Tag: two-person crews

Home>News>two-person crews

Sheet metal and transportation workers exercised collective power to win laws and federal appointees who act in our interests

After extraordinary mobilization in recent years, union votes are translating directly to union jobs.

In 2020, SMART members voted to elect politicians to the United States House, Senate and the White House who pledged to prioritize union members and working-class families. In the years since, those politicians passed three job-creating laws — the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act — and President Joe Biden named a variety of pro-union appointees to federal positions in the Department of Labor (DOL), the Department of Transportation and beyond — making sure money from federal laws creates jobs for SMART members, both now and into the future

This is not the result of politicians rewarding SMART members for getting them elected. It is the consequence of members applying their collective power: first by voting in their interests, then by pushing legislators to make sure they kept their promises.

“It can’t be emphasized enough what a difference it makes when the people implementing funding and writing policy know that SMART workers are engaged in the political process,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “We have pro-union allies in federal offices that are making sure that new laws create jobs for our members.”

Funding from recently passed laws, coupled with federal appointees, leads directly to union sheet metal jobs

Some projects funded by federal legislation have already started bringing SMART members onto the jobsite. In Arizona, for example, SM Local 359 members are on the job building semiconductor manufacturing facilities for Intel — a project made possible in part by funding from the CHIPS and Science Act.

Other projects will break ground in the near future. The CHIPS Act is set to put East Coast SMART members to work for years to come: Thanks to a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the U.S. Department of Commerce and semiconductor manufacturer GlobalFoundries that includes approximately $1.5 billion in direct funding, Local 83 sheet metal workers will soon arrive on a new, PLA-covered chip plant in Malta, New York. And in Burlington, Vermont, retrofit work on an existing GlobalFoundries chip plant is expected to exceed $35 million in federal funding, making the job a PLA-covered one and bringing Local 17 members on site.

Pro-union laws are one thing, but the people implementing those laws play a vital role after legislation is passed — and the federal appointees who make key funding and policy decisions are benefiting SMART members and their families across the country. The most high-profile figures work within the DOL. Since their appointments, Acting Labor Secretary Julie Su and DOL Wage and Hour Division Administrator Jessica Looman have successfully enacted rulemaking that expands job opportunities and puts money in SMART members’ pockets.

The primary example: Su, Looman and fellow pro-worker officials finally updated the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts, strengthening prevailing wage regulations and raising pay standards for SMART members and building trades workers across America. The updated regulations restore the DOL’s definition of prevailing wage — making it equivalent to the wage paid to at least 30% of workers in local communities (rather than the weakened 50%) — strengthen enforcement and modernize DOL’s definition of “site of the work” to account for current industry practices.

This rule update is particularly crucial at a time when publicly funded projects are breaking ground at an unprecedented rate, explained Coleman.

“By updating Davis-Bacon prevailing wage regulations for the first time in more than 40 years, the Department of Labor is working to ensure that construction workers employed on public works projects are paid what they deserve, helping lift more workers into the middle class and boosting the economies in cities, towns and neighborhoods from coast to coast,” he said. “This is especially vital as projects funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act continue breaking ground — putting thousands of SMART members to work.”

Pro-union FRA notches slew of victories for SMART-TD members

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) of 2016–2020 made its name through anti-worker actions, most notably its attempt to pre-empt existing state laws that mandated two-person crews on freight trains. The post-2020 FRA, led by Administrator Amit Bose, has consistently prioritized the wellbeing of SMART-TD members — the workers who actually keep the trains moving, not the corporate CEOs who cast safety to the side in pursuit of shareholder profit.

In striking contrast to the previous administration, the current FRA announced a federal two-person crew rule in 2024, finally acting in the name of common sense, worker safety and SMART-TD railroad jobs. Following a public comment period that was extended multiple times, ultimately concluding in late 2022, the final ruling arrived in April 2024.

In late 2023, in the wake of high-profile rail safety incidents and two tragic trainee deaths, the FRA awarded SMART-TD more than $600,000 to develop and implement its own training program — providing union railroaders with education and programming designed with their safety in mind, not just efficiency and exorbitant profit-making.

Weeks later, the FRA again sided with railroaders over the carriers in its ruling on Union Pacific’s request for a variance to allow non-FRA-certified crews to run trains coming from Mexico to Port Laredo, Texas. FRA ruled that trains running from the border to Port Laredo must be operated by qualified and certified Union Pacific engineers and conductors, providing SMART-TD railroaders with the work they rightfully deserve.

