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TALKING SMART is the podcast of the the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, a diverse union of more than 200,000 members. Each month, we bring you news, guests and discussions of interest to working families across the United States and Canada.
Episodes
Thursday Oct 29, 2020
Thursday Oct 29, 2020
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Jeff Proffitt
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Our guest this episode is Jeff Proffitt, who has been a member of Local 88 in Las Vegas, NV, for 28 years. He was previously the local’s training director and is currently serving as a business manager at Local 88. Brother Proffitt is also running for the Clark County School Board as a trustee from District B. It's a big position with one of the fastest-growing school districts in the country.
As the saying goes, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. Well, that’s not the case with this episode… Jeff told us ALL about what happens in Vegas — including what's happening with this race in Clark County, as well as the huge impact that school board decisions can have on construction spending, project labor agreements and technical training for the building trades.
In addition, listen for the open mic segment with General President Joseph Sellers at the end of this episode. He responds to a question from a member about local elections.
Talking SMART is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network — working people's voices, broadcasting worldwide 24 hours a day.
RELATED RESOURCES:
- Jeff Proffitt CCSD Trustee District B campaign site
www.proffitt4education.com - Jeff Proffitt for Clark County School District Trustee, District B
www.facebook.com/Proffitt4Education - Jeff Proffitt on Twitter
https://twitter.com/JeffProffitt - Interview with Jeff Proffitt about why he’s running for a seat on CCSD’s Board of Trustees
Oct. 8, 2020
8NewsNow.com - School Board: Partisan antics overshadow local policy positions in District B
Sept. 22, 2020
NevadaCurrent.com
Wednesday Sep 16, 2020
Wednesday Sep 16, 2020
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Rich McClees
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This episode, we step back for a moment from the news of the day and talk with a long-time SMART member, apprenticeship instructor and international leader who helped build our union into what it is today. Outgoing SMART General Secretary-Treasurer Rich McClees sat down with us just before his retirement in 2019 to discuss changes he has seen in the industry, where SMART has been as a union, where we are going, and how we can get there.
With more than 40 years in the sheet metal industry under his belt, Rich has more knowledge about how SMART works and how our union has adapted and evolved to meet new challenges than just about anyone. He also has a stellar reputation in the industry and a legendary work ethic. From his start at Local 206 in San Diego, to his more than two decades as an elected local leader and apprenticeship instructor, to his tenure as SMART general secretary-treasurer, Rich has built a lot of things, led a lot of projects and made a lot of things better for those coming after him.
In addition, listen for the open mic segment with General President Joseph Sellers at the end of this episode. He responds to questions from members on topics they called or emailed us about. This episode’s question revolves around the Trump Administration’s response to COVID-19.
Talking SMART is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network — working people's voices, broadcasting worldwide 24 hours a day.
RELATED RESOURCES:
- www.SMART206.org
Website of SMART SM Local 206 in San Diego, Calif. - Richard McClees: Labor Leader of the Year
Sept. 2004 speech by Rep. Bob Filner (D-CA) in the U.S. House of Representatives. - McClees Honored at 100-year Anniversary
Sept. 2019
www.smart-union.org - Local 206 Honors McClees Family at Centennial
Summer 2019 Members’ Journal - SMART Constitution
Revised and amended by the authority of the 2ND SMART General Convention held in Las Vegas, Nev, August 12–16, 2019.
Thursday Jun 25, 2020
Thursday Jun 25, 2020
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Mechelle McNew
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Last episode, we heard from two SMART sisters — Lisa Davis and Vanessa Carman — who discussed how they got into the industry, training and mentoring, growing diversity in construction and opportunities for women in the sheet metal trade. In Episode 6, we continue that conversation with two more female leaders and activists in SMART who have taken the lead in creating new opportunities for women in the building trades.
Our first guest is Mechelle McNew, chair of the SMART Women’s Committee and a longtime business manager at Local 464 in Ponca City, Oklahoma. She discusses how she got into the trade, how workplaces have changed for the better for women in the industry and what it was like being the first woman to run for and win elected office in her local.
Our second guest is Leah Rambo, a native New Yorker who serves as the training administrator for Local 28 and has broken new ground for women and minority members in her local. She is also the co-chair of the National Taskforce on Tradeswomen’s Issues. Leah shares her story of coming up in the sheet metal industry, addressing bias and harassment in the workplace, mentoring and female role models, and the importance of SMART doing targeted recruitment and outreach to women and people of color.
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Leah Rambo
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Both Michelle and Leah also discuss the important work of the SMART Women’s Committee, including attending the 2019 Women Build Nations conference with a large cohort of SMART sisters, and how the committee helped to draft and organize around a number of resolutions that were ultimately adopted at the 2nd SMART General Convention in August 2019.
