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The Biden-Harris Administration’s new infrastructure proposal may be the most significant investment in new American jobs since FDR’s New Deal in the 1930s. The nation’s infrastructure has been left in shambles for far too long due to years of gridlock in Washington, D.C. With a new administration and Congress turning its focus to rebuilding America, now is the time for real action that addresses these needs and helps working families.
The Biden-Harris infrastructure proposal, called the American Jobs Plan, focuses on more than roads and bridges, which may be the first words that come to mind when the term “infrastructure” is mentioned. It also includes modernizing the nation’s rail system to meet passenger rail capacity taken for granted by nations in Europe, and to better compete with China’s ultramodern freight rail system. In addition, the plan would fund the retrofitting of public buildings, including schools and colleges, so that air systems are up-to-date, efficient and safe for occupants in a world where the next pandemic could be right around the corner.

The American Jobs Plan will provide critical investments needed to modernize the nation’s energy delivery systems, including power generation facilities that will employ thousands of sheet metal workers working to ensure the availability of affordable energy for all Americans.

The energy sector is another area that has significant infrastructure needs, as well as pent-up and growing demand for the safe delivery of energy to cities, businesses and homes. America’s current energy infrastructure — including the generation, storage, transmission and distribution of energy — is inadequate to meet our current needs, let alone future demands. The American Jobs Plan will provide critical investments needed to modernize the nation’s energy delivery systems, including power generation facilities that will employ thousands of sheet metal workers working to ensure the availability of affordable energy for all Americans.
Overall, our infrastructure needs are vast and will only continue to grow without decisive action from Washington,D.C.
Due to the Biden-Harris Administration’s support for high labor standards, the American Jobs Plan will also secure a broad pathway to the middle class for hundreds of thousands of Americans, through new union jobs in all sectors of the trades, and by putting existing members to work. It will also ensure that the next generation of American construction workers remain among the best-trained, safest and well-equipped in the world.
This support for strong labor standards shows the Biden-Harris Administration understands that the labor movement is the best avenue to easing pandemic-related job and financial insecurity that has placed a heavy burden on so many working families. For union members, this will be a major employment shot in the arm, with a plethora of new work opportunities in the immediate future — and the kind of jobs that keep members busy for years to come.
The time is now to take action. Contact your Senators and Congresspersons about this important pending infrastructure legislation. What we do today will lay the groundwork for future generations of Americans to compete in a rapidly changing world.

Fraternally,

Joseph Powell
General Secretary-Treasurer

As we turn from enduring a difficult winter and the challenges of a pandemic that has tested our resilience and our country for more than a year, our organization has continued to press ahead to better serve you.
The core purpose of SMART-TD is to aggressively and vigorously defend the safety and well-being of workers and to promptly field the concerns of its membership. Ever since the installation of my administration in 2019, we have been moving ahead to make dynamic changes internally and externally to the union. We want the services you are entitled to as a union member to be delivered promptly and effectively to your satisfaction, pandemic or not.

We want the services you are entitled to as a union member to be delivered promptly and effectively to your satisfaction, pandemic or not.

To this end, a number of technology-related projects have been completed. More are in the works — all undertaken with the intent that we provide the best value and representation that your union can offer and that you deserve as a part of SMART-TD.
Some of these include:

  • The creation of online Safety Condition and Technology Failure Reports to properly document and address membership issues and concerns in a more timely manner. We have received thousands of submissions with a vast majority of these concerns successfully addressed by officers since their launch.
  • Significant improvements to the SMART phone app, with more on the way, which will provide even more functionality, utility and information. These include new features such as messaging functions, virtual membership cards, a listing of Local, State Legislative and General Committee information and contact options to members.
  • A revamped website is in the works that will improve and expand members’ experience to find answers and information that they need.
  • After receiving numerous requests, we have recently created a membership option to receive the TD News electronically instead of print in efforts to reduce delivery time while saving production and mailing costs.
  • We are also in the process of expanding Field Service assistance for local treasurers by providing additional representatives who will be available during select evening and weekend hours.
  • We have increased our efforts of communicating with our members and officers, soliciting ideas and suggestions via personal phone conversations and surveys. This includes responding to each and every phone call and email to those that have contacted my office with issues, concerns or questions. As I have stated several times, I value each and every member and your thoughts and ideas are important to me.

These are but a small example of the many projects we are working on, but few are more important than the efforts underway to adapt and improve our efforts to educate members and officers.

