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Sheet Metal Workers Local 24 Members Made PPE Pieces for First Responders

Posted by / May 4, 2020 / Categories: Community / 0 Comments
Sheet Metal Workers Local 24 COVID-19 Nose Piece

A few of the many SMW Local 24 members who helped make metal nose pieces.

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, Sheet Metal Workers Local 24 came to the aid of first responders by donating PPE pieces.

Members of the Local, working for signatory contractors, made and donated metal nose pieces to be used in face masks.

This community-minded work is part of a union-wide effort, as members took time from their normal work to make the tiny, but critical pieces.

The metal is cut flat into a small strip and used as a nose bridge in the mask for extra protection and comfort. Continue reading →

Sheet Metal Worker Local 24 Urges Members to Follow Good Hygiene Protocols

Posted by / March 16, 2020 / Categories: News / Tags: , , / 0 Comments

In the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, the officers of Sheet Metal Workers Local 24 urge all members to follow good hygiene protocols as recommended by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to help limit exposure and spread of the disease.

The virus, officially named SARS-CoV-2, causes COVID-19, which stands for coronavirus disease 2019. It comes from the large family of coronaviruses, which may cause illness in animals or humans.

In humans, coronaviruses are known to cause respiratory infections. Symptoms of the virus, which may appear anywhere from two to 14 days after exposure, may include fever, cough and shortness of breath.

Anyone who displays these symptoms is strongly encouraged to stay home and alert their medical provider. Continue reading →

DOL Grants Permanent IRAP Exemption To Construction Industry

On March 10, the U.S. Department of Labor granted the construction industry a permanent exemption from Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs, otherwise known as IRAPs.

The exemption was a huge win for the union construction industry and their signatory contractors, who combine to invest more than $1 billion in private sector money to fund and operate over 1,900 apprenticeship training and education facilities across North America. This ongoing commitment has been in place for roughly 80 years and has consistently produced the safest, most highly trained and most highly skilled construction workforce.

IRAPs differ from registered apprenticeships because they are not regulated by the government and give employers – or an affiliated partner – the ability to train new construction workers without any regulations or governmental oversight.

In its final ruling, the DOL acknowledged the quality, availability and longevity of the building trades registered apprenticeship programs as the main reasons for granting the permanent exemption. Continue reading →

Sheet Metal Workers Local 24 Women’s Committee Supports Night to Shine Event

Members of the Sheet Metal Workers Local 24 Women’s Committee proudly supported the Tim Tebow Foundation’s annual Night to Shine event.

For the past five years, the Tim Tebow Foundation has partnered with churches throughout the world, individuals and organizations in order to provide people with special needs, age 14 and older, with an unforgettable prom night experience. Continue reading →

Local 24 Members help bring Grocery Store to Underserved Dayton Neighborhood

Thanks to members of Sheet Metal Workers Local 24 and other building trades Locals, a new full-service grocery store will be built in an underserved Dayton neighborhood.

When it opens later this year, Gem City Market will become Dayton’s first worker and community-owned co-operative grocery store.

A co-op is unique because it is owned and democratically governed by its members, the people who use its products or services or those employed by the business. Continue reading →

Busy 2020 Construction Season for SMW Local 24 Members

There appears to be plenty of work expected for Sheet Metal Worker Local 24 members in 2020.

Building trades leaders in Columbus and Dayton said collectively, their members worked record hours in 2019 and as of now, are predicting similar numbers for 2020. In Lima, major refinery work is set to wrap up, but members should stay busy thanks to numerous hospital projects.

In the Columbus area, major datacenter projects are currently underway or just about set to begin for internet giants Amazon, Facebook and Google. Continue reading →

SMW Local 24 Members Donate Items to Homeless Veterans

Members of Sheet Metal Workers Local 24 made sure Cincinnati area’s homeless veterans were not forgotten.

Thanks to the generosity of Local 24 members and signatory contractors, more than 100 homeless veterans living in southwestern Ohio received personal care packages.

Volunteers from the Local 24 Women’s Committee and SMART Army assemble care packages for homeless veterans.

Volunteers from the Local 24 Women’s Committee and SMART Army assemble care packages for homeless veterans.

During September and October, members of the SMART Local 24 Women’s Committee and SMART Army collected personal care items in order to create care packages. Continue reading →

SMW Local 24 Affiliated Building Trades Councils Recognized for Safety

Four different Building and Construction Trades Councils received national recognition for safety on jobsites during the 19th Annual Zero Injury Safety Awards or ZISA.

According to their website, the ZISA are open to all contractors, industrial business owners, clients and building trades councils on projects performed under the terms of a National Maintenance Agreement or a National Power Generation Maintenance Agreement program.

ZISA is recognized nationwide as union construction and maintenance’s premier award for industrial safety. It showcases the best the industry has to offer, and reaffirms the union construction industry’s commitment to safety.

The awards honored the achievement of zero injuries on industrial construction and maintenance projects from the previous calendar year. Continue reading →

SMART Members Contribute to Historic Number of Comments Submitted to the DOL against IRAPs

North America’s Building Trades Unions called effort to submit comments to the U.S. Department of Labor against Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs, also called IRAPs, record setting.

In an Aug. 27 prepared statement, NABTU said nearly 325,000 Americans told the DOL they do not support IRAPs in the construction industry. The number of submitted comments broke the previous record of 25,000 submitted on changes to overtime pay.

According to a statement on the SMART website, SMART members submitted just over 18,000 comments to the DOL, with several thousand more comments submitted by friends and family members. Continue reading →

SMART Rallies against IRAPs

From the International level and down, unions are rallying their members to tell the U.S. Department of Labor Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs, also known as IRAPs, do not belong in the construction industry.

With the potential fate of registered apprenticeships hanging in the balance, North America’s Building Trades Unions, SMART, other International Unions and are reaching out to all members and urging them to take action and comment against the implantation of IRAPs before the Aug. 26 deadline. Continue reading →