PartnersINProgress SMACNA & SMART—Building a Future Together
February 2021
Education is adapting now and for the future...
PartnersINProgress SMACNA & SMART—Building a Future Together
JOSEPH SELLERS, JR. ANGELA SIMON Co-Publishers KAARIN ENGELMANN editor@pinpmagazine.org Editor-in-Chief
8 CONTENTS
February 2021 - Volume 15, Number 2
3 SMART & SMACNA - PARTNERS IN CONTINUOUS LEARNING When the best become elevated, the training doesn’t stop there. SMACNA
and SMART work together to keep striving for higher ground.
4 EVOLUTION OF TRAINING Local 88’s JATC adapted quickly to COVID-19, implementing measures they
will keep long after the pandemic is over.
6 7 TRENDS TO IMPACT CONSTRUCTION LITIGATION IN 2021
Everything labor and management need to know for a bright, prosperous and safe 2021.
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PARTNERS MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND Local 12 and SMACNA Western Pennsylvania worked together to take
recruitment online to social media.
JESSICA KIRBY jkirby@pointonemedia.com Editor POINT ONE MEDIA INC. artdept@pointonemedia.com Creative Services
Partners in Progress is a publication of the Sheet Metal Industry LaborManagement Cooperation Fund. All contents ©2021 by the Sheet Metal Industry Labor-Management Cooperation Fund, P.O. Box 221211, Chantilly, VA 20153-1211. Find Partners in Progress online at pinp.org or at issuu.com/ partnersinprogress. An archive of all issues is available and printed copies may be ordered for a minimal fee. For comments or questions, email editor@pinpmagazine.org.
10 PARTNERSHIPS ARE KEY IN CONTINUOUS IMPROVEMENT
Continuous improvement brings efficiency and productivity to the workplace and levels the playing field between labor and management.
12 JUD MARTELL: MY JOURNEY
Jud Martell, Local 280 president and JATC training coordinator, found
himself in sheet metal and has a lot of gratitude for the trade.
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S HE E T M E TA L | A I R | R A I L | T R A N S P O R TAT I O N
SMART & SMACNA—Partners
in Continuous Learning, Improvement and Innovation
It is common knowledge that union training programs turn out the most highly skilled construction tradesmen and women and that apprenticeship and training programs sponsored by SMACNA contractors and SMART Local unions are among the very best in the industry. Just as serious athletes do not stop training as soon as they win one gold medal or championship game, the “best of the best” joint apprenticeship training centers (JATCs) do not achieve that status, pat themselves on the back, and sit back to enjoy the recognition. Top-performing JATCs continually research training methods and technology trends and reevaluate and re-invent their programs to maintain the highest training standards. This edition of Partners in Progress provides insight into how several of the top-performing JATCs aspire to and stay at the top of their games. Top achievers in any endeavor find opportunities to excel in the most challenging circumstances. Evolution of Training (page 4) details what allowed the Local 88/SMACNA of Southern Nevada JATC to adapt quickly to the challenge of providing top quality training to apprentices after the state of Nevada issued an all-encompassing stay-at-home order in response to COVID-19. This JATC experience was so positive that training modifications will remain an important component of the program, even when the pandemic is long behind us. SMACNA contractors and their SMART craftspersons are experts in pre-planning to avoid problems and maximize efficiency on their projects. Turn to page 6 to learn how those pre-planning skills can be applied to reduce the likelihood of construction litigation. This article also reveals how COVID-19 inspired changes will lead to an increase in green building, modular, and pre-fab construction and wider adoption of efficiency technologies, including Building Information Modeling (BIM). The most successful industry programs are launched in areas that have established a strong and collaborative labormanagement partnership. Page 8 features another JATC success story made possible by the strong relationship and communication between Local 12 and SMACNA of Western Pennsylvania. With face-to-face job fairs and school presentations on hold, this JATC reacted quickly to move apprentice recruiting online with the development of a recruitment video meant to appeal to the apprentice candidates the JATC wants to attract. Other accomplishments of this partnership highlighted include the identification and capitalization of new market opportunities and working together to secure grants to build and equip their new training center. High performing SMACNA members know the value of continuous improvement and the importance of engaging
