Tag: Summer 2024

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SMART’s convention, held every five years, represents the democratic process of our union: Members elect delegates to represent them at the convention; delegates then debate and vote on resolutions, amendments to the SMART Constitution and International leadership positions, guiding the direction of our organization for the next five years.

The theme of this year’s convention is “Challenge met — but we’re not done.” It’s an idea that reflects the fighting spirit of our union; our mission to secure a brighter tomorrow for members, families and working people across North America. It also invites us to look back at the battles we’ve fought — and won — since we last gathered in 2019.

The 2nd SMART General Convention arrived at a time when organized labor was against the ropes. The Trump administration’s proposed Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs) rule attacked our union sheet metal apprenticeship programs, threatening a historical pillar of our trade. The Trump Federal Railroad Administration discarded a proposed two-person crew regulation and attempted to pre-empt state two-person crew laws, undermining not just rail safety and SMART-TD railroad jobs but the democratic principles of our nation. Provincial governments attacked workers’ rights in Canada, and across the labor movement, unions struggled to reach the working class, leaving ordinary people without collective bargaining power — and threatening our future.

Brothers and sisters, we met those challenges.

We came together to defeat the proposed IRAPs rule. We elected pro-labor champions in 2020, winning a two-person freight crew regulation, funding for passenger rail and public transit and much more. We lobbied for and helped secure the passage of transformative pro-worker laws like the American Rescue Plan Act, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act — laws that saved union sheet metal workers’ pensions, put members on jobs from Arizona to upstate New York, provided funding opportunities for our training centers and beyond.

“I promise you, we will not rest until every SMART member — and every worker across the United States and Canada — has the pay, the benefits and the collective power we all deserve.”

And most importantly, we have changed the way we are perceived: Americans and Canadians realize the value of SMART representation, and across the country, we have organized at a furious pace, achieving incredible growth and strengthening our collective future.

Thanks to your efforts, we stand on a strong foundation, one forged by the hard work and selflessness of union members across North America. And now, we can look forward. Our job isn’t finished. We have more people to organize, more jobs to win, better contracts to negotiate, pro-union legislators to put in office.

I promise you, we will not rest until every SMART member — and every worker across the United States and Canada — has the pay, the benefits and the collective power we all deserve.

We are not done.

In solidarity,

SMART General President Michael Coleman

Sisters and brothers,

It is one of the greatest honors of my life to serve as your general secretary-treasurer. This trade, and this great union, have given me everything I have. I first picked up the tools in 1991, when I started in the Local 265 apprenticeship program in Carol Stream, Illinois. Since then, I’ve worked as a sheet metal fabricator, an installer, an instructor, an organizer, a business representative, financial secretary-treasurer and the president and business manager of my local.

At every step, I’ve been humbled to walk in the footsteps of the trade unionists who came before me; who passed along their knowledge and helped me serve my fellow members as best I could. That includes outgoing SMART General Secretary-Treasurer Joseph Powell. Joe has worked closely with me to ensure a seamless transition as he moves to a directorial role — and thanks in no small part to his hard work alongside General President Emeritus Joseph Sellers and General President Michael Coleman, our organization is well positioned for the future.

Five years ago, we faced a number of challenges. The Sheet Metal Workers’ National Pension Fund was still considered “endangered.” The SMART Transportation Division fought constantly against attacks like precision scheduled railroading, draconian attendance policies, anti-worker legislation and much more. Financially, the International and local unions alike found themselves making sacrifices to ensure our organization’s solvency.

We are living in extraordinary times, brothers and sisters — and if we take advantage, SMART and the labor movement will benefit for decades.

We are in a much different position today, and not by accident. The hard work of members at every level of this union helped push the National Pension Fund into the “Green Zone;” we recruited more new sheet metal workers than we lost in 2023; and in the face of untoward hostility from freight railroad carriers and anti-union government officials, the SMART Transportation Division managed to grow in the last year.

Financially, we are secure. We have met the challenge. But now, it’s time to put the pedal to the metal.

Megaprojects and pro-worker laws have combined with our core work to create unparalleled workforce demands — and opportunity — in the sheet metal industry. This is our time to grow; to organize, recruit and retain more than we ever have, and to secure our collective future for generations of SMART members to come.