Bose’s administration made another common-sense decision in favor of SMART-TD railroaders with the issuing of a final rule on emergency breathing apparatuses on trains carrying hazardous material. The rule requires railroads to provide emergency escape breathing apparatuses (EEBAs) for train crew members and other employees who could be exposed to an inhalation hazard in the event of a hazardous material, or hazmat, release. Railroads must also ensure that the equipment is maintained and in proper working condition and train their employees in its use.

And in a groundbreaking move that will put SMART-TD railroaders to work for years to come, the FRA awarded billions of dollars in funding — made available by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — to two high-speed rail projects in California and Las Vegas, finally making high-speed rail a reality in the U.S. The crucial provision: The railroad, Brightline West, committed to using an organized workforce. The railroad will be built by union members, including SMART Railroad, Mechanical and Engineering workers, and the highspeed trains will be operated by SMART-TD crews.

“The skills our conductors, engineers and yardmasters possess were not an afterthought when the plans for this rail line came together,” SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson said when the projects were announced. “They are invaluable to this project and woven into the fabric of what will make this high-speed rail project a success.”

Department of Energy’s clean energy industrial policy creates years of work for SMART members

The need for a clean energy transition has been made abundantly clear in recent years, as temperatures increase, seasons disappear, floods destroy city streets and wildfire smoke chokes our children when they try to play outside. Thanks to the industrial policy of the current Department of Energy (DOE), that clean energy transition is creating jobs for SMART sheet metal members — today, tomorrow and well into the future.

Examples are everywhere. SMART Local 177 members have begun working on a Microvast battery plant in Clarksville, Tennessee, while Local 36 members in St. Louis, Missouri, are on the job building an ICL-IP America, Inc., battery materials manufacturing facility. Both projects received DOE funding from $2.8 billion worth of awards from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.

Meanwhile, the sheet metal workers at Local 7 (Lansing, Michigan), Local 20 (New Carlisle, Indiana) and Local 177 (Spring Hill, Tennessee) are directly benefiting from the Department of Energy’s $2.5 billion loan to Ultium Cells. The loan, facilitated by the DOE’s Loan Programs Office, is helping finance the construction of new lithium-ion battery cell manufacturing plants in Michigan, Indiana and Tennessee, as well as Ohio — facilities that have Local 7, 20 and 177 members already on site.

The DOE Loan Programs Office also played a crucial role in putting SMART Local 110 and Local 4 members to work in Glendale, Kentucky, and Stanton, Tennessee, respectively. Ford received a $9.2 billion loan that helped kickstart its BlueOval battery facilities in both locations, and the funding has already paid dividends for union sheet metal workers — generating work for current members, bringing new workers into the union, helping both locals grow and keeping retirees’ pensions healthy.

And on the West Coast, the recently announced California Hydrogen Hub — one of seven hydrogen hubs funded by DOE through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law — will leverage the state’s existing clean energy technology to produce hydrogen exclusively from renewable energy and biomass. Importantly, the hub has committed to requiring project labor agreements for all related projects, which will create an expected 220,000 jobs — including 130,000 construction jobs.

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.”

SMART RME Director Peter Kennedy speaks on rail safety in front of a House roundtable.

SMART Rail, Mechanical and Engineering Department Director Peter Kennedy joined fellow rail workers and community witnesses to stand for rail safety during a roundtable hosted by Democratic members of the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials on Wednesday, March 13.

Kennedy – along with Vince Verna of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen; Mayor Frank Moran of Hiram, Ga. (the site of a 2021 derailment); East Palestine, Ohio resident Anna Sevi-Doss and others – testified to the devastating effects of deregulation on the railroad, and the need for Congress to pass the bipartisan Railway Safety Act.

“Everybody knows the story: rail safety has deteriorated under precision scheduled railroading [PSR],” Kennedy explained in his opening statement. “It’s nothing more than a cost-cutting business operating model that is founded upon the root of all evil, which is the love of money. The sole focus is to maximize profits for shareholders.”

Watch video of the House roundtable.

The Railway Safety Act was introduced in the wake of the East Palestine derailment and explosion in February 2023 by Senators Sherrod Brown and J.D. Vance of Ohio, Bob Casey and John Fetterman of Pennsylvania and by Representative Chris Deluzio in the House. However, amidst concentrated lobbying against the bill by the railroad carriers, there has been no progress made towards a full vote in either chamber.