all employees in the process. The story about Continuous Improvement on page 12 describes the journey of Sheet Metal Connectors (SMC), a state of the art fabrication facility that courageously invested time and resources to launch a continuous improvement project during the height of the recession in 2008 when many companies were struggling to cut costs. SMC leaders describe how their Local 10 employees were key to ensuring that their continuous improvement plan, design, and strategies were functional and practical. Because training is a central theme of this edition, we are featuring a training coordinator in this month’s “My Journey” article on page 12. Jud Martell explains how his background as a contractor, owner, and president of his Local have led him to the conclusion that the strong labor-management partnership between Local 280 and SMACNA-BC “isn’t just important; it is everything.” Love him or hate him, Superbowl MVP Tom Brady did not lie back for very long admiring his seventh ring after leading the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to victory in the 2021 Superbowl. He was back on the field in several days training to remain at the top of his game. We are hopeful this month’s Partners in Progress will inspire JATCs and SMACNA and SMART members and partners to recognize the value of continuous learning, improvement, and innovation to keep their organizations performing at their highest levels. ▪
« Calling all INDUSTRIAL ATHLETES » Check out the brand ambassador recruitment and referral campaign from Partners in Progress to find out why sheet metal workers say: “My Job is My Gym!” Visit facebook.com/IndustrialAthleteOfficial and instagram.com/industrialathleteofficial/ to learn more, and tag your photos with #mjmg for the chance to win one of the $100 Amazon gift cards awarded each month. See the ad on the back page for more on recruitment resources Partners in Progress » February 2021 » 3
Evolution of Training SMART Local 88's JATC is applying lessons learned from the pandemic and leading by example By / Natalie Bruckner While navigating a global pandemic has been extremely challenging for the industry, there are many positives that have surprisingly popped up along its winding path. One of these is an opportunity for joint apprenticeship and training committees (JATCs) to re-evaluate their approach to apprenticeship training. “I’ve been listening to a lot of the feedback from our instructors and apprentices over the past year,” says Local 88’s JATC Training Director Ed Abraham. “I’ve been watching closely to see what the impact new safety protocols and systems are having. I never expected they would ultimately create a paradigm shift in the way we look at training. It’s been a real eye-opener.” When Nevada Governor Steve Sisolak issued a statewide stayat-home order for Nevada’s three million residents back in March 2020, Abraham was ahead of the game. He had already spent months researching technologies and ways to ensure apprentices at the training center in Las Vegas could safely continue their education with as little disruption as possible, in case such an order occurred. Armed with this knowledge, Abraham worked with the JATC Board of Trustees and was given the charge to put into effect any measures necessary for the training center to begin its reopening— allowing classwork to continue, albeit on a smaller scale due to social distancing measures. “I knew how important it was to have in-person classes, so I went to the board with a number of things I wanted to implement to 4 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
ensure the safety of everyone, and the board approved,” Abraham says. “It cost us about $20,000 upfront to get the training center operational again, but we were able to get up and running very quickly.” “While training is utmost to the mission, it became a challenging dual objective because we also wanted to protect our apprentices in this global pandemic,” says Mandi Wilkins, executive vice president for SMACNA Southern Nevada and member of the JATC Board of Trustees. “The board was adamant that in-person training is a very important part of what we do, and we wanted to make sure the apprentices got what we were promising them. The employers also expect these apprentices are receiving top notch training. That means getting hands-on training before or in congruence with entering the job site so the employers are not overwhelmed with having to teach everything on the job. Being able to maintain that level of training and figure out a safe path through was crucial.” Among the measures implemented were bringing in a cleaning crew after class, requiring face masks and hand sanitizer, and adding security glass, an electrostatic sprayer to provide complete surface disinfection, and self-cleaning bi-polar ionization systems in all the units to clean the air. All students were also required to take the iTi’s COVID-19 Awareness online course before attending class. “I feel safer here at our training center than anywhere else, to