While we are disappointed that 2021 marks the second straight year we have not been able to have an annual regional meeting due to COVID-19, we’re making adjustments. We plan to have smaller regionally focused training sessions when and where it is safe to do so. We’re also in the process of establishing virtual training online through the SMART University initiative that’s being developed. These will provide officer training and resources, both visually with videos as well as with supporting documents and presentations.
Externally, we are working at being more visible as well.
Legislative directors in 14 states are working to get two-person crew bills introduced after our successful case in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals. They’re also working on fighting back against Precision Scheduled SPRING 2021 5 Railroading (PSR) with 10 states working on bills to limit train lengths.

Legislative directors in 14 states are working to get two-person crew bills introduced after our successful case in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.

No doubt, it’s been a rough period, but our team is built for facing adversity, and more importantly, have the experience and determination to address it.
Many members have been furloughed at the whim of carriers thanks to PSR. We are fighting back by telling all of those who would listen about the increased danger posed by this mode of operation and about carriers wanting to cut freight crews. The in-depth article that Vice Magazine put together in late March is just one example. We are looking to expand these conversations and are reaching out to additional media outlets, as well as each and every state capital. We now have doors held open, often receiving invitations to tell our side of the story and have our voices heard on Capitol Hill, which is a complete reversal of what we have had to endure the past four years.
There’s much to be positive about as we roll ahead. Amtrak members who had been furloughed because of the pandemic are back on the job thanks to the American Recovery Plan championed by Joe Biden. The American Jobs Plan infrastructure bill that Biden unveiled March 31 contains many of the good, transportation-related provisions that last year’s H.R. 2 had, such as bus and transit operator protection and mandating two-person freight crews. We’ll need to all work together, be active and have our collective voices heard loud and clear to get this done, but we can do it.
We’re going to keep making your union the best it can be by serving, protecting and responding to you. You are the union. We are here for you. Let’s go!
Please stay safe out there, and God bless.

Jeremy Ferguson
President, Transportation Division

Back in January, we met with Steve Dodd and Greg Hynes to talk about the 2020 election and what to expect from the Biden-Harris administration. We have brought them back for this Talking SMART episode to talk about the first 100 days of the administration and, more specifically, its impact on SMART members.

Steve Dodd

Brother Dodd is SMART’s Director of Governmental Affairs. He spoke with us about the many actions the Biden administration has already taken to support working families, including positive impacts of the passage of the American Rescue Plan on COBRA, unemployment benefits, multiemployer pensions, and funding for school HVAC retrofits. He also discussed the PRO Act and what it means for SMART members to have so many labor friendly people now appointed to top positions in the Biden administration.

Greg Hynes

Brother Hynes is a fifth-generation railroader and SMART TD’s National Legislative Director. He discussed how the Biden Administration, in contrast to the previous administration, now very much has an open door for labor and actively seeks input from unions on issues of concern to working families. Greg also touched on how the American Rescue Plan included funding to rehire furloughed Amtrak workers, the significance of new leadership at the Federal Rail Administration which is now re-prioritizing rail safety over corporate profits, and what it really means when politicians or rail carriers say we need to just “cut back on regulations.”

In addition, listen for the open mic segment with SMART General President Joseph Sellers at the end of this episode. He responds to multiple questions that have come in from SMART members asking about what steps the Biden-Harris administration has taken to address the multiemployer pension crisis.

Return to Talking SMART index page.

Talking SMART is a member of the Labor Radio Podcast Network — working people’s voices, broadcasting worldwide 24 hours a day.

Yesterday, President Biden announced that Celeste Drake will serve as the Nation’s first Director of the Made in America Office at the Office of Management and Budget (OMB).
SMART issued the following response:
“We applaud the Biden Administration for its continued commitment to prioritizing workers, revitalizing our economy, and creating union, family-sustaining jobs. This new position will be critical in shaping and implementing Federal policy to carry out the President’s vision of future manufacturing focused on ensuring goods are made in America by American workers.
There is no better customer of American made goods than the Federal government which can use the size of its purchasing power to make a sizable difference and jump start manufacturing activity in the US. Celeste Drake is an experienced advocate for working people with the necessary experience and expertise on advocating for workers around trade issues. We look forward to working with her in this new role to rebuild our infrastructure, create union jobs and restore the middle class.”
 

