A Word from Your Business Manager

BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

Welcome to our third quarterly newsletter, and thank you for entrusting me with a third term as your Business Manager. Nearly 1,000 of you participated in the SMART 100 General Election this June — a strong showing by any measure, and a sign of the energy within our union and the great deal of trust its members have in their elected leaders. Over the past two terms, we’ve improved Local 100’s general fund, grown our membership, expanded our apprenticeship program, and worked hard to make sure our union serves the best interests of ourselves and our families. I’m proud of SMART Local 100 and the things we’ve accomplished together. I also want to congratulate my brothers — Thomas Killeen, Michael Noble, Michael Mahar, Dane Watts, Brian Diehl, Derrick Aikens, and Gregory Brakeall — on their elections. I’m excited to get back to work with all of you. As your Business Manager, I’m thankful and humbled by your support, and I’m ready to carry the energy we saw in this election into a new term. I believe that, as members of this local and of the labor movement, we derive our energy from organizing. It’s our lifeblood, coursing through all that we do within the Local and on the shop floor. The day we stop organizing is the day we die. Organizing comes in different forms, but it fundamentally comes down to building a network of personal connections with your fellow workers. It’s the same practice whether you’re talking to a young person looking to join the trades, telling a sheet metal worker about the great benefits of being in the union, or getting one of your brothers or sisters in the union more involved. In the end, it’s all organizing. It may not always be easy, but the act of organizing is simple. It’s relationship-building, first between you and your fellow worker, then between the worker and the larger union family. Any of us who has had relationships and family know that they aren’t always easy; we’re all people and come with our imperfections. But no matter how strained relationships can be or how tense some moments can become, almost none of us would say that we would be better off without our friends and family. The same is true for our union family; we know we’re better off together. Organizing is what keeps us together and keeps us growing. Organizing new shops and taking on new employers as signatories with the union grows our market share. Bringing in new, young people as apprentices builds a pipeline of talent to continue our tradition of excellence in tradesmanship. Motivating members to become more involved in the Local increases morale, builds camaraderie among our members, and contributes to the overall health of our organization. I want to close by thanking each and every one of you. For being a member, for voting, for organizing, and for making our union strong. I have no doubt that, as long as we continue to organize, our future will be bright. In solidarity,

Richard LaBille III Business Manager SMART 100 Washington, D.C. • Baltimore • Cumberland • Roanoke • Norfolk • Richmond