Residential HVAC is one of the fastest-growing opportunities in the sheet metal industry. That’s why, on October 15, 2025, the SMART-SMACNA Best Practices Market Expansion Task Force cohosted a webinar titled “Building Residential Success: Best Practices in HVAC Service & Replacement.”
The webinar shared proven best practices with attendees, directly from labor and management partners who have experienced success in the residential sector.
Moderated by Gary Myers, vice president of marketing and business development at Intech Mechanical, the panel also featured Matt Gugala, president/business manager of SMART Local 265 (Carol Stream, Ill.), Tom Mascari, president of Mendel Plumbing & Heating, Matthew Smith, president of Smith Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc., Alex Tiechner, apprenticeship training administrator at the Local 104 Northern California Training Center, and Darrell Garrison, field representative/HVACR service & TAB specialist, International Training Institute.
Alongside other topics, the webinar gave participants the chance to explore how to evaluate and enter the residential HVAC market, workforce preparation and collaboration strategies, and best practices for service, maintenance and customer relationships.
The Education Department, in collaboration with the Organizing Department, held its Organizing III class during the week of October 6–10, 2025, in St. Louis. This redesigned class focused on the “top-down” organizing strategy, with a specific emphasis on developing organizing campaigns targeting nonunion contractors.
Expanding SMART’s signatory contractor base is one of the best methods local unions have to keep members employed. For that reason, it’s more important than ever for organizers to strengthen their ability to identify, build relationships with and ultimately sign new employers.
The primary subject of the October class centered around what contractors need to succeed and how our locals are built to fulfil that primary need: a flexible labor force. Participants delved deep into a contractor’s mindset to understand the challenges of running a construction company, learning how to reframe common employer objections to unionization as benefits for both workers and contractors. Attendees also roleplayed interactions with the gatekeeper, delivered a custom-built elevator pitch and practiced both first meetings and subsequent meetings with the contractors.
Throughout the week, participants learned to find nonunion contractors in their local’s jurisdiction using Standard Industrial Codes (SICs) and turned their lists into maps and routes using Google Maps. There were nearly 20 exercises during the course; after mock exercises, participants debriefed with critical feedback to their peers.
A point system was in place, with organizers grouped into fiction local unions and evaluated by their fellow participants. “Local 111” — Phil Berg (Local 23), Cesar Carrillo (Local 26) and Yadriel Carrasquillo (Local 68) — took third place. “Local 444” — Adam Kerr (Local 71), Doug Meyers (Local 103) and Aaron Leslie (Local 104) — was ranked second place. “Local 333” — Dustin Hysmith (Local 16), Hallie Jennerman (International organizer/Local 18) and Jay Jones (Local 265) — was recognized by their peers as the top group in the class.
“Congratulations to Jay Jones, the highest point winner in the top group, for winning the coveted ‘Coffee is for Closers’ coffee cup!” said SMART Director of Education Eli Baccus. “We hope this class spurs participants’ top-down organizing efforts, and that more contractors are brought in for more member jobs.”
Nearly 500 SMART sisters and allies from across North America traveled to Chicago, Ill., for Tradeswomen Build Nations — the world’s largest gathering of tradeswomen — from September 19-21, 2025. Alongside more than 6,000 fellow union workers, SMART members and leaders put the power of solidarity on full display: building connections across trades, learning in breakout sessions and marching through the streets of Chicago in the annual banner parade.
“I first went to Tradeswomen Build Nations 10 years ago,” said SMART Local 17 Business Development Rep. and International Women’s Committee Chair Shamaiah Turner during the annual SMART caucus. “There were 38 people in the SMART caucus.
“Now we’re nearly 500 strong.”
SMART attendees posed for a picture following the SMART caucus.
Speakers to tradeswomen: This movement is here to stay
TWBN 2025 featured a series of plenary sessions throughout the weekend, with a number of speakers whose presence and remarks illustrated the work-changing work of union women.
“I never thought at the first conference I went to in Oakland, California … that we’d wind up in a room with 6,000-plus people,” he said. “Today we stand here, thousands strong, and this movement is changing our entire industry.”
“This year’s theme says it loud and clear: She’s not waiting. She’s leading. That’s a statement of fact,” McGarvey added.
Thanks to the activism and leadership of generations of tradeswomen, building trades unions have made incredible progress across the United States and Canada, McGarvey said. Specifically referencing SMART’s Belonging and Excellence for All (BE4ALL) initiative, alongside broader industry progress on correctly fitting PPE, lean-in circles and more, he praised the courage that union tradeswomen have brought to the fight to grow and improve the construction industry.