In addition, listen for the open mic segment at the end of this episode, where General President Joseph Sellers responds to a question about what SMART is doing in response to protests and rallies for racial justice across the United States and around the world.
RELATED RESOURCES:
- VIDEO: Leah Rambo – Women in Manual Work Oral Histories
This video interview is part of an international archive documenting the experiences of women working in the manual trades and non-traditional employment. - Panel: Sheet Metal Industry Must Become More Inclusive
March 2018 SNIPS magazine article. - Diversifying the Workforce: Recruiting Women and Minority Members
PDF used during panel presentation at 2018 Partners in Progress conference. - The National Taskforce on Tradeswomen’s Issues
A national coalition of tradeswomen, alllies and advocates addressing the lack of access, opportunity and equity in the construction industry and other non-traditional occupations. - Western Resources Center for Women in Apprenticeship
A joint project of Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc., Seattle-based Apprenticeship & Nontraditional Employment for Women (ANEW), and Oakland, California-based Tradeswomen, Inc. - ANEW
ANEW focuses on equity and inclusion in the construction industry, for both women and people of color. It is the oldest, continuously running pre-apprenticeship program in the United States. - Oregon Tradeswomen
Oregon Tradeswomen promotes success for women in the trades through education, leadership, and mentorship. - Tradeswomen Inc.
Founded in 1979, Tradeswomen, Inc. was one of California’s first organizations for women in the trades. Its mission is focused on outreach, recruitment, retention and leadership development for women in blue-collar skilled crafts. - Tradeswomen Build Nations
Website of NABTU’s annual Tradeswomen Build Nations conference. - International Training Institutes
ITI supports apprenticeship and advanced career training for union workers in the sheet metal industry throughout the United States and Canada. - Women in Construction: #MeToo in the Building Trades?
A one-pager from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research on sexual harassment in the building trades.
Tuesday May 19, 2020
Tuesday May 19, 2020
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Lisa Davis
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In our fifth episode of Talking SMART, we hear from members of the SMART Women's Committee. While at the Partners in Progress conference in Las Vegas in February, we had a chance to sit down and talk with four SMART sisters who have taken the lead in breaking new ground for women in the building trades. They discussed how they got into the industry, growing diversity in construction and opportunities for women in the sheet metal trade. We hear from two of them in this episode, and two more in our next episode.
Our first guest is Lisa Davis, a Local 16 member out of Portland, Oregon, who now works as a field representative at the International Training Institute, covering the entire United States and Canada. Lisa shares her unique journey to becoming a sheet metal worker and instructor, which included stops along the way as a bowling alley mechanic, microbiology student, bar cook, coffee farm worker and assistant in an open-heart surgery trauma unit. She addresses the importance of mentoring and female role models in the trade, and the need for the union sheet metal sector to continue to diversify if it wants to expand and prosper.
Our second guest is Vanessa Carman, a trustee and leader at Local 66 in Seattle, Washington. She discusses how she got into the trade, what it was like apprenticing and entering the union sheet metal industry after working for non-union contractors, harassment and discrimination on the job, and her work helping to connect and advocate for women in the union through the SMART Women’s Committee.
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Vanessa Carman
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In addition, listen for the open mic segment at the end of this episode, where General President Joseph Sellers answers questions from members about important topics facing them and their families.
In our next episode, we’ll continue our conversation with our SMART sisters, as we hear from Michelle McNew, a longtime business manager at Local 464 in Ponca City, Oklahoma, who also chairs the SMART Women's Committee. We also talk with Leah Rambo, a native New Yorker who serves as the training administrator for Local 28 and has broken ground for women and minority members in her local.
RELATED RESOURCES:
- Alumae Spotlight: Lisa Davis
The Oregon Tradeswoman blog featured Lisa in June 2017. - Portland Sheet Metal Worker Earns National Position
SNIPS magazine profiled Lisa in November 2019. - Career Spotlight: Get to Know Vanessa Carman
The SMACNA-sponsored website IgniteYourCareer.com includes a profile of Vanessa. - GoPro for a Day: Vanessa Carman
This June 2018 installment of the Hermanson Company’s “GoPro for a Day” series follows Vanessa as she operates a Trimble at the Harrison Hospital Acute Care Expansion project in Silverdale, Wash. - Western Resources Center for Women in Apprenticeship
A joint project of Oregon Tradeswomen, Inc., Seattle-based Apprenticeship & Nontraditional Employment for Women (ANEW), and Oakland, California-based Tradeswomen, Inc. - ANEW
ANEW focuses on equity and inclusion in the construction industry, for both women and people of color. It is the oldest, continuously running pre-apprenticeship program in the United States. - Oregon Tradeswomen
Oregon Tradeswomen promotes success for women in the trades through education, leadership, and mentorship. - Tradeswomen Inc.
