Members support members in hurricanes’ aftermath 

In the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton — and the catastrophic damages inflicted on communities across the Southeast — SMART members union-wide banded together in solidarity, mobilizing to offer support to members and families in need.

“We make sure our members are taken care of,” said Local 5 (East Tenn., North Ga., Southwest Va. and N.C.) Business Manager Christian Fuller. “I want to personally thank all who were involved and the International for their help.”

Hurricane Helene hit the United States on September 26, with Milton making landfall just two weeks later — devastating broad swaths of Alabama, Georgia, North and South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and Kentucky. Members, families and communities all felt the brunt of these disasters; many lost power and experienced extensive damage to their homes and livelihoods.

In the immediate aftermath of both hurricanes, SMART sent targeted emails and texts to members in impacted states, providing information on the SMART Disaster Relief Fund and instructions on the fund’s use. International leadership also maintained contact with officers at affected local unions, and General President Michael Coleman sent a letter to all local unions and International staff outlining the materials needed and local union distribution centers to send donations to.

The swift local and International action yielded results.

“The Disaster Relief Fund granted two local block grants and 13 member grants, and many members were also supplied with necessities from their locals and donations from General President Coleman’s mobilization letter,” said SMART Director of Special Projects Louise Medina. “The fund has provided $100,000 in grants.”

Locals 5 and 399 (South Carolina) were able to secure generators, power cords, chainsaws, ice machines, water, coolers and nonperishable food, helping sustain members across their jurisdictions. Local 85 (Georgia) and Local 435 (Jacksonville, Fla.) also leapt into action, working with the International and mobilizing local staff to help members confronted with property damage, debris clearage and, in some cases, the inability to leave their homes.

The same spirit of solidarity helped provide aid to SMART-TD members.

State Safety and Legislative Director Adren Crawford from Tennessee, along with Brother Jason Caldwell and other members of Local 1162 from Erwin, Tenn., donated funds and actively secured and distributed generators to affected members of their local.

Tommy Gholson and General Committee 898, as well as State Safety and Legislative Directors Clyde Whitaker from Ohio, Louis Costa of California, Jeff Mitchell of Kentucky and Don Roach of Michigan all stepped up to make donations. General Chairpersons Rick Lee of GCA 049, Brian Killough of GCA 513 and Luke Edington of GO 953 also offered significant contributions to bolster recovery efforts. Killough and the GO 513 members he represents raised an additional $12,000 for the relief fund.

And the UTU Insurance Association — SMART-TD’s in-house insurance company — added a $5,000 donation in the days following Hurricane Helene.

Overall, General President Coleman noted, the hurricane recovery effort put the principles of our organization into practice.

“Solidarity isn’t just a value that ties us together; it’s an action we take to support each other and fellow members of the working class,” he explained. “No matter your job, whether you’re a sheet metal worker, a bus operator, a railroader, we take care of each other.”