Democratic Congressmembers Rick Larsen and Donald Payne, Jr. hosted the March 2024 roundtable – titled “Listening to Rail Workers and Communities” – to “help get rail safety legislation back on track,” according to Larsen.

“Simply put, what we are seeing today in the freight rail industry is efforts to take shortcuts on labor safety and service, all in the pursuit of profits, while we see bigger profits for the railroads – meaning more dividends for shareholders,” Payne said.

Reps. Larsen and Payne
Rep. Deluzio
Members of Congress listen to rail workers’ testimony

Throughout the hearing, members of Congress, citizens and union leaders all described the fraught conditions that both workers and ordinary Americans experience as a result of deregulation and corporate greed. Kennedy outlined the adverse effects on safety, as well as shippers and the industry as a whole, that occur when the carriers cut services and equipment maintenance. Even worse, he told subcommittee members, are the drastic workforce reductions in the industry.

“As Vince said, over 30% of the workforce has been eliminated. With respect to the Mechanical Department employees, 41% of the workforce has been eliminated since PSR,” Kennedy explained. “And what’s crazy is, the cuts are still happening.”

“It’s absolutely asinine,” he added. “There’s not enough workers to perform this critical safety work on locomotives and rail cars in this country. That’s what it boils down to.” 

The Railway Safety Act would implement a variety of safeguards to keep Americans and railroaders safe, including a nationwide mandate for well-trained two-person crews on all freight trains; restrictions on train length and weight; regulations on the installation, frequency, upkeep and response to wayside defect detectors; and much more. SMART RME, TD and rail labor organizations throughout the country have urged lawmakers to pass these common-sense regulations in the 12-plus months since the bill’s introduction, as states including Minnesota, New York, Ohio and Kansas have themselves passed rail safety legislation.

“We need both sides of the aisle to make freight rail safety a priority,” Kennedy concluded. “We need meaningful change to the industry. We need Congress to act now, and I thank Ranking Members Larsen and Payne for hosting a roundtable discussion to discuss ongoing and unaddressed rail safety issues.”

Given a second chance to act, New York Governor Kathy Hochul has chosen to side with safety.

In late 2022, a bill requiring two-person crews on freight trains in the state reached her desk — and she vetoed it.

But something changed in 2023. Perhaps it was seeing legislatures and governors in both Ohio and Minnesota take the steps to pass legislation, or the catastrophic derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, that happened last February.

Either way, Hochul made the right decision on December 8, 2023, when she signed S.5775 into law: capping a superlative effort from SMARTTD’s New York State Legislative Board led by State Legislative Director Sam Nasca.

A mere three years ago, a bill establishing a minimum freight crew size did not even make it out of a state Senate committee. Now, New York is the third state in 2023 to pass two-person crew legislation, bringing the total number of states to have implemented legislation or regulations regarding a minimum two-person crew to 12.

“Another state has come to the conclusion that a two-person crew is appropriate and necessary for safe railroad operations,” SMART-TD National Legislative Director Greg Hynes said. “We thank all of the legislators, especially state Senator Timothy Kennedy, who introduced the bill in his chamber, and Assemblyman Bill Magnarelli for their leadership.

“Congratulations to all on the TD New York State Legislative Board for pulling together and achieving another victory.”

The bill was introduced in March and establishes an escalating structure of fines for violations by Class I and II rail carriers that run freight trains without two on the crew in the state. It took effect in January 2024.

SMART members positioned for unprecedented opportunity

The time is now for our union. Across all the industries and crafts represented in our union — HVAC installation, railroading, indoor air quality, transit operation, architectural sheet metal, production, sign work, bus operation and beyond — SMART members are positioned for generational growth. Now, we need to seize these opportunities.

Political advocacy pays off for sheet metal workers

Unprecedented investment in the sheet metal industry — much of it due to strong labor standards and incentives included in federal legislation in the U.S. — paired with ongoing core work is creating incredibly high demand. SMART local unions now have the chance to organize and recruit aggressively to meet workforce needs.

SMART Transportation Division on offense

SMART-TD members are on offense against the railroads and their Wall Street-driven Precision Scheduled Railroading scheme for the first time in recent memory. We have seen victories and progress on two-person crew and rail safety legislation in Kansas, Minnesota, Ohio and other states across the country, and we need to keep pushing. More on page 28.

The same goes for the safety and working conditions of our brothers and sisters operating on public transit systems. We have seen far too many shocking, brazen attacks on our members while they are simply doing their jobs, safely transporting passengers from point A to point B. Policymakers and community members alike need to hear our voices and know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that this cannot stand.