be honest,” says Steve Vantine, a full-time instructor at Local 88’s JATC and a former sheet metal craftsperson at MMC Contractors. However, it was the social distancing requirements, as required under the Nevada Return to School Plan, that had the most unexpected impacts. Classroom layouts were modified, and class sizes and gatherings were decreased by 50%. While this took quite a bit of coordinating on Abraham’s behalf, he quickly realized there were benefits beyond the health and safety aspects. “I am a great believer in dialogue and am always chatting with our instructors and working closely with our students,” he says. “The feedback I was getting was that the smaller classes were benefitting both the students and instructors immensely.” As an instructor who teaches classes two nights a week at the JATC, Vantine has seen and welcomed the positive impacts of the adaptations. “The smaller groups allow me to do demonstrations far easier and capture the attention of the apprentices,” he says. “You spend less time trying to rally everyone together. It really wasn’t a difficult adjustment to make. In fact, it is far more comfortable.” Antonio Saunders, a third-year apprentice who works for Ryan Mechanical says he, too, has greatly benefitted from the smaller class sizes. “It’s funny looking back to before the pandemic, because you realize how crowded the classrooms were in comparison,” he says. “It’s not like the teaching or the curriculum have changed, but it feels more personal, and there’s more oneon-one time. It’s easier for me to ask my question and get it across, rather than having 20 people in the classroom asking questions and the instructor having to wrestle with it all simultaneously. You can get lost in the crowd. Unfortunately, it had to be COVID that taught us this, but as far as the learning, I definitely prefer it this way.” Even in his work with Ryan Mechanical, Saunders is seeing the positive impacts that the enforced social distancing requirements are having on his apprenticeship. “Ryan Mechanical has been amazing, and they are always willing to go out on a limb for us,” Saunders explains. “Because of the pandemic, we have to limit the number of people on a job, so that means I now work with one other guy, and that’s either a journeyman or a foreman. I feel I am getting a lot more experience, as they have the time to explain things to me, and I get to do more things. That one-on-one is really working for me, and I feel it is accelerating my skills,” Saunders explains. The success of the fast-track reopening plan and the impacts on the training for instructors and apprentices has even caught the attention of those outside of the industry. It seems Local 88’s JATC has set a perfect example by adjusting so quickly and effectively, and Abraham is receiving calls from other training centers and school districts that wan to duplicate the model. Moving forward, maintaining the smaller class sizes will depend on a number of factors. “The number of apprentices we take in is directly related to the amount of work projected for the coming year,” Wilkins says. “Most of the work that was ongoing when the pandemic started was scheduled to end in 2020, and
other projects were on the books to start in late 2020 and 2021. Because of the economy and uncertainty, many of those projects have been delayed, and that changes our work situation. It will always be a bit of a juggling act.” The Las Vegas JATC building is already stretched to capacity, and the trustees were in conversations pre-pandemic about expanding. “That is still something we have an eye on, even though it is two or more years into the future,” Wilkins says. “If we do that, it would allow us the additional capacity, especially if we are going to have smaller class sizes.” While Local 88’s JATC currently has 22 instructors, looking ahead post-pandemic, Abraham says he will now be sourcing new instructors to maintain these smaller, more intimate class sizes. He admits that is not an easy task, especially when it comes to finding service and TABB-certified instructors, due to a limited pool; however, you can be sure that won’t stop him. Besides, the JATC model has proven itself because of the expertise behind it and the ability for the trustees to work together. “The JATCs are crown jewels of the labor-management relationship,” Wilkins says. “It is the neutral zone in terms of labor relations. We come together because we have the same goal, and when we are discussing JATC curriculum, we look eye to eye. We leave our issues outside, and we work very well together toward mutual benefit. The JATCs are where we do that best.” Natalie is an award-winning writer who has worked in the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, the United States, and Canada. She has more than 23 years experience as a journalist, editor, and brand builder, specializing in construction and transportation. When she’s not writing, you will likely find her snowboarding, mountain biking, or climbing mountains with her rescue dog. Partners in Progress » February 2021 » 5
