We would like to welcome you as a member of SMART International Association Local 480. Local 480 was chartered on July 6, 1967. Our membership is comprised of the maintenance and production workers at Daikin Applied’s Faribault and Owatonna plants, as well as the Crown Cork & Seal plant in Faribault.
The SMART International Association is your full-service Union, working full time to meet your needs and the needs of 260,000 members across North America. From the halls of Parliament in Ottawa to the steps of the U.S. Capitol to the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and to your workplace, we are committed to fighting for the members who have built this proud and great Union.
None of this would be possible without the contributions of generations of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers who have fought for and earned the benefits we enjoy today. In 1888, a small group of sheet metal workers from across the United States and Canada met in Toledo, Ohio to form this international to help them achieve their professional and personal aspirations.
Over the years other Unions have merged with the Sheet Metal Workers and today we are the International Association of "SMART" for Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation. Since those days, this Union has grown to represent members in over 200 local Unions in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico. Due to our skills and ability, we are one of the most highly respected and compensated trades in North America.
Today, you will find Union Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers in the construction industry, in rail shops, ship yards, nuclear power plants, various modes of transportation and in a variety of manufacturing facilities. The mainstay of this International has always been in the construction industry, and that is where you find the greatest number of your Union brothers and sisters. This International Association has always been on the cutting edge of technology and our members have always anticipated and harnessed new technologies before their time, insuring our continued strength in the industries we represent.
You are now part of our newest generation of SMART Union members. Each generation has the responsibility to improve upon the gains of preceding generations. That is why we emphasize the importance of your active involvement in our Union. We urge you to attend your local Union meetings and pursue all the activities available to you while taking advantage of all the benefits that our Union has to offer. From our training programs that will assist you in developing your skills to the health and safety, scholarships and other programs that await, there are many opportunities that can further reward your promising career. Together we work to uphold a common dream, to make today better than yesterday and tomorrow better than today.