Organize today, win tomorrow

It is a new day for organized labor. Workers are organizing like they haven’t in generations, and 71% of Americans approve of unions: the highest percentage since the 1960s. And yet, the percentage of unionized workers remains too low, and we have seen the consequences in Maryland, Washington, Colorado and beyond. It’s time to strike while the iron is hot.

Under ordinary circumstances, SMART-TD’s National Legislative Department relies on National Legislative Director (NLD) Greg Hynes, Alternate National Legislative Director Jared Cassity and Legislative Department Chief of Staff Jenny Miller to educate our nation’s lawmakers on rail safety. But on this year’s “Railroad Day on the Hill” — held annually on the legislative calendar — 35 men and women representing 15 different states answered the call, traveling to Washington, DC to advocate for railroaders.

This formidable group of SMART-TD representatives conducted more than 100 meetings with legislators: sharing the gospel of the Railway Safety Act of 2023, shorter trains, increased quality of life and better safety inspections of rolling stock with any Congress member or staffer willing to listen.

In addition to holding this important series of meetings and reaching out to over 100 members of the House and Senate, SMART-TD representatives attended a press conference in support of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as he announced the introduction of the Healthy Families Act. This legislation includes provisions ensuring that every company with over 100 employees provides a minimum of 7 paid sick days to its employees. This bill has language in it that speaks directly to railroad companies.

The Healthy Families Act indicates the progress our union made in the 2022 national contract negotiations. In December 2022, Sanders pushed for similar legislation that was strictly aimed at railroaders — and though it won a majority of votes in both the House and Senate, it failed to get the 60 votes needed to carry a filibuster-proof supermajority and make it to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

With the ramifications of this bill’s success weighing heavily on the quality-of-life improvements that SMART-TD continues to seek for our members, Sen. Sanders reached out to SMART’s Legislative Department and made a point of inviting our representatives to his press conference.

Following the successes of the day’s events, NLD Hynes expressed his gratitude to the army of SMART-TD leaders who made the trip.

“These men and women went above and beyond the call of duty to be here today, and because of them, we had a fantastic show of force in the halls of Congress. The validity of our issues speaks for itself, but when leaders from these different states show up to meet with their congressional and senate delegations, it makes an impact on these lawmakers,” he said. “They hear from Jared Cassity and me all the time, but when someone from home comes to meet with them in DC, it puts a face to our issues in a unique way.

“I want to thank each and every one of them for making the effort to come out this year, and with your help, we will deliver on the promise of the Railway Safety Act, the REEF Act, and all the issues that speak to the quality of life our members deserve and the dignity of the work they do each day.”

Making two-person crews the rule of the land in the state of Kansas took an atypical route to the finish line but got there just the same.

It has been the goal of SMART Transportation Division Kansas State Legislative Director Ty Dragoo for years and it was finally achieved. When asked about how he made this happen, Brother Dragoo cited persistence and patience as the keys, along with some out-of-the-box thinking.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly, a Democrat who began her second term in Topeka in January, has been a friend to rail labor throughout four terms in the state Senate as well as in her first term as governor. Throughout her public service, she’s accomplished quite a bit for rail members and their families in Kansas, and during her first term as governor, she and SMART-TD thought that 2PC had been made the law of the state.

On July 27, 2020, Kelly signed a safety rule establishing a minimum railroad crew size — making Kansas the ninth state in the country to have accomplished this goal. Just one formality stood in the way of that being a reality.

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly poses with Kansas State Legislative Director Ty Dragoo.

At the time she signed the rule sent to her desk from the Kansas Department of Transportation, the state’s attorney general was a man named Derek Schmidt, a Republican who was in the beginning stages of campaigning to challenge Kelly for governor in 2022. In an effort to flex his political muscle and block his future opponent from the accomplishment, Schmidt opted not to sign the safety rule, allowing it to die on his desk. As they say, “Schmidt happens.”

What did not die that day was the drive of Brother Dragoo and his team of LRs to secure the conductor craft in Kansas.

As the political fight card for Kansas’s statewide races coalesced for the 2022 election cycle, it was no surprise to see Schmidt squaring off against Kelly to take the reins. This was obviously not in the best interest of our membership, so Dragoo and SMART had a clear-cut role to play. SMART-TD and all Kansas’s labor movement worked hard to secure Kelly’s narrow 11,000-vote re-election in 2022. As a bonus, Schmidt’s failed gubernatorial ambitions meant that he forfeited his seat as the state’s attorney general.

