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American workers have a legal right to organize and form a union under federal labor law. Unfortunately, U.S. labor laws are some of the mostly weakly enforced among all industrialized nations, meaning anti-union employers too often take advantage of lax enforcement and violate labor law with little consequence.

The Protecting the Right to Organize Act, or PRO Act, aims to change all of this, empowering workers to exercise their rights to organize and bargain collectively. The legislation passed the U.S. House in Feb. 2020, but then Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refused to let it come to the Senate floor. With Democrats now in control of the Senate, the legislation is expected to move forward.

“U.S. labor law is in desperate need of an overhaul. It both needs updating to reflect the changing nature of our economy, and strengthening to ensure workers’ fundamental right to organize is protected.”

– SMART General President Joseph Sellers

“U.S. labor law is in desperate need of an overhaul,” said SMART General President Joseph Sellers, “It both needs updating to reflect the changing nature of our economy, and strengthening to ensure workers’ fundamental right to organize is protected.”

The act would amend decades-old U.S. labor laws to give workers more power at work and add penalties for companies that violate labor law. Currently, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) has no authority to levy fines against companies that break the law, such as firing a worker who initiatives a union organizing drive.

The PRO Act would also:

  • Help ensure workers who win union regognition can reach a first contract quickly.
  • End employers’ ability to hire permanent replacements to punish striking workers.
  • Enhance the NLRB’s power to fine companies that violate labor law, up to $50,000 per violation.
  • Weaken so-called “right-to-work” laws in 27 states that allow employees who benefit from union contracts to choose not to join or pay union dues.
  • Grant collective bargaining rights to hundreds of thousands of workers who currently don’t have them.
  • Allow more workers currently classified (or mis-classified…) as contractors to be considered employees for purposes of union organizing, opening the door for “gig workers” at companies like Uber and DoorDash to join or form unions.

“The PRO Act is a generational opportunity that will transform America’s labor landscape and marshal economic recovery for working people,” wrote AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka in an op-ed that appeared on CNN.com in January 2021. “The PRO Act is also an economic stimulus bill. Unions give more of us the collective power to win better pay and safer working conditions, putting additional money in workers’ pockets, driving demand and creating jobs.”


President Joe Biden made good on a promise to support workers and the labor movement on his first day when he fired National Labor Board General Counsel Pete Robb within 24 hours of taking office.
Robb, a former union buster with a virulently anti-union record, refused Biden’s request to resign on inauguration day. No president had previously fired an NLRB counsel, though one anti-union counsel resigned at the request of President Harry Truman in 1950.
The position of NLRB General Counsel wields significant power in the field of labor power because it is the General Counsel who decides which cases to prosecute while administering how to follow the law when cases are argued.
Robb had spent the past few years advancing numerous employer-friendly arguments and interpretations of the National Labor Relations Act. He made it a priority to allow employers to unilaterally modify contract terms and narrowed the scope in which union stewards and representatives could operate at the worksite. He also helped shape employer-friendly NLRB decisions that resulted in what some call a “slap on the wrist” when employers violate the law.

SMART was stunned and horrified by the attempted coup at the U.S. Capitol building two weeks ago, which was encouraged by Mr. Trump and resulted in the murder of a U.S. Capitol police officer.  Despite this attack on our beloved country, healing is coming soon. Today, Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris were sworn in as President and Vice President of the United States. Before even taking office, President Biden had already shown that he will prioritize working Americans and that unions will have a seat at the table in the Biden administration.
The Biden-Harris Transition Team has engaged with unions, including SMART. Our very own David Bernett, NEMIC Administrator and member of Local 12-SM in Pittsburgh, PA, served as a volunteer on the U.S. Department of Labor Agency Review Team for the Biden-Harris Transition. SMART attended meetings with various Transition teams and emphasized our members’ priorities, including two-person crews, protecting our pensions, rail safety, indoor air quality, bus driver assaults, prevailing wage, and action to help our members during the COVID-19 pandemic. SMART even met with a member of the Transition COVID-19 Advisory Board to discuss the importance of indoor air quality and the value offered by our union and its high-skilled workforce.
President Biden has been listening. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh was nominated to serve as Labor Secretary and lead the Department of Labor.  He is a member of the Laborers and has fought for working families his entire career. In addition, Pete Buttigieg was nominated to serve as Transportation Secretary and lead the Department of Transportation. He has committed to addressing worker needs and invest in our infrastructure. SMART applauds these nominations.
The Biden administration will stand up for our members and their families after four years of empty promises. SMART looks forward to working with the Biden administration and will hold the administration accountable to its promises to build an economy that lifts up American working families.  SMART will keep its membership informed every step of the way.

We have just witnessed a sad day in American history.  Leave no doubt, these violent, anti-democratic actions were sown by the incitement of the current president and his elected apologists, who have misled their supporters for far too long.
SMART, along with our sisters and brothers across the labor movement, rejects any threat to our nation’s peaceful transfer of power, and stands ready to defend our nation’s democratic institutions.
 

