Sheet Metal News
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%.SMART statement on Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia’s right to due process
Listen to this article Your browser does not support the audio element. Following an April 4, 2025, press conference regarding the deportation of SMART Local 100 apprentice Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, General President Michael Coleman issued the following statement: “The pr [...]
Union leaders, community supporters to rally Friday, April 4, in support of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia and family
Supporters will rally alongside Abrego Garcia’s union and Maryland immigrant rights activists in Langley Park to support his family and his right to due process.
SMART stands with Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia
On March 31, 2025, the Trump administration conceded in a court filing that it had mistakenly deported SMART apprentice Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia, a legally protected Maryland resident and father, to El Salvador “‘because of an administrative error,’” according to CNN. The administration is also arguing that because Abrego Garcia is now in Salvadoran custody, the government cannot return him to the United States.
More Than a Story: SMART-TD’s Women’s History Month Highlights Legacies in the Making
Our Women’s History Month celebration highlighted the leadership and perseverance of only a few of the women who are making history in the labor movement, challenging stereotypes and breaking barriers in traditionally male-dominated industries. SMART-TD thanks all our sisters for their contribution and leadership within our union family.
SMART solidarity leads to unanimous contract victory at Tri-Rail
In so-called “right-to-work” states like Florida — the home of commuter rail service Tri-Rail — union workers are often forced to overcome multiple obstacles during contract negotiations. On the one hand, they’re trying to make gains on pay, benefits and working conditions. O [...]
Local 435, North Florida Building Trades win big on Jacksonville Jaguars stadium
Thanks to the advocacy of SMART Local 435 and the North Florida Building and Construction Trades Council, locally hired apprentices will help build the new Jacksonville Jaguars stadium — a more than $1-billion project. “Jacksonville has not seen a project this size in decades [...]
SMART GP Coleman statement on tariffs impacting North American workers
“We need trade policies that strengthen North American industries, protect union jobs and reinforce the shared success of the United States and Canada. What we are getting instead are policies that weaken the U.S.-Canada relationship, threatening the industries that put union members to work."