Having learned the hard way that having a rail labor-friendly governor in office was not enough on its own to get a 2PC rule into state law, Dragoo and his team of LRs also got involved in the state’s race for the AG’s office.

In that race, rail labor had the luxury of having both candidates for the job open to our message. In an unconventional manner, Dragoo and SMART-TD endorsed both Democrat Chris Mann and Republican Kris Kobach. Both candidates had advocated for rail safety, and that is what matters to our organization. Political party affiliation is not what qualifies someone to earn our endorsement, a commitment to rail safety is. As it happened, SMART-TD was the only trade union in the state of Kansas that endorsed Kobach. It was a distinction that did not go unnoticed, and, appropriately on May Day, Kobach didn’t forget about his labor support.

Dragoo and the Kansas State Legislative Board had secured the needed support in both offices to solidify the 2PC rule, so when Gov. Kelly again sent the DOT’s proposed safety rule to the AG’s office, it was signed and sealed into Kanas state law.

“We always need to remember that elections have consequences all the way up and down the ticket,” Brother Dragoo said about the five-year-long multi-party, multi-office, multi-administration battle to secure the role of freight conductors in his state. “SMART-TD and labor in general cannot allow ourselves to confine our thinking to the standard way of doing business in our state capitals. This holds especially true in red states that are traditionally less friendly to our causes.”

When asked about the ramifications of the rule becoming the law of the land in Kansas, Dragoo went on to say: “This is the proudest day of my career. It took every one of our LRs in the state to get this done, and I’m eternally grateful to my team as well as Gov. Kelly, AG Kobach and their staff for safeguarding our members and the public through the work they have done on this regulation.”

SMART-TD is very proud of the work being done in Kansas. Not only have they cemented the two-person crew in the state this year, but in the 2023 legislative session in Topeka, they also presented a noteworthy 13 bills in their efforts to bolster safety on the state’s railways.

Time will tell if these bills have the legislative support to be signed into law in the future, but if the past two years have taught us anything, we know that Brother Dragoo doesn’t take no for an answer very well, and these bills will be given every opportunity to be considered one way or another.

The 2PC regulation will take effect upon the publication of the Kansas Administrative Regulations (KAR) that follows the conclusion of their general assembly for the year. Brother Dragoo anticipates that this will happen in a matter of weeks.

SMART sheet metal and Transportation Division members mobilized throughout the 2023 legislative session in Minnesota, emerging with massive victories that will provide work opportunities and increased on-the-job safety for years to come.

On May 24, Minn. Governor Tim Walz signed HF 2887, making two-person crews on freight trains the law of the land in the state. The massive transportation omnibus bill was passed by the state legislature on May 21 and, along with the minimum crew size provision, includes infrastructure dollars to bring passenger rail jobs to Minnesota.

“The Minnesota Legislative Board began working on minimum crew size in 2015,” said SMART-TD Minnesota State Legislative Director (SLD) Nick Katich. “At that time, Phil Qualy was director, and I was his assistant. We passed it in the house once and the senate once, but never together.”

Minimum crew size began as its own bill in the state senate, with a companion bill in the house. (The legislation was later moved into the omnibus bill due to time constraints.) The bill passed through all committees despite the railroads actively opposing it.

“It was difficult when the railroads were testifying to keep a straight face,” commented Katich. “Some of their claims were so false or misleading it would make you sick. Our job was to help the lawmakers see through the smokescreen, and we did just that.”

In addition to minimum crew size, the omnibus bill fully funded the Northern Lights Express, Amtrak’s passenger service between Duluth and Minneapolis, at $194.7 million. This allows access to matching funds from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and means more work opportunities for our members. The legislation also included two more state rail safety inspectors, additional funding for passenger rail corridor studies and railroad-provided first responder training.

“I would like to personally thank the SMART-TD Minnesota Legislative Board for their unwavering support and confidence, the local officers who volunteered to pitch in and the members and retirees for keeping track and sending encouragement,” Katich added. “I would also add that I would like to thank our friends in the Minnesota AFL-CIO. They had our backs and watched for the railroad lobbyists lurking around where they shouldn’t be.”