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Trends to Impact Commercial Construction Litigation in 2021
By Jeffrey Kozek and E. Mitchell Swann, Resolution Management Consultants, Inc. 2021 is already revealing itself to be an interesting year in commercial construction as trends that have been on the horizon are impacted by the pandemic. This also means it will be even more important for contractors and craftspersons to frequently revisit plans as the industry adapts to ongoing changes. It is the best way to better reduce their likelihood of facing litigation. With all phases of building in mind, organizations will want to keep an eye on these seven trends and topics that are likely to have the greatest impact on commercial construction in 2021. 1. COVID-19 Safety Measures on Site: Construction work has continued during the pandemic based on the requirement that work will adhere to health and safety precautions being implemented to help limit the spread of COVID-19. Though the execution of parameters like distancing, staggering shifts, and providing proper PPE is likely to impact projects’ cost and schedule, these measures
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are critical for the protection of all workers on site, and ignoring them could result in fines, shutdowns, or even litigation. 2. More Cost Increases and Payment Disputes: Not only will on-site work see the effects of the pandemic, but supply chain delays, pricing increases on materials, and project funding shortfalls, to name a few, are likely to lead to claim and payment disputes. Further, many small businesses have had to declare bankruptcy during this period, complicating payments and project completions for many owners and contractors whose work has been disrupted. 3. Many Courts are Still Closed, Creating a Litigation Backlog: Another impact of the coronavirus has been court closures, with many state and federal facilities shutting down for weeks or months, beginning in March 2020. This not only delayed the progress of numerous cases and projects, but
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Though the more immediate impact of COVIDrelated trends requires organizations to pivot their planning and resources right away, 2021 is also demonstrating how the industry will likely move into the future.
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also created a backlog that has only slowly been addressed throughout the year. With parties on all sides looking to recoup the lost time and costs that have resulted from the pandemic and their case, some will opt to settle to resolve these matters more quickly. 4. Designing Structures for Air Handling: In facing an airborne virus, strong evidence shows the importance of ventilation air system effectiveness in reducing the transmission rate of infections in a “dilution as a solution to pollution” approach with a finite indoor biological point source. Yet, increased ventilation air quantities will also increase equipment sizes and operating energy costs for heating and cooling. This should increase the attention to, and consideration of, dedicated outdoor air systems and demand-controlled ventilation so that the quantity of ventilation air supplied is responsive to the population being served.
5. Further Increases in Green Building: LEED certifications have increased by more than 69,000 projects over the last 10 years, with nine design and building categories in which a project can earn points toward LEED recognition from the US Green Building Council (USGBC). Green buildings often focus on a better indoor environment and wellness of the occupants. In the COVID context, that focus area is a natural fit for reducing potential paths of transmission. Verification of performance will take on an even more significant presence on the green building stage. 6. Wider Adoption of Efficiency Technology/BIM: The construction industry has often been slow to adopt technology, but one of the more impactful ways American companies are beginning to change their approach to projects is with BIM, or Building Information Modeling. Properly developed and implemented BIM strategies can enhance team communication, coordination and “what if” collaboration during design and construction. All of these can help nip potential problems in the bud. BIM tools can also greatly help an owner with ongoing maintenance and operations—both of which will have a heightened profile in the post-COVID world.
