{"id":682,"date":"2013-08-07T14:17:08","date_gmt":"2013-08-07T14:17:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/?p=682"},"modified":"2013-08-07T14:17:08","modified_gmt":"2013-08-07T14:17:08","slug":"message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/","title":{"rendered":"Message From General President Nigro: SMART ensures all members a transparent operation","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Official<\/a>In last month\u2019s SMART Members\u2019 Journal, I discussed the importance of transparency in our Union.\u00a0 Concern about transparency cuts across a wide spectrum of topics, including foreign affairs, the environment, information gathering, corporate actions, product safety, union operations, and more.\u00a0 The issue generally centers on what needs to be transparent and what does not.\u00a0 Transparency has benefits: we know what is being done, who is doing it, and why. But transparency can also have some drawbacks when something is very complex, requires a great deal of context, or exposes the who, what, or why that could put someone\u2014or national security\u2014in danger, or when transparency conflicts with our basic right to privacy.\u00a0 A lack of transparency has much more immediate negative implications: suspicions, rumors, leaks, and then once the secrecy is exposed, protests and demonstrations.
\n 
\nAs stated, unions, too, must grapple with transparency concerns.\u00a0 Unions have not always valued transparency, and even today we can seem to be overly protective of information that members want\u2014and have a right\u2014to know. Your dues keep our international and your local union operational.\u00a0 Unions cannot afford to leave members in the dark.\u00a0 Doing so only feeds the negative stereotype of crooked union bosses which does not help attract new union members, make members feel welcome in their own Union or build a strong labor movement.
\n 
\nOne of the most important transparency related actions we\u2019ll take over the next year is publication of an interim SMART Constitution, to be in effect until SMART\u2019s General Convention beginning August 11, 2014.\u00a0 The interim Constitution will be available soon on SMART\u2019s website (smart-union.org) and in hard copy for reading at your local union office. The Constitution we adopt next year will be in effect until 2019.\u00a0 It\u2019s important, therefore, for you to have the opportunity to offer amendments or resolutions to your local union leaders for consideration.
\n 
\nNow there were a lot of questions about the Constitution at the recent SMART Transportation Division\u2019s Meeting in Boston, MA.\u00a0 I welcome questions and I need the feedback since it is you, the member for whom this Union exists.\u00a0 One of the questions raised was about accountability regarding the checks and balances with respect to the leadership of SMART.
\n 
\nA great question since your Union is governed not by me, but by our Constitution as acted upon by our General Executive Council (GEC) and carried out through SMART\u2019s Local Unions across the continent.\u00a0 The GEC is made up of leaders with diverse backgrounds and experiences representing SMART members working in the range of industries within SMART\u2019s jurisdiction. I sit on the General Executive Council along with General Secretary Treasurer Sellers, Transportation President Futhey, Assistant President\/General Secretary and Treasurer Previsich, US National Legislative Director James Stem, Vice President\/International Representatives Robert Kerley, David Wier and John Lesniewski. Our purpose, as well as the GEC\u2019s goal, is to do what\u2019s best for every member of every industry represented by this Union.\u00a0 Not only is that the General Executive Council\u2019s goal, but part of their mission is to keep me straight in ensuring that this is achieved by serving as a voice for every member across every one of our represented industries.\u00a0 The GEC structures ensures that SMART is not, and never will be, a monarchy where the General President has absolute rule over Local Unions and members\u2019 interests.
\n 
\nAccountability goes hand in hand with transparency. The union is accountable to our dues-paying members to provide representation and services to the best of our abilities.\u00a0\u00a0 SMART will be transparent in all of its operations\u2014sheet metal, air, rail, and transportation\u2014and fully accountable for its actions.\u00a0 You may be assured of your General Executive Council\u2019s dedication to those principles.\u00a0 However, if you ever feel we could improve in either transparency or accountability, please call, write, or send an e-mail to me at jnigro@smart-union.org<\/a>.\u00a0 You can also visit our new website at smart-union.org<\/a> for information.<\/b>
\n 
\nThe decision to move in the right direction with greater transparency and more accountability requires we all stay united, regardless of what we do.\u00a0 Our diversity in experience, work, and even where we live contributes to our strength as a Union. We must prepare for the next generation of union members and their leaders a new past that is prologue to a stronger and united future. I have no doubt we can navigate the challenges ahead.