Minnesota sheet metal workers notched a job-creating victory the same day, when Walz signed into law the energy, environmental and natural resources omnibus bill passed by the house and senate. As part of the sprawling legislation, which also includes rebate programs for heat pumps, the law stipulates that the Minnesota Department of Commerce must establish and administer an air ventilation program to award grants to public school boards in Minnesota, with the grants covering work such as testing and balancing, HVAC and energy efficiency upgrades and much more. Importantly for SMART members, the bill specifically includes strong prevailing wage language that requires work covered by grants to “be performed by a skilled and trained workforce that is paid the prevailing wage rate … and of which at least 80 percent of the construction workers are either registered in or graduates of a registered apprenticeship program for the applicable occupation.”

Gov. Walz with SMART Local 10 members following his 2023 inauguration.

“We see this program as a win, win, win,” said Local 10 (Minnesota) Business Manager Matt Fairbanks. “Jobs, clean energy, cost savings and human health. This program is dedicated to the work our members do day in and day out, starting with the front-end assessment that will identify deficiencies and flow into future system upgrades.”

“Not only will this provide our members with future hours and food on their plates, but it will also shine a light on our members’ stewardship to the community,” he added. “I think providing healthy air to children, cost savings for adults and clean energy for the environment is a pretty big deal!”

Such legislative wins would never have been possible without the votes and advocacy of members across the state. In the 2022 midterm elections, pro-worker candidates took control — albeit with a slim majority — of the Minnesota House and Senate, with Walz winning reelection, and immediately passed a slew of laws that will benefit SMART members. That includes what most in the Minnesota building trades consider the most expansive prevailing wage enhancements in state history: from increased enforcement, to attaching the law to state funds, programs, energy projects and more.

The legislature also passed paid sick leave for all workers; the banning of anti-union captive audience meetings; new protections for meatpackers, construction workers and Amazon employees; a huge expansion of paid family and medical leave; the largest increase in state history to the Minnesota work compensation system’s permanent partial disability fund; a universal free school breakfast and lunch program for the kids of working families; and more.

“Politics is a slow-grinding machine, and we ask our members to participate in all kinds of different ways: from volunteering in phone banks, to door knocks, lit drops, parades and — most importantly — voting,” Fairbanks added. “Because of our members’ trust and dedication, we got to see the tree bear fruit, and that feels great! Not only did our state see a historic session for workers’ rights and investments, we get to witness firsthand that hard work does pay off. Thank you to all the Local 10 members that stood with us and helped get so many things done this year.”

SMART members joined workers from dozens of unions in Philadelphia on June 17th to officially endorse President Joe Biden for reelection. Local 19 apprentice Elena Farina, who attended the Labor for Biden event, discusses how President Biden's pro-worker agenda has benefited SMART members, creating tens of thousands of jobs and improving working conditions across industries.
Philly sheet metal worker discusses Biden endorsement, pro-worker policies
YouTube Video UExFekJDRUFvTFJZcTdJXzRXSDJrT09sb2dPRXI3N0Yydi41NkI0NEY2RDEwNTU3Q0M2

Philly sheet metal worker discusses Biden endorsement, pro-worker policies

Longtime sheet metal worker Mike Coleman assumed the position of SMART General President on June 1st, 2023. He immediately began emphasizing the extraordinary opportunities on the horizon for SMART members, including work at megaprojects like Ford’s Blue Oval City in Stanton, Tennessee.
SMART GP Coleman visits Ford Blue Oval City megaproject in Stanton, Tenn.
YouTube Video UExFekJDRUFvTFJZcTdJXzRXSDJrT09sb2dPRXI3N0Yydi4xMkVGQjNCMUM1N0RFNEUx

SMART GP Coleman visits Ford Blue Oval City megaproject in Stanton, Tenn.

Following on last year’s national rail negotiations, SMART-TD members have gained paid sick leave benefits for train & engine workers at some of the Big Four U.S.-based carriers.
Union railroaders negotiate historic tentative agreements
YouTube Video UExFekJDRUFvTFJZcTdJXzRXSDJrT09sb2dPRXI3N0Yydi4wMTcyMDhGQUE4NTIzM0Y5

Union railroaders negotiate historic tentative agreements

Workers, union leaders and elected officials came together during a May event at the Local 17 training center in Boston to highlight the union jobs created by ongoing infrastructure investments. SMART Northeast Regional Council Business Rep. Shamaiah Turner discussed how infrastructure funding is creating unprecedented opportunity for sheet metal workers in New England.
Union leaders, elected officials highlight infrastructure jobs in Boston
YouTube Video UExFekJDRUFvTFJZcTdJXzRXSDJrT09sb2dPRXI3N0Yydi41MjE1MkI0OTQ2QzJGNzNG

