Category: Summer 2025
New TD crew room flyers available
Launched late last year, SMART-TD’s E-3 Committee focuses on outreach to locals and keeping members updated on important news and benefits by using various tools, including new, customizable bulletin board flyers.
NABTU partners with Rowan University on construction management degrees and certificates
SMART members have an excellent opportunity to further their careers in the construction industry via Rowan University’s Bachelor of Arts in Construction Management program, which has been endorsed by North America’s Building Trades Unions and is specifically intended for members pursuing career development in the building trades.
Local 5 organizes enormous growth in North Carolina
When SMART Local 5 (East Tennessee and North Carolina) member Steven Ruger became an organizer in April 2023, the local had around 1,100 members — the majority in Tennessee. Today, thanks in large part to aggressive organizing conducted by Local 5 and spearheaded by Ruger, the local has more than 1,500 members, and the size of Local 5’s North Carolina membership has increased by more than 60%.
Revamped Funds executive team ready for the future
When Michael Harris chose the word “elevate” as the motivational theme for the International Training Institute (ITI) staff for 2025, he had no idea what was in store.
Photography is a lifeline for member, veteran
When Brother Jeffery (JP) Caffee (Local 465, Wyoming) returned from Iraq and recovered from alcohol and drug addiction, he found himself looking for a way to occupy his time and stay clean. His salvation was photography. Read on to learn about his recovery journey and the role that his union membership has played.
Local 17 apprentice leads event to deliver food to seniors
The Saturday before Easter, Local 17 apprentice Leiara Gonzalez-Guerra spearheaded a SMART Army event with fellow members and local officers to deliver food from a local food bank to homebound seniors in Brockton, Mass.
Local 49 wins victory for members with state offsite fabrication law
Local 49 won a huge victory for New Mexico sheet metal workers in April 2025, when Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham signed a law that expanded prevailing wage to include custom offsite fabrication on public works projects.
A hero among us: Local 105 member helps save woman’s life on Los Angeles highway
Local 105 member Margarito Martinez took quick action to help prevent disaster when a woman had a seizure during rush hour in Los Angeles.