“Recruiting and retaining women isn’t just a feel-good sentiment. It’s crucial strategy,” he said.
Union tradeswomen, along with working-class families across North America, are facing attacks on the progress we have made. The most notable example is 2025’s “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” set to negatively impact SMART members’ jobs and health care costs. When politicians delay or cancel projects, threaten project labor agreements and prevailing wages, or pass laws that benefit the ultra-wealthy, McGarvey noted, those laws hurt all of us: women, unions and families. In response, it’s up to all of us to fight back.
“We cannot and we will not back down. Not now, not ever,” McGarvey declared. “Sisters and allies, let’s keep changing lives for the better. Don’t wait for permission.”
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler spoke about the importance of recognizing the power and influence we all have, and using that influence to change our world for the better. In a world full of influencers — whether on TV, TikTok or behind the scenes in DC or Ottawa — it’s more important than ever for trailblazing union tradeswomen to tell their stories and to influence family members, friends and entire nations.
“I just want to say that everyone in this room is an influencer,” Shuler said. “You have the power to influence each other, those around you and your communities.”
When one tradeswoman blazes a trail in her local union, her industry or her community, and then tells her story for all to hear, it changes things for the better, Shuler explained. When we spread the word about the life-changing careers that are available in the sheet metal industry, we do more than help people find meaningful, family-sustaining work. We strengthen our union, and we build better communities in the process.
That is especially crucial now, as we see the end of pro-worker funding for infrastructure projects and clean energy jobs, and the beginning of policies that raise costs for working people in order to benefit the richest people in America.
“We’re in the middle of a tough moment right now,” Shuler said. “Forget about politics and who you voted for, I want to talk about common sense.”
It’s not common sense to cut funding for apprenticeship programs when we need more people in the trades, she noted. It’s not common sense to cut programs that benefit working families in order to fund tax breaks for the Jeff Bezoses of the world. It’s up to us, Shuler said, to bring common sense back into the equation. She urged tradeswomen and allies to show up to union meetings, city councils and school boards, to talk to their family at Thanksgiving, to spread the word about the anti-worker actions impacting all of us, and to forge community and solidarity across our two nations.
“Today, more than anyone else … union women are the ones who can rebuild that trust,” Shuler said, adding: “Union women: We are EXACTLY what this country needs. … I’m so proud to be marching alongside you.”
Sisters and allies also heard from Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker, who has defined his time in the statehouse with strong, pro-union policies. Describing Illinois’ rich labor history — from the Haymarket affair, to the Pullman Strike, to the thousands of tradeswomen who converged on Chicago for TWBN — Pritzker explicitly tied that history to the leadership of union sisters: “The women of organized labor have helped drive the progress we’ve made for workers throughout our state’s history. … women have been taking the lead.”
With the support of union women and organized labor, Pritzker said, his administration has passed laws and programs that specifically benefit union construction workers. Illinois enacted the largest state infrastructure bill in the nation in 2019, with strong labor standards included to put union members to work. But that wasn’t all: Alongside the infrastructure package, the state created the Illinois Works Job Program, designed to support women starting their careers in the trades and to address the obstacles tradeswomen face, such as childcare.
“I’m very proud to tell you that the number of women enrolled in pre-apprenticeships in Illinois has tripled since 2017,” Pritzker declared.
Just recently, in response to threats to project labor agreements and prevailing wages at the federal level, he signed a bill into law stating that when federal construction projects are managed by a state or local government, and the Illinois prevailing wage is higher than the federal rate, workers on that project will get paid the higher state wage. And in 2022, Illinois voters approved a constitutional amendment guaranteeing workers’ the right to organize and collectively bargain.
“No right-to-work law will ever see the light of day in the state of Illinois!” Pritzker bellowed to thunderous applause.
Union members are facing uncertain times in the United States, he said. That’s why it’s crucial that union tradeswomen refuse to back down.
“You are showing the next generation of young women that they, too, belong on the jobsite and at the bargaining table,” Pritzker concluded.
SMART sister Ashley Deschenes speaks during the 2025 TWBN Conference.
Sisters and allies gather for SMART caucus
At every TWBN, the SMART caucus brings SMART sisters and allies together to build solidarity, hear from the International Women’s Committee and build a stronger union for our collective future. Tradeswomen Build Nations 2025 was no different, with SMART sisters and allies gathering to learn with and from one another.
