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 Top-Down Organizing class so important: Bringing together union leaders from across North America, the course focused on developing “top-down” organizing campaigns that target nonunion contractors.
5,500 more signatures are needed to protect Santa Cruz METRO funding, preserve more than 100 union jobs, and maintain critical transit services for working families. Read on to learn how SMART-TD members can help keep the campaign moving forward.
Pittsburgh welcomed SMART leaders, staff and members as the Recruitment and Retention Council kicked off the first day of the Three-Pack Attack — the three-day meeting of the Recruitment and Retention, Production and Sign, and Roofing and Building Enclosure Councils. 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.
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.
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.
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.
In April 2026, SMART leaders gathered in Washington, DC, for the 2026 NABTU Legislative Conference. From meeting with lawmakers on Capitol Hill to hearing from labor leaders and political candidates, union officers worked to secure a better deal for workers across the country.
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.
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.