Building a Partnership from the Ground Up: Part I Photo: Early meeting of SMACNA and SMART’s Labor and Arbitration Committees, circa 1947. Courtesy of SMACNA.
SMACNA and SMART are leaders in the construction industry because they know how to build quality things that last. Their building expertise is not limited to the complex HVAC, architectural, and industrial projects for which they are known. That same planning and expertise has enabled SMART and SMACNA to build the foundation for one of the strongest labormanagement partnerships in the construction industry. Readers of Partners in Progress know that SMART and SMACNA are staunch believers that labor-management collaboration is the key to success in the sheet metal industry. Every Partners in Progress article provides insight into establishing labor-management partnerships and provides examples of local partnerships that are making a difference in the industry. SMACNA and SMART have not always been partners in the sense that they are now. This article is the first in a threepart series that will trace the journey of the two organizations in establishing, building, and continuously improving their partnership. In the Beginning… We have all seen the SMART logo, which proudly denotes that the union (formerly the Sheet Metal Workers International Association or SMWIA**) was established in 1888. Obviously, sheet metal contractors employed the union workers of the 19th century, but there was no formal national association of union contractors until 1910. 4 » Partners in Progress » www.pinp.org
In his white paper titled, “The History of SMACNA: The First Twenty-Five Years,” author Joseph D. Wilder, former executive vice-president of the Sheet Metal Contractors’ National Association or SMCNA** (SMACNA’s predecessor), described the vexing issues that led to the formation of the national association. Interestingly, many of those issues still periodically challenge the industry over a century later: a shortage of skilled mechanics, superintendents, and forepersons and the need for a standardized method of training and apprenticeship training manuals. The difference then was that the contractors’ association was grappling with those tough issues alone, at least up until the Great Depression and the National Industrial Recovery Act (NIRA), which fixed wages, working hours, and selling prices for all industries and managed to put SMACNA and hundreds of other national associations out of business. While the NIRA was declared unconstitutional in 1935, it took eight years for the national association to re-group, and that occurred prior to government action prohibiting the meeting of associations in the wake of World War II. 1946 – 1949: Pivotal Years for Sheet Metal Partners In Looking Back and Moving Forward, A History of SMWIA: From SMWIA to SMART 1888–2012, author Grace Palladino notes that, “with the rise of SMACNA in the 1940s, the national contractors’ association and SMWIA agreed that ῾proper labor relations would ensure prosperity for all’.” 1946 was a landmark year for SMACNA and SMART.
