The SMART Education Department, in collaboration with the Organizing Department, held its Top-Down Organizing class the week of May 4 – 8, 2026, in St. Louis.
Nonunion contractors across North America stand ready to benefit from the union advantage — top-notch training, reliability and a skilled workforce. But whether it’s because they’re misinformed or just not aware of the union difference, these contractors have yet to partner with SMART. That’s what made the Education Department’s May class so important: Bringing together union leaders from across North America, the course focused on developing “top-down” organizing campaigns that target nonunion contractors.
Local 27 Business Manager Chris George
Participants learned to find nonunion contractors in their local’s jurisdiction using SICs (Standard Industrial Codes) and turned their lists into maps and routes using Google Maps. The main instruction in the class centered around what contractors need to succeed and how our locals are built to fulfill that primary need: a flexible labor force. Participants delved deep into a contractor’s mindset to understand their perspectives on the challenges of running a construction company, learning how to reframe common objections to unionization as benefits of unionization.
Attendees roleplayed interactions with the gatekeeper, delivering a custom-built elevator pitch, first meetings and subsequent meetings with the contractors. There were nearly 20 exercises throughout the week, many of them involving peer evaluations/ranking and group evaluations/rankings. After mock exercises, participants debriefed with critical feedback to their peers.
“Local 6” — Greg Goble (Local 27), Alex Lorenzo (Local 66) and Jared Starling (Local 399) — was ranked in third place by their peers. “Local 5” — Paul Conners (Local 17), Juan Amaya (Local 28) and Jeff Hollinsworth (Local 104) — was ranked in second place. “Local 8” — Fernando Robles (Local 28), Bryson Riker (Local 66) and Jeremy Waugh (Local 110) — was recognized by peers as the best group in the class.
“Congratulations to Jeremy Waugh, the highest point winner in the top group, for winning the coveted ‘Coffee is for Closers’ coffee cup!” said SMART Director of Education Eli Baccus. “We hope this class spurs participants’ top-down organizing efforts, and that more contractors are brought in for more work opportunities for our members.”
The day opened with a welcome from Geoff Foringer, Local 12 business manager, who greeted attendees on behalf of the host city. Foringer highlighted Pittsburgh’s deep cultural roots, proud sports tradition and important place in the history of the American labor movement.
Local 12 Business Manager Geoff Foringer
Opening remarks followed from Tom Wiant and Lance Deyette, SMART assistants to the general president. They discussed new SMART International initiatives underway across the the United States and Canada, emphasizing the importance SMART leadership places on hearing directly from local leaders and members. That feedback, they noted, is essential as our union continues working to improve the lives of SMART members and their families.
Wiant and Deyette
The meeting featured a full slate of presentations focused on organizing, member support, recruitment and retention. Jason Benson, SMART director of organizing, shared updates on SMART’s organizing priorities and ongoing efforts to grow our union.
That was followed by a presentation on new developments in SMART’s child care partnership with TOOTRiS, led by Louise Medina, director of special projects, and Tiffany Finck-Hayes, governmental affairs representative. SMART General Vice President and Local 85 (Atlanta) Business Manager Steve Langley, along with Local 5 (East Tennessee) Business Manager Christian Fuller, also discussed how their locals are using child care support to make the trade more accessible to new recruits — and to help keep members in the industry.
Finck-HaynesLangleyFullerMedina
The morning wrapped up with a presentation on how the International Training Institute is supporting recruitment and retention efforts, as well as the work of the RISE Committee. The presentation was delivered by Tammy Meyen, ITI field staff — recruitment and retention specialist, and Dale Clark, RISE Committee chair and ITI OSHA specialist.
In the afternoon, the council turned its focus to workplace protections, workforce development and practical recruitment tools. David Ortiz-Whittingham, construction organizer with Worker Justice, presented on protecting immigrants at work and in the community, taking questions from attendees on a range of issues impacting immigrant workers and their families.
BensonChappellLocal 565 Organizer Steve McDonaldMeyen
The session also included a BE4ALL Toolbox Talk led by Jan Chappell, Recruitment and Retention Council recording secretary.