Union leaders, elected officials highlight infrastructure jobs in Boston

Each year on June 19th, our union celebrates Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day. Juneteenth commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people following the end of the Civil War, and provides an opportunity for all of us to reflect on our country’s past, present and future. Local 33 (northern Ohio) member David Moore joined SMART News to discuss the history and importance of Juneteenth.
Ohio sheet metal worker discusses Juneteenth
YouTube Video UExFekJDRUFvTFJZcTdJXzRXSDJrT09sb2dPRXI3N0Yydi4wOTA3OTZBNzVEMTUzOTMy

Ohio sheet metal worker discusses Juneteenth

SMART members in Minnesota mobilized throughout the 2023 legislative session, pushing elected officials to stand with working families. That hard work paid off when Minnesota Governor Tim Walz signed legislation that will benefit sheet metal and Transportation Division members. In a major victory for railroaders, one of those bills mandates a two-person crew minimum on freight trains operating in the state.
Minnesota railroaders win two-person crew, passenger rail funding
YouTube Video UExFekJDRUFvTFJZcTdJXzRXSDJrT09sb2dPRXI3N0Yydi4yODlGNEE0NkRGMEEzMEQy

Minnesota railroaders win two-person crew, passenger rail funding

Subscribe

SMART released the latest episode of SMART News on Thursday, July 6. Episode 10 features an interview with Local 19 apprentice Elena Farina on the Biden administration; coverage of SMART General President Mike Coleman’s visit to Ford Blue Oval City in Tennessee; an overview of SMART-TD’s recently negotiated railroad agreements, which include paid leave; infrastructure funding and jobs in Boston; and another two-person crew victory for railroaders in Minnesota.

Watch individual videos from this episode:

Farina, a second-year apprentice with Local 19, joined her fellow Philadelphia sheet metal workers and members from across organized labor for an event with President Biden in June. During her SMART News interview, she explained the impact of pro-worker policies implemented by the Biden administration, including the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. She also emphasized the importance of voting for candidates who have materially acted in the interests of the working class.

“Vote with your pocket, you know what I’m saying,” Farina said. “Everyone has their own personal issues, but at the end of the day your livelihood is what’s going to sustain you.”

Longtime sheet metal worker and union leader Mike Coleman assumed the position of SMART general president on June 1st, 2023. He immediately began emphasizing the extraordinary opportunities on the horizon for SMART members, including work at megaprojects like Ford’s Blue Oval City in Stanton, Tennessee.

“There’s just so many things to be excited about, but what I think I’m most excited to do is answer the call for these megaprojects: getting our members on those jobs, and making sure we get every hour out of those projects,” Coleman said.

Following on last year’s national rail negotiations, SMART-TD members have gained paid sick leave benefits for train & engine workers at some of the Big Four U.S.-based carriers. SMART-TD Alternate National Legislative Director Jared Cassity provided an overview of some of the historic agreements — both tentative and ratified — that have been made.

Workers, union leaders and elected officials came together during a May event at the Local 17 training center in Boston to highlight the union jobs created by ongoing infrastructure investments. SMART Northeast Regional Council Business Rep. Shamaiah Turner spoke with SMART News about how infrastructure funding is creating unprecedented opportunity for sheet metal workers in New England.

“The future for sheet metal workers in Boston is very bright,” she explained. “Right now we have a LOT of work … we’re out there every day, talking to people who work at open shops, we’re organizing new shops every day, and we’re organizing new journeypeople every day.”

Finally, SMART-TD Minnesota State Legislative Director Nick Katich called in to SMART News to discuss how Minnesota railroaders were able to finally secure two-person crew and passenger rail funding in the state (as well as a slew of pro-worker bills). Long story short, he explained, the victory had everything to do with putting pro-worker elected officials in office — something union members achieved when they helped the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party take control of the state house, senate and governor’s office.

Watch all episode 10 segments here.

With daily headlines nationwide about railroad safety legislation, it has come to feel like every day is “Railroad Day on the Hill.” However, the event is formally held once a year on the legislative calendar for representatives from rail unions and rail carriers alike to descend on D.C. to discuss the issues that face our industry.

Members of the SMART Transportation Division contingent, including Alt. National Legislative Director Jared Cassity and Vice President Chad Adams, meet with U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz (front, right) on May 17 in Washington, D.C.