Following a presentation from the Women’s Committee on the various initiatives that committee members are working on, sisters talked about what they wished they knew coming into the trade, how they joined our union, how they felt the first time they came to the jobsite and more. Prompted by the Women’s Committee, members talked about the webinars and events they would like to see, as well as ways the Women’s Committee can support SMART women in the year ahead. They also reflected on one action each woman can do right now to shape the future of her local union: from respecting one another, to showing up to union meetings, to refusing to quit.
SMART General President Michael Coleman couldn’t attend Tradeswomen Build Nations 2025, but Women’s Committee member Lisa Davis paid tribute to his leadership nonetheless. She acknowledged and praised the progress SMART has made on maternity leave, childcare and the fight for SMART members’ due process under his presidency.
“I have never been more proud to be a sheet metal worker than I am under the leadership of General President Michael Coleman,” she declared.
GST Daniel marched with the IA Women’s Committee
Sisters and allies also heard from Dr. Calvina Ellerbe, who delivered a presentation titled “Recognizing the Internal Fight: The Path to Peace.” Ellerbe is an award-winning professor, parenting expert and mother of six children who works with Union EAP, an employee assistance program available to SMART members. In an interactive session, she talked with SMART sisters about self-care, work-life balance and the ways we can try to find peace within ourselves — even when peace is difficult to find at work, at home or in the wider world.
Ellerbe started working with Union EAP after learning about the incredible work SMART and other union workers do to serve our communities, laboring tirelessly — and often thanklessly — to keep our two nations moving.
“Even if [people] don’t know, even if they aren’t paying attention … they need you,” she said.
Among other topics, Ellerbe discussed stress, burnout, recognizing when stress becomes burnout, knowing when to step back to take care of yourself, and the interconnectedness of self-care and community. With women frequently expected to shoulder caretaking responsibility in our society, this discussion was especially important. She also overviewed the resources available for SMART members, such as the Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT), SMART Member Assistance Program (MAP) and the SMOHIT Helpline.
“When we come to your area, sign up for the [SMART MAP] peer trainings,” she urged attendees. “Help support each other on the job.”
Education and energy: Breakout sessions and the banner parade
SMART sisters joined fellow tradeswomen at a variety of breakout sessions and panels designed to help attendees develop skills, knowledge and training that they can take back to their locals. Sessions delved into a variety of important topics, including advancing policy that benefits union tradeswomen, understanding pension benefits, mental health, empowering veterans in the industry, how to tell our stories, and much more.
Women’s Committee Chair Shamaiah Turner sat on a panel titled “Training for the Future: Apprenticeship Readiness Programs.” Together with other panelists, Turner presented on apprenticeship readiness programs (ARPs) and how such programs help ensure the future of the construction workforce, discussing ARPs across the country and effective strategies for recruiting and supporting women in their paths to registered apprenticeship programs. Turner, a graduate of the ARP Building Pathways, told her story of entering the sheet metal industry and discussed how to best remove barriers to entry as we work to grow the unionized building trades. Building Pathways enabled participants to discover all the building trades, and when she walked into a sheet metal shop, she recalled, “I knew I was home.”
In the “Beyond the Hardhat: Expanding Career Pathways for Women in the Trades” panel, Rochelle Bonty — Local 36 (St. Louis) member and the founder/owner of signatory contractor RMB Mechanical — joined fellow panelists to talk about careers in construction beyond the tools. Bonty, the first Black woman in the Local 36 apprenticeship program, started her business in 2020 and has since been recognized by organizations such as Missouri Women in the Trades. Alongside other pioneering tradeswomen, Bonty helped provide attendees with practical insights into the strategies and support systems necessary to pursue careers beyond working in the field, including becoming a member-owner.
The breakout and plenary sessions offer valuable perspectives and training for sisters to bring back home. But the number one highlight of Tradeswomen Build Nations is, without question, the annual banner parade. As SMART sisters and allies from across our union took to the streets of Chicago — spanning sheet metal and the Transportation Division, hailing from locals and regional councils across the United States and Canada, brandishing banners and flags, and ringing cowbells — the solidarity that defines our union took on extraordinary energy.
Hundreds of SMART workers taking over the streets of one of America’s great cities, walking in solidarity and having each other’s backs: that’s what union power looks like.
“This is our very first time ever coming to this conference,” Local 27 sister Kathy Fairfield said. “There’s two of us here today, and we’re more than excited to be here. … I’ve been in the local 23 years, and I’ve never, ever had something like this happen. And it’s finally coming true.”
