Going The Extra Mile

SMART Local 85 apprentice unites union members to make a positive impact on the community.

Dee Lee isn’t your typical second-year apprentice.

Known for her outgoing and driven personality, Lee is committed to bringing people together and is always ready to lend a helping hand whenever needed.

Sheet metal workers conceptualize projects every day, so she had no problem teaming up with the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance to put a plan into action at Lake Allatoona in Cartersville, Georgia, last summer.

Uniting For A Common Purpose

The idea for the project started when Lee joined over 130 tradeswomen at the USA’s Tradeswomen Build Nations All Women’s Hike in Washington D.C. on Dec. 1, 2023. All the women coming together in solidarity drew her to the USA’s Work Boots on the Ground program, which brings together union members to volunteer their time and expertise to conservation projects. This experience motivated her to lead a conservation project of her own.

“I think it’s important for union members to get involved in volunteer and service projects around the community,” Lee said. “It gives us a chance to take our skilled trades and put them to good use for the people around us.”

Dee Lee at the 2024 USA Greater Atlanta Area Conservation Dinner.

Dee Lee (right) at the 2024 USA Greater Atlanta Area Conservation Dinner last April. Lee spoke about the project in front of a room full of union brothers and sisters.

Lee created a group called Unions Unite to bring together union members from different trades to get involved in a local project, and she spread awareness about the project in settings like the USA’s 2024 Greater Atlanta Conservation Dinner last April.

On June 29, 2024, Lee rallied 31 union volunteers from various trades to install a new AccuDock floating dock at Lake Allatoona in just one day. As a result, boaters now have year-round access to one of the lake’s most popular boat ramps.

“Knowing that I have the backing of all these people that have supported me in this endeavor, it warms my heart because it shows me that my brothers and sisters really are my brothers and sisters no matter what local they belong to,” Lee said.

Where She Belongs

Before she joined SMART Local 85, Lee was in a bad spot. Homeless and alone in the world, she was earning a low wage working as an assistant manager in retail when a conversation with a customer about unions changed her life.

“He told me about the pay raises, the benefits, how much he loved working with his hands, and doing what he enjoyed,” Lee recalled. “I thought, ‘I’m good with my hands, I’m strong, and I could do something like that.’”

Two weeks after, Lee became a SMART Local 85 member and began her new role as a sheet metal helper. Lee has since felt at home and earned the respect of her peers through her accomplishments, positive attitude, and natural leadership skills. She is heavily involved with SMART Local 85 and even formed a support group within her apprenticeship class.

Dee Lee selfie with other SMART and union volunteers.

Dee Lee (right) takes a selfie with other union volunteers during the Lake Allatoona project.

Since the Lake Allatoona project, she has noticed friendships forming among the locals that participated.

“This place has not only given me a sense of belonging, but it’s also the first time I’ve ever found something I truly love to do,” she said. “It’s not just about sheet metal; it’s about being a union member and having this family—having these brothers and sisters who have my back. If I can be there for someone the way these people were there for me when I needed it, that makes all the difference in the world. This is where I belong.”

Watch Dee’s Story…