\n 
\nFraternally,
\n 
\nJoseph J. Nigro<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In last month\u2019s SMART Members\u2019 Journal, I discussed the importance of transparency in our Union.\u00a0 Concern about transparency cuts across a wide spectrum of topics, including foreign affairs, the environment, information gathering, corporate actions, product safety, union operations, and more.\u00a0 The issue generally centers on what needs to be transparent and what does not.\u00a0 Transparency […]<\/p>\n","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"author":9,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"content-type":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[39,1],"tags":[],"member_types":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nMessage From General President Nigro: SMART ensures all members a transparent operation - SMART Union<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Message From General President Nigro: SMART ensures all members a transparent operation - SMART Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"In last month\u2019s SMART Members\u2019 Journal, I discussed the importance of transparency in our Union.\u00a0 Concern about transparency cuts across a wide spectrum of topics, including foreign affairs, the environment, information gathering, corporate actions, product safety, union operations, and more.\u00a0 The issue generally centers on what needs to be transparent and what does not.\u00a0 Transparency […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"SMART Union\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2013-08-07T14:17:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Official-Formal-Photo-of-J-NigroGP92011-e1373569800577.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"paul\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"paul\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"paul\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#\/schema\/person\/3bf284ac953ca998cc3f03167a72c88f\"},\"headline\":\"Message From General President Nigro: SMART ensures all members a transparent operation\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-08-07T14:17:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-08-07T14:17:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/\"},\"wordCount\":767,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Official-Formal-Photo-of-J-NigroGP92011-e1373569800577.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Leadership\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/\",\"name\":\"Message From General President Nigro: SMART ensures all members a transparent operation - SMART Union\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Official-Formal-Photo-of-J-NigroGP92011-e1373569800577.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2013-08-07T14:17:08+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2013-08-07T14:17:08+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Official-Formal-Photo-of-J-NigroGP92011-e1373569800577.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Official-Formal-Photo-of-J-NigroGP92011-e1373569800577.jpg\"},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Message From General President Nigro: SMART ensures all members a transparent operation\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/\",\"name\":\"SMART Union\",\"description\":\"\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#organization\",\"name\":\"SMART Union\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/SMART_logo.svg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/SMART_logo.svg\",\"width\":280,\"height\":57,\"caption\":\"SMART Union\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#\/schema\/person\/3bf284ac953ca998cc3f03167a72c88f\",\"name\":\"paul\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/eb3b121961f32ba73202c7c88bf18eb6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/eb3b121961f32ba73202c7c88bf18eb6?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"paul\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/author\/paul\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Message From General President Nigro: SMART ensures all members a transparent operation - SMART Union","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Message From General President Nigro: SMART ensures all members a transparent operation - SMART Union","og_description":"In last month\u2019s SMART Members\u2019 Journal, I discussed the importance of transparency in our Union.\u00a0 Concern about transparency cuts across a wide spectrum of topics, including foreign affairs, the environment, information gathering, corporate actions, product safety, union operations, and more.\u00a0 The issue generally centers on what needs to be transparent and what does not.\u00a0 Transparency […]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/","og_site_name":"SMART Union","article_published_time":"2013-08-07T14:17:08+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Official-Formal-Photo-of-J-NigroGP92011-e1373569800577.jpg"}],"author":"paul","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"paul","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/"},"author":{"name":"paul","@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#\/schema\/person\/3bf284ac953ca998cc3f03167a72c88f"},"headline":"Message From General President Nigro: SMART ensures all members a transparent operation","datePublished":"2013-08-07T14:17:08+00:00","dateModified":"2013-08-07T14:17:08+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/"},"wordCount":767,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Official-Formal-Photo-of-J-NigroGP92011-e1373569800577.jpg","articleSection":["Leadership"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/","url":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/","name":"Message From General President Nigro: SMART ensures all members a transparent operation - SMART Union","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Official-Formal-Photo-of-J-NigroGP92011-e1373569800577.jpg","datePublished":"2013-08-07T14:17:08+00:00","dateModified":"2013-08-07T14:17:08+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Official-Formal-Photo-of-J-NigroGP92011-e1373569800577.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/Official-Formal-Photo-of-J-NigroGP92011-e1373569800577.jpg"},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/message-from-general-president-nigro-smart-ensures-all-members-a-transparent-operation\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Message From General President Nigro: SMART ensures all members a transparent operation"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/","name":"SMART Union","description":"","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#organization","name":"SMART Union","url":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/SMART_logo.svg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/09\/SMART_logo.svg","width":280,"height":57,"caption":"SMART Union"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#\/schema\/person\/3bf284ac953ca998cc3f03167a72c88f","name":"paul","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/eb3b121961f32ba73202c7c88bf18eb6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/eb3b121961f32ba73202c7c88bf18eb6?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"paul"},"url":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/author\/paul\/"}]}},"image_url":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"link","format":"url"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=682"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/682\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=682"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=682"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=682"},{"taxonomy":"member_types","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smart-union.org\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/member_types?post=682"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}