This is an overview of day four of the Third SMART General Convention. More details will be included in the Fall Members’ Journal.
Delegates to the 3rd SMART General Convention continued their work on Thursday, August 15, hearing from convention committees and SMART department directors on the state of our union, conducting convention business and hearing from guest speakers who remarked on the importance of solidarity as we move forward.
Helms demonstrates how solidarity strengthens our union
Thursday’s guest speakers came to Las Vegas from organizations that SMART has closely allied with for years.
SMART Convention delegates gave a warm welcome to Helmets to Hardhats Executive Director Martin Helms. SMART has partnered with Helmets to Hardhats, which works to bring United States military veterans into the unionized building trades, for more than 20 years.
In his remarks, Helms thanked SMART for playing its part by participating in Helmets to Hardhats and with programs like SMART Heroes — which offers accelerated first-year apprenticeship training to those exiting the U.S. military — while urging members to keep up the work. SMART had the third-highest number of “known successful transitions” (Helmets to Hardhats applicants who successfully begin their career in the building trades) in 2023, and is on pace to garner even more interest in 2024. Helms implored any delegates present who aren’t already working with Helmets to Hardhats to get involved.
“SMART and Helmets to Hardhats are amazing teams,” he concluded. “Thank you for the last two decades of collaboration. I am motivated by what the future holds, and the H2H team looks forward to working with each one of you to increase our veteran recruitment. Thank you, God bless, and let’s continue to build America!”
SMACNA leaders: Progress can only come through partnership
Convention delegates heard from SMACNA President Carol Duncan and CEO Aaron Hilger on Thursday, August 15, with both speakers extolling the virtues of partnership in the unionized sheet metal industry at a time when enthusiasm for organized labor is skyrocketing.
“The power of progress and collaboration [is] shaping our industry’s future,” Duncan told delegates.
During her Thursday morning remarks, Duncan overviewed the important, trailblazing work SMART members and leaders are performing to make sure the unionized sheet metal industry is positioned for growth. Only by working together on initiatives like recruitment and retention, Belonging and Excellence for All and beyond, she told delegates, can union contractors and members make sure those projects are completed by high-road signatory employers and workers.
“It is crucial that our jobsites, shops, and offices are places where everyone feels safe,” Duncan said. “We all share the responsibility to speak up when something seems off and to support one another. Creating an environment where everyone feels welcome is key to attracting and keeping the best talent in the market.”
Hilger took the podium on Thursday afternoon, speaking to the convention crowd about four challenges met by SMART and SMACNA in the last several years — and the work that still needs to be done.
The first challenge: The BE4ALL initiative and our organizations’ broader focus on making the unionized sheet metal industry more welcoming and inclusive of all. Another: Strengthening government relations at the state and local level, winning legislation and ordinances that create work for SMART locals and SMACNA chapters.
That challenge, Hilger went on, relates directly to the third challenge that SMART and SMACNA worked together to meet: indoor air quality work. The pandemic revealed to the North American public just how important proper ventilation is to staying healthy and safe. Now, he said, local unions and contractors need to collaborate intensely to increase IAQ market share.
Finally, Hilger discussed the ongoing opportunity and difficulty posed by the surge of megaprojects across North America, with 260 being actively tracked by the SMART-SMACNA megaprojects task force. Union sheet metal contractors and workers are staffing those projects — an enormous victory. Now, he said, we need to keep up the good work and continue staffing our core work.
“It’s a wonderful time to be a union contractor and a union member,” he concluded. “Thank you for your partnership as we continue to work together.”
Financial report details strength, opportunity
SMART General Secretary-Treasurer John Daniel, Controller Warren May and SMART-TD Director of Administration Matt Dolin delivered a report on the financial state of the union, validated by an independent auditor to ensure transparency and accountability at every step. Daniel overviewed SMART’s meticulous financial processes before May and Dolin presented — in great detail — the union’s finances, which show significant growth and stellar overall health.
