The SMART Education Department held its new “Right to Work and Member Retention” class in Detroit, Mich., during the week of September 30th. The class focused on the open shop movement, the impact of so-called right to work, strategies for improving membership retention, and the critical role that union leaders play in maintaining local union power.

Twenty-three participants from across our union worked together to problem solve and create action plans for their respective locals. The class also took time to celebrate the repeal of Michigan’s right-to-work law and the role that Michigan Locals 7 (Lansing), 80 and 292 (both Detroit) played in that process.
“Everyone’s hard work will help strengthen our union!” said SMART International Instructor Richard Mangelsdorf.

Related News
- SOFA Safety Alert
- AJFL Scholarship Application Opens Soon
- SMART-TD Applauds FRA and DOT for Strengthening Cross-Border Rail Safety Protections
- Michigan sheet metal worker details impact of canceled project
- Regional Training Seminars coming to St. Paul, Baltimore in 2026
- SMART leaders train to bargain better contracts in Atlanta
- Chicago-area SMART members win big with transit funding bill
- Transit Funding Boost Proposed by SMART-TD Backed Bill
- California SMART-TD Brother Killed on the Job
- Union Mourns the Loss of Brother Charles Harrison