largest number of union tradesworkers in San Diego County and is the only mechanical contractor in the city of San Diego that fabricates its own ductwork. The company, which started as a small plumbing business 110 years ago, directly attributes much of its success to its unionized workforce.

“This advantage gives us the unique ability to modify our fabrication process and adjust to the different idiosyncrasies of the job,” the press release continued. “Our team finds new and inventive ways to overcome obstacles in the field. At A.O. Reed, we have some of the best fabricators in our industry, and by utilizing our team’s skills and expertise, we made history! Our team produces high-quality products for our clients, and with the help of our journeymen, apprentices and technicians, we can provide the best mechanical systems in Southern California.”

Local 206 members working at the company’s in-house sheet metal shop put in long hours on the IQHQ duct system, fabricating approximately 24,000 pounds of galvanized steel roof duct. The duct riser was made of 15-gauge galvanized steel and weighed 1,600 pounds per joint.

“Our team of union journeymen, welders, technicians and apprentices meticulously fabricated these pieces of ductwork to ensure we provided the highest-quality product for the project,” the release concluded. “Without their skillset and craftsmanship this project would not have been possible.”

SMART members know that union dues are an investment in themselves — one that pays off consistently in the form of strong contracts, pro-union laws and increased work.

The advocacy of union officers demonstrated that fact in summer 2024, when Local 105 (Southern California) won back thousands of work hours that rightfully belonged to SMART members.

In California’s Inland Empire, the Riverside Unified School District recently signed a project labor agreement/community workforce agreement (CWA) for the first time; a major win for union building trades workers that guaranteed them work on RUSD projects. However, on the mechanical side, a non-signatory contractor won several bids on RUSD work, including a large new build: Casa Blanca Elementary School.

Knowing the rules of the CWA and the strong labor provisions therein, Local 105 Business Manager Steve Hinson and officers decided to investigate. Sure enough, the contractor, Simco Mechanical, “sent unregistered core workers to the jobsite,” explained Local 105 Organizer Albert Orosco. “I caught them through certified payroll report records.”

Under Hinson’s direction, Orosco swiftly filed a grievance against Simco, noting that the violation of the CWA lowered area working conditions, kept local workers off the jobsite and violated the strong labor standards collectively bargained by SoCal unions.

Armed with the CWA language, Hinson and Local 105 negotiated a settlement with the contractor — one that will benefit members for years to come. For the remainder of the $600 million RUSD CWA, the settlement reads, Simco Mechanical can only “staff one of their field employees to fulfill the duties of a field foreman for the worksite, with all other duties onsite being performed by Local 105 members.”

In other words, the activity of Local 105 officers — made possible by union dues — secured an enormous amount of work for union sheet metal workers.

“This is a major win for our members: creating work hours in the Inland Empire, where many of them live and will be put to work as the agreement intended,” concluded Local 105 Business Representative Tim Hinson.

Local 265 (Carol Stream, Ill.) held its 8th annual picnic and wheels event on September 21, 2024, bringing members and families together for food, solidarity, raffles and giveaways, and more. Along with classic cars, attendees took advantage of a variety of activities: live music, a rock-climbing wall, a bounce house, a reptile show and a tour of the training facility.

On October 25, 2024, William “Bill” Heasley, Local 12 retired past president, Dave “Gomez” Losco, Local 12 retiree, Captain Tim Bradley, a retired iron worker, and camp cook Lois Kolarik achieved a successful black bear hunt in Cameron County, Pennsylvania. Heasley harvested the bear at 9 a.m. on Friday the 25th, the second day of the state’s special firearms season for black bears. Congratulations, all!

With the full-fledged support of SMART Local 18 (Wisconsin) members, signatory mechanical contractor JM Brennan recently raised more than $20,000 for local children with physical disabilities — putting the principles of our union into practice.

The effort started in 2022, when operations staff at JM Brennan — which is based in Milwaukee and Madison — started brainstorming ways to reinvigorate the company’s motorcycle poker run, at that point dormant for many years.

“The initial intent was to have this event and bring employees and vendors together,” the contractor wrote. “It turned out to be much more.”

