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Throughout the Third SMART General Convention, various convention committees delivered reports to delegates.

Rules Committee

Committee Chair Bill Kenyon (Local 54, Southwest Gulf Coast Regional Council) and Committee Secretary Mark Hall (Local 473) presented the committee’s report. Secretary Hall presented 33 rules that the committee proposed, outlining the conduct and procedures that the convention and its participants would adhere to. All 33 proposed rules were passed unanimously through a voice vote.

Production Committee

The Production Committee report was given on the convention floor by Committee Chair Derek Evans (Local 540) and Secretary Jesse Buell (Local 565).

The report included recommendations on topics such as education, organizing, regional councils, union labels and so-called “right-to-work.” The Production Committee report was approved by a unanimous voice vote.

Roofing Committee

Committee Chair Jose Manso (Local 30) and Trent Todd (Local 20) reported on the committee’s findings and recommendations. The roofing sector represents an area of potential burgeoning work hours for SMART local unions and regional councils — that being said, Manso and Todd noted, differing factors and challenges face our union across the United States and Canada, and must be confronted.

HVAC/Service Committee

Committee Chair Jon Alvino (Local 9) and Secretary Brian Noble (Local 16, Northwest Regional Council) delivered the HVAC/Service Committee’s report, which outlined the challenges in this sector of the sheet metal industry — from rival organizations to new regulatory outlooks — and the opportunities presented by a newfound emphasis on HVAC service work. They also pointed out existing initiatives local unions and regional councils can take advantage of to increase service market share.

GEC Committee

Second General Vice President Art Tolentino (Local 293) led the nine-member General Executive Council Committee, with 10th General Vice President Steve Langley serving as secretary of the committee and presenter.

The committee’s report highlighted personnel changes at the GEC level and appointments made by the GEC to staffing positions at the SMART International and at the Transportation Division.

The GEC summarized its work to improve and restructure its educational efforts, organizing, adopt technology, recruit new members, retain current members and to keep SMART strong with the cooperation of interviews with General President Michael Coleman, TD President Jeremy Ferguson and General President Emeritus Joseph Sellers Jr.

Railroad and Airline Committee

Railroad and Airline Committee Chair Buddy Piland (TD Local 1205) and Secretary Jason Luscombe (TD Local 785) presented their committee’s report. They presented 14 recommendations in total to address seven unique challenges. The challenges included local officer training, membership retention and preparation for the 2025 National Rail Agreement. The recommendations were approved by a unanimous voice vote.

Wellness and Mental Health Committee

Wellness and Mental Health Committee Chair Patrick O’Leary (Local 15) and Secretary Ted Ramsdell (Local 36) presented the committee’s report. They prepared three recommendations to assist SMART members with their struggles and to promote the services SMART provides. The three recommendations were passed unanimously by voice vote.

Transit and Bus Committee

The Transit and Bus Committee report was given to the delegates by Chair Jerome Johnson (TD Local 60) and committee member Cecilia Lopez (TD Local 1701), who was standing in for Secretary Anthony Petty (TD Local 1594). The committee presented four resolutions for approval. All four resolutions were passed unanimously by a voice vote.

Compensation Committee

Compensation Committee Chair Thomas De Bartolo (Local 27) and Secretary Matt Fairbanks (Local 10) submitted their committee’s report to the convention delegates. They proposed altering the amount of compensation SMART will provide to both convention delegates and convention committee members. The proposals were approved by voice vote.

Grievance and Appeals Committee

Grievance and Appeals Committee Chair Robert Butler (Northeast Regional Council) and Secretary Robert Gougeon (Local 285) gave the report of their committee. They presented their committee’s findings on multiple cases of SMART members who had appealed the findings of the General Executive Council.

Apprenticeship Committee

Apprenticeship Committee Chair Bryan Bush (Local 19) and Secretary Jason Dammon (Local 10) offered their committee’s report to the convention delegates. They discussed the importance of continuing SMART’s support for developing and fostering apprenticeship programs. The report was adopted by a unanimous voice vote.

Credentials Committee

Credentials Committee Chair Russell Bartash (Northeast Regional Council) and Secretary Joe Cook (Local 219) presented the GST credentials report. Along with credentialed convention delegate information, the Credentials Committee reviewed the current financial records and five-year projections of SMART’s sheet metal and Transportation Divisions. The Credentials Committee proposed changes to membership International dues amounts and allocation of members’ dues. An increase to monthly per capita dues was proposed. The motion passed.

Industrial and Automotive Committee

Committee Chair Rodney French (Local 24) and Committee Secretary Scott Knocke (Local 18) presented the report of the Industrial/Automotive Committee. The report addressed the importance of recruitment, retention, expanding jurisdictions, education and marketing.

