MIGHTY
By / Natalie Bruckner It has been said that as long as you have the passion, the drive, the focus, and the support, you can do anything. SMART Local 435 in Jacksonville, Florida, and its Florida SMACNA contractors are exemplary in this regard. Being a smaller local union hasn’t stopped its members from achieving big things since founding 82 years ago. Like the rest of the country, the SMACNA contractors in Jacksonville are facing recruitment challenges. However, some reports indicate that the situation is especially dire in Florida as construction in many cities remained on an upward trajectory during the pandemic (up to 15.5% in some cities), while 80% of contractors say they are facing difficulties finding skilled labor, predominantly driven by a mass exit of Baby Boomers retiring from the sector. And these figures, some trades experts have contested, are way off. It’s fair to say that the demand for skilled labor in Florida, including Northeast Florida, continues to outpace the size of the industry workforce, and by a wide margin. Yet Local 435 and its Florida SMACNA contractors have managed to nearly triple new applicants in just over a year. “Last year we interviewed 64 people for our apprenticeship program,” says Ray Burnsed Jr., president of Ray’s Metal 8 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
Works Inc. “That’s a big increase from the 25 to 30 we usually recruit.” This success comes down to strategic and focused recruitment efforts, some additional funding from a National SMACNA and SMART Partners in Progress Strive to Succeed Grant, which recognized Local 435 and Florida SMACNA for their excellent labor-management relationship, as well as some thinking outside the box. Most importantly, it was a joint effort. “We have organized more than 150 members since January 18, 2021, so marketing has been a top priority,” Local 435 Business Manger Lance Fout says. “From the union hall, Apprenticeship Committee, and Florida SMACNA, we have spent more than $30,000 on TV, radio, billboard, news station, newspaper, and social media advertising. This year we had 82 apprenticeship applicants and interviewed 64 applicants. We have not had those numbers in probably 15-plus years.” The fact that their efforts have focused on multiple areas is also paying off. “We have been able to recruit members from the nonunion sector, and now we have non-union contractors calling our contractors for pricing,” Fout adds. “We have also reached out to community groups. One, Wealth Watchers of Jacksonville, had two of their students start apprenticeships on July 1, 2021.”
© Can Stock Photo / JuliaSV
Small Yet