Staff researched local charities, searching for an initiative that would benefit from the motorcycle run, and ultimately selected the Children’s Hospital of Milwaukee’s Go Baby Go! program. Go Baby Go!, designed to help kids with physical disabilities, allows young children to gain more independent mobility via custom motorized cars.

 “Each car is uniquely designed and fitted for the specific child, allowing them the maximum benefit and experience of motion,” JM Brennan explained. “This is important as wheelchairs will either not work, or will not fit them due to their specific disability.”

In 2022, the event brought 75 riders together to raise $6,000. One year later, with 90 riders participating and additional sponsors, the event raised $12,000. And in 2024, 17 sponsors, 110 riders and 20 volunteers raised $22,000 — which translates into 36 motorized cars for the kids who need them.

A recipient family attended the 2024 ride. Laurie and her son, Emmet, told participants face-to-face just how important Go Baby Go! has been to their family.

“Laurie indicated that the freedom of motion cannot be understated, or even appreciated — and the joy that he experiences,” JM Brennan wrote. “Just like motorcycles bring elation and freedom to riders, Emmet’s car draws a suitable parallel.”

“A notable and profound thank you to Local 18, Steuart Wilson and Craig Wagner, who have been supportive and instrumental from day one,” the contractor concluded.

Throughout 2024, SMART Local 25 (Northern New Jersey) supported a variety of pro-worker candidates on labor walks, spreading the word about the importance of voting union.

Local 25 members with Josh Gottheimer
Local 25 members with Rep. Robert Menendez
Local 25 members with Andy Kim
Local 25 members and Business Manager Joe Demark with Mikie Sherrill and Nellie Pou
Local 25 members with Laurel Brennan and Jen Ehrentraut
Local 25 members and Business Manager Joe Demark with Charles Wowkanech and Laurel Brennan

On November 11, 2024, SMART Local 66 (Seattle, Wash.) presented honorary membership to Mary Fosse, a state House representative from Washington’s 38th District.

“In her time in the Washington State Legislature, and in her service on the Everett City Council beforehand, Mary Fosse has tirelessly championed workers,” explained Business Agent Sam Hem. “Her policy advocacy spans a number of worker issues and includes requiring labor standards on publicly funded projects; expanding apprenticeship pathways into the trades; construction site safety; addressing barriers to childcare for apprentices; clean energy, union job creation; unemployment insurance access; and extending the working families tax credit.”

Local 66’s bylaws state: “From time to time the International may wish to honor an individual who has a sustained record of supporting the labor movement and exemplifies dedicated public service by granting him or her an honorary membership of this Association.”

In the judgment of Local 66, Fosse’s dedication to workers’ rights and Washington’s workforce merited just that.

“In honor of the work she has already accomplished, and looking forward to the work we will continue to accomplish together, it was the pleasure of the Northwest Regional Council and SMART Local 66 to welcome Representative Fosse as an honorary member of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers,” Hem concluded.

The SMART Army showed out in force for kids in Bradley County, Tennessee, last October: Local 5 members partnered with the local chapter of Sleep in Heavenly Peace, building 30 beds for children who need a safe place to sleep.

SHP’s mission is that “no kid sleeps on the floor in our town” — with the help of Local 5, that dream moved one step closer towards reality.

“The nonprofit was very pleased and wants to partner with us again,” reported Local 5 Organizer Hunter Gossett.

Great work, brothers and sisters!

Over the summer, thousands of delegates, staff, leaders and guests gathered in Las Vegas, Nev., for our union’s Third General Convention. We spent Monday through Friday in session, with our TD brothers and sisters convening for their convention the previous Sunday — working to consider and pass various resolutions, amendments and other motions that will strengthen this union for the long haul.

I am immensely proud of the delegates you elected to represent you at this convention; the solidarity on display inspired everyone who had the chance to witness it. Now, it’s time to get to work.

“All of us want what’s right for our families, our jobs and our union. So please join me in taking action to secure our future this November.

As union members, we know the most important thing for our well-being is each other. But we also know that outside forces, particularly anti-labor politicians, will stop at nothing to constrict and even entirely get rid of our ability to do just that. For that reason, your elected convention delegates made the important decision to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president and Minnesota Governor Tim Walz for vice president in the 2024 U.S. presidential election.

