The following candidates received the political endorsement of Sheet Metal Workers Local 24 and won in the Nov. 3, 2020 General Election:
Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris (endorsed by SMART International) Continue reading →
In late September, Columbus City Council passed an ordinance to target wage theft and payroll fraud.
Councilman Rob Dorans, who also works as Chief Legal Counsel for Affiliated Construction Trades (ACT) Ohio, was the chief architect of the ordinance. He pointed out that despite the booming growth in Columbus, many people are not enjoying economic prosperity.
“Unfortunately, too many in our community have been taken advantage of by companies seeking to cut corners to improve their bottom line,” he added. Continue reading →
Members of Local 24 are urged to visit a new SMART website to check your voter information or to register to vote.
In order to hold politicians accountable, you must vote. However, you cannot vote unless you are registered.
SMARTvote2020 helps members check voter registration status, helps members register to vote and also helps members request a mail-in absentee ballot.
With each passing day, the voter registration deadline in your state draws near. Continue reading →
On June 19, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed House Bill 481, which re-appropriated nearly $1.3 billion in capital projects and saved tens of thousands of construction jobs, including jobs for members of Sheet Metal Workers Local 24.
The legislation, which was passed by both houses earlier in June, provided funding for a variety of construction and renovation work for numerous colleges and universities, sports complexes and arts organizations around the state. Continue reading →
In mid-June, Ohio legislators approved the re-appropriation of funds for nearly $1.3 billion in already approved construction projects.
The decision will ensure the creation of thousands of jobs for building trades members across the state, including work for Sheet Metal Workers Local 24.
House Bill 481 funds a variety of construction projects for state colleges and universities, sports complexes and the arts.
Initially, the funding was in doubt as members of the House Finance Committee were discussing H.B. 670, which would have cut the spending in half.
According to The Dayton Daily News, uncertainty over the state’s fiscal future due to lost revenue and expenses related to the coronavirus pandemic led House leaders to call for every capital projected to be justified.
On June 4, the committee decided to shelve H.B. 670 in favor of Senate Bill 316, which re-appropriated almost $1.3 billion in spending on construction projects.
Eventually, language from H.B. 316 was added into H.B. 481.
In addition to the $1.3 billion in re-appropriation funding, the legislation will provide $350 million worth of federal coronavirus aid to local governments and authorize the sale of nearly two dozen pieces of state-owned property for various reasons. The legislation also grants the governor permission to freeze state workers’ pay for a year and allows townships to slash pay or institute furloughs for workers because of the fiscal crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The most important facet of this bill is the legislature’s understanding on the need to keep Ohioan’s employed.
If they had decided not to re-appropriate the full amount, tens of thousands of construction jobs would have been lost.
Sheet Metal Workers Local 24 thanks all members of the House and Senate, who supported H.B. 481.
Two Ohio lawmakers introduced legislation in May designed to repeal Ohio’s Prevailing Wage law.
State Reps. Ron Hood (R-Ashville) and Bill Dean (R-Xenia) introduced House Bill 663, which has only eight co-sponsors.
According to the Ohio Capital Journal, the legislators called Ohio’s Prevailing Wage law “onerous and archaic.” Continue reading →
The members of Sheet Metal Workers Local 24 are playing an imperative role in keeping doctors, nurses, first responders and others safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Members working for signatory contractor Wolf Metals have helped build decontamination units used to clean N95 masks. They performed all the metal work on these units. Continue reading →
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 →
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 →
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 →