(GRESHAM, OREGON) - In balloting that took place during the Summer months of June and July, Union Members represented by Sheet Metal Workers Local 16 elected their first female Business Agent in the Local’s 130-year history.

Vanessa Steward challenged incumbent Business Agent Robert Riehl, and the initial result was an outright tie, 143-to-143, in voting held from June 25 to June 28.  That led to a July 23rd through 26th runoff election for the office, which Steward won 242-to-218.  In both elections, members cast ballots in person at nine locations around Oregon and Southwest Washington.

Steward came to Local 16 as an Apprentice in 1996 and became a Journeyman in 2001.

In 2013, she was recruited by former Business Manager John Candioto to join the Staff of Local 16 as a Union Organizer.

Since then she has worked to sign up new contractors and bring Non-Union Members over to the Union side.

Local 16 includes Sheet Metal Workers in both construction and production.

The production side includes employers like Helser Industries in Tualatin, which makes steel forms for precast concrete, and Thompson Metal Fab in Vancouver, which fabricates large-scale metal works used in bridges, hydro dams, vessels and in oil and gas industry.

On the construction side, Local 16 Journeymen earn $40.82 an hour plus benefits.

The 2,045-member Local is currently training nearly 300 Apprentices, more than ever before, so many that the Local 16 Training Center is at capacity.

The Local has been working to increase Union Market Share and attract more Women and Minority Workers, who haven’t traditionally been well represented in the local Sheet Metal Workforce.

To encourage the participation and acceptance of Women and Minorities in the Local, a committee of Women and Minority Members meets prior to Local 16’s General Membership Meetings.

Member involvement has also increased in the last few years, Union Officials say. In response to a call from the International Union, Local 16 formed a committee of members called the SMART (Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers) Army to volunteer in the community, build team spirit, and get members more politically engaged.  Local 16’s branch of the SMART Army has as many as 50 Members.

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