New TD crew room flyers available

A collection of new crew room posters and flyers is available to help keep SMART-TD members informed and engaged. Printed flyers can be requested at no charge in various sizes — up to 11”x17”. Posters are laminated for use with dry-erase markers, making them easy to update and reuse. You also have the option to download and print them yourself. For more information, please reach out to your local officers.

If you’d like to request printed flyers or have an idea for a new addition, please reach out to SMART-TD Vice President James Sandoval at jsandoval@smart-union.org. You can also place an order yourself by filling out this form.

A collection of new crew room posters and flyers is available to help keep SMART-TD members informed and engaged. Printed flyers can be requested at no charge in various sizes — up to 11”x17”. Posters are laminated for use with dry-erase markers, making them easy to update and reuse. You also have the option to download and print them yourself. For more information, please reach out to your local officers.

If you’d like to request printed flyers or have an idea for a new addition, please reach out to SMART-TD Vice President James Sandoval at jsandoval@smart-union.org. You can also place an order yourself by filling out this form.

SMART-TD E-3 Committee responds to member requests

Members came to SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson with the idea of creating new flyers for union bulletin boards in crew rooms to share important information, and President Ferguson tasked the E-3 Committee with making that happen.

Launched in 2024, the E-3 Committee (which stands for empowerment, education and engagement) focuses on ways to help locals and keep members updated on impor­tant events, benefits and solidarity-building activities.

E-3 Committee members:

• James Sandoval
• Nicholas Greficz
• Justin Schrock
• Charles (Buddy) Piland
• Hilary (Bill) Manoski
• William (WW) Jackson
• Matt Pietrzak

Knowledge is power, on and offline

Not all members are tech-savvy or avid social media users, and those who are among those groups made it clear that they prefer notices that are posted on bulletin boards.

Sandoval pointed out how this is proof that members’ ideas are incredibly valuable, since the idea is now being put into action.

“We found that a lot of our members weren’t aware of events and the value-added aspects that SMART-TD provides, including the Discipline Income Protection Plan (DIPP) and voluntary short and long-term disability insurance,” said Sandoval. “Some of the bulletin boards in the crew rooms hadn’t been updated in [over 20] years, and we were committed to fixing that.”

Flyers fill the gaps

Focused on important educational material, such as union “just cause” protections, the flyers also feature QR codes that take users directly to various SMART-TD-provided benefits.

“These QR codes encourage engagement amongst all of our brothers and sisters,” explained Sandoval. “With a simple tap on their smartphone, tablet or other device, our members have access to valuable information and benefits provided by their union at their fingertips.”

Many members also voiced concerns that they did not know where or when their local meetings took place, or who their local officers were if they had a problem.

The new flyers ensure that all members have access to these details, even if they don’t carry a smartphone or follow their local on social media.

Empowerment, education, engagement

The three-pronged approach of empowerment, educa­tion and engagement is crucial in the quest to build SMART-TD’s collective power. And the E-3 Committee is committed to pursuing that approach in the future, near and far.

“This committee is dedicated to strengthening our union by equipping our members with the tools to advo­cate for their rights,” said Sandoval. “Through fostering continuous learning and development and promoting active participation, we can forge a stronger union family capable of driving positive change.”