Founded in 1979, Tradeswomen, Inc. was one of California’s first organizations for women in the trades. Its mission is focused on outreach, recruitment, retention and leadership development for women in blue-collar skilled crafts. - Tradeswomen Build Nations
Website of NABTU’s annual Tradeswomen Build Nations conference. - International Training Institutes
ITI supports apprenticeship and advanced career training for union workers in the sheet metal industry throughout the United States and Canada. - Women in Construction: #MeToo in the Building Trades?
A one-pager from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research on sexual harassment in the building trades.
Wednesday Apr 22, 2020
Wednesday Apr 22, 2020
In the fourth episode of Talking SMART, we continue our focus on the COVID-19 pandemic, its impact on our members and their communities, and how SMART is mobilizing across North America to help members stay informed and be safe at home and on the job during this crisis.
Our first guest is Steve Dodd, SMART’s director of government and legislative affairs. Steve addresses emergency stimulus legislation that passed in the United States, as well as its impact on SMART members and their families.
We also talk with Chris Paswisty, an International Representative for SMART sheet metal workers and former business manager of Local 30 in Toronto, Ontario. He discusses the Canadian response to the pandemic and steps members and locals north of the border are taking to protect themselves.
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SMART SM Local 33 members John Michaels and Evan Chambers doing their part to protect frontline workers in Ohio with a new batch of nose strips for volunteer mask-makers.
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Our third guest is Tommy Fisher, a 39-year SMART member, and longtime International Representative from Mobile, Alabama. He services SMART sheet metal members employed at locations affiliated with the Metal Trades Department of the AFL-CIO. He discusses the work SMART members do in the shipyard industry, how these worksites and employers are responding to the pandemic, and the current situation in the state of Alabama.
Our last guest is Tom Wiant, a 33-year sheet metal worker and financial secretary-treasurer at Local 33, which covers northern Ohio and West Virginia. Tom talks with us about how his local has been able to procure thousands of KN95 masks to protect members in his region, as well as how Local 33 has contributed to SMART’s national initiative to produce and donate metal nose piece strips to volunteers making face masks for health care workers and first responders.
In addition, listen for the open mic segment at the end of this episode, where General President Joseph Sellers answers questions from members about important topics facing them and their families.
RELATED RESOURCES:
- SMART COVID-19 Resources for Union Members
Online portal with information and links to a variety of resources available to union members. - SMART Emergency Legislative Alert Page
Updates on the impact of the legislative and regulatory response to the COVID-19 crisis on members, as well as links to available government resources. - SMART Transportation Division COVID-19 Reporting Form
If you are aware of an employee who has tested positive with coronavirus, or if a carrier is refusing to provide a clean and sanitized workplace as well as supplies for sanitation, please let us know by submitting this online form. - State Resources and Benefits Available to U.S. Workers Impacted by COVID-19
Links for every U.S. state, the District of Columbia and some local municipal resources for workers who have been impacted by COVID-19. - Provincial Resources and Benefits Available to Canadian Workers Impacted by COVID-19
Links to resources for each Canadian province and territory for members and workers affected by disruptions caused by the COVID-19 virus. - Sheet Metal Occupational Health Insitute Trust (SMOHIT)
SMOHIT’s online COVID-19 portal with up-to-date news and information to keep you and your family healthy. - SMART Member Assistance Program (SMART MAP)
Grief and trauma counseling is available to SMART members and their families through
Monday Apr 13, 2020
Monday Apr 13, 2020
In the third episode of Talking SMART, we hear from two local sheetmetal leaders about how they are working with signatory contractors to help us all get through this crisis. We also hear new updates about important COVID-19 related legislative issues impacting SMART members.
Our first guest is Andy Bredeson, business manager of Local 45 in Des Moines, Iowa, who talks with us about a collaborative effort between his local and the area chapter of SMACNA to collect N-95 face masks and donate them to a local hospital that desperately needs them.
We also talk with Jared Cassity, assistant national legislative director for the SMART Transportation Division. Jared gives us an overview of the impact of new federal stimulus measures on SMART members in general, and rail and transit members in particular. He also addresses the situation with a recent COVID-19 related waiver of rail safety regulations by the Federal Railway Administration.