Under normal circumstances, building relationships with the 535 members of Congress falls on SMART-TD’s staff of three in our Washington D.C. National Legislative Department, but on May 17th’s Railroad Safety Day, plenty of reinforcements within our union marched forth to lead the effort with other labor groups.

This support came in the form of 35 men and women representing 15 different states. State legislative directors, vice state legislative directors, general chairpersons, local legislative reps and state legislative vice chairs from across the country answered the call to help SMART-TD National Legislative Director Greg Hynes, Alternate National Legislative Director Jared Cassity and Legislative Department Chief of Staff, Jenny Miller educate our nation’s lawmakers on rail safety.

This formidable group of SMART-TD representatives was not in D.C. as tourists. Between the group of attendees, they held over 100 meetings with legislators sharing the gospel of the Railway Safety Act of 2023, shorter trains, increased quality of life and better safety inspections of rolling stock with any Congress member or staffer willing to listen.

Arizona State Legislative Director Scott Jones (right) meets with U.S. Rep. Greg Stanton on May 17.
Arizona State Legislative Director Scott Jones (left) meets with U.S. Sen. Josh Hawley on May 17.
U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders addresses a rally for paid sick leave for U.S. workers Wednesday, May 18, on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C.

In addition to holding this important series of meetings and reaching out to over 100 members of the House and Senate, SMART-TD representatives attended a press conference in support of U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) as he announced his legislation known as the Healthy Families Act. This legislation includes provisions ensuring that every company with over 100 employees provides a minimum of 7 paid sick days to its employees. This bill has language in it that speaks directly to railroad companies.

This bill indicates the progress our union made in the 2022 national contract negotiations. In December 2022, Sanders pushed for similar legislation that was strictly aimed at railroaders and though it won a majority of votes in both the House and Senate, it failed to get the 60 votes it needed to carry a filibuster-proof supermajority and make it to President Biden’s desk to be signed into law.

U.S. Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming (left), U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, SMART-Td Wyoming State Legislative Director April Ford and U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis meet on Railroad Safety Day May 18, 2023.
U.S. Sen. John Barrasso of Wyoming (left), U.S. Rep. Harriet Hageman, SMART-TD Wyoming State Legislative Director April Ford and U.S. Sen. Cynthia Lummis meet on Railroad Safety Day May 18, 2023.

With the ramifications of this bill’s success weighing heavily on the quality-of-life improvements that SMART-TD continues to seek for our members, Sen. Sanders reached out to SMART’s Legislative Department and made a point of inviting our representatives to his press conference.

Following the successes of the day’s events, NLD Hynes expressed his gratitude to the army of SMART-TD leaders who made the trip.

“These men and women went above and beyond the call of duty to be here today, and because of them, we had a fantastic show of force in the halls of Congress. The validity of our issues speaks for itself, but when leaders from these different states show up to meet with their congressional and senate delegations it makes an impact on these lawmakers,” he said. “They hear from Jared Cassity and me all the time, but when someone from home comes to meet with them in D.C., it puts a face to our issues in a unique way.

“I want to thank each and every one of them for making the effort to come out this year, and with your help, we will deliver on the promise of the Railway Safety Act, the REEF Act, and all the issues that speak to the quality of life our members deserve and the dignity of the work they do each day.”

New Jersey State Legislative Director Ron Sabol (left), U.S. Rep. Donald Payne (center) and N.J. Legislative Vice Chairperson Joseph Williams meet on May 17 in Washington, D.C.
New Jersey State Legislative Director Ron Sabol (left), U.S. Rep. Mikie Sherrill (center) and N.J. Legislative Vice Chairperson Joseph Williams meet on May 17 in Washington, D.C.
Michigan State Legislative Director Don Roach (left) meets U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens on May 17. At right of Stevens are Scott Hoose and Owen Smith.
Michigan State Legislative Director Don Roach (left) meets U.S. Rep. Haley Stevens on May 17. At right of Stevens are Scott Hoose and Owen Smith.
SMART Transpotration Division California Assistant State Legislative Director Scott Brent (Local 1202), U.S. Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA-8th District) and TD California State Legislative Director Louis Costa meet in Garamendi's office on May 16.
SMART Transpotration Division California Assistant State Legislative Director Scott Brent (Local 1202), U.S. Rep. John Garamendi (D-CA-8th District) and TD California State Legislative Director Louis Costa meet in Garamendi’s office on May 16.