© Can Stock Photo / pitinan 7. Modular and Pre-Fab Construction Materials: Already more than 80% of contractors report using prefabricated or modular construction techniques and assemblies on projects, and those numbers only stand to increase. As the technology advances, these techniques can greatly improve efficiency and quality control, reduce construction safety risk and, in the age of COVID, better control workforce virus exposure due to social distancing and related transmission risk. Though the more immediate impact of COVID-related trends requires organizations to pivot their planning and resources right away, 2021 is also demonstrating how the industry will likely move into the future. As technology and design changes show their longer-term impacts, success will depend on making sure teams have the applicable skills and equipment in place to meet them head on. ▪ About Resolution Management Consultants, Inc. Resolution Management Consultants, Inc. (RMC) is a nationally recognized consulting firm headquartered in Marlton, NJ. There are two sides to the business: the construction planning and management aspect—helping clients build more successful projects—and the litigation aspect—should matters go to court, providing analysis and testimony as expert witnesses. Founded in 1993 by veterans in the construction, contracting, and engineering professions, RMC has assisted numerous private owners, public agencies, and contractors in either achieving project goals or resolving cost and time disputes between the contracting parties. Website: resmgt.com LinkedIn: /company/ResolutionMgt Twitter: @ResolutionMgt Facebook: @ResolutionMgt Partners in Progress » February 2021 » 7
Partners Make the World Go ‘Round Local 12 and SMACNA Western Pennsylvania partnered to take recruitment online—one of several ways they leverage a strong partnership to for success By / Jessica Kirby Photos courtesy of SMACNA Western Pennsylvania and Local 12 With face-to-face job fairs and school presentations on hold for the foreseeable future, recruitment efforts have to get creative. That is why SMACNA Western Pennsylvania and Local 12 joined forces with a video project that takes recruitment to social media. The recruitment video idea came from the joint apprenticeship committee and was funded by the Local Training Fund and the Labor Management Cooperation Fund sponsored by SMACNA Western Pennsylvania and Local 12. “We needed an avenue to get our story out to potential recruits,” says SMACNA Western Pennsylvania Executive Director James Strother. “One of the committee members participated in a similar video for a local Building Trades group and showed the final product at a meeting. We decided to put together a similar video but use current or recently graduated apprentices to discuss their experiences. We thought a potential applicant would be more likely to appreciate the situation of someone of a similar age than someone who has been in the trade for a long time.” In the video, Joshua Moore, coordinator of apprenticeships and training at Local 12, says that someone looking for an alternative to college will find the sheet metal industry to be a great environment. “You get to work with your hands and be out in the field and in the shops, and you are debt free,” he says. “Through our apprenticeship program, you actually earn 49 college credits, and as you go to school, you are getting paid.” Local 12 offers a concentrated training program in which apprentices spend five weeks per year in school and are working the rest of the time. 8 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
When Jayonto Jackson started as an apprentice with Local 12, he knew very little about the trade. “I stayed open-minded and willing to learn, and the guys appreciate that,” he says in the video. “If they see you have that hunger and that desire to want to learn, they ride with that, and you learn a lot.” Local 12 Business Manager Greg Blose says Local 12 and SMACNA Western Pennsylvania have an excellent relationship that makes it easier to communicate and get things—like the video project—done. “That might be something like implementing a new program or acquiring a piece of equipment for the training center,” he says. “It is easy to call up the trustees and talk with them.” To create the video, the joint training committee went to the trustees of the Journeyman Apprentice Training Fund and Labor Management Cooperation Trust Fund for funding.