Our third guest is John Stepan, business manager of Local 480 in Faribault, Minnesota. John discusses how Local 480 is working with signatory contractor Daikin to modify attendance and leave policies during the pandemic, as well as how HVAC equipment produced by SMART members at Daikin is already shipping out to support temporary hospitals and other healthcare facilities in areas most impacted by COVID-19. For more information, contact John via email at john.stepan@local480.net
In addition, listen for the open mic segment at the end of this episode, where General President Joseph Sellers answers questions from members about important topics facing them and their families.
RELATED RESOURCES:
- SMART COVID-19 Resources for Union Members
Online portal with information and links to a variety of resources available to union members. - SMART Emergency Legislative Alert Page
Updates on the impact of the legislative and regulatory response to the COVID-19 crisis on members, as well as links to available government resources. - SMART Transportation Division COVID-19 Reporting Form
If you are aware of an employee who has tested positive with coronavirus, or if a carrier is refusing to provide a clean and sanitized workplace as well as supplies for sanitation, please let us know by submitting this online form. - State Resources and Benefits Available to U.S. Workers Impacted by COVID-19
Links for every U.S. state, the District of Columbia and some local municipal resources for workers who have been impacted by COVID-19. - Provincial Resources and Benefits Available to Canadian Workers Impacted by COVID-19
Links to resources for each Canadian province and territory for members and workers affected by disruptions caused by the COVID-19 virus. - Sheet Metal Occupational Health Insitute Trust (SMOHIT)
SMOHIT’s online COVID-19 portal with up-to-date news and information to keep you and your family healthy. - SMART Member Assistance Program (SMART MAP)
Grief and trauma counseling is available to SMART members and their families through
Sunday Mar 29, 2020
Sunday Mar 29, 2020
March 30, 2020
In the second episode of Talking SMART, we talk with SMART leadership about the impact the COVID-19 crisis is having on our members and their jobs, as well as how SMART is mobilizing across the United States and Canada to help and support members and communities in need.
We first hear from Randy Krocka, the head of SMOHIT – the Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust. Randy fills us in on the important work SMOHIT is doing to help members stay informed and be safe at home and on the job during the COVID-19 outbreak.
We also speak with SMART Transportation Division President Jeremy Ferguson, who addresses what SMART is doing to protect rail and transit members at work, what the response to COVID-19 has been from federal transportation agencies and rail carriers, and the critical role all our TD members are playing during this time of crisis.
Finally, we talk with SMART General President Joseph Sellers, for a summary of what SMART is doing to help and support members — both in terms of workplace health and safety, and financially — as business shut-downs, lay-offs and stay-at-home directives ripple across the economy.
RELATED RESOURCES:
- SMART COVID-19 Resources for Union Members
Online portal with information and links to a variety of resources available to union members. - SMART Emergency Legislative Alert Page
Updates on the impact of the legislative and regulatory response to the COVID-19 crisis on members, as well as links to available government resources. - State Resources and Benefits Available to U.S. Workers Impacted by COVID-19
Links for every U.S. state, the District of Columbia and some local municipal resources for workers who have been impacted by COVID-19. - Provincial Resources and Benefits Available to Canadian Workers Impacted by COVID-19
Links to resources for each Canadian province and territory for members and workers affected by disruptions caused by the COVID-19 virus. - Sheet Metal Occupational Health Insitute Trust (SMOHIT)
SMOHIT’s online COVID-19 portal with up-to-date news and information to keep you and your family healthy. - SMART Member Assistance Program (SMART MAP)
Grief and trauma counseling is available to SMART members and their families through
Tuesday Feb 11, 2020
Tuesday Feb 11, 2020
The inaugural episode of the Talking-SMART podcast looks at a new proposal from Senate Republicans that poses a serious threat to our retirement security. Presented in a white paper by Senator Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), this plan would impose a new 10 percent tax on retirees and punish healthy plans with an 11-fold jump in fees.
SMART General President Joseph Sellers is our featured guest as he discusses this dangerous proposal, as well as the overall state of retirement security in America.
Related Resources:
- SM National Pension Fund
This web site features a whiteboard primer on pension and retirement plans available through the SM National Pension Fund, as well as information on defined benefit and defined contribution plans. The whiteboard primer may also be viewed on YouTube. - TAKE ACTION: Protect Our Pensions
An easy to use webform that allows you to contact your US Senators about retirement security. You can also text the PENSION to 21333 to be immediately patched through to your Senate offices. (message and data rates may apply) - Senate Republicans' Pension White Paper
View the full multiemployer pension white paper drafted by Senate Republicans and released in November 2019.
Tuesday Feb 11, 2020
Tuesday Feb 11, 2020
SMART General President Joseph Sellers answers your questions about important topics facing union members, including rail safety, women in the sheet metal industry, the upcoming election and more.