In March, Canadian staff gathered at the Hilton Toronto to participate in the SMART MAP (Members Assistance Program) training. The Canadian Pension and Benet Steering Committee worked with the Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT) to organize the SMART MAP class for Canada, which was held on March 26–28, 2024. The class had a tremendous turnout, with over 50 participants including business managers, financial secretary-treasurers, business representatives, organizers, training instructors and office staff from across Canada.
The training focused on providing staff with tools and strategies to help support members who may be experiencing addiction and/or mental health concerns. The training was well received, and attendees emphasized a desire for more education and training. A big thank you to Chris Carlough, director of wellness and mental health support, and the team from SMOHIT for providing real-life experiences so we can better assist our members in their time of need.
Canadian Council of Sheet Metal Workers & Roofers Convention
In May, the Canadian Council met in Saint John, New Brunswick, and elections were held. Congratulations to President Jason Pedersen (Local 276, Victoria), Vice President George McDonald (Local 56, Nova Scotia), Recording Secretary-Treasurer Mark Hall (Ontario Conference), and Members at Large TJ King (Local 297, West), Gerald Murphy (Local 512, East) and Bob Gougeon (Local 285, Ontario) on your elections.
Retirement recognition was given to Brother Art White, who dedicated many years of service to the members, his local and the council. We wish him all the best in his retirement. Brother Lawrence Coulis was recognized for his contributions, as he will not be standing for reelection at Local 562 (Kitchener, Ontario).
The SMART Steering Committee presented a variety of initiatives, including SMART MAP Canada and peer-to-peer programming, HearCANADA, a hearing aid program, SMART index funds for Canadian local investments, Hamilton Lane SMART Air and Energy Fund and the SMART Canada Life Insurance Program.
Showcasing our skills
This year’s sheet metal apprentice competition showcased the talents of 12 apprentices who were tasked with duplicating the World’s Largest Axe! Built in 1991 and rising 49 feet above the glorious Saint John River, this landmark is a gleaming symbol of the industrious lives and legacies of Canada’s lumberjacks. Congratulations to first-place and Congeniality Award winner Kevin Berkmortel of Local 473 (London), second-place winner Jamie Weir of Local 30 (Toronto), third-place winner Jacob Wiebe of Local 235 (Windsor) and fourth-place winner Colin Nam of Local 280 (Victoria, B.C.).
The roofing competition demonstrated the skill and technique of nine apprentices who were tasked with the practical application of two roofing techniques: single and two-ply. Congratulations to first-place winner Elias Taylor from Local 276 (Victoria), second-place winner Matthew Rector, Local 409 (Halifax) and third-place and Congeniality Award winner Liam Power, Local 437 (Saint John, New Brunswick).
Staff announcements
Brother Jack Wall, former business manager/financial secretary-treasurer of Local 56 and eighth general vice president, has been appointed International representative for Atlantic Canada, replacing retired International Representative Leonard Day. Brother Wall started his new position on January 1, 2024.
On May 1, 2024, Brother Patrick Gordon was appointed to the position of International representative for business development in Canada. This position will be key in leading nationwide campaigns with coalitions of International and local union staff, along with key partners in the architectural, roofing, HVAC and building envelope sectors. Emphasis will be placed on organizing, educating and promoting our trades to the public, our members and buyers of construction.
Raising our profile
SMART Canada has been working with a government relations firm, which has been paramount in establishing and creating networking opportunities with various MPs, MPPs and ministers. We have appeared before the Ontario Finance Committee to make recommendations for provincial oversight of compulsory certification of licensed trades, investing in the Infrastructure Health & Safety Association (IHSA), consultations on jobsite working conditions and equitable access to Skills Development Fund Training Streams. Together, we have developed government relations priorities centered around consumer protection, skilled trades and long-term care facilities. We have authored consumer alerts, as well as stories on fraud prevention and air quality. As the wildfires continue to burn across our country, we will continue to raise the issue of indoor air quality.
On April 30, 2024, SMART-TD GO 505 General Chairperson Anthony Simon was honored by New York State and Nassau County Democratic Committee Chair Jay Jacobs as Labor Leader of the Year at their annual spring dinner. Joined by members of his committee, Simon was recognized alongside other leaders at this highly attended event on Long Island.