All told, the day’s agenda reflected SMART’s continued commitment to organizing, supporting members, strengthening local unions and building real pathways into the trade. From child care and worker protections to recruitment tools and workforce partnerships, the first day in Pittsburgh centered one shared goal: expanding opportunity for current and future SMART members.
SMART Local 398 members from San Diego Metropolitan Transit System (MTS) and North County Transit District (NCTD) came together in February and April 2026 for two impactful rounds of training designed to educate, empower and build stronger connections within their workplace and across San Diego County transit employers.
Local 398 members on NCTD operate commuter trains, dispatch trains, perform security work to ensure passengers can take public transit safely, and clean and maintain NCTD train stations and facilities. Members on MTS perform light rail vehicle overhauls and repairs, inspect and repair catenary lines, track maintenance, cleaning and maintenance of MTS train stations and facilities, operation of light rail vehicles, clerical work, warehouse material handling and logistics, as well as maintenance and repair of transit fare machines.
Workers at both transit systems operate across San Diego County but rarely — if ever — interact. With these training sessions, SMART brought members a valuable opportunity to exchange ideas, compare best practices and build a unified approach to common workplace issues. Participants engaged in hands-on learning, open discussions and strategy sessions aimed at strengthening both individual capability and collective voice.
“If we want stronger membership, we need stronger connections. This training is helping build those needed connections,” said Local 398 MTS Maintenance of Way Department worker Rene Fuentevilla.
Local 398 MTS Light Rail Vehicle Department worker Scott Wildhaber agreed.
“The training sessions reminded me that no matter where we come from or what department or transit agency we work for, a lot of us are dealing with the same workplace issues and want the same things: respect, fairness and a voice on the job,” he said.
The first session, held on February 26, laid the groundwork by focusing on core knowledge, shared challenges and the importance of collaboration. A second, more advanced training followed on April 30, reinforcing those lessons with hands-on learning while deepening relationships among the participants. Both sessions were held at SMART Local 206’s McClees Hall.
Beyond the technical and professional development, the training confirmed that many of the challenges facing transit workers are not isolated, but shared across agencies, regions and operating models.
Notably, the training was developed and led by representatives from two distinct departments —the SMART Railroad, Mechanical and Engineering (RME) and the Production Workers Departments — each with different day-to-day functions but facing many of the same workplace challenges. By working together to design and deliver the program, these departments demonstrated how diverse roles within SMART can align around the shared goals of solidarity, bringing respect to and empowering workers. The collaboration not only strengthened the content of the training, but also intentionally exposed participants to the breadth of skills, perspectives and experiences across SMART — underscoring both the diversity and solidarity that define their union.
“Much thanks goes to SMART’s Director of Production Workers Dave Goodspeed and International Organizers Laura Nunez and Julian Posadas for their leadership and collaboration in building and delivering this training,” said SMART RME Department Director Peter Kennedy. “Your commitment made it possible to bring MTS and NCTD workers together, strengthen our knowledge, and move forward with a stronger shared purpose. We also want to thank Dave Gauthier and Local 206 for their unwavering support of the members of SMART Local 398, as they make our training possible with their facilities.”
There are many traits that make the union trades the gold standard in the construction industry. But the most defining characteristics are, without a doubt:
the solidarity that defines the labor movement, and
the top-notch training and skill that union workers bring to the workplace.
For SMART sheet metal workers, union solidarity and union craftsmanship go hand-in-hand. SMART Local 36 proved that with its work to rebuild the roof of the Missouri Historical Society Library and Research Center.
A historic disaster
In May 2025, St. Louis experienced its first deadly tornado since 1959.
The St. Louis tornado, obscured by rain, captured by CCTV on the St. Louis Arch
For 27 minutes, the tornado tracked across more than 20 miles of Greater St. Louis, leaving devastation and destruction in its wake. Five people were killed, with an estimated $1.6 billion in property damage spanning 5,000 structures. One of those structures was the Missouri Historical Society Library and Research Center, particularly its exterior and distinctive domed copper roof.
