First SMART General Convention Forges a United Tomorrow

In their First General Convention, held August 11 – 15, 2014, in Las Vegas, Nevada, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers will bring together delegates from across North America to determine the course of the union through the next five years and beyond.
Over the course of the convention, delegates and committee members will meet and vote to ratify and finalize a new SMART Constitution, to elect a slate of officers, and to discuss reports on topics relevant to the industries and professions represented by SMART.
Guest speakers at the convention are set to include AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka, President Sean McGarvey of North America’s Building Trades Unions, Nevada AFL-CIO Executive Secretary-Treasurer Danny Thompson, Southern Nevada AFL-CIO Building and Construction Trades Council Secretary-Treasurer Darren Enns, and Fred Myers of the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance.  SMART General President Joe Nigro and Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association President Randy Novak are also slated to address the delegates.
The First SMART General Convention is also notable for its use of electronic voting and the use of e-readers to distribute convention daily news to all delegates. This green approach to convention communication falls directly in line with SMART members’ participation in green technologies on the job—through innovative HVAC practices and energy efficiency along with daily work in transportation systems (like rail and mass transit) that reduce greenhouse emissions and our dependence on foreign oil.
The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, is one of North America’s most dynamic and diverse unions with 216,000 members. SMART’s members produce and provide the vital services that move products to market, passengers to their destinations and ensure the quality of the air we breathe. We are sheet metal workers, service technicians, bus operators, engineers, conductors, sign workers, welders, production employees and more. With members in scores of different occupations, we advocate for fairness in the workplace, excellence at work and opportunity for all working families.
For more information, visit the SMART website at smart-union.org.