Partnering
To Achieve Our Greatest Callings Last issue, we covered a presentation by SMART leadership to SMACNA contractors during which SMART’s General Secretary-Treasurer Joseph Powell emphatically stated that “schools will not be safe for our children until skilled and knowledgeable sheet metal workers and contractors are able to ensure the quality of the air is safe for them to return.” He said this was not just a societal need or a once-in-a-life-time opportunity but possibly, “the greatest calling our industry has ever faced.” Powell’s remarks were well-founded and are backed by a United States Government Accountability Office report to Congress estimating that 41% of the nation’s school districts, amounting to 36,000 schools, need to update or replace their HVAC systems. The importance of proper ventilation in schools is not a newsflash for our industry. SMACNA contractors and their skilled craftspersons have been applying their expertise to school HVAC projects for many years. Their efforts have not been limited to the “hands-on” work required. SMACNA and SMART have been advocating for funding for clean air in schools long before the COVID-19 pandemic reared its head. That advocacy required educating the public, legislators, and school boards on the impact that improper ventilation can have on students’ health and performance. The COVID-19 pandemic has placed an urgency on repairing and updating inadequate HVAC systems in classrooms. “Healthier Schools,” beginning on page 4, describes industry efforts to improve school air quality on both coasts. Learn how California Locals and contractors partnered to pass legislation for state funding to upgrade HVAC systems in public schools. Read on to learn how Albany, New York, SMACNA contractors in Albany, New York, leverage their reputations, years of experience, and solid relationship with Local 83 to contribute to their success. “My Journey” (page 7) features the unique career path of SMACNA National Vice-President Carol Duncan. Carol shares her progression from real estate agent to controller to working mother to CEO of General Sheet Metal (GSM) in Clackamas, Oregon. Carol credits her involvement in SMACNA and a good relationship with Local 16 with inspiring her to take part in the conversation on the importance of labor-management collaboration throughout the industry. As Management CoChair of the SMACNA/SMART Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force, Carol is well situated to do just that. After reading about Carol’s management philosophy and the culture she and her team have established, you will understand why GSM employees nominated GSM as a Top Workplace and why GSM has been consistently recognized among Oregon’s “100 Best Companies to Work For.”
On page 8, we turn back to education, focusing this time on the quick thinking and action plan implemented by the Local 280 Training Centre in Vancouver, British Columbia, to continue training 41 apprentices (aka “The COVID Kids”) amidst the challenges presented by a full-scale provincial lockdown. The flexibility their Joint Apprenticeship Training Committee built into their “back to school” strategy will position this training center to quickly adapt to future challenges long after the current pandemic is in the rear-view mirror. With social justice matters rising to prominence on the world stage, many organizations rushed to adopt policy statements on diversity. A policy statement may be a start, but refer to page 11 to find out what kind of courageous leadership and transformational change it takes to make large-scale meaningful progress on achieving inclusion and diversity (I&D) within any organization. Our SMACNA and SMART partners share many industry callings, including innovation and mastering leading edge technology. An industry success story requiring extreme innovation wraps up this edition of Partners in Progress. “The Electric Future” (page 13) demonstrates the winning formula allowing Northwest Sheet Metal and its highly skilled and educated Local 280 employees to excel at a complex job that many other vendors were unwilling to tackle. Their contributions designing and fabricating components for an electric truck powertrain prototype could very well lead to the launch of the next wave of energy-efficient vehicles used throughout the construction industry. ▪ « 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!” . ▪er Visit facebook.com/IndustrialAthleteOfficial and instagram.com/industrialathleteofficial/ to learn more, and tag your photos with #mjmg for the chance to win $100 from Amazon each month. Partners in Progress » November 2020 » 3
