Steven Satter first fell in love with the trades in 2005, when he was introduced to sheet metal, becoming a journeyman sheet metal worker with the International Association of Sheet Metal Air Rail & Transportation Workers (SMART) in 2009.
He quickly moved through the ranks and in 2012, became SMART Local #8 Vice President and Southern Business Representative. Steven assumed the role of Vice President (Southern Council) of the Building Trades of Alberta and Business Representative for Sheet Metal Workers local for Alberta in 2015.
In the office, Steven served as the Business Rep, Local #8 Health and Welfare Trust, and the Training Trustee. As Vice President of the Southern Building Trades Council in Alberta, Steven was re-elected three times. In 2019, Steven transitioned to his role as the International Representative (British Columbia & Alberta) for SMART, before joining the GPMC | NMC Committee in January 2020.
About SMART
SMART is the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, one of North America’s most dynamic and diverse unions with 216,000 members. SMART’s members ensure the quality of the air we breathe, promote energy efficiency, produce and provide the vital services that move products to market and passengers to their destinations. SMART includes sheet metal workers, service technicians, bus operators, engineers, conductors, sign workers, welders, production employees and more.
Benefits of Unionized Labour
Steven believes that the benefits of unionized labour include a commitment to training and ensuring members have a solid contract to work under. By supporting and working together as a brotherhood, the union works together for the betterment of its members. With members in scores of different occupations, SMART advocates for fairness in the workplace, excellence at work, and opportunity for all working families.
The Role & Importance of the GPMC | NMC
The importance of the GPMC | NMC is evident to those on a job site, as it creates solutions that work for the local unions and employers, according to Steven. He likes being able to contact GPMC Committee members and have them work together to help alleviate an issue or to draw on their experience which also helps Steven to grow in his own career. For over 70 years, the GPMC | NMC has supported the local unions across Canada. Steven feels that every member should be able to go to work, earn a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work, and return home safely each day.
Sudoku, Minecraft & Time with Family
In Steven’s free time, he enjoys mastering Sudoku, a game that dates back to the 18th Century. A Swiss mathematician is credited with creating a numbers game called “Latin Squares” and first appeared in French newspapers in 1895.
The modern game of Sudoku that Steven enjoys playing while traveling was invented by Howard Garns from the USA, who first published the games in print in 1979 in Dell Pencil Puzzles and Word Games magazine. The game was referred to as the “Number Place” because it involved placing individual numbers into empty spots on a 9 x 9 grid. In 1984, the game became popular in Japan, and was renamed “Sudoku,” which is an abridged version of a longer expression in Japanese – “Sūji wa dokushin ni kagiru” – which means, “the digits are limited to one occurrence.”
Family is at the forefront of everything for Steven. His two young sons, Mitchell (seven years old) and Jayden (five years old) enjoy playing Minecraft with their dad, especially when he is traveling for work meetings. Steven loves being able to play Minecraft with them online, which enables him to stay connected with his boys while away.
Steven credits his wife, Jenn, as being the rock of their family, as she keeps everything running smoothly when he is away for work. He is quick to share that Jennifer has also enjoyed an impressive career with WestJet, as she has worked there for over 19 years.