The North America’s Building Trades Unions’ (NABTU) President Sean McGarvey released the following statement in response to the mob of domestic terrorists that attacked the U.S. Capitol building during the electoral college certification proceedings:
“Today’s despicable events are unprecedented, and, as we have all seen, are extremely dangerous. North America’s Building Trades Unions call on President Trump to immediately step down and transfer power per the Constitution and the Presidential Succession Act of 1947. If he refuses, the Cabinet must immediately invoke the 25th amendment to remove the President. Any less action by the Cabinet, and America should consider them all coconspirators.
“We also call on Senators Cruz and Hawley to immediately resign along with the twelve other U.S. Senators and the 140 House members objecting to the Electoral College certification. They all must step down immediately.
“We call on a bipartisan commission to investigate and identify all planners, funders, and coordinators of this attempted coup and refer them to prosecution by the U.S. Justice Department, and further for them to be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
“If these actions are not taken immediately, in anticipation of what is already one of the worst domestic episodes in our country’s history, things could get much worse over the next 14 days very quickly. Thus, we urge all law-abiding Americans to stand up and demand the same to protect our precious democracy from tyrants and thugs.”
The North America’s Building Trades Unions is an alliance of 14 national and international unions in the building and construction industry that collectively represent over 3 million skilled craft professionals in the United States and Canada. Each year, our unions and our signatory contractor partners invest over $1.6 billion in private-sector money to fund and operate over 1,900 apprenticeship training and education facilities across North America that produce the safest, most highly trained, and productive, skilled craft workers found anywhere in the world. NABTU is dedicated to creating economic security and employment opportunities for its construction workers by safeguarding wage and benefits standards, promoting responsible private capital investments, investing in renowned apprenticeship and training, and creating pathways to the middle class for women, communities of color and military veterans in the construction industry.

As we get into winter the cases of COVID-19 are continuing and even increasing. The SASMI Trustees see a need for reinstituting the COVID-19 Wage Replacement Temporary Benevolent Disaster Relief Benefit. However, more is known about the virus and testing has become more available so that it is possible to accurately identify positive cases. Accordingly, the Trustees have modified the Benefit to reflect the current situation.
 
This updated benefit is available for those who test positive for COVID themselves, or for a family member who resided with them that tests positive and have a need to quarantine. This benefit is only available if you were/are not being compensated for those day in quarantine by any Employer or Trust Fund under any Federal, State or Locality law (some due to expire prior to the end of the year) or special resolution.
Starting November 2020 and continuing until the Trustees modify or terminate the benefit, in each calendar month, a Participant is eligible for up to two (2) work weeks (10 work days) of wages at eight (8) times the Average Hourly Wage on which Contributions were remitted in the Employee’s Home Local for each day of quarantine.
 
 

“SMART joins labor unions across North America in mourning the loss AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department President Larry Willis.
Brother Willis was a tremendous leader who provided determined guidance, measured action and stood undaunted by the multitude of challenges transportation labor in our country faces now, and will continue to face going forward.
With wide ranging experience as a lawyer, congressional staff member, policy expert and worker advocate, he brought a deep understanding of policy and transportation issues to his work. He forged strong relationships with government and political leaders and worked tirelessly to help unite and build power for transportation workers across the United States.
Along with working families across the transportation trades, SMART will miss his leadership, his tremendous insight and his deep well of experience. We are filled with sadness for his family and friends at this tragic loss and mourn with them.”

The following is a statement from SMART General President Joseph Sellers, Jr. on the election of Joseph Biden and Kamala Harris:
 
“On behalf of the men and women of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART), we congratulate President-elect Joe Biden and Vice President-elect Kamala Harris on their historic election.
The American people have spoken loud and clear.  The diligence and respect election officials held for every legitimate vote strengthens the moral authority of our American democracy and the vital importance of free and fair elections.
SMART looks forward to a Biden-Harris Administration that puts working Americans interests ahead regardless of party and we look forward to working alongside him to recover from the brutal pandemic and economic decline that resulted from the response to it.
It is time for politicians of all stripes to put down their political differences and put our nation back on track towards a stronger, healthier, more prosperous and unified democracy that works for all Americans.”
 

The livelihoods of thousands of transportation workers have been disrupted by COVID since its onset this past spring.
Our brothers and sisters at Amtrak are the latest to have their lives upended by this pandemic.
Nearly 2,000 of the carrier’s unionized workers, including 500 SMART brothers and sisters were targeted recent furloughs that are to go into effect on November 1.
To make matters worse, Amtrak is cutting service at a moment when people in the Midwest and others who may not feel comfortable flying need an alternative and accessible means of transport that only Amtrak can provide.
Click here to take action today.