SMART’s assets are more than six times greater than its liabilities. Daniel noted that this strong position is one we need to build on to ensure further success, with May presenting what the union’s five-year financial projection would look like with and without a per capita increase.
“Together, we will build a future our members and their families deserve,” Daniel said.
This will be May’s final convention, as the steward of SMART’s financial department is set to retire at the end of 2024. General Secretary-Treasurer Daniel thanked May for his tireless work and thoughtful administration, calling him “instrumental” to SMART’s success.
“His expertise and dedication have been invaluable to SMART,” Daniel said. “His contributions to our organization have been significant, and we owe him a great deal of gratitude.”
“It’s been an honor and a privilege to serve this great International,” May told delegates.
Director reports chart our progress, lay out roadmap of the future
SMART Director of OrganizingJason Benson provided delegates with an overview of the department’s structure before detailing the challenges our union has met through organizing: recruiting, organizing nonunion workers, engaging in job actions to flip nonunion projects to signatory status, and much more. Over the last five years, there have been more than 29,000 new members organized into SMART, Benson said.
Greg HynesPaul PimentelJared CassityJason Benson
He also offered a preview of the work we have yet to do, with billions of dollars of work coming down the pipeline.
“The future is bright,” Benson said. “As General President Emeritus Sellers used to say, this is generational growth. If we don’t take advantage of it, shame on us.”
National Energy Management Institute (NEMI) Administrator Lisa Davis presented to delegates on the work the fund has pursued since 2019, including developing new resources for affiliates and updates to Testing, Adjusting and Balancing Bureau (TABB) certifications. Davis also explained how NEMI has helped local unions and regional councils win policy and regulatory victories across the United States, creating more work for sheet metal members, as well as efforts to turn back attacks on our fire life safety and indoor air quality work jurisdiction.
“The demand for a skilled, trained and certified workforce is increasing, and we are meeting that challenge,” Davis said.
Nick GreficzLisa DavisKen Colombo
SMART-TD Organizer Nick Greficz (TD Local 278) presented the Transportation Division Organizing Department’s report. The report included a breakdown of the success TD’s organizing has experienced in the recent past and the importance of continued growth for the strength of our union. Methodologies to achieve this growth included the continued implementation of tools such as the Action Builder platform and the organizer portal on SMART’s website.
Brother Greficz summed up his vision: “Success is the result of dedication, commitment and the collective participation of everyone involved. Every member, local officer and general committee officer is an organizer!”
Over the last several years, the SMART Governmental Affairs Department has partnered with pro-union legislators and federal officials to pass and implement policies that benefit SMART members and working families. After thanking staff members Tiffany Finck-Haynes, Ben Donnelly-Fine, Shareka Bannerman, Angela Watson and Jackie Meisner, Department Director Steve Dodd presented to delegates on the progress that has been made in the last several years — and the dangerous, anti-union policies members can expect from a second Trump administration.
“I know you’ve heard all week long about the damages that [Donald Trump] did when he was in office,” Dodd declared. “What we have now is an unbelievable situation like we’ve never had in our lives … you better fight like hell for your country and do whatever you can to get Kamala Harris in office in November.”
Transportation Division National Legislative Director Greg Hynes (TD Local 1081) and Alternate Legislative Director Jared Cassity (TD Local 1377) presented their departmental report to the convention delegates. Their report emphasized the department’s efforts to engage the membership in advocating for SMART-TD legislation. Multiple bills currently in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives are pivotal to freight rail members’ safety and quality of life.
Brother Cassity summed up the spirit of the Legislative Department when he said, “We need you together, we need you collected, and we need you fighting!”
Delegates also heard continued reports from a variety of convention committees, including the Constitution Committee, Union Label Committee, Organizing Committee and Industrial Automotive Committee.
This is an overview of day three of the Third SMART General Convention. More details will be included in the Fall Members’ Journal.
Delegates to the Third SMART General Convention reelected Michael Coleman of Local 33 (Cleveