SMACNA Unveils Inaugural Charles Corbett Excellence in Labor Relations Award

SMACNA National recognizes the achievements of a Contractor, a Chapter Executive, and Legislative Advocates of the Year during its annual conference each fall. This year, SMACNA President Tony Kocurek had the distinction of unveiling a new award—the Charles Corbett Excellence in Labor Relations Award, which recognizes exceptional achievement in furthering the strong relationship between SMACNA contractors and their SMART labor partners.

President Kocurek directed the convention attendees to a video featuring Chuck Corbett’s wife of 40 years, Kay, who described the exceptional career and achievements of the man she referred to as the “Love of Her Life”.

View the Charles Corbett Award Announcement at vimeo.com/866149106/ab8f1456fa

Kay recounted Chuck’s fascinating career, including his military service prior to joining the sheet metal industry. Chuck served his country, rising to the rank of colonel in the United

States Army. He was commander of the Disaster Relief Task Force following the devastating Guatemalan earthquake in 1976, receiving a citation from US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger for his efforts. Chuck served as advisor for the Western Hemisphere to the Joint Chiefs of Staff and served on the National Security Council as a chief negotiator on the Panama Canal Treaty. It was this latter service that led him to the sheet metal industry.

Following the Panama Canal Treaty negotiations, Chuck was dispatched to travel the United States to garner support for the treaty. A Georgia SMACNA sheet metal contractor attended one of Chuck’s speaking engagements and told Chuck that if he had the courage to travel to the south to promote the highly controversial treaty that he should come to Atlanta following retirement from the military to represent contractors in their contract negotiations with the local sheet metal union. That is exactly what Chuck did, joining Georgia SMACNA as Chapter Executive in 1978.

Chuck Corbett joined the SMACNA National staff as executive director of labor relations in 1991, chairing SMACNA’s Labor Committee and the National Joint Adjustment Board (NJAB). Chuck assembled a great group of contractors to help with negotiations and arbitration at the national level. He was highly respected by the contractors that he represented and the leadership of the Sheet Metal Workers International Association (now SMART). SMART General President Emeritus Michael Sullivan, who worked with Chuck for many years, described him as “a man of honor, whose word was unfailing and who served SMACNA and the industry with integrity.”

At its 2023 convention, SMACNA appointed two deserving individuals to receive the first-ever Charles Corbett Excellence in Labor Relations Award. Steve Doonan from DeKalb Mechanical in Illinois served the Northern Illinois SMACNA Chapter as a board member and president. At the National level, Doonan has served as an Article X Panelist, resolving grievances at the third step of the industry arbitration procedure. His work as a panelist earned him an appointment to the NJAB in 2017. Doonan also served on the SMACNA National board of directors.

Deb Sullivan, executive director of SMACNA of Northern Illinois, commended Doonan for all his service at the chapter level. “He has earned the respect of his fellow contractors, union leadership, DeKalb Mechanical employees, and customers,” she said.

SMART assistant to the general president, Tom Wiant has arbitrated several grievances at the Article X, Section 3 panel step of the grievance procedure. New to arbitration at this stage of the grievance procedure, Wiant commended Doonan for his ability to approach grievances from a contractual point of view without bias.

Accepting the award, Doonan said he finds his work on the National Labor Committee and NJAB rewarding because it allows him to go into areas where labor and management are at odds with each other and hopefully provide a creative solution and resolution of the differences.

“I strive to see the issues in these disputes from both labor and management’s perspectives to get to common ground,” he said. “I have received so much from my involvement in SMACNA that it is a real honor and pleasure to give something back.”

The other recipient of the Excellence in Labor Relations Award was also a long-time member of SMACNA’s Labor Committee and NJAB where he was respected by his fellow contractor and union members. Thomas Gunning Jr. received the award posthumously. Thomas Gunning, Jr. served as chapter executive of the SMACNA Boston chapter and other building trades associations.

Thomas Gunning III shared how grateful he and his family were to accept the award on behalf of his father. “For over 30 years, my father dedicated himself to finding the middle ground with both labor and management to build a better Boston and beyond,” he told attendees. “My father’s approach to cultivating harmonious labor relations was built on the same principles he instilled in his family—always be honest, fair, and hard-working.”

Upon learning of the award, Bob Butler, president of the SMART New England Regional Council and business manager of Local 17 in Boston who worked with Tom Gunning, Jr., described him as “a man of his word who knew how to work with both labor and management sides of the bargaining table to get a job done.”

“Both recipients embody the principles of honor, trustworthiness, and fairness in labor relations that are the legacy of Chuck Corbett,” Kocurek told attendees. ▪