The Library and Research Center features a large collection of Thomas Jefferson papers, one million photographs and prints, video and audio recordings, artifacts related to Lewis and Clark, and much more. Together, the copper dome and barreled roof were a symbol of the Center itself: historic, artful and beautiful.
And when it came time to rebuild this St. Louis-area staple, Local 36 and signatory contractor David Hyde & Associates were ready to step to the plate.
“David Hyde & Associates (DH&A) and union craftsmanship are on full display fabricating and installing this copper dome and barrel roof,” Local 36 wrote on Facebook back in November 2025.
Specifically, members meticulously placed 88 rows of gleaming copper panels onto the domed roof, bringing a historic building — whose origins date back to 1927 — back to life.
In April 2026, SMART announced a new benefit for union sheet metal workers and roofers across Canada: Enriched Academy, a financial literacy tool available to members for free.
SMART membership isn’t just about top-notch training, representation at work, collectively bargained contracts or pensions. It’s about what all of those things mean when combined. It’s about using our collective power and strength to give members the freedom to live free, full lives with their families.
That’s exactly why SMART Canada worked to offer members free access to Enriched Academy, said Director of Canadian Affairs Jack Wall.
“We find that in a lot of families today, if they’re not financially secure, they have stress. And stress evolves, brings other things down: their health, their mental health, their relationships, and so on and so forth,” he explained. “So what we’re looking to do here is, we’re looking to offer every member in Canada financial assistance.”
At a time when half of all Canadians admit to living paycheque to paycheque, that assistance is especially important. SMART members in Canada benefit from the strength of union collective bargaining agreements — but being empowered with the knowledge of how to manage their earnings is nearly as important.
Enriched Academy works with individuals and organizations across the country to provide Canadians with financial skills, knowledge and habits. For Canadian SMART members, that will take the form of online seminars, in-person seminars where Enriched Academy staff visits union halls, modules on managing day-to-day expenses, reducing debt, when and how to purchase a new car, and beyond.
“We’re looking to, when [members] come to buy a new home, [for them] to be better prepared for a down payment on their home, be better prepared for their financial retirement, when the time comes,” Wall said. “So it’s going to come into play in many different ways.”
SMART Canada members are encouraged to take advantage of this opportunity to invest in their financial well-being by contacting their business manager today.
Each year on May 1st, working people all over the world celebrate May Day, or International Workers’ Day.
While Labor Day is celebrated in September in the United States and Canada, International Workers’ Day is an official public holiday in countries ranging from Denmark and France to Nepal. But despite its international character, the modern origins of May Day are very American, dating back to the 19th-century fight for an eight-hour workday.
1886 engraving depicting the Haymarket affair
The fight for workers’ rights
Workers across North America know one simple fact to be true: There are eight hours in the workday. Of course, SMART members often work far more than eight hours in a day — from TD members working long shifts on the rails to sheet metal workers pulling six twelves to get a job over the line. But eight hours still makes a difference: It’s the foundation for the 40-hour workweek and, as a result, the principle that governs when most North American workers get overtime pay.
That principle — eight hours for work, eight hours for sleep, eight hours for whatever we want to do in our free time — was won in blood.
In the 1800s, as the industrial revolution changed the entire world, workers were crammed into factories, working long days (10 to 16 hours or more) in dangerous conditions for low pay. Unions organized in response. In 1884, the Federation of Organized Trades and Labor Unions of the United States and Canada — which preceded the American Federation of Labor (AFL) — passed a resolution stating that by May 1, 1886, a single day’s labor would only be eight hours. As the deadline approached, workers organized work stoppages in 1886 with the slogan “Eight hours for work, eight hours for rest, eight hours for what we will!”
In Chicago, these demonstrations helped trigger a domino effect with global impact. In May 1886, police killed at least two people after opening fire on striking workers at a McCormick Harvesting Machine Company Plant. The next day, workers rallied at Haymarket Square in protest. When police stormed the crowd, the peaceful protest quickly became violent: A bomb was thrown and a shootout erupted, killing multiple police officers and workers. The events would become known as the Haymarket Affair.
