Josh Williams, Business Agent for Sheet Metal Workers Local 24, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed his previous career as a mixed martial arts fighter and how that career helped him transition to a career in the building trades.
After being a student-athlete at The Ohio State University, Williams began MMA fighting and was involved in the sport for nearly five years. Continue reading →
SMART General President Joseph Sellers, Jr., along with other union leaders, celebrated the signing of the five-year $1.2 trillion infrastructure bill.
“The bill can create jobs for existing SMART members and spur new union jobs, which will help us grow the power of union,” said Sellers in a prepared statement on the SMART website.
“The bill includes over $1 billion in funding for Indoor Air Quality for schools along with commercial and residential buildings that can be used for badly needed HVAC upgrades,” he said.
Sellers also noted the legislation will invest $25 billion in airport and $17 billion in port infrastructure to not only address repair and maintenance backlogs, but to invest in keeping America’s supply chain moving. 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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
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 →
In a late June ruling, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled in favor of Mark Janus, denying public sector unions the right to collect “fair share” fees.
The court’s 5-4 ruling in Janus vs. AFSCME District Council 31 overturns its 1977 ruling Abood vs. Detroit Board of Education.
Joining in the majority were Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Anthony Kennedy, Clarence Thomas, Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch.
Justices Elena Kagan, Sonia Sotomayor, Stephen Breyer and Ruth Bader Ginsburg dissented with the opinion. Continue reading →
Sheet Metal Workers Locals 24 and 33, with help from a SMART lobbyist and the Affiliated Construction Trades (ACT) West Virginia, defeated an attempt by state legislators to repeal HVAC licensing requirements in the state.
After two years of working with legislators, SMW Locals 24, 33 and 100 won a key victory in 2015, as the state enacted a law to require state licensing for all workers who perform work on HVAC/Fire Dampers in West Virginia. Continue reading →