“The trustees approved the project, and we were shooting the video a couple of weeks later at our training center and on a jobsite in downtown Pittsburgh,” Strother says. “The cost of the video production was split between the two entities so neither had to take a major hit to their budget.” Although there are rumors of a time when the organizations didn’t see eye-to-eye, both Strother and Blose say that period is long past, and the collaborative way of doing things is the norm. An example of this was lobbying together in favor of a fire life safety ordinance that requires installation, testing, and inspecting of fire dampers in the city of Pittsburgh. “We saw it coming, and working on it together with SMACNA, we pushed for the ordinance by going to City of Pittsburgh meetings and getting the fire department involved,” Blose says. “We got ahead of the game and used Joint Apprentice Training Funds to put in a fire life safety lab that contains working and malfunctioning dampers behind viewing glass. We brought in politicians to show them how quickly a room fills up with smoke and how quickly a damper can malfunction.” This helped get the resolution passed, and the effort was orchestrated quickly and efficiently because of teamwork on both sides, Blose says. “Sometimes other Locals ask, ῾How did you get that done? We couldn’t.’ It is all about communication and relationships, and we believe we and have one of the best here.” The organizations also work together to identify and capitalize on new market opportunities. In some cases, contractors identify a trend in the field—a new piece of technology, for example—and approach the Local to let them know what is coming. The Local does the research and starts training members in that direction. A prime example is the Pennsylvania Petrochemicals Complex, North America’s largest construction site, currently employing 7,000 workers. Several years ago, Local 12 leadership met with the general contractor about what it would take to provide the workforce to install the specific roofing and siding required on that project. “They needed experienced people to do it, and they wanted the installer to have a training structure for this product,” Blose says. “We got together with SMACNA and explained it
would take investment money, and they agreed to support it. We jumped on it right away and got a training structure set up. With SMACNA’s help, we succeeded.” Over the past two years, the JATC has received more than $1.9 million in state grants to help build its training center and purchase equipment, and it has earned iTi grants for the technology to upgrade its computer-aided drafting classroom. “It looks good when you have the union and the contractors looking for grants together,” Blose says. “In fact, the Pennsylvania governor said he was thoroughly impressed by our joint effort. “The leadership of both organizations realize that we have a mutual need for each other, and we have respect for each other,” Strother says. “Communication and the willingness to listen and give consideration to the other party are key to building a good relationship.” Blose agrees, noting that the first step is realizing that to be successful, parties must agree that teamwork is the best way. “It is always beneficial to check the egos at the door,” he says. “Having that many people involved who acknowledge that the best way to get things done is to work together is absolutely priceless.”
Tabatha Oden, apprentice with Local 12, never thought while she was going through high school that she would eventually become a tradesperson. “The greatest thing about it is if you don’t like what you are doing, there are many other branches for you to look into and gain knowledge,” she says. “It is a great opportunity for anyone, and I would not change my decision to join the union. I think it is one of the best decisions I have ever made.” Besides a competitive starting wage, union membership includes health, dental, and vision benefits, a pension, and a vacation fund. Local 12’s recruitment video has been sent to guidance counsellors, technical schools, and private classes. It can be viewed on social media at twitter.com/SMLocal12 or facebook. com/SMWIA12 ▪ Jessica Kirby is a freelance editor and writer covering construction, architecture, mining, travel, and sustainable living for myriad publications across Canada and the United States. Partners in Progress » February 2021 » 9
Partnerships are Key in Continuous Improvement By / Jordan Whitehouse Back in 2008, in the midst of the recession, Sheet Metal Connectors (SMC) made a somewhat surprising announcement: they were embarking on a company-wide process of improving operations. Unlike many companies that were looking to cut costs as quickly as possible at the time, the Minneapolis-based fabrication shop actually decided to invest the time, training, and resources needed to find areas of improvement. And, as President Jim Myers explained it, this wasn’t going to be a onetime blitz. Improvement was going to be a continuous and systematized practice throughout the company. It also wasn’t going to be a top-down exercise where ideas and solutions would be dictated by management, and labor simply had to go along. It would be a collaborative effort. “Everyone at SMC received the same base training—management, shipping, sheet metal workers, sales, and customer service,” Myers says. “In our cross-functional groups there are no bosses and employees. Everyone has the same footing, and all ideas are valid and debated. Everyone gets their hands dirty.” Although it’s understandable that many companies may have been unable to embark on a similar process of continuous improvement during the recession, research shows that in the years since, construction companies have continued to struggle. According to survey results published in a New Horizons Foundation paper entitled “Building a Culture of Continuous 10 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
Improvement,” only 41% of contractors said they had a great history of implementing new ideas and sticking to them. Management consultant Clark Ellis believes that this struggle is particularly acute for some union contractors right now, and if it continues, market share is on the line. “Competition continues to intensify, and non-union companies are doggedly focused on improving their productivity and delivering more value,” he says. “So, if union contractors don’t keep pace, they’re going to lose market share.” There is hope, however, adds Ellis, who has worked regularly with SMACNA and SMART for the past 20 years. “We find time and again that when contractor management and labor work together, they are in a much stronger competitive position than when they aren’t working together and collaboratively.” Getting started No two continuous improvement plans look exactly the same, but as the New Horizons paper suggests, the plan should encompass several components. These include defining the problem; measuring what needs to be measured to define, track, and improve the problem; and analyzing the data to find the core causes of the problem. From there, the process should be improved and then regularly measured to figure out if it’s working.