Eight protesters were arrested afterwards. According to UCLA, “The ensuing trial was considered by many to be unfair and resulted in the execution of seven of the eight men.” And the international outrage that followed helped lead to the modern iteration of May Day/International Workers’ Day.
The forgotten history of the eight-hour workday
The eight-hour workday was not officially law in the United States until 1938, when President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed the Fair Labor Standards Act into law.
But despite the 50 years in between the Haymarket Affair and this major victory for workers, the two events are in no way unrelated: The fight that started in the 1880s led directly to a win in the 1930s.
Worker victories are very rarely won overnight. SMART members know this well — we learned it from the long journey to a federal two-person crew regulation, the ongoing push for labor law that truly supports American workers, the fight against so-called “right to work” in states like Michigan, and other battles. These fights took decades to win; many are still being fought. But the fact that we have legally required overtime pay is proof that these battles are worth waging, and that our solidarity will win out in the end.
Today, most Americans are unaware of the history of May Day. In fact, most Americans likely don’t know the reason they have an eight-hour workday or two days off every week — just like they are probably unaware that unions lift pay and living standards nationwide to this day.
That’s why, on May 1 and throughout the year, it’s more important than ever that we reclaim our history.
In April 2026, SMART members and workers across the United States experienced the kind of month that can define entire lives. Foreign policy decisions and chaos at the national level sent gas and diesel prices spiking. Conflict abroad affected the construction industry. And in the backdrop, Election Day 2026 marched steadily closer, bringing with it the usual ads, commercials and mailers.
In the middle of all that activity, SMART leaders and fellow building trades officers gathered in Washington, DC, April 19-22, for the annual North America’s Building Trades Unions Legislative Conference: attending plenary sessions, breakout workshops and meeting with elected leaders on Capitol Hill.
The conference theme, “A Deal’s A Deal,” reflected core principles of our nation and our movement.
First, the building trades will always provide a path forward for working people nationwide; that’s the deal we make for our communities and members.
Second, the workers who build the United States deserve to be supported by the people elected to represent them: no more broken promises, canceled projects and ripped-up contracts.
That’s the deal SMART members are owed, and the one that union leaders work tirelessly to secure.
SMART leaders hear from politicians, build knowledge in workshops
NABTU President Sean McGarvey, a longtime ally of SMART members across North America, spoke about the stakes of that deal in his keynote address on Tuesday, April 21. McGarvey minced no words talking about the crisis American workers face today: contracts and commitments getting walked back, uncertainty, shifting goalposts. In other words, deals getting broken.
“At a time when too many forget their own signature, the building trades are here to remind America: A deal is a deal,” McGarvey said.
Canceled construction projects — from Flint, Michigan, to ports nationwide— are attacks on the jobs and livelihoods of SMART members and fellow working Americans. They undermine communities, and they slow our nation’s progress. But despite these challenges, McGarvey said, the building trades continue to look forward. Whether expanding pre-apprenticeship programs, aggressively recruiting veterans into our trades, using mechanisms like the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust to fund union-built affordable housing developments, or working overtime to reduce overdose and suicide deaths in the construction industry, SMART and fellow building trades unions are fighting tirelessly to support members and communities nationwide.
“This is what unity and solidarity looks like,” McGarvey said, after telling attendees that overdose deaths in the construction industry dropped nearly 30% in one year. “This is what the building trades do … when we all come together, we make each other’s lives better.”
There is no use sugarcoating the challenges we face. Decisions made at the federal level have thrown the construction industry into disarray, sent prices skyrocketing and squeezed working Americans. That’s why organized labor is more important than ever, McGarvey concluded.
“Our movement has seen moments like this before … and every single time, the building trades rose to the occasion,” he said, adding: “We built this nation before, and we’ll build it again.”
Along with McGarvey, union leaders also heard from Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, who focused her remarks on the growing presence of artificial intelligence and advanced technology in our work, our industries and our personal lives. Union members don’t want to be constantly surveilled by AI programs, or have their jobs threatened by technology. We also don’t want to stop forward progress for our country.
Chang Suh of the AFL-CIO Housing Investment TrustAFL-CIO President Liz Shuler
What we want, she said, is for working people to build the economy of the future.