In attendance were N.Y. State Attorney General Letitia James, N.Y. State Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli as well as countless elected officials, business leaders and labor leaders from the New York region. Simon thanked his committee for their support over the years, as well as Chair Jay Jacobs and Vice Chair Tom Gary for their consistent loyalty to labor in New York. In a heartfelt speech, Brother Simon also praised his late wife, Ann, for all her support throughout his career.
When Joseph Powell first began working as SMART general secretary-treasurer following his election in 2019, our union – and our two nations – was in a vastly different position. Nationally, both the United States and Canada were in the midst of tenuous and chaotic political climates that tested working families across states, provinces and territories. And SMART faced a variety of challenges, including a pension that was still considered “endangered,” the Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs) scheme from the Trump administration, attacks on two-person crews and much more.
Today, we have met those challenges, with the Sheet Metal Workers’ National Pension Fund certified in the Green Zone, IRAPs soundly defeated, a federal two-person crew regulation and pro-union legislation at the federal and state levels. And on June 4, 2024, Powell informed the General Executive Council that he would not seek re-election for the office of general secretary-treasurer at the 3rd SMART General Convention in August.
“After 10 years of dedicated service, I have decided to step down as of June 30, 2024,” Powell said. “I will continue in my commitment to SMART and our members in a director capacity.”
“Joe has been a steadfast leader from day one; someone sheet metal and transportation workers know they can count on, from his days at Local 206 in San Diego, to his years serving our members across North America at the International,” added SMART General President Michael Coleman. “I have no doubt that he will continue that service as a director.”
GST John DanielFormer GST Joseph Powell
Daniel to bring decades of experience to Washington, DC
Following Powell’s announcement on June 4, the SMART General Executive Council appointed John Daniel, outgoing president and business manager of Local 265 (Carol Stream, Ill.) and current SMART general vice president, to assume the remainder of the general secretary-treasurer’s term. Powell worked closely with Daniel during the changeover to ensure a smooth transition.
“I know our union will be in good hands with John as general secretary-treasurer,” Coleman said. “Congratulations to him on this achievement.”
Daniel has loyally served SMART members for more than 30 years. Since entering the industry in 1991, he has been a sheet metal fabricator and installer, an instructor, organizer, business representative, financial secretary-treasurer and most recently the president/business manager for Local 265.
Daniel said his career path has provided him with a well-rounded perspective of the sheet metal industry and the challenges facing the unionized sector. Having an open mind and being an active listener, leveraging assets both financial and relational, employing technology to not only capture more work opportunities but to attract the next generation of tradesmen and women — these are only a few of his priorities.
“I have some big shoes to fill, but I’m excited to serve the members of our great union, in every craft, every trade and every industry, from Canada to the United States,” Daniel said. “This is a crucial time for our organization, and I’m ready to do the work.”
Working families across North America continue to bear the brunt of the climate crisis, from extreme heat and natural disasters to poor air quality caused by wildfire smoke. The Canadian government is pursuing aspirational green economy goals in response — and SMART Canada is working to take advantage, organizing and recruiting to make sure the provinces’ sustainable future is union made.
“Transitioning Canada’s workforce to net-zero and ensuring our members receive the skills required to lead the change — without losing jobs — is critical to our economy,” said SMART Director of Canadian Affairs Chris Paswisty.
To that end, SMART Canada recently targeted potential recruits across the nation with a digital advertising campaign. Students and guidance counselors received a video introducing them to the skilled trades, with a link to SMART’s Canadian website providing information on how to get involved. The video proclaims: “This is OUR time, so think green, think clean, think SMART” — emphasizing that a new focus on green industries provides bountiful career opportunities.
“We see the worsening effects of climate change every year,” Paswisty added. “Taking action isn’t just about the future of our planet and the world we leave behind for the next generation. This is about providing for our members, both today and tomorrow.”
The Canadian government’s current goal is to achieve net-zero carbon emissions, as a society, by the year 2050. Doing so will require a massive, nationwide effort — one that will rely largely on SMART’s skilled sheet metal workers and roofers. SMART Canada’s new apprenticeship web page underlines that fact, making clear that our green energy future will create plenty of jobs.
“Our sheet metal workers fabricate and install proper ventilation and air filtering systems, ensuring the overall health and energy efficiency of schools, offices, hospitals, factories, nuclear plants and homes,” said Paswisty. “Our architectural and roofing members play a crucial role in the building envelope, again helping structures operate efficiently, and they install green roofing that helps reduce greenhouse gases and improve air quality. Canada needs our members to complete the green transition.”