The SMART Education Department held its New Representatives I class in St. Louis, Mo., during the week of September 15, 2025. The class, completely revamped for 2025, provided officers with the chance to develop their skills across a range of areas — ultimately benefiting SMART members.
Topics included researching labo(u)r laws, practicing conflict resolution, differentiating grievances from complaints, practicing full and fair investigations, engaging in mock member charge trials, claiming work at a pre-job meeting, and preventing a decertification attempt. The course also delved into representatives’ responsibilities under the SMART Constitution and Ritual.
Along with Education Department staff, guest presenters included Dale Clark from the International Training Institute, who covered Bias and Belonging; Chris Carlough, director of Wellness and Mental Health Support, who presented on self-care; Luke Rebecchi, SMART house counsel, who overviewed trials and fiduciary responsibility; and Tim Miller and Jason Kirchevel from the SMART Jurisdiction Department, who covered jurisdictional disputes and pre-jobs.
On each of the five days of the class, participants honed their representational skills with role-play exercises. Attendees alternated between acting as representatives of a local union and as members working at a fictitious company, which helped them to understand different sides of a given scenario.
“Groups worked together throughout the week, and a point system was in place,” said SMART International Instructor Richard Mangelsdorf. “Congratulations to Jeremiah Hale (Local 20, Indiana), Tom Blotzke (Local 26, Reno, Nev.), Paul Shymske (Local 33, Northern Ohio), Curtis Cantrell (Local 68, Dallas), Jordan Chechitelli (Local 105, Southern California) and Mel Price (Local 312, Salt Lake City) for being recognized by their peers as the top group in the class!”
SMART sisters and allies joined nearly 250 fellow union tradeswomen in southeast Chicago for the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance’s (USA) Tradeswomen’s Fishing Event, held in conjunction with the 15th Annual Tradeswomen Build Nations (TWBN) Conference.
The USA’s women’s fishing event has quickly become a TWBN tradition, with participation quadrupling since it began in 2022. The event offers union sisters the chance to step away from the conference, try something new and celebrate solidarity in the great outdoors. It also has a deeper impact for participants: In 2023, USA’s TWBN excursion inspired Local 85 (Atlanta) apprentice Dee Lee to organize a cross-trades USA event in her area, a “Unions Unite” community service project.
For Gretchen Keen, a member of SMART Local 20 (Indianapolis, Ind.) who began her trade career as an ironworker, the day was about recreation and building relationships.
“I’m an avid angler, so starting off the conference fishing was a highlight,” Keen said. “I even met another ironworker, and when she works in my area, we’re going to hang out. The camaraderie and support are awesome.”
SMART General President Emeritus Joseph Sellers, Jr., left
With the help of the Illinois Conservation Foundation (ICF) and Illinois Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the event took place at William Powers State Recreation Area on Chicago’s far southeast side, a neighborhood often overlooked for outdoor recreation. The site is home to an ongoing USA Work Boots on the Ground conservation project, which includes construction of a fishing dock and kayak launch to expand public access to the outdoors.
Joseph Sellers, Jr., SMART general president emeritus, attended to show his support and check out the access project.
“The fishing event was great. It was gratifying to see so many women dropping a line in a lake right in the city,” Sellers said. “Seeing their excitement come alive and knowing the USA is bridging the gap by making fishing accessible to everyone was inspiring. The new kayak ramp and fishing pier are great examples of the USA opening the outdoors to more people.”
“We are thrilled with how the USA’s tradeswomen event continues to grow, bringing together women from more trades and locals every year,” added USA Director of Conservation Sam Phipps. “We are extremely grateful to the United Association, NABTU, United Healthcare, ICF, Illinois DNR, and the volunteers from Sheet Metal Workers Local 73 and Painters District Council 30 for making the event possible.”
In late August, President Trump’s Department of Transportation canceled $679 million in federal funding for 12 offshore wind projects across the country. That included fully taking back hundreds of millions of dollars in grant money for infrastructure work at Humboldt Bay Harbor District in Northern California — immediately throwing Local 104 members’ work opportunities into question, in the short and long term.
“As long as this administration makes decisions that directly impact our members, I’m going to keep calling balls and strikes. This decision is clearly a ball,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “For our members in Northern California, this was a once-in-a-lifetime project — one that was going to create dozens of jobs in the short term, and keep employing Local 104 sheet metal workers for the long haul. Taking back that grant money, which was already awarded, just makes zero sense.”