We want technology to help working-class Americans, not force them into unemployment. We want data centers built with project labor agreements and community benefit agreements in place — creating good, union jobs and ensuring that communities aren’t subsidizing corporate profits at the expense of the places they call home.
“We are at the most important fork in the road our economy has faced in 100 years,” Shuler said. “Are we going to put workers in the driver’s seat to decide our future?”
She concluded: “Labor is going to lead again.”
SMART leaders advocate tirelessly in the halls of power, bringing members’ voices to politicians regardless of political party. On Tuesday, elected leaders returned the favor: NABTU attendees heard from New Jersey Governor Mikie Sherrill, Senator Elissa Slotkin of Michigan, Senator Brian Schatz of Hawaii, Senator Chuck Schumer of New York and Representative Greg Casar of Texas.
Sen. Schatz
Holding a range of positions and representing vastly different geographic areas, the political speakers talked about different topics in their remarks. But there were consistent throughlines. First, recognizing the failures of both political parties to truly support workers by creating jobs, lowering prices and building housing, among other examples. Second, the importance of keeping the promises our country and its leaders have made to working people: making sure deals are followed through, not abandoned on the campaign trail.
“Workers are getting screwed every single day, so we need to fight back with everything we have — and win,” said Senator Schatz. “The best way to support the building trades is to actually build things.”
Representative Casar agreed.
“If you make this country run, you should have a union wage and the ability to retire and take care of your kids,” he said in his remarks.
“In Washington, every single day, rich and powerful people wake up like it’s their job to pit working people against each other. They do it because they want to rob us blind,” Casar added. “That’s our money created by our labor.”
While the plenary session offered the opportunity to hear directly from elected members of Congress, afternoon workshops were just as valuable.
SMART leaders and fellow attendees attended breakout sessions on data center construction and the importance of winning the work; updates on White House, agency, and congressional initiatives affecting multiemployer pension and health plans; investing in union-built affordable housing through the AFL-CIO Housing Investment Trust; and much more. Whether workshops focused on artificial intelligence training, peer mental health support, benefits for veterans or any of the other topics available, there was one common theme: working proactively and innovatively to secure the future for union building trades workers.
Wednesday speakers demonstrate bipartisan support
As SMART General President Michael Coleman has said repeatedly, our union’s issues aren’t Red or Blue — they are about improving the lives of SMART members and their families. During the final day of the NABTU Legislative Conference, that principle was put on display, with elected officials and candidates from across the political spectrum speaking to attendees about the issues that matter to building trades workers. Union leaders heard from Congressmen Seth Magaziner, Mike Lawler and Brian Fizpatrick, as well as United States Senate candidate Graham Platner.
Congressman FitzpatrickCongressman Magaziner
Republican Rep. Fitzpatrick has been a longtime friend of the union building trades, oftentimes bucking his party leadership in order to support SMART members and working families. Fitzpatrick helped draft one of several pro-worker laws passed under the Biden administration, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, to help put SMART members to work building our country.
“Infrastructure is not separate from American strength. Infrastructure is American strength,” he emphasized.
On the morning of his NABTU remarks, Fitzpatrick introduced a bill to revive Inflation Reduction Act tax credits, which would create jobs for SMART members.
Fitzpatrick was joined at NABTU by fellow Republican Rep. Mike Lawler, who has also prioritized several pro-worker votes despite the majority of his party doing the opposite — including the Protect America’s Workforce Act to restore collective bargaining for federal workers. The presence of Lawler and Fitzpatrick alongside Rhode Island’s Rep. Magaziner, a Democrat, demonstrated that our union will work with any leader, regardless of party, on behalf of SMART members.
“Thank God that in our free country, workers can join together and achieve power. Organized labor built this country, and organized labor will save this country,” Magaziner said. “We need to build again.”
Across the country, labor unions and working people are making their voices heard loud and clear, saying in one voice: The status quo is not good enough. Nowhere is that more true than in Maine, where oysterman Graham Platner is running as a proud working-class candidate for U.S. Senate. Platner joined NABTU to talk about the purpose of his campaign: “to win back the Senate for working Mainers.”