Union workers are being helped by political action. The Government of Canada’s 2023 federal budget featured a far-reaching focus on Canada’s green economy, including broadened investment in private-sector-led infrastructure, strong responses to the U.S. Inflation Reduction Act and much more. Perhaps most importantly, the budget tied green tax incentives to one of the strongest definitions of prevailing wage Canada has ever seen — one that incorporates union compensation, benefits and pension contributions, helping create good-paying union jobs as Canada transitions to sustainable energy.
In addition, Canada’s Building Trades Unions (CBTU) are taking steps to make sure today’s workers aren’t left behind. Funded by Employment and Social Development Canada’s Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP) — which SMART Canada and the CBTU lobbied for extensively — CBTU’s “Building It Green” national training program aims to integrate climate literacy into already existing construction trades education and training, helping apprentices, journeypersons, inspectors and training instructors take on the pressing concerns of climate change. SMART Local 280 (Vancouver, B.C.) President and Training Coordinator Jud Martell helped develop the trade-specific curriculum for SMART members.
There’s no questioning the fact that the climate crisis is, in fact, a crisis, Paswisty added. But meeting the challenge head-on provides a way forward, both for our communities and for SMART members.
“We are ready to grow and meet the demand by welcoming Canadians into the skilled trades, and we will collaborate with the government to continue driving Canadians towards a career in the trades,” he concluded.
SMART Transportation Division National Legislative Director Greg Hynes and his department led the charge in our nation’s capital to get bus and transit members’ safety concerns in front of members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate.
Hynes said he’s “fired up about how his team represented this union and the potential results of their great work.”
TD directly engages U.S. Congress and agency directors
“Our new BTAPS committee had a fantastic showing. All six members from across the country made the trip. Along with Bus Department VPs (Alvy) Hughes and (James) Sandoval, they brought the realities of the roads and rails with them into the halls of Congress today. Their message hit home with these officials because they were undeniably authentic.” Hynes said.
Hynes’ team, along with Christine Ivey, chairperson of BTAPS, and her team of bus and transit rail safety advocates met with the offices of 13 members of the House of Representatives, 2 U.S. senators, and the staff director of the House Subcommittee on Highways and Transit.
“I’m proud of the effort this union put forward today, and I have high expectations for the results. I want to thank Christine and the BTAPS members for making an important contribution to this union today and to the safety and well-being of our membership,” Hynes said.
Bus Department Vice Presidents Alvy Hughes, left, and James Sandoval, right, visit Capitol Hill at the Bus/Transit Day on the Hill.
In addition to our BTAPS members, SMART-TD was represented by Bus Department Vice Presidents Hughes and Sandoval, plus New Jersey State Legislative Director Ron Sabol as well as SMART-TD Auxiliary’s Monica Sandoval.
“We took a powerful step forward, but this is just the beginning,” VP Sandoval said. “We will not take our foot off the pedal until every transit worker is safe and secure. Only together will we make sure our voices and stories continue to echo through Capitol Hill.”
On a second day of meetings, Hynes led a team of SMART-TD leaders in a highly successful meeting with acting FTA Administrator Veronica Vanterpool. Administrator Vanterpool was highly receptive to the message and perspective SMART-TD had to share with her.
Administrator Vanterpool, who has a commercial driver’s license and four years of experience as a bus operator on her resume, quickly identified with the realities SMART-TD presented in their meeting. She is hoping FTA can partner with SMART-TD and our BTAPS committee in an effort to collect data on future assaults directly from our membership rather than depending on the transit agencies to self-report the information.
SMART-TD Alternate National Legislative Director Jared Cassity had this to say: “In talking with acting Administrator Vanterpool, it immediately became clear that she is eager to address the same safety issues as this union. She went into detail on the new property-specific safety committees that she and the Biden administration are instituting for our bus members and was engaged in dialogue with our people about how SMART-TD can play an active role in the success of their mission.”
Bus Department Vice President Alvy Hughes added, “I’ve been involved in this union and this Bus Department for a long time now. I can tell you that the meeting we had with Administrator Vanterpool and the work we put in on Capitol Hill the day before has been one of the most-productive projects I’ve had the opportunity to be involved in. This organization is stronger, and our members will be made safer through what we accomplished during this first-of-its-kind Bus/Transit Day on the Hill.”
Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear met with attendees at the SMART Great Lakes and Southeastern Joint Council Meeting in Louisville, Kentucky, in early May, outlining the wins union workers in Kentucky have achieved in recent years. SMART members in Kentucky mobilized in both 2019 and 2023 to elect Beshear, a pro-union elected official, in a so-called “right-to-work” state that has become anti-union in recent decades. Under Beshear, worker-friendly government action has paid off, with Local 110 nearly doubling in size to staff megaprojects in the state.
The SMART Education Department held its new “Right to Work and Member Retention” class in Atlanta, Ga., during the week of April 8th. The three-day class introduced topics such as the evolution of the open-shop movement and so-called right to work, right-to-work messaging, the impact of right to work, union loyalty, internal organizing, and representation and implicit bias. Participants worked together to problem solve and to create their own action plans. Each of the 31 attendees completed exercises focused on how to improve member retention at their own locals. Great work, all!
In March, mere weeks before the Federal Railroad Administration announced its federal two-person crew regulation, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin decided he was against public safety, common sense and protecting Virginia railroad workers’ jobs and pensions: He vetoed a bill that required a minimum two-person crew on Virginia’s freight trains.
An irresponsible choice
Both a certified conductor and an engineer are required to safely operate a long train responsibly, although railroads would like to find ways to eliminate one or both positions over time. SMART-TD is fighting to protect responsible crew sizes across the United States. Conductors are often the first people on site when there is an accident or derailment, and they often monitor the track or train while the engineer operates the engine. A two-person job requires a two-person crew (2PC).
As the rhetoric heats up this election year, conductors and other SMART-TD members are putting practical results ahead of political party. Transportation workers throughout the country are watching to determine whether a politician is with us, or against us.
Rather than keep his constituents safe and his state’s economy running, Youngkin placed more value in big business and the campaign dollars railroads can deposit in his political piggybank.
Make no mistake: Gov. Youngkin and those who chose not to support the two-person crew bill in Virginia are acting AGAINST us!
It’s not about party
In recent years, SMART-TD Virginia State Legislative Director (SLD) Ronnie Hobbs has worked with legislators along the political spectrum to advance our 2PC bill. Brother Hobbs and his team got 2PC (Senate Bill 143) through both chambers and the joint conference committee. Regrettably, Youngkin decided to reject the work of both parties when he used his veto power to reward railroad shareholders when he should have protected his citizens.
SMART railroaders with Va. delegate Shelly Simonds, a two-person crew supporter.
“I want to thank all of the legislators in this state for the time they took to learn about the role of freight conductors in Virginia,” Hobbs said. “We have found so many great partners and allies in this process of making the case for 2PC. I want to thank Delegate Shelly Simonds and Senator Jennifer Carroll Foy for sponsoring our legislation and championing our members’ cause from beginning to end. Most importantly, I’d like to thank them for their continued interest in our cause, which goes beyond this ill-advised veto.”
The fight for Virginia two-person crews continues in 2025
Though disappointed, Hobbs and his powerful team of Virginia allies are still in the fight, with an eye on the 2025 election.
Abigail Spanberger, a member of Congress, is running for governor. Spanberger has sponsored federal action on 2PC in every legislative session since 2018, proving she is interested in our issues and sees value in our work. Spanberger’s ACTIONS demonstrate that she is 100% with us in our pursuit of a minimum crew size in the Old Dominion.
“I want to personally thank every member of SMART here in Virginia, who took the time and effort to contact their legislators and come to the hearings,” Hobbs said. “The tremendous effort made by you and your friends/family was noticed, and you were heard. Unfortunately, Gov. Youngkin was too busy listening to Wall Street to pay attention.”
Tom Perez, a senior White House adviser and director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs, spent March 22, 2024 with Salt Lake County Mayor Jenny Wilson, highlighting local initiatives funded through the American Rescue Plan Act — including a county pre-apprenticeship program to promote apprenticeships and careers in the trades. As part of the day’s itinerary, SMART Local 312 (Salt Lake City, Utah) hosted a meeting with Perez and Wilson at the local’s JATC in West Valley City, where members are training up-and-coming sheet metal workers.
Salt Lake County’s pre-apprenticeship program is funded by $2.8 million from the American Rescue Plan, with the goal of helping 240 aspiring tradespeople become Utah’s next generation of union workers and build the future of our country
That bright future was on full display at the Local 312 JATC, as Perez and Wilson toured the training center and witnessed apprentices working on layout and project fabrication. Perez met with several members of Local 312, including Apprenticeship Coordinator Gordon Hyde, as well as Matt Brumbaugh and Derek Chapman, the JATC’s two fulltime instructors. Together, Hyde, Brumbaugh and Chapman have 64 years of teaching experience at the local, elevating it to the platinum status it has today.
Perez said he was proud of Wilson and other local leaders for investing in local workers.
“The most precious resource we have in any community is our human capital,” Perez said, telling the apprentices: “You are not only entering a great profession, but … a profession that has a brotherhood and a sisterhood that will always have your back.”
The meeting was attended by Local 312 Business Manager Tony Ericksen; Utah Women in the Trades President Concetta Defa; leaders from IBEW Local 354 and Iron Workers Local 27; and other members of the state AFL-CIO and the local building trades.
Each year in April, SMART members travel to Washington, DC, to gather with fellow trade unionists for the North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) Legislative Conference: a week for union members to forge alliances with pro-worker politicians, lobby for laws that benefit workers and strategize for a future that puts SMART to work. This year’s conference was no different; with a theme of “Foundations for the Future,” SMART local and International leaders spent April 21-24 working to secure a better tomorrow for working-class people across North America.
Tuesday: pro-worker allies demonstrate commitment, attendees hit the pavement in workshops
Tuesday’s conference began with a jam-packed plenary session, where attendees heard from government officials whose actions – not just their words – have benefited SMART members and families.
President Sean McGarvey speaks during the NABTU Legislative Conference
During his keynote address, NABTU President Sean McGarvey described the extraordinary difference building trades unions make in the lives of ALL workers across North America, from the apprentices who come from poverty and earn a union-made pathway into the middle class, to the workers building our nation’s transition to a green economy. He also outlined the progress unions have made in recent years: pro-worker laws that invest in our industries, an executive order from President Joe Biden requiring project labor agreements on large-scale federal construction jobs, permitting reform and expanded prevailing wage protections that raise pay for construction workers, to name just a few.
“Behind every policy win, behind every investment win, there are real workers’ lives at stake,” McGarvey reminded the capacity crowd. “We cannot back down, we cannot slow down – we must keep fighting.”
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz has been stridently pro-worker throughout his time in office, signing laws that establish air ventilation programs for public schools (with strong labor standards attached to create jobs for SMART Local 10 members); implement the most expansive prevailing wage enhancements in state history and the largest increase ever to the Minnesota work compensation system’s permanent partial disability fund; ban anti-union captive audience meetings; and much more (including a two-person freight train crew law).
“It’s not about winning races so you can get more political capital to go out and win another race,” he declared. “You win races so you can burn the hell out of that political capital to improve people’s lives.”
Walz described how desperately needed repairs to the Blatnik bridge that connects Duluth, Minnesota, to Superior, Wisconsin, can finally be made thanks to funding from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. But that funding – and the union jobs it has already created – can disappear in an instant, he warned attendees. Only with pro-union policies and policymakers can unions like SMART continue to benefit workers across the United States.
“Vote your values, stand together — if we do that, we truly are building the foundations of the future,” Walz concluded.
Acting United States Labor Secretary Julie Su – along with her immediate predecessor, Marty Walsh – has been one of the most pro-union leaders of the Department of Labor since the 1940s, and she showed it with her appearance at the NABTU Legislative Conference. Throughout her speech, Su referred to the union apprentices and journeypersons she has met across the country, including SMART members in Cleveland, Ohio, and Kokomo, Indiana. Those workers, she said, are experiencing the life-changing benefits of federal investment in union jobs and American industry.
“We’re not just talking about jobs. We’re talking about careers. We’re talking about building intergenerational wealth,” Su said. “That is what’s possible when we invest in workers.”
In her still-young tenure at the Department of Labor, Su has implemented regulations that finalize President Biden’s executive order requiring PLAs on large federal projects – which means there are an estimated 100 PLA-covered jobs now breaking ground – updated prevailing wage regulations to increase pay for construction workers nationwide and more. From strong labor requirements in the laws funding new megaprojects to increased protections of union-won jobsite standards, she noted, union members and families are reaping the benefits of pro-union policy. And she commended unions like SMART for committing to extending those benefits to women, people of color, the formerly incarcerated and beyond.
Day one attendees also heard from Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb, Illinois State Treasurer Michael Frerichs and Jeff Peoples, chairman, president and CEO of the Alabama Power Company. Bibb has worked hand in hand with the Cleveland Building and Construction Trades to implement federal funding in a way that puts union members to work improving the city, and he vowed to continue that partnership to create a prosperous, resilient city for ALL Clevelanders. Frerichs, meanwhile, has long been an advocate for unions in Illinois – and he has leveraged his position as state treasurer to come up with innovative strategies to benefit workers in his state. By using policy to create a state fund for infrastructure investment and joining with pension funds to push for labor considerations for investors, Frerichs said, states beyond just Illinois can ally with union members.
“We may not win every fight, but we aren’t afraid to sit across the table from CEOs to make sure they use skilled labor,” he declared.
And Peoples, the son of a coal miner with a long appreciation for organized labor, detailed how working with the building trades has helped develop jobs, innovation and reliable power sources in the South: “If we’re going to build in Alabama, we’re going to build it with you, we’re going to build it with union labor.”
Attendees spent the afternoon in various workshops, networking with fellow trade unionists to pursue organizing, legislative and investing strategies that build power for union members. In the capital strategies and organizing workshop, attendees heard from a panel that included asset managers, a union organizer and an investigative journalist, who each spoke to different aspects of private equity’s power in American society – and how unions can work together to pressure hedge funds and managers into adopting strong labor principles.
Panelists take a question during the capital strategies and organizing workshop.
In a session on military service members’ rights, Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) educational benefits and Helmets to Hardhats, attendees learned about the laws and benefits protecting servicemembers and veterans — and how to put those laws and benefits to work in JATCs.
And SMART General President Emeritus Joseph Sellers moderated a panel on investing in commercial real estate with leaders from Ullico and the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust (HIT), diving deep on questions of commercial real estate and detailing how investing in labor-forward companies can reap dividends for everyone. One example: the AFL-CIO’s investment in housing construction, which creates union jobs and yields a return on investment for union funds.
On Tuesday night, SMART local officers and International staff gathered for the annual SMART Political Action League (PAL) reception, where SMART General President Michael Coleman awarded plaques to the 31 local unions whose members donated the most, per capita, to the PAL fund – helping SMART support politicians who work to create jobs and protections for union sheet metal workers.
Wednesday: demonstrating our political power, lobbying for more
Attendees came together on the final day of the NABTU Legislative Conference to hear from governmental allies on the federal, state and municipal level, and to lobby Congress to pass pro-worker policy that creates union jobs and benefits our members.
Md. Gov. Wes MooreAFL-CIO President Liz ShulerScranton Mayor Paige CognettiMilwaukee Mayor Cavalier JohnsonGSA Administrator Robin Carnahan speaks with NABTU President McGarvey
The morning began with a fireside chat with U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) Administrator Robin Carnahan, whose implementation of strong labor standards for projects related to federal facilities has put SMART members to work across the country. As the manager of federal government properties, acquisitions and more, the GSA is one of the largest players in the country when it comes to building, maintaining and retrofitting buildings, and as a pro-labor official, Carnahan has strived to ensure that work is performed using union workforces. She and NABTU President McGarvey discussed, among other things, the value of project labor agreements and how federal legislation provides the money GSA needs to put union members to work on “greening our federal carbon footprint.”
“Project labor agreements are just good business,” Carnahan declared.
U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) Secretary Jennifer Granholm also spoke to attendees on Wednesday, outlining the ways in which the department is implementing funding from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the Inflation Reduction Act and the CHIPS and Science Act to pursue a decisively pro-union green energy policy. Thanks in large part to the public and private clean energy jobs breaking ground every day, Granholm said, construction employment is at its highest level in recorded history.
“These jobs are the result of a focused, strategic plan; a new industrial revolution is taking shape,” she told attendees. “It is historic, and your labor unions had a hand in shaping this strategy every step of the way. These wins belong to you.”
Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO and a longtime fighter for SMART members, took the podium to talk about labor’s resurgence — and the importance of maintaining a policy platform that makes it possible for unions to organize, build, grow and win. From a pro-labor National Labor Relations Board to updates to prevailing wages and job-creating laws, she said, it is more vital than ever to vote for union members’ interests in November.
“It does not matter which craft you are in, people respect the building trades,” Shuler declared. “People recognize that you are the ones that build our nation. … Finally, people recognize that the labor movement is the place to build power.”
And on the state and municipal level, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson, Scranton, Pa., Mayor Paige Cognetti, Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro and Maryland Governor Wes Moore detailed the myriad ways in which pro-labor policy is extending from the federal scope to benefit union members in states and cities with a shared pro-worker outlook.
Johnson explained how Milwaukee works hand in hand with Wisconsin building trades workers to build a better city for residents, from huge residential projects — funded in part by the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust — to core infrastructure (much of it made possible by money from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the Inflation Reduction Act).
“[The building trades] are working to make sure that they represent the interests of their members, yes, but those interests also coincide with what’s best for the city; what’s best for residents all across Milwaukee,” he said.
Cognetti, meanwhile, discussed how unions in Pennsylvania are helping lift workers in Scranton into the middle class — again, boosted by funding from federal legislation. Through workforce navigation money from the American Rescue Plan and infrastructure funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Scranton is helping lead people to apprenticeship programs and putting members to work on core public works projects. Plus, Cognetti’s administration has instituted strong labor standards in the city: Any $25,000-plus project funded by the city or the state government pays a prevailing wage, and Cognetti is proposing a responsible contractor ordinance this spring.
Maryland Gov. Moore detailed his long personal history with the labor movement, starting when his father died when he was three years old — and his father’s union paid for the funeral. Decades later, Moore talked about the importance of investing in apprenticeship programs and putting union members to work on infrastructure projects — particularly as the state mourns the deaths of six construction workers in the devastating Key Bridge collapse in Baltimore. That bridge, he said, will be rebuilt with union labor. And moving forward, he vowed, Maryland will continue to invest in its workers.
“When people say that you have to somehow choose between having a growing economy and a fair one, it’s a false choice. We don’t have to choose, because we can and we will have both,” Moore declared.
And Shapiro, a longtime friend of SMART Local 19, Local 12 and Local 44, went long on his relationship with organized labor and how working with the union building trades has helped Pennsylvania accomplish incredible things — not the least being the repair of the I-95 highway collapse in just 12 days in 2023. Shapiro, who issued a directive to all agencies in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania to use project labor agreements whenever possible (a directive that went into effect April 1), explained how policies like responsible contractor ordinances and PLAs benefit workers, high-road contractors and the building tradespeople of the future. And in order to benefit those future trades workers, Shapiro told NABTU, he signed an executive order to create a first-in-the-nation initiative to invest up to $400 million in federal funding to train up to 10,000 new workers in Pennsylvania.
“We are giving every Pennsylvanian the freedom to chart their own course and the opportunity to succeed,” Shapiro said to a standing ovation. “We have a tremendous opportunity right now – and the progress we make is going to run right through your union halls.”
The conference’s final plenary session concluded with a speech from President Biden, who just that morning received NABTU’s endorsement in the United States presidential race. Biden drew a stark contrast between the anti-worker actions of 2016-2020 — a union-busting NLRB, a promised “infrastructure week” that never arrived and more — with the progress workers have made since 2021: 51,000 projects started since the passage of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law; 15 million jobs created; an executive order requiring project labor agreements on federal jobs that cost more than $35 million; Davis-Bacon updates that expand prevailing wages for construction workers; and the repealing of Trump’s proposed Industry Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs) rule, to name a few.
“Trump promised us an infrastructure week, but I’ll tell you: In four years, he didn’t build a damn thing,” Biden said.
With a pro-worker majority in Congress, more is possible, Biden added, calling for the passage of the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act.
“It’s just beginning,” he proclaimed. “Roads, bridges, ports, airports, clean water systems, available high-speed Internet all across America and built by the building trades.”
Following President Biden’s speech, SMART members and trades workers departed for Capitol Hill, where they met with legislative staffers to push Congress to act on our behalf. And as attendees returned to their home locals over the following days, they carried the message resounding throughout the conference halls to union members across the country: We need to advocate for our interests, at the ballot box and beyond, to secure our collective future.
