Sheet Metal Air Rail Transportation (SMART) Local 110 Business Manager/Financial Secretary-Treasurer Benjamin “Mark” Adams joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed the Local’s efforts to grow its apprenticeship programs to help meet the demand for workers to build Ford’s $5.8 billion electric battery campus in Kentucky.
Local 110 represents about 1,300 members in western Kentucky.
The Ford project will be constructed on a 1,551-acre site in Glendale and will supply the automaker’s North American assembly plants with batteries to power the next generation of Ford and Lincoln electric vehicles. State officials believe the campus will make Kentucky the nation’s largest producer of electric automotive batteries.
Adams talked about how the campus will impact the workload for his membership and efforts to grow the Local’s apprenticeship programs to meet the demand for workers. Currently, enrollment stands at 95 apprentices, which is up from 65. He hopes to soon grow the program to 125 apprentices.
He also discussed the impact of last July’s devastating floods in Kentucky.
Listen to the entire episode to learn more about these topics.