The same goes for transportation workers. Our union has made incredible progress when it comes to rail safety, as well as funding for high-speed rail lines and major contract victories such as paid sick leave. We won’t let up now. I look forward to working with SMART-TD leaders and members to win further gains and secure more protections for our members.

We are living in extraordinary times, brothers and sisters — and if we take advantage, SMART and the labor movement will benefit for decades. Words cannot describe how proud I am to work for and alongside you in this pivotal moment, and I promise I will do everything in my power to help the 200,000-plus members of this union achieve the future we deserve.

In solidarity,

John Daniel
SMART General Secretary Treasurer

As the president of the strongest labor union in the transportation industry, I can honestly tell you that unique and important issues come to my attention daily.

No issues are as pressing to the well-being of this union and its membership as safety, the strength of our contracts/agreements, the education of our local officers to serve you, and the overall health of this union as an organization.

Without a doubt, SMART-TD is at an important crossroads with all these core issues.

I have made no secret about my and this organization’s level of concern regarding the epidemic of violence against our bus and transit members. This disturbing, and frankly disgusting, trend has churned up from coast to coast. There is much to be done, but in 2024, SMART-TD and our Bus and Transit Assault Prevention and Safety (BTAPS) Committee have made significant strides to protect our men and women.

General Chairperson John Ellis and his GCA-875 team have led a charge in Los Angeles with two significant improvements on this front for thousands of members. First, they achieved an agreement with the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transit Authority (LACMTA) to install full-coverage partitions to keep our members shielded from passengers on their bus. GCA-875 also accomplished a major victory when they successfully advocated for LACMTA’s board to create its own in-house security force focused on system safety. These two improvements will keep workers and riders alike significantly safer in years to come!

Building on this momentum, SMART-TD’s National Legislative Department has done an outstanding job of leveraging the union’s talent from across the country and harnessing it to further conversations on our issues in Washington, DC. The department hosted two events that have been tremendously successful. The first, in May, was Railroad Day on the Hill, and the second was this union’s first-ever Bus/Transit Day on the Hill on June 25.

Both brought local leaders from across the country to Capitol Hill to discuss the important legislative concerns held by SMART. The firsthand experiences our brothers and sisters shared with these officials and their staff were invaluable to our cause! Minds definitely changed in our direction as a result of the work we did. I want to thank all of the state legislative directors, general chairs, local officers and our BTAPS Committee for prioritizing these events and showing up with preparation and passion. Your efforts were more effective than you could know, and I appreciate each and every one of you!

As this union looks to the future, we are quickly approaching 2025 and the beginning of the next round of national negotiations for our Class I freight rail members. I would like to remind all our members that our union is dedicated to a bottom-up organizational model.

Our negotiating team and I, as president, aren’t able to advocate for quality-of-life improvements that we are not made aware of. It is my hope that each affected freight rail local throughout our union has distributed my personal request to all members to propose what they would want to see prioritized in our Section 6 notices. We are as strong as our collective members, and silence does no one any favors. We need to hear from you about the contract that you will work under for the next five years. Please participate by offering your proposals in any of the following ways:

Email (preferred): Section6@smart-union.org

Mail: SMART-TD President, 6060 Rockside Woods Blvd. N., Ste. 325, Independence, OH 44131

In addition to our need to keep our members out of harm’s way and push for the best contracts we can get, we also focus on educating our officers at all levels. These efforts, through Regional and National Training Seminars, keep our local chairs/presidents/legislative reps and secretary & treasurers up to date and ready to defend.

I would be remiss if I didn’t take this opportunity to thank every officer and member who came to Cleveland in early July for our NTS. Your input was pivotal for your brothers and sisters, and the enthusiasm at this training was contagious!

Summer is a busy time for all of us and is always full of distractions. No matter what you have on your plate this summer, please be sure to concentrate on your safety and that of your coworkers.

We are our brothers’ and sisters’ keepers. In the transportation industry, that could not be more true.

Jeremy R. Ferguson
President, Transportation Division

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 Daniel
Former 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.

This union, our Bus Department and the Bus/Transit Assault Prevention and Safety (BTAPS) committee have been advocating for Congress to act to end the startling growth of violent assaults on the nation’s public transit workforce.

President Biden’s administration and the Federal Transit Administration have begun to make moves to address shortcomings in security. SMART-TD and BTAPS are now taking our issues directly to Congress urging them to act on transit safety, which is a life-and-death issue for our brothers and sisters.

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.