Organizing Committee

Committee Chair Brian Masters (Local 104) and Committee Secretary Devin Leingang (Northwest Regional Council) presented the Organizing Committee report. The committee’s report described their efforts to tailor SMART’s organizing strategy to the specific needs and dynamics of each local union.

Union Label Committee

Union Label Committee Chair Eric Meirhaeghe (Local 91) and Committee Secretary Don Dunne (Local 44) presented their committee’s report. In their report, they stated the importance of continuing the “Label It, Scan It, Report It” campaign and five additional initiatives aimed at ensuring union labels continue to represent a commitment to fair labor practices, quality production and the protection of workers’ rights.

General President’s Committee

Chair Jason Pedersen (Local 276) and Secretary Gregory Blose (Local 12) presented the summary of the General President’s Committee report, which emphasized forward-thinking leadership and progress on a variety of fronts within SMART — legislative lobbying on the implementation of pro-union laws and a federal two-person crew regulation; expanding and bolstering important initiatives like Belonging and Excellence for All and the SMART Women’s Committee; strengthening both internal and external organizing across our union; and close collaboration and solidarity across sheet metal and transportation, among other subjects.

Constitution Committee

Committee Chair Rick Werner (Local 104) and Committee Secretary Lance Deyette (Northwest Regional Council) presented proposed amendments, reviewed by SMART’s Constitution Committee, for debate and voting by delegates. These amendments were submitted by local unions, councils, regional councils, general committees, state legislative boards and the Constitution Committee itself.

Resolutions Committee

Resolutions Committee Chair Ray Reasons (Local 36) and Committee Secretary Isaiah Zemke (Local 49) presented their committee’s final report to the delegates. In total, the committee made three proposals. The first was a 14-point resolution. The 14 resolutions were voted on separately through the convention process, and therefore no action was needed in connection with the committee’s final report. Two additional resolutions were proposed and passed via unanimous voice votes.

Charities Committee

Charities Committee Chair Geremiah Robnett (Local 88) and Committee Secretary Jeffery Holly (Local 359) submitted their committee’s report to the convention delegates. Their report included the total amount raised since 2019’s convention: $493,342.13. The committee also reported the two benefactors of our charity funds are SMART’s Disaster Relief Fund, which helps members following natural disasters, and the United Labor Agency of Nevada, which assists union members and their families throughout the state of Nevada. Details were given as to the disbursements made by the committee from 2019 to the present.

Political Action League Committee

Political Action League Committee Chair Steve Hinson (Local 105) and Committee Secretary Pete Scaglione (Local 137) presented the PAL Committee Report to the delegates. The report described the PAL Committee’s vision for bolstering political communications between SMART’s Governmental Affairs Department and our members and facilitating member-to-member communications.

SMART Rail, Mechanical and Engineering (RME) members employed by San Diego Trolley Inc. (SDTI) in San Diego, Calif., and North County Transit District (NCTD) in Oceanside, Calif., have elected a new slate of officers to guide Local 398 into the future.

Local 398 is responsible for the representation and enforcement of collective bargaining agreements for the majority of the public service employees within the SMART RME Department.

“There is an ongoing internal organizing campaign on both employers, and we have seen an increase in local union membership over the past 12 months. We look to build on that momentum, grow our local union membership and fight for the rights of our sisters and brothers,” said Financial Secretary-Treasurer Travis Malmin.

When Local 398 was relocated to San Diego, the members needed a place to come together. In a strong show of solidarity, SMART SM Local 206 opened the doors of McClees Hall to our brothers and sisters and provided space for members to gather for union meetings.

“Local 206 and Business Manager Dave Gauthier were gracious enough to allow us space to hold our membership meetings,” said Troy Teague, Local 398 vice president. “It is good to know that our union has resources that allow our members to meet and discuss their issues and concerns.”

Pictured, left to right: Travis Malmin (recording secretary/financial secretary-treasurer), Raymond (Joey) Flores (trustee), Troy Teague (vice president/ warden/conductor), Brandon Watson (president/local chairperson), Chache Rolison (trustee), Raymond Probst (trustee), Gabriel Puente (trustee). Not pictured: Juan Arias (trustee).

SMART and Local 398 are currently in contract negotiations with SDTI, aiming to secure a new agreement by the year’s end. Local union officers are engaging with each department in order to finalize additional proposals prior to the next bargaining session.

“I feel honored to be elected as the president and local chairperson of Local 398, and I look forward to obtaining the best possible outcome for my coworkers at SDTI,” said Brandon Watson.

Back in March of 2000, a group of then-UTU (United Transportation Union) female conductors was joined by women from other transportation crafts to recognize these groundbreaking sisters on the railroad. The photo was taken in front of a then brand-new Dual Mode Locomotive Engine 504.