Platner has run a bold campaign focused on the needs of everyday people. That means investing in our jobs, our industries and our unions; for example, making sure every single dollar of federal money spent on construction includes a project labor agreement. But it also means policymaking that is intended to provide working people with more than just a paycheck. It means writing and passing bills designed to give SMART members and families a full and fulfilling life: a life where we have free time to pursue our passions, fall in love and spend time with our families — and do all those things with dignity.
In order to achieve those goals, Platner told NABTU, we need leaders in office who don’t make empty promises, and who don’t just do the bare minimum on SMART members’ behalf.
“For far too long, politicians in this country have waged a war on organized labor,” he said. “Our political system has kneecapped labor. It has done so for the benefit of bosses and corporations.”
“We need a new era in our politics,” he added later. “One where representatives see strengthening labor as the core of their job.”
Senator SlotkinGovernor SherrillDelegate Melissa Wells
The plenary session ended in fitting fashion: with a spotlight on building trades brothers and sisters who have stepped up to serve working people in elected office (or who are currently running for office). Attendees heard from Maryland State Delegate Melissa Wells, former Alaska State Senator and current candidate for governor Click Bishop, Canton, Ohio, Mayor William Sherer, Oak Creek Mayor and Wisconsin Assembly candidate Dan Bukiewicz, and Jason Shedlock, president of the Maine Building Trades and candidate for Maine House.
All of these leaders are proud union members, working to bring the voice of building trades workers to the halls of power.
“If we don’t start treating the halls of power like the rat jobsites that they are, nothing will ever change for us,” Shedlock bellowed.
SMART reception honors top PAL locals, welcomes candidates
Each year, SMART holds a reception during the NABTU Legislative Conference to honor the top 31 local unions with the highest donations, per capita, to the Political Action League (PAL). During the 2026 reception, SMART also heard from candidates seeking office: Illinois candidate for Congress Donna Miller, House of Representatives candidate Shannon Taylor of Virginia and Senate candidate Platner.
Shannon TaylorGraham PlatnerDonna Miller
SMART engages with officeholders and candidates early and often for one reason: to ensure their support for our members and their families. During their remarks to SMART leaders, Miller, Taylor and Platner all pledged to do exactly that.
“I know you are all in this fight,” Platner told SMART members. “I could not be prouder to be fighting arm in arm, in solidarity with SMART, with all your union brothers and sisters, and with working people everywhere.”
The top 31 PAL locals:
Local 434 (Los Angeles, Calif.)
Local 27 (Southern New Jersey)
Local 66 (Seattle, Wash.)
Local 71 (Buffalo, New York)
Local 265 (DuPage County, Illinois)
Local 112 (Elmira, New York)
Local 17 (Eastern Mass.)
Local 22 (Union, Morris, Somerset, Sussex Counties, N.J.)
Organizing is the foundation of the labor movement, and it remains the key to SMART’s health and strength to this day. Bringing unorganized workers into our union is how we grow union density, maintain the health of our funds and build our strength at the bargaining table.
For that reason, the SMART Education Department held its Bottom-Up Organizing class in St. Louis, Mo., during the week of April 13, 2026. The class focuses on developing practical competency in the process and skills required to successfully run bottom-up organizing campaigns.
Participants worked in small “local union” teams in a comprehensive role-play that mimicked a bottom-up campaign throughout the entire week. Each fictional local union worked as an organizing team and role-played the workers at the companies — Coleman Sheet Metal and Daniel Fabrication — based on character backgrounds provided for the simulation.
Each team was ranked by their performance in a mock union election at the end of the class. The fictional Local 2 group — Scott Olson (Local 18), Juan Amaya (Local 28), John Gjokaj (Local 38), Kyle Determan (Local 263) and Joe Watters (Local 285) — was the top local in the class based on highest election win percentage.
“Participants were very engaged in the role-play and were observed organizing each other outside of class time,” said SMART Director of Education Eli Baccus. “Everyone did a fantastic job working with their groups and playing their parts. Well done, everyone!”
