Fighting for what’s right

Brothers and sisters, we are in a fight for what matters. And what matters is not abstract. It’s not party politics, slogans or cable news. What matters is our way of life — where every working person has dignity, respect, and the pay and benefits we need to take care of our families.

That’s why we fight: for good jobs, for fairness, for the basic right to bargain collectively. And that’s why those who profit from our labor want to weaken us. Because they know that when SMART members stand united, we have power: the power to win contracts, protect safety and build stability for our families.

I didn’t grow up in a family with union benefits. My parents did not have the security of a union pension waiting at the finish line. When I joined this union, I didn’t just find a paycheck — I found stability. A future. A way to look my wife and kids in the eye and say: We’re going to be okay.

That’s what SMART gave me. And I know many of you have stories like mine — stories of how our union lifted you and your family up. No matter where we came from, whether we work in a shop, a rail yard, a bus depot, installing wall cladding systems, roofing, or in production shops across North America, we share this truth: Alone we beg. Together we bargain. Together, we build a better life.

What’s under attack today isn’t just our contracts or wages — it’s our unity. There are groups whose only goal is to steer power away from working people. They try to take what makes us strong — our ability to stand together as one — and weaken it by turning our differ­ences into divisions.

We see these ideas baked into efforts like Project 2025, or advanced by groups such as the American Legislative Exchange Council and The Fraser Institute. Their mission is clear: weaken labor, divide workers and tilt the balance of power even further away from those who build and service our countries, to those who pillage the fruit of our labor.

And let’s be honest — sometimes, it works. For those of us who get up early every day to provide for our families, it’s easy to fall into the trap of thinking: look what they got, look what they took. It’s easier to blame someone’s race, gender, origin, age or faith than to face the harder truth: There is a strategy at play to get us to look at each other as the enemy, instead of as brothers and sisters.

That division doesn’t ease the pain we’re feeling — it amplifies it. And the more we believe those distractions are the cause of our struggles, the more power we give to those who benefit from our division.

We are the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation workers of North America. Diverse in background and craft, but united in family — our union family. Our diversity is not a weakness; it is our strength. The skills we bring, the perspectives we carry, and the experi­ences that shape us all come together to make this union stronger, smarter and more resilient. And when our union is strong — when we can provide for our fami­lies and build stability at home — we create stronger communities and stronger countries.

This isn’t about left or right. It’s about right and wrong. And the fight ahead will take all of us, pulling in the same direction.

I believe in us. I believe in our solidarity. And I know that as long as we remain focused and united, there is nothing we cannot achieve.

In solidarity,

John Daniel
SMART General Secretary Treasurer