© Can Stock Photo / Ydur
Really, though, and as Phil Warner writes in the New Horizons paper, no continuous improvement plan can get off the ground without a culture change. “This is driven from the top leadership down and continuously reinforced,” writes Warner. “It requires an investment in time and money, as well as a willingness to change old habits and ideas. It is a change that is made for the long term.” Yet while that culture change may originate at the leadership level of a company, SMC’s Jim Myers says that the entire process has to include everyone, especially labor. “Any grand plan that we have has to be rooted in the reality of the day to day. We need labor to help design and implement our strategies to ensure that they are functional and practical.” At SMC, those labor members are from Local 10, where Matt Fairbanks is the business manager and president. Like Myers, he says that for any improvement plan to be successful, collaboration is key, and it must be in place from the very beginning. “It’s important to work together as a team from day one, and to include the foremen, especially in the early stages. If [the company] trusts a foreman to run their day-today operation in the shop and to get product out the door and to make sure that the members are doing so, then they should respect their opinion in the flow and how things are going to look in the future.” Getting buy-in Even with those foremen onboard, however, one of the biggest challenges of implementing a continuous improvement plan is getting buy-in from all employees, writes Phil Warner in the New Horizons paper. This is especially true for more experienced employees who may be used to doing things in a particular way. So how do you try to get everyone onboard? Ellis says you have to start small and in a familiar context. This could be at daily toolbox talks, for example, where foremen ask their teams to think about areas that are causing them issues with productivity, safety, or quality. “You’re putting the
empowerment in the hands of the workers and employees and you’re engaging them in the process,” Ellis says. “You’re not inflicting the process on them.” Ellis adds it’s also crucial for those in leaderships positions to similarly think small. In his experience, managers too often feel pressure to devise big, splashy improvements themselves. Typically, those ideas are unrealistic and often fail, he says. In Clark’s experience, the most successful leaders and managers are those who know that their job isn’t to have all the answers. Instead, it’s to help their teams function well and to be open to finding answers to do so from anywhere. For Local 10’s Fairbanks, one of the best ways to get buyin from labor members is not just to include them early on in the process, but also to continuously use their expertise throughout. “Even if [management] doesn’t use the members’ opinion or ideas, it still shows a lot of respect that they came to the members and asked for their input.” Celebrating success — and failure As Warner writes in the New Horizons paper, once a company gets that buy-in from team members, it’s critical that they keep measuring the process and occasionally go back and update areas already worked on. But as that stat about how only 41% of contractors have a great history implementing new ideas and sticking to them suggests, it’s not easy to keep going back to the drawing board. Ellis believes that celebrating success can play a significant role in motivating teams to keep the continuous improvement process moving. This can mean monetary incentives, but Ellis is also a big fan of non-monetary incentives, such as recognition at company gatherings. He also says that it’s important to celebrate failures. “More evidence is showing that we can learn a lot from failure. The companies that give permission to try and to not succeed, that have a culture allowing for failure without shame and without ostracizing and without punishment are the companies that are the most innovative. They are the ones that are able to sustain the higher growth rates and the higher profitability.” Back at SMC, the continuous improvement plan carries on. Myers says that every single project starts with a directive to improve safety, and that they have a safer shop today due to these initiatives. He also says that each project has shown consistent gains in productivity and savings. None of it would be possible without strong collaboration between labor and management. “It is so important for labor and management to work together to attain some measure of success,” Myers says. “We can plan all we want in management, but we need the deep knowledge or process, problems, and roadblocks that only labor possesses.” ▪ Jordan Whitehouse is a freelance business journalist from Vancouver, British Columbia, who writes for magazines, newspapers, and online publications throughout Canada and the United States. Partners in Progress » February 2021 » 11
