SPRING 2021
®
SMW17 UPDATE
DELIVERING RESULTS IS WHAT WE DO
A NEW CHAPTER FOR LABOR PG 4 30 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE: MCCUSKER-GILL PG 6 PROTECTING WORKERS AND THEIR COMMUNITIES PG 8
TABLE OF CONTENTS 3 BUSINESS MANAGER’S REPORT 4 LABOR NEWS 6 PARTNER SPOTLIGHT 8 OUR ADVOCACY 10 MEMBER SPOTLIGHT 11 GIVING BACK
ABOUT
SHEET METAL WORKERS LOCAL 17 Sheet Metal Workers Local 17 is a building trade union representing more than 2,700 skilled and licensed workers throughout Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island. We stand together as the most highly trained professionals in the industry, bringing the top safety standards and quality to every project. Local 17 was formed in 1896 so that men and women working in the sheet metal industry could bargain collectively for better work standards. Today, our members enjoy dignified contracts, industry-leading wages and healthcare, and a sound pension plan they can count on after retirement. 1157 Adams Street, Dorchester, MA 02124 (617) 296-1680
BUSINESS MANAGER'S REPORT BROTHERS AND SISTERS, 2021 is shaping up to be a big year for labor. As we enter the busy building season, our region is reopening businesses and experts are predicting an economic boom to lift us out of the past year’s recession. We have nearly $2 billion in new projects to look forward to in the coming months. And if it passes into law, President Biden’s infrastructure plan would invest additional $2 trillion into our communities. As President Biden’s first few months come to a close, it’s clear that our work is paying off. Marty Walsh’s official confirmation as U.S. Labor Secretary is just the beginning of a union-friendly administration. Walsh is the first Labor Secretary with union ties in almost 50 years. We’re proud to have watched his rise from Dorchester, Massachusetts to Washington, D.C. The American Rescue Plan, spearheaded by House and Senate Democrats, also brings some wins for labor. The Plan, passed in February, has expanded unemployment benefits to veterans and to workers brave enough to stand up and declare their workplaces unsafe for return. It also provided essential economic relief in the form of $1,400 stimulus checks for individuals and their dependents. While these are significant steps forward for a lagging, gridlocked Congress, we still have more to accomplish. The PRO Act stands to empower workers with long-overdue collective bargaining protections, but it’s currently languishing in the Senate with too few Republican sponsors to pass. If we mobilize around our representatives, we still stand a chance to tip the balance in favor of the American worker. We’re also staying active in our advocacy on the local level. We’ve reintroduced legislation to close the off-site pre-fabrication loophole in Massachusetts. We are grateful to our co-sponsors State Representative Jeffrey Roy of 10th Norfolk and State Senator Paul Feeney of Bristol and Norfolk. We’ve received lots of support on Beacon Hill so far, but we need your help to get this to the finish line. I would like to continue to thank you all for your patience and flexibility as we formally establish the Northeast Regional Council. The new leadership structure with its Executive Committee members takes effect on May 1. As previously stated, your wages, benefits, and level of representation will not be affected by this restructuring. We have a busy season ahead of us. Even as vaccinations ramp up, we must stay vigilant against COVID-19 both on and off the job site. Please continue to wear masks in public even after getting vaccinated and observe the latest CDC guidelines until we’re out of this pandemic for good. We need everyone safe and healthy for the challenges ahead. Thank you again for standing with your fellow Local 17 brothers and sisters. In Solidarity,
Business Manager Sheet Metal Workers Local 17
3
LABOR NEWS
A NEW CHAPTER FOR LABOR:
RECAPPING THE BIDEN ADMINISTRATION'S FIRST 100 DAYS When President Joe Biden was sworn in, our nation was facing unprecedented challenges — challenges to democracy, to the economy, and to our own health and safety. These challenges disproportionately affected working people who kept our country running even as everything stopped to a standstill.
44
President Biden and his team knew that in order to put our country back on track, he would need to prioritize working families. While we still have a long way to go, here’s what the current administration has accomplished over the past few months.