The DOT had originally awarded a $426 million infrastructure grant to the Humboldt Bay Harbor District, allowing the Harbor District and the Building and Construction Trades Council of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties — which includes Local 104 — to agree to the very first project labor agreement in the region. Around 90% of that grant was earmarked for the development of a heavy-lift marine terminal to support offshore wind; money that has since been pulled back, putting construction in jeopardy.
When SMART members hear “offshore wind,” they may not immediately think “sheet metal jobs.” But the fact is, the Humboldt offshore wind development would have turned a brownfield site into a full-blown, brand-new facility, expected to include multiple new buildings. That means sheet metal work: duct fabrication, facility construction and potentially up to dozens of Local 104 members on-site at various project phases. And that was just the immediate opportunity. The offshore wind company, RWE, had signed a memorandum of understanding that committed to using union labor for long-term operations and maintenance of the facility, guaranteeing work for years to come.
“In short, this project represented a generational opportunity for our members in an area that doesn’t see many large infrastructure projects,” said Local 104 State Legislative Director Vince Sugrue. “The cuts are a devastating blow to the immediate construction jobs that would have put our members to work, but also to the long-term union maintenance and operations jobs that were guaranteed under the MOU.”
The Humboldt Bay Harbor District is just one example of many jeopardized jobs across the country. In Massachusetts, the DOT canceled $34 million in federal funding for the Salem Wind Port Project, where work had already started. The project was expected to create 800 construction jobs over the next couple years.
“Our government leaders have the power to do things that directly benefit our members. Federal funding for these port projects is a great example of that,” General President Coleman said. “Taking that funding away, and threatening our members’ jobs by doing so, is just not the right thing to do for members, our families or our country.”
Additional projects impacted:
Withdrawn funding:
Sparrows Point Steel Marshalling Port Project (Maryland)
Bridgeport Port Authority Operations and Maintenance Wind Port Project (Connecticut)
Wind Port at Paulsboro (New Jersey)
Arthur Kill Terminal (Staten Island, New York)
Gateway Upgrades for Access, Resiliency & Development at the Port of Davisville Project (Rhode Island)
When the Big Beautiful Bill was passed in July, workers governed by the Railway Labor Act were not included in a tax break on overtime pay. But on Friday, September 19, a bipartisan bill was introduced in Congress to include rail workers in the tax exemption. If the bill passes and is signed into law, overtime worked by railroaders will qualify for the same federal tax deduction that millions of other workers will receive starting next year.
“When the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed earlier this year, one of the only possible bright spots for union workers was the tax deduction benefit on qualifying overtime pay. But that benefit excluded the people who work day in and day out to keep our country moving: SMART-TD and SMART-MD rail workers,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “That wasn’t acceptable. We started working right away to fix that problem, and now, we have legislation that would do just that. I want to note that this is a bipartisan bill. That’s important, because our issues aren’t red or blue. They’re about our members having the pay, benefits and respect that they deserve. They are American issues.
“SMART members work tirelessly to serve the American people, and they deserve the same shot at tax savings as other workers. All of us at SMART thank Representatives Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Emilia Sykes (OH-13), Tom Suozzi (NY-3), Nick LaLota (NY-1), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1) and Steven Horsford (NV-4) for introducing this bill, and we encourage any lawmaker who stands with rail workers to move this legislation forward.”
The SMART Education Department and Production Workers Department held the third annual Production Institute in Indianapolis, Ind., during the week of August 25, 2025 — bringing together union officials from across North America, including rank-and-file stewards, to train on how to effectively represent SMART production members.
The Production Institute is a three-year, progressive-format class, with attendees from last year advancing to the second round of courses. A new first-year class attended in 2025, along with the returning 2023 and 2024 groups. The first years studied the basics of labo(u)r history, steward training and collective bargaining. The second-year class was focused on a more in-depth investigation of organizing, steward training and collective bargaining. Finally, the third-year class prepared for and role-played a mock grievance arbitration and collective bargaining sessions.
“Each day, all three classes were brought together to talk about subjects like right to work and knowing your rights for the U.S. participants, while the Canadians discussed top-down organizing strategies in the production sector,” said SMART Director of Education Eli Baccus. “Congratulations to the third-year class for being the first-ever students to graduate from the Production Institute!”
SMART Local 104 and the Bay Area Industry Training Fund hosted the Western States Apprentice Contest on July 18-19, 2025, at its Livermore, California, training center. Sixteen apprentices from five locals participated in the first contest in the region since 2011. Another first: the addition of the project management category, which made its debut for the first time at any regional contest.