2000
2024

In July 2024, those same women reunited to recreate the photo and to reminisce about the good old days. The same Engine 504 was used for the photo. The reunion was put together by retired conductor Beverly Terrillion, who organized the group and even inserted photos on handheld poles to include the few unable to be there.

“What a joyful reunion of the trailblazing women in transportation on the Long Island Rail Road, 24 years later,” said Terrillion.

Union workers from SMART Local 85 (Atlanta, Ga.), IBEW Local 613, IUPAT DC 77 and UA Local 72 joined the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) and the United States Army Corps of Engineers for a transformative community service project in June, replacing the aging Blockhouse Boat Ramp dock at Lake Allatoona. The successful “Unions Unite” event concluded months of organizing by Local 85 apprentice Dyana Lee, whose dedicated unionism helped make the project a historic one.

“We ended up having over 30 volunteers on site day of, and almost 20 people assisting me behind the scenes to create a $70,000 volunteer event,” Lee explained. “It was one of the largest union volunteer events in Atlanta history, with multiple trades coming together to build and better something for our community while creating a sense of solidarity among union brothers and sisters of Atlanta.”

“Thanks to Dyana’s hard work and determination, this project was a huge success,” added Local 85 Business Manager and SMART General Vice President Steve Langley.

Lee, who recently completed the first year of her apprenticeship, started getting active in her local in January 2023: attending Local 85 Women’s Committee meetings and taking on responsibilities within the committee at the request of chair and Local 85 President Jan Chappell. But the inspiration for a cross-trades, solidarity-driven community service event was sparked in earnest during the 2023 Tradeswomen Build Nations (TWBN) conference in Washington, DC. Lee attended the TWBN all-tradeswomen hike sponsored by the USA, learning about the organization’s conservation and restoration efforts through its Work Boots on the Ground program.

“While I was at the conference, I was inspired by the community, strength and solidarity shown between different trades,” she said. “I took the lessons I learned at TWBN and decided that I would like to spearhead a project in Atlanta to bring people from multiple trades together to give back to our community and start to foster that sense of unitedness between tradespeople.

“With the full support of my local and my mentor, Jan Chappell, I reached out to the USA to start the ball rolling on this idea.”

Lee met with USA Conservation Coordinator Cody Campbell, who walked her through the steps needed to create the type of project she envisioned. Lee then started organizing: attending meetings at other locals in Atlanta, talking to tradespeople at jobsites and eventually contacting Atlanta & North Georgia Building Trades Business Manager Randy Beall (a member of Local 85) to help connect her to other local unions. All told, she spent six months networking with potential volunteers, also delivering a speech at the USA’s Atlanta fundraising dinner to rally her union brothers and sisters to the cause.

In the meantime, Lee and Campbell worked with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to identify a project, eventually landing on the replacement of the courtesy dock at Blockhouse Boat Ramp. The old dock only had a few mooring points for community members, leading to traffic, congestion and safety concerns, and it was no longer ADA-compliant – restricting the number of people that could use the dock and limiting accessibility.

With the project decided, Lee doubled down on her organizing, successfully recruiting dozens of volunteers from other trades. On the day of the project, the skilled volunteer force gathered at 7 a.m., with work starting at 7:45.  

“The temperature was 88 degrees at 6 a.m., and the humidity was off the charts,” said Lee. “However, that didn’t stop my determined team from getting the job done, not only well, but fast.”

The new, accessible boat dock will benefit Atlanta community members for years to come. But to Lee, the impact extended to the worksite, where she said the sense of cross-trade community she was working to foster started to have tangible outcomes. On her job, for example, she started to see workers from different trades gathering for lunch each day, and the environment began to feel more positive and supportive – everyone had each other’s back.

“My goal in organizing and creating the first annual Unions Unite event was to take that first step to building that for every jobsite, for every local,” Lee noted. “This sense of community won’t just create more amicable jobsites; it will help to break down the stigma of being a union member in the eyes of the city, showing that union culture includes a sense of belonging and acceptance for everyone.”

Moving forward, Lee is working with the Georgia Building Trades to collaborate with some of the tradeswomen she met through the Unions Unite event to create a Georgia Building Trades Women’s Committee. She sees that effort as part of a greater endeavor to strengthen and grow the labor movement in Atlanta — and beyond.

“I want the young adults to know that there’s a place for them with us, no matter the trade they go into,” Lee declared. “We are all brothers and sisters; united we stand, divided we fall.”

Florida is a so-called “right-to-work” state, where unions consistently weather anti-worker attacks from corporate-beholden lawmakers seeking to weaken our collective bargaining power. But that hasn’t stopped SMART Local 435 (Jacksonville, Fla.) from organizing. And in June, Local 435 successfully signed PreCast Florida, a concrete manufacturing company that works alongside sheet metal shops, to a fabrication contract.

“All workers should have representation and benefits,” said Local 435 Business Manager Lance Fout when announcing the new signatory.

Local 435 Business Manager Lance Fout, standing, third from left, with PreCast Florida workers.

The signatory campaign at PreCast emerged from Local 435’s relationship with another one of its union contractors, Southern State Duct Masters, which signed with the local in 2022.

“Southern State has been very satisfied, and the company has been growing,” Fout explained. “Since they signed, they’ve got a new laser machine, a spiral machine, a new building; they’ve been thriving.”

Southern State owner Ashley Moore’s brother and sister-in-law purchased a concrete precast company shortly after, renaming it PreCast Florida. Despite the ownership and name change, PreCast had major problems with employee recruitment and retention, Fout explained, primarily due to a lack of benefits.

That’s when Moore suggested that PreCast contact Local 435.

“They weren’t sure what that would look like, but they were open to the idea,” Fout recalled.

Local 435 took the initiative, meeting with management and workers and explaining the benefits of working union. (The employees were shocked by what they stood to gain, Fout said.) From there, the process was simple: Local 435 wrote up a production agreement that included healthcare, a 401(k) plan, vacation and holiday pay, and the company gave all its employees a pay raise to cover the cost of union dues.

PreCast Florida officially signed with the local on June 1, and the union advantage is already making itself felt for workers at the shop.

“They’re ready to start making doctor’s appointments, I know that,” Fout said.

Local 435’s newest production members manufacture concrete light poles, picnic tables, construction castings and ornamental structures, displaying the same craftsmanship and artistry as their brothers and sisters working directly with sheet metal. Moreover, Fout said, the Local 435 members at Southern State Duct Masters are fabricating some of the metal forms that PreCast workers will use for their concrete molds, creating more work hours for members at both shops.

“It’s slightly outside the normal scope of work, but we’ve got a good relationship with the employer, a strong contract, and the employees are happy,” he concluded.

Following multiple letters submitted and concerted outreach to the United States Department of Transportation by SMART Governmental Affairs staff, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority secured $5.1 billion from the federal government to help fund the construction of four new Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) stations. The extension, part of a broad effort to expand transportation rail connectivity in the Bay Area, represents the second-largest federal investment in any transportation project — and the largest outside of New York City.

“This will put Local 104 members to work for years to come, and it’s a direct example of the Biden-Harris administration’s willingness to fund major infrastructure projects — built union,” said Local 104 (Northern California) State Legislative Director Vince Sugrue. “This work will be performed under a PLA.”

On Monday, July 15th, during an instructors’ meeting at the SMART Local 177 (Middle Tennessee) JATC, Organizer David Larue presented a BE4ALL Toolbox Talk to instructors, describing the need to support apprentices’ mental health (Toolbox Talk #8) as they attend training. The group discussed the role of an instructor being much more than just a teacher, Larue said.

“We are on the front lines of the well-being of our apprentices and often serve as counselors, life coaches, social workers — and friends,” he explained. “It is our duty as union brothers and sisters to look out for each other and show a sense of understanding, compassion and guidance when we see a fellow member in need.”

In attendance: JATC Training Coordinator Joe Maloney, Instructors Aaron Brown, Tony Easley (retired Local 177 business manager), Russ Hawkins, John Lloyd, Dave Morgan, Aroldo Pedrero, Danielle Piper (Local 177 recording secretary), Michael Smith, Casey Stanley, Jason Street (Local 177 president) and Luther Tate (Local 177 business manager).

Fifth-year Local 27 (Southern New Jersey) apprentices forged their way into the local’s history with their group project this summer, creating a “27” sign that is now proudly displayed at the Local 27 union hall. The apprentices fabricated the sign out of 11 ga carbon steel, designing and forming the project using CAD, a plasma table and a press brake — all equipment that was provided through the International Training Institute (ITI) grant program.

Pictured, front row, left to right: Business Rep. Mike Kolbasowski, President/Business Manager Thomas De Bartolo, fifth-year apprentices Malcolm Hill, Clayton Jansa, Conner Kozar, Training Coordinator John Espinos Jr., Zach Szabo, Isaac Rolph. Back row: Peter Palumbo, Thomas Sommers III, Rob Rasmussen, Mike Melon, Dan Marino, Alex Sarti, Will Anderson.

On Saturday, August 10, the Local 38 (Westchester and Rockland Counties, N.Y.) SMART Army held its first Annual Benefit Car Show for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation — an organization that, since 9/11, has worked to provide “mortgage-free homes to Gold Star and fallen first responder families with young children and … [build] specially-adapted smart homes for catastrophically injured veterans and first responders,” among other efforts. The event brought in approximately 200 spectators to view the cars and take a tour of Local 38’s union hall and training center, and raised more than $5,000 for the Tunnel to Towers Foundation.