Yesterday, President Biden released the American Families Plan and delivered an address to a joint session of Congress. In response, SMART issued the following statement.
“After his first 100 days in office, it is clear, President Biden is delivering on his promise to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic, rebuild our country and revitalize our economy. He recognizes that a strong middle class is the backbone of our country and is committed to pursuing structural changes to lift all boats.
His American Jobs Plan and American Families Plan provide necessary investments in our country to make life better for Americans. The American Jobs Plan will rebuild our country’s physical infrastructure and workforce. It calls for the passage of the PRO Act, which will empower workers to exercise their freedom to organize for a better life and create good paying union jobs. The American Families plan will invest in our children and families through education, healthcare and paid family and medical leave policies. These two plans make it clear that infrastructure and economic policy are inseparable from family policy. To build back better, we must invest in our workers and the middle class, so all of our families succeed now and into the future.
President Biden knows what we have known for a long time—the middle class built this country and unions built the middle class. President Biden laid out his plan to invest in working families and we look forward to working with the Biden Administration and Congress to enact it.”

Photos by Dave Sylvester, Local 73

Hillside, Ill. – SMART SM Local 73 is partnering with Proviso Township and Jewel-Osco to provide added capacity for COVID-19 vaccine distribution efforts, with its union hall functioning as a vaccine injection site. More than 1400 vaccines were administered today between 9am and 4pm at the local hall in Hillside, just west of downtown Chicago, for residents of any of the 15 villages in Proviso Township.

“This wouldn’t be happening in Hillside today without Local 73 stepping up and helping out,” said Hillside Mayor Joseph Tamburino, who was at the vaccination site throughout the day. “They set the room up and did everything we asked them to do and it’s fantastic. Their facility is just perfect for this.”

The union hall effectively functioned as a one-day pop-up vaccine clinic. The site was thoroughly cleaned and prepped ahead of time and a sanitation crew will be coming Monday night and doing a deep clean of the space.

“This wouldn’t be happening in Hillside today without Local 73 stepping up and helping out.”

– Hillside (Ill.) Mayor Joseph Tamburino

“We are proud to partner with Proviso Township, Jewel-Osco and Mayor Tamburino to provide a safe, convenient location for members of our community to receive their vaccine,” said Local 73 President and Business Manager Raymond Suggs. He added that the local is looking to help with additional vaccination days in coming weeks, depending on vaccine availability.

Nationally, SMART is part of a coordinated effort by U.S. building trades unions to make their facilities available to President Biden’s COVID-19 Relief Task Force for U.S. vaccine distribution. In February, the Governing Board of Presidents of North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) voted unanimously to offer more than 5,000 union halls and training centers to the vaccine distribution effort.

The Railroad, Mechanical and Engineering Department is excited to relaunch the Department’s Report in the Member’s Journal and online.  This page is devoted to news for members belonging to the local unions and General Committees under this Department. Be sure to check future issues for the latest updates coming from the Department.
 
International Representative Charles Fraley Retires
On December 31, 2020, Charles (Charlie) J. Fraley retired as an International Representative for the SMART Railroad, Mechanical and Engineering Department. He was appointed to the position on October 1, 2004.  As an International Representative, he negotiated, interpreted and applied agreements covering wages, hours, health benefits and other conditions of employment and represented employees in all conferences, negotiations or other proceedings with management. He also appeared and represented employees before any tribunal authorized to consider or adjust claims arising out of the interpretation or application of such agreements.
Prior to accepting the position of International Representative, Brother Fraley was General Chairperson for the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association. He serviced the commuter railroads in the Northeast along with Amtrak, CSX, Norfolk Southern, Springfield Terminal and D&H Railroad.
He hired on Penn Central Railroad in November 1975 as a laborer. In June 1976, shortly after Conrail was created, he became a sheet metal worker. He was Local Chairperson/President of Local Union 398 for seventeen years prior to accepting a full-time position as General Chairperson.
During his time working for the railroad, Brother Fraley was Chairman of the Selkirk Safety Committee, Co-Chairman of the Selkirk Safety Committee, Chairman of the Conrail Labor & Management Program, Chairman of various Conrail Quality Improvement teams, Waste Water Treatment Plant Operator, and Environmental Specialist. He was a member of the NRAB on the Second Division and various RSAC committees.
Brother Fraley received a High School Diploma in 1975 from Colonie Central High School and completed the Waste Water Treatment Plant Operator classes at Hudson Valley Community College and AFL-CIO Organizing Institute.
The Department thanks Brother Fraley for his dedicated service to the membership and wishes him a long and well-deserved retirement.
In the interim, International Representative Larry Holbert will continue to work hard to assist the General Committees, locals, and members under the Department and ensure they receive the highest quality representation. Brother Holbert has 41 years of railroad service.
Brother Holbert started his career with Burlington Northern Railroad in August of 1979, working in the Maintenance of Way Department until October of 1989. He then transferred into the Railroad, Mechanical and Engineering Department as a sheet metal worker apprentice. On April 9, 1990, he completed his apprenticeship and became a journeyperson. In January of 1996, he was elected to the position of Local Chairperson for Local 259 in Alliance, Nebraska, and in October of 2006, he was elected as an Executive Board Member to the U.S. District Council of Railroads. In June of 2008, he was elected to the position of General Chairperson for the U.S. District Council of Railroads, and then in May of 2011, he became an International Representative for this Department. Brother Holbert served as an International Representative until his appointment as Department Director in September of 2011, and he worked in this position until October of 2012 after the passing of his son, Michael. He returned to the International Representative position at this time and is currently serving in this role.
Brother Holbert and his wife Theresa have been married for 35 years, and they have three children. Jeffery, their oldest, lives in Alliance, Nebraska working for BNSF RR as an engineer. Their second child, Michael, lived in Alliance, Nebraska and was an electrician for BNSF Railroad. Their third child, Sarah, also lives in Alliance along with their three grandchildren. Sarah is a secretary working at Trinidad Bean Company.
Department Director Tony Iannone retired at the end of June in 2020. As of July 2020, Assistant to the General President and Special Counsel Donna Silverman oversees the Department and works closely with the International Representatives to serve the membership.
 