JUD MARTELL: MY JOURNEY Training Coordinator Sheet Metal Workers’ Training Centre (Local 280) I spent my summers working at my family’s company in the office, in the shop, cleaning the grounds, and eventually made my way onto the job sites. By time I was 15 or 16, I was a skilled roofer, mostly because I was just a kid working with my father and his three brothers. Each of them had different styles, techniques, and ideas, and most importantly, when I made mistakes, they would take the time to explain things to me. Sometimes I think that is what is missing in the industry now— the time for experienced workers to help the inexperienced learn how to do things. I went to university with the idea that I would eventually take over the family business; however, after several years I realized that route wasn’t for me. After travelling and pursuing a number of different directions, I came back to the family business and challenged my roofing ticket. By that time, my father owned the business on his own, so I did a sheet metal apprenticeship and became a full Red Seal in 2001. In 2002, my father sold the business, and I went to work for Austin Sheet Metal. Because it is also a family-run business, I felt some familiarity and comfort there. When I graduated, I was faced with some decisions. I knew I wanted to be more than a journey or a supervisor, but I didn’t want to own a business. I started exploring the organizing and education arms of Local 280. Through unionism, I learned what it meant to take care of people, and I enjoyed spreading the word of social responsibility. Over the years, I applied for three different instructor positions at the training center and was unsuccessful. When the training coordinator position came up, I knew it was a really good fit for me. We were in a leased facility, and I understood the limitations of that and have moved the school twice. I have lobbied for government support for the training program and for workers’ compensation for apprentices, which was granted not just for us but also for all private institutions in British Columbia. We
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have four full-time instructors, four part-time instructors, and three office staff. Most importantly, the growth potential is there to increase capacity to respond to industry need. I owe a lot to the trades. I love being able to build things. I love being able to tell stories about the places we have built or the people I have met throughout my career. There has been joy, anger, fear, and tears. Even my scars are stories. To enter the sheet metal industry, you have to be willing to work hard, learn, and be a person who gets things done. The paycheck and benefits (extended health care and dental) are great, but most of all, the work opens a diverse range of opportunities. Once you finish the apprenticeship, you are just getting started. The learning continues with supervisory skills, new products, and technology evolving every day. When I started, there was no technology for layout, and now this generation is being trained with virtual reality. The mechanization and computerization of our trade is not going to stop. Astronauts and pilots don’t learn in spaceships and planes. They sit in a simulator for five years. That same career arc is occurring in our trade. This trade is an incredible opportunity, as long as you are willing to learn. As far as you want to run in this race, there is track for you to run. There is the opportunity to house, feed, and care for your family, to have great health benefits, and to enjoy the satisfaction of building things. At the end of the day, a building goes up, and the people at the ribbon cutting never actually built it. The building is a momument quietly recognizing your work. I was brought up by a contractor and an owner, and I have been president of the union for nine years now. I have seen how both sides—labor and contractors—can stand apart and how detrimental that is. The partnership isn’t just important— it is everything. Not having it is like trying to make a meal without the ingredients. The battle isn’t between labor and contractors; it has to be both sides working together against policies or practices that don’t support our industry. One of the greatest examples of that partnership is the Sheet Metal Industry Training Board. In it, there are no contractors and no union, just people who want to make the industry better. If you don’t have people with the willingness to push the envelope and make sure everyone is looked after, you have no industry. ▪
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Put the SMACNA/SMART Resource Center to Work for You The SMACNA/SMART Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force has developed recruiting resources for contractors, chapters, locals, and JATCs that can be used to supplement and support local recruiting efforts. The resources include posters, handouts, and flyers for guidance counselors, parents, and students. The materials are designed in multiple versions and languages (English and Spanish) and are customizable so that local groups can get their message out and appeal to the largest talent pool possible. The Partners in Progress Online Ordering System allows you to customize materials for your area and order recruiting and brand ambassador resources.
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