Just like every other election season, there is a lot of noise out there right now, brothers and sisters, and a lot of powerful people and corporations doing their best to keep us distracted. But throughout our country’s history, one thing has always been true: The laws and policies that strengthen the labor movement always benefit our country.

Vice President Harris and Governor Walz want to help your union grow, create more jobs for SMART members and uplift working families. Their actions prove it. Vice President Harris’s tie-breaking votes to pass the American Rescue Plan and the Inflation Reduction Act saved union members’ pensions and invested in the jobs of our future. As Minnesota governor, Walz passed a state two-person crew law, an air ventilation program to put sheet metal members to work, funded Amtrak, expanded prevailing wage, banned anti-union captive audience meetings, and became the first and only governor in the nation to legislate yardmasters’ hours of service.

Harris’s and Walz’s actions speak louder than words. They stood, and they continue to stand, with SMART members and our families.

The other candidate in this election has an anti-union record that imitates the robber-barons of the past, with plans to outdo himself. His administration rescinded a proposed two-person crew rule, tried to gut union apprenticeships with Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs, prioritized tax cuts for the wealthy over job-creating laws for SMART members — I could go on and on. And his Project 2025 agenda details his intent to attack us even more in the future.

Brothers and sisters, I know we don’t agree on everything in the political arena. But one thing I’m absolutely, 100% certain of is this: All of us want what’s right for our families, our jobs and our union. So please join me in taking action to secure our future this November.

In solidarity,

SMART General President Michael Coleman

As a sheet metal worker and proud union member for decades, I can confidently say that I’ve never seen as much opportunity in our industry as I do today.

Like many of you, I’ve faced my share of challenges throughout my career. Whether I was working with the tools, fighting to secure jobs as an organizer or negotiating contracts to expand our market share as the business manager of Local 265 in Carol Stream, Illinois, I’ve been right there with you. We have navigated the ups and downs, including the unprecedented challenges of the Great Recession and its aftermath.

Today, we find ourselves in unprecedented times once again — but this time, it’s due to unparalleled growth.

Across the country, we see a surge of megaprojects breaking ground: EV battery plants, infrastructure projects, semiconductor fabrication facilities and more. These projects are coming online every day in places like Texas, Ontario, Tennessee, Kentucky, Vermont and beyond.

Our union is stronger than ever. Our membership now stands at 230,000 — a gain of nearly 30,000 new members. This growth is a remarkable achievement and a testament to the hard work and determination of members and leaders across the union. But let me be clear: This success wasn’t handed to us — it was earned.

In 2020, we mobilized to elect a pro-worker administration and allies in Congress — not because of the party they represented, but because they were willing to listen to us, understand our “Why,” and act on it. We pushed our agenda forward, negotiating with those who were open-minded and committed to understanding the needs of our members. We held accountable those who failed to stand by us and stood firmly behind those who proved their loyalty to our cause. We didn’t just sit back and support candidates based on party affiliation, nor did we simply take politicians at their word. We fought actively for our future.

Our hard work led to the passage of critical legislation — the American Rescue Plan Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act. These aren’t just political wins; they are victories for every single union member, ensuring jobs that offer fair pay, good benefits and the dignity of work.

But we cannot take these gains for granted. If we want this period of prosperity to continue, we must remain vigilant and proactive. Our future is at stake in this November’s election.

This election is not about partisan politics. I know that for some, issues like diversity, equity and inclusion, immigration reform, the right to bear arms or who we choose to love are deeply personal and vital. And they are important. But at the core of everything — no matter what we believe or how we live — is the need for family security. Whatever your family looks like, whatever you value, the foundation of it all is the ability to provide for those we love.

That means securing good wages, quality healthcare and the dignity of retirement through our hard-earned pensions.

Our union isn’t just about better wages and benefits; it’s about creating a stable foundation for every family, ensuring that every member can provide for their loved ones. A strong union builds stronger families, stronger communities and ultimately, a stronger country. When we protect and grow our union, we set the stage for addressing all of the other challenges we face. This November, let’s stay focused on what matters most: our union, our families and our future.

That’s why I’ll be voting for Kamala Harris and Tim Walz, two pro-union champions who have proven their loyalty to SMART members and pledged to continue our shared progress. I urge you to join me in voting for the future of our families and our union this November.

In solidarity,

John Daniel
SMART General Secretary Treasurer