 
 
 

In this month’s video address from SMART General President Joseph Sellers, he looks at the recent passage of the American Rescue Plan.
The plan does more than provide direct cash relief through payments to working Americans and resources for COVID-19 vaccination efforts. This critical legislation also provides long-sought help for multiemployer pension plans, puts Amtrak members back to work, boosts transit funding, provides COBRA assistance to jobless workers and funds a round of mitigation efforts to help get America’s schoolchildren back in the classroom through funds for air system monitoring and new HVAC retrofit work that will create sheet metal jobs.

 

The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) pledges its enthusiastic support to U.S. Representative Tim Ryan of Ohio as he considers a potential bid for the United States Senate.
“Rep. Ryan has stood throughout his career as an elected official with the working women and men of SMART as well as workers across Ohio and the United States,” said Joseph Sellers, Jr., SMART General President. “We know Tim Ryan thanks to his work on behalf of SMART members and his understanding of the issues facing working Ohio families and will serve them well in the US Senate.”
Rep. Ryan has stood up to anti-worker attacks and has co-sponsored national legislation that would require two certified people to operate freight trains, strengthened apprenticeship programs, and voted in favor of the HEROES Act, which would have protected SMART members during the COVID-19 pandemic. He has also worked hard to protect retirement security from corporate greed that would have eviscerated retirement savings and the quality of life for millions of workers and retirees.
SMART, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, is one of North America’s most dynamic and diverse unions with 200,000 members. SMART’s members ensure the quality of the air we breathe, promote energy efficiency, produce and provide the vital services that move products to market and passengers to their destinations. We are sheet metal workers, service technicians, bus operators, engineers, conductors, sign workers, welders, production employees and more. With members in scores of different occupations, we advocate for fairness in the workplace, excellence at work and opportunity for all working families.

 
 
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka and AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Liz Shuler joined the co-chairs of the AFL-CIO Retirement Security Working Group, UFCW International President Marc Perrone and SMART General President Joseph Sellers, in the following statement on the inclusion of multiemployer pension relief in the American Rescue Plan, which passed the House today:
 
After a lifetime of hard work, working people deserve to retire with dignity. The labor movement is proud of our negotiated multiemployer pension plans, which have provided retirement income security for millions of working people for decades. Reckless Wall Street behavior, industry deregulation and employers’ deviant use of corporate bankruptcy have threatened the financial security of millions who’ve worked hard only to have that promise robbed from them. The provisions included in this package are important steps that will help eligible retirement funds protect the retirement benefits we earned by sacrificing wage increases.
The current pandemic has only exacerbated the dire situation and the need for immediate action.  The legislation contains provisions designed to help protect some plans that are currently healthy from sliding into insolvency because of the unprecedented economic shutdown, and also goes a long way toward stabilizing the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation and the multiemployer pension system overall. This system not only provides retirement income to the 10.4 million hardworking Americans who participate in the multiemployer plans, alleviating the need to rely on government safety-net programs that already are stretched thin, but also generates more than $158 billion annually in federal tax revenue that benefits communities across the country.
The Senate should act quickly to send this relief to President Biden’s desk so we can keep the promise of a secure retirement for those who have earned, and deserve, nothing less.