A LABOR DEPARTMENT FOR WORKING PEOPLE Marty Walsh is the first Secretary of Labor with union ties in almost 50 years, replacing union-busting attorney Rene Alexander Acosta. Walsh is joined by Julie Su, who led record-setting labor law enforcement in her native California. Jennifer Abruzzo, who was appointed General Counsel to the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB), rounds out the new picks, ending an era of corporate cronies taking up space in the NLRB. DIRECT ECONOMIC RELIEF The pandemic has brought new economic challenges, but President Biden acted quickly to implement the American Rescue Plan. The Plan directly funneled relief to those that needed it most, including $86 billion to support union pension plans, and billions to help schools and businesses reopen safely. The Plan also expanded access to unemployment benefits to veterans and workers who have faced unsafe conditions due to COVID-19.
have a surplus of vaccines by this summer. Although we must still stay vigilant against rising cases, the successful production rollout offers a light at the end of the tunnel. BUILDING BACK BETTER INFRASTRUCTURE The Biden administration unveiled the first part of a sweeping $2 trillion infrastructure plan in March, calling for critical improvements to 20,000 miles of roads, bridges, public transit, and more. If passed, the proposal would create thousands of union jobs for sheet metal workers across the country. CHAMPIONING PRO-LABOR LEGISLATION President Biden’s early actions on Capitol Hill have already solidified him as a key ally to labor. Right out the gate, he’s rescinded Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs) through Executive Order, ensuring apprenticeship programs like ours are here to stay. To cap it off, Biden’s endorsement of the National Apprenticeship Act marks a big win for our industry-leading training programs.
SECURING COVID-19 VACCINES Under the President’s leadership, we’ve watched production and approval for COVID-19 vaccines ramp up to meet his goal of 200 million vaccines by the end of May. Now, we’ve managed to surpass this goal and are on track to
“
WHAT WE WANT TO DO IS MAKE SURE WE BRING THE CONFIDENCE
AND THE RESPECT BACK
TO THOSE WORKERS WHO ARE WORKING ON BEHALF OF THE AMERICAN PEOPLE EVERY SINGLE DAY." - SECRETARY OF LABOR MARTY WALSH
55
PARTNER SPOTLIGHT
CELEBRATING 30 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE:
MCCUSKER-GILL INC.
Celebrating his 30th anniversary in sheet metal this year, Kevin Gill, Sr. is no stranger to hard work. Gill’s company, McCusker-Gill, Inc. in Hingham, Mass. is the largest sheet metal contracting firm in the Boston area according to working hours logged, and in 2019, Gill was awarded Contractor of the Year from the industry publication SNIPS. Ever-growing, McCusker-Gill staffs 350 employees, including union sheet metal workers, drafters, and support staff. The company landed its first big job in 1991, when McCuskerGill was awarded a sub-bid for the Boston Public Library. Most recently, they’re been working on key projects such as the Tower at South Station, Cambridge Crossing, Vertex Pharmaceuticals in the Seaport, the Tower at Beth Israel, Google’s newest headquarters in Cambridge, and much more. In a competitive market, efficiency, innovation, and expertise make the team at McCusker-Gill stand out from the crowd. Sheet metal workers at McCusker-Gill aim to work on their projects up to three weeks in advance, pre-fabricating materials at the shop so they’re 100% prepared at the job site. Pre-fabrication is increasingly transforming the sheet metal industry. By fabricating and assembling most of the materials
6
in the facility, Gill notes that the overall process is faster, safer, and cleaner than ever before. “All outside parts get installed here,” Gill said. “It’s a much safer environment in our shop than in a job site. It’s climate-controlled in the summer, it’s heated in the winter. It’s a much cleaner environment — the industry has dictated it’s a lot cleaner. The biggest change in the past 6-8 years is pre-fabrication.” Gill notes that a top-notch team has been key in withstanding changes and challenges over the years. “I can’t emphasize enough the fact that our success is because I’ve been very fortunate and I’ve surrounded myself with one of the best management teams that exists in sheet metal in the country,” Gill said. “Our foremen and journeymen, there’s just nobody better.” The firm’s growth shows no sign of slowing down. This month, McCusker-Gill is breaking ground on a 30,000-square-foot storage facility adjacent to its current 60,000-square-foot fabrication shop. The new building will consolidate their current warehouse up the road in Hingham as well as an additional shop in Abington. Here’s to 30 more years of excellence!