Nate Vennarucci, training coordinator, speaking with Local 104 apprentice Rebecca Suen
California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii make up the SMART Western States Region, and apprentices and coordinators from Local 104, Local 105 in Southern California, Local 206 in San Diego, Local 359 in Phoenix, Arizona, and Local 26 in Sparks, Nevada, were represented at the contest. Each training program was allowed to send one competitor per 300 apprentices.
The competition projects were divided into four categories: architectural, HVAC, industrial/welding and project management, which tested apprentices on their organizational skills and attention to detail in a leadership position.
To compete, apprentices worked long days designing a gutter system, fabricating and installing a duct system, and performing field verification and site measurement. Working side by side, then decompressing together after tasks, they were forging connections with other future industry leaders.
In the new project management category, Austin Cummings, a third-year apprentice at Local 105, placed first, with Alex Giroux of Local 104 earning second place and Rebecca Suen of Local 104 placing third.
In the architectural category, Esteban Mercado, a third-year apprentice at Local 104, took first place, and there was a three-way tie for second place: Trevor Baker of Local 104, along with Dillon Uhern and Richard Morrison, both of Local 105. Giroux came in third.
In the HVAC category, there was a tie for first place between Mercado and Morrison. Baker took second, and Uhern came in third.
For the industrial/welding category, Uhern took first place with Suen in second and Tristan Haynes of Local 104 in third place.
Scores from all categories were combined to award the overall winners, and the honor of first place overall went to Morrison, with Cummings in second place and Uhern in third.
“Coming out of it, I thought I did all right but didn’t expect this,” Morrison said. “I prayed a lot.”
After years with no regional contest, this one came together thanks to an apprentice contest grant from the International Training Institute (ITI). Milwaukee Tool, a longtime partner with the sheet metal industry, generously donated an array of prizes.
Tim Myres, administrator for Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 104 and Bay Area Industry Training Fund, was a driving force behind restarting this contest, and training coordinator Nate Vennarucci and instructor Ben Alva, both from Local 104, put in the work to create and test the projects used in the contest, a process that began in October 2024.
Jason Ferguson, ITI field representative, was on hand to support the event and meet face-to-face with coordinators. He said the sense of accomplishment you feel as an instructor or coordinator, watching your apprentices succeed, is even greater than winning yourself.
“These apprentices are your future leaders, and today they’re getting to know others in the industry,” Ferguson said. “Intentional or not, they’re collaborating, they’re strengthening those relationships.”
After the SMART Railroad, Mechanical and Engineering Department (SMART-MD) reached a tentative agreement for SMART-MD members working on Union Pacific Railroad (UP), the American Arbitration Association has finalized the vote count and advised that members ratified their agreement unanimously.
The agreement is based on the terms of the agreements reached with other freight rail carriers and provides a variety of improvements including:
Annual general wage increases effective July 1st of each calendar year, totaling 17.5% (over 18.75% when compounded).
Paid vacation days for new-hire employees and accelerated qualification and accrual of paid vacation for tenured employees.
Substantial increases for vision frame allowances from $115 to $250 every two years and the orthodontia lifetime maximum benefit increased from $1,000 to $2,500 per covered individual.
Optional high-deductible health plan with lower monthly cost-share contribution that will be available in 2026.
Increased Opt-Out Payment of $200 per month for employees who select not to have health insurance.
SMART-MD members should expect backpay issued by UP within sixty (60) days of August 29, 2025 (October 24, 2025).
“Our Railroad, Mechanical and Engineering Department dedicated themselves to reaching an agreement that met the demands of our members. With this 100% ratification vote, SMART members at Union Pacific made one thing clear: this is an agreement they can be proud of, and that recognizes their work,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “SMART members keep our economy moving, and they deserve a contract that rewards them for that. I’m proud of every member who stood up for what they have earned, and I congratulate the SMART-MD negotiating team for securing real gains for our members.”
“This ratification is a clear victory for our UP members,” said SMART General Committee 2 Directing Chairperson John McCloskey. “It reflects their unity and commitment to securing a stronger future. Thank you to every member that voted to make this agreement possible.”
“The ratified agreement provides real wage increases, plus substantial improvements to paid time off and health and welfare benefits with an added benefit option for those that want it in 2026,” added SMART-MD Director Peter Kennedy. “It is a respectable agreement, and I appreciate the members taking the time to review their ratification packet and vote their conscience.”
