SMALL YET 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 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.”

Even the apprentices are involved in recruitment efforts. When Teairra Marshall, a fourth-year apprentice with Local 435, was asked to visit the local trade school where she graduated prior to applying to the Local, she jumped at the chance.

“During the visit it felt good to share the knowledge and truth about our union, as I was sitting in that same chair four years ago without a concrete plan,” Marshall says. (Marshall recently became the first female in her local to win the Outstanding Apprentice Award.) “I’m proud to be a part of Local 435. It’s like family. If I need the help or encouragement on and off the clock, my brothers and sisters are always there.”

In addition to growing awareness around recruitment, Local 435 and Florida SMACNA have worked together to overcome other challenges during the past year by using Market Recovery Funds to help offset labor costs.

“This makes us more competitive in the market,” says Jon Croft, general manager at Ferber Sheet Metal Works. His company has been signatory to the sheet metal local union since 1939. Croft adds that the Local’s involvement in speaking to the city council and school board members about the importance of requiring local contractors and participating with registered apprenticeship programs has also helped boost recognition, traction, and ensured stability.

While Local 435 and Florida SMACNA contractors have faced their fair share of challenges over the years, their relationship has stood the test of time, and it continues to grow stronger.

“The relationships I have with the union members and representatives working for and with me are symbiotic,” Ferber says. “We rely and depend on each other and cooperate very well. Even our CBA negotiations are pleasant and are usually settled within two sessions. Whenever specific training is required for a unique project, the union always steps up and helps us get our personnel properly educated for those tasks. The union’s management has been proactive by looking ahead at what’s coming down the road and making sure their members are prepared for these jobs,” Ferber explains.

Burnsed agrees, adding, “The Local is doing a great job going out on the sites. I was in a SMACNA meeting recently and they were talking about two other Locals that have lost work, whereas Local 435 has maintained work.”

The excellent relationship between labor and management extends beyond the work environment, too. It was 40 years ago now that Local 435 started a Voluntary Death Benefit Fund, which was member funded. Over the years the membership in the fund was dropping, but when Fout was appointed business manager, that was one area he wanted to improve. “One idea I had was a corn-hole tournament, so we held one,” he says. “I reached out to the contractors to get their vendors to help with sponsorships, and it was a great event. Over the last six years it has grown. Now we have other Locals and members come down to participate and other union groups also come out.”

The 2021 event was the sixth tournament, and while COVID made it more challenging, with SMACNA and contractor assistance, the Local was able to raise more than $4,000, for a grand total of more than $22,000 in six years.

Local 435 and Florida SMACNA continue to work together on these and other initiatives that will help them maintain momentum and traction into the future. ▪ 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.