4
1 5
2 6
3
1. CEO and 2019 Contractor of the Year Kevin Gill with Local 17 Financial Secretary-Treasurer Russell Bartash 2. Kurt Davis operates a heavy-duty shear for hand-made, custom projects. 3. Nick Roberts labels specs on laser-cut sheet metal. 4. Zach Reid prepares schematics at McCusker-Gill’s in-house drafting department. 5. McCusker-Gill’s team often welds reinforcements in house, reducing on-the-job installation time. 6. The shop has several specialty machines, including a Dual-Head Cornermatic, which inserts and crimps larger duct sections.
7
OUR ADVOCACY
RENOVATE MASSACHUSET TS SCHOOLS NOW By: Business Manager Bob Butler
As more and more children return to school in person, a critical question looms: how do we ensure our schools are safe for students and teachers? Getting staff vaccinated, maintaining social distancing, and wearing masks are all key to students’ safe return to schools. What has also become clear is the importance of the structural integrity of our school buildings themselves. Over the past year, COVID-19 has further exposed major cracks in our nation’s infrastructure. Many of the buildings we lived and worked in were not prepared for a global pandemic. Massachusetts is home to some of the oldest educational institutions in the country and in turn, some of the oldest educational buildings in the country. Nearly two-thirds of Boston’s 127 schools were built before World War II, and less than half of those have been fully renovated since then. According to a report by the Massachusetts School Building Authority, 47.9% of school buildings were determined to need repair. To return to school safely, the Commonwealth must immediately invest in state-of-the-art facilities, including up-to-date air quality safety systems. We know we must all stay vigilant to protect against another surge of the disease — up-to-date air ventilation systems can help keep us healthy and prevent the spread. We know that what many teachers were forced to do this past winter — opening a window to keep air flowing in the classroom — is simply a bandaid on a bigger problem: the inferior air quality of our schools. Prioritizing air quality improvements in our schools this summer will put us in a good position to safely welcome all students back to the classroom this fall. There are currently four proposed bills that address the air quality in our schools on Beacon Hill. If passed, these bills would begin to provide much-needed improvements to our
8
state’s public school buildings and implement measures that would further ensure a safe return to in-person schooling. The bills, which have broad, strong support from over 35 co-sponsors, call for installing and monitoring improved filtration systems in our public school buildings, ensuring a minimum of four air changes per hour of fresh air. Building trades workers have already proven they can get the job done in times of crisis. At the beginning of the pandemic, experienced union workers converted the Boston Convention Center into a field hospital for COVID-19 patients in a matter of days, including installing high-quality air ventilation systems. Just as we rose to that challenge, we can rise to this one to keep students safer for generations to come. A year of remote schooling has shown us that kids need to be in the classroom with their teachers and friends. There’s no substitute for that. Alongside other health and safety measures, this legislation can support safe, supportive learning environments for all, from preschoolers to college students to paraprofessionals and professors. And by passing this legislation as soon as possible, we can also create thousands of much-needed jobs, and capitalize on industry-leading expertise from our state’s union tradesmen and women. We can begin to heal from a year of tragedy and implement the changes we need to improve the health and safety of our children. Our students deserve top-quality facilities to match their education, to learn and thrive and grow. We owe it to our future and our children’s future.
CLOSING THE PRE-FABRICATION LOOPHOLE Across the Commonwealth, dishonest contractors are flouting the state’s prevailing wage laws, exploiting a glaring loophole that allows them to pay workers on public construction projects as little as possible. We’ve fought this loophole in the Massachusetts State House before, and we need to end it for good. Two bills, H.2046 and S.1189, co-sponsored by Representative Jeffrey Roy (D-10th Norfolk) and Senator Paul Feeney (D-Bristol and Norfolk) have been introduced to close the prevailing wage loophole and stop rewarding these companies. We must pass these bills to protect these workers and ensure that public projects are constructed safely, professionally, solidly, and fairly. Please stay tuned for how to get involved to stand up for Bay State working families.