SMART General President Michael Coleman joined the United States Congressional Labor Caucus on April 15, 2026, to bring the voice of SMART members to Congress.
The Congressional Labor Caucus is co-chaired by Representatives Mark Pocan, Donald Norcross, Debbie Dingell and Steven Horsford. The caucus has more than 120 members of Congress working to protect workers’ rights, to advance the priorities of workers and the labor movement, and to connect legislators directly with workers and unions.
From rail safety legislation to investments in infrastructure, elected representatives have a real impact on SMART members nationwide — which is why it’s important that they hear from us directly. In his meeting with congressmembers and staff, General President Coleman discussed the importance of strengthening and expanding registered apprenticeships, rail and transit operator safety, the need to pass laws that create jobs for sheet metal workers, and more.
“[Registered apprenticeships] build a strong pipeline of skilled workers for in-demand industries while opening the door to high-paying careers without student dept,” Rep. Pocan said on X after the meeting. “Expanding access to apprenticeships is how we create opportunities for every American, and I will continue to support these critical programs.”
Bringing member priorities directly to the people who represent them: That’s leadership in action!
Good partnerships in the union sheet metal industry don’t happen by accident. They’re built the same way anything worth a damn is built: with time, trust and hard work.
That’s exactly how things got rolling between Local 12 (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and Avalotis Corporation.
Back on October 14, 2025, Local 12 Business Manager Geoff Foringer connected the local with Chris Avalotis, owner of Avalotis Corp. Chris isn’t new to the skilled trades, and he knew what he was looking for. Avalotis Corp started as a family painting business more almost 60 years ago, in 1967. In the decades since, the company has grown into a multi-trade operation, taking on jobs across the country.
During the conversation with Foringer, Chris made it clear what he needed: skilled workers who could deliver on architectural work at a higher level. While his company was already performing that work, he saw something different in what Local 12 brings to the table.
About a week after the first meeting between Avalotis and Local 12, the conversation moved from the phone to the field.
On October 23, Foringer and International Organizer Shane Vermilye sat down with Avalotis reps to talk shop — what Local 12 can do, where the local fits, and how SMART can help Avalotis get the job done right. The focus was simple: show the company the value of trained, union sheet metal workers when it comes to architectural applications.
The foundation was set for the potential partnership to grow.
“During this meeting, we outlined how Local 12 could serve as a strategic partner and addressed questions regarding our capabilities,” said Vermilye. “Avalotis expressed strong interest and requested a follow-up visit to tour the training center and learn more about our programs. Plans were made to prepare a contract in anticipation of that visit, with the goal of executing it at that time.”
Of course, like any job, there were a few starts and stops.
On November 11, 2025, Chris reached out to say they’d reconnect after Thanksgiving. That was no problem for Local 12. The lines stayed open: calls, emails and steady communication, “allowing both parties to further develop the relationship and build mutual trust between Local 12 and Avalotis Corporation,” Vermilye said.
That’s how trust gets built in this business.
Fast forward to March 9, 2026. Business Agent Joe Schueler and Vermilye met with Chris and Art Avalotis for a full facility tour and to talk next steps. What came out of that meeting was big:
Avalotis is working nationwide
They’re planning to partner with SMART sheet metal locals across multiple regions
They’re actively looking to bring in more union workers
And it wasn’t just talk. The company is already looking to put Local 12 members to work, starting with a roofing project in Aliquippa, said Vermilye. On top of that, the company is feeling good about landing insulation and lagging work at a huge project near Homer City, which could mean even more opportunities for SMART sheet metal workers.
All the groundwork paid off on April 6, 2026. Art Avalotis sat down with Foringer and Business Agents Schueler, Dave Boyd and Kodee Bailey to make it official, signing the contract with Local 12.
With ink on paper, the conversation shifted to where it belongs: putting members to work.
Plans are already underway to staff upcoming projects, both locally and nationwide, getting Local 12 members on the job and expanding opportunities across the board. That means:
More job opportunities
Travel work potential
Stronger union presence across multiple jobsites
Work that matches our training and skill level
When contractors recognize the value of union labor, everybody wins. And this partnership? It’s just getting started.