FIGHTING “RIGHT TO WORK” IN NEW HAMPSHIRE We’ve been working hard over the last few months to help defeat harmful “Right to Work” (RTW) legislation in New Hampshire, and our advocacy is paying off. More than 1,700 union members signed up to oppose SB61 ahead of the committee hearing. And legislators have continued to postpone the vote, which was originally slated for early April. More and more legislators are recognizing that RTW deprives workers of their freedom to form strong unions, which could cost our families about $10,000 per year. It could also increase the likelihood of workplace fatalities by as much as 49%. We can’t let up now. Call your representative and tell them to vote “NO” on “Right to Work.” Together, we can make clear once and for all that anti-worker legislation has no place in the Granite State. TAKE ACTION, CONTACT YOUR LEGISLATORS, AND GET TALKING POINTS BY VISITING SMW17BOSTON.ORG.
9
MEMBER SPOTLIGHT
PUNCHING ABOVE:
TROY ANDERSON, JR. An apprenticeship is a full-time job. For five years, Local 17 apprentices are spending 40 hours a week on the job or in the classroom, learning the skills to become skilled sheet metal workers and officially join our great union.
officially turned pro after signing with his new manager, Ryan Roach. His professional debut took place this March in Albertville, Alabama, where he defeated his opponent in just one round.
However, for one 5th-year apprentice, the hard work doesn’t end off the job site. While training to become a sheet metal worker, Troy Anderson, Jr. has doubled down on his dream to become a professional featherweight boxer. Anderson is even sponsored by the Local 17’s Joint Apprenticeship Training Center (JATC) in Dorchester and says former Training Coordinator John Healy has been one of his biggest fans.
The boxer credits his apprenticeship with Local 17 and the JATC with preparing him for his new, professional training regimen, but he’s also learning to balance his workload with plenty of time to recharge.
“[John] has been to every match,” Anderson said. “If he can’t make it to an out-of-state match, he always tunes into the live stream. He’s been one of my biggest supporters, and I really appreciate it.”
“Construction is a full workout on its own,” Anderson said. “I don’t always have time for myself between two careers, but in my new training, I’ve noticed that rest and recovery are key, as opposed to burning yourself out.” Anderson has certainly seen the fruits of his labor, rising the ranks in both Local 17 and the world of professional boxing in just five short years.
Even though Anderson has been boxing since he was 13 years old, he didn’t begin his professional training until 23. Anderson started off in amateur leagues, building a name for himself across New England. Last November, he
“Nothing compares to the end of a winning match,” Anderson said. “It’s a great moment to get your hand raised and see your hard work pay off.”
Anderson works with fellow apprentices at Local 17's JATC in Dorchester.
Anderson is declared the winner at his professional debut in Albertville, Alabama.
10
GIVING BACK
LOCAL 17 TURNS OUT FOR THE WEYMOUTH FOOD PANTRY
One in 8 Bay State families is facing hunger right now. Working families have been hit especially hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and economic downturn, and it’s on all of us to help ease the burden. On Saturday, March 27, Local 17 members worked with the Norfolk County Labor Council and The United Way to donate 7,500 pounds of food to The Weymouth Food Pantry.
Thanks to everyone who came out for a great cause. Above: Local 17 Team with Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick McDermott
11
Sheet Metal Workers Local 17 1157 Adams Street, Dorchester, MA 02124
®
CONGRATULATIONS to our UnionFusion sign-up winners
By signing up for the UnionFusion member portal, Dereck Wentzell and John Jay won $200 gift cards for Red Wing Shoes! Haven't created an account on the Member Portal yet? Visit SMW17Boston.org to get started.
@SheetMetalWorkersLocal17
@SMWLU17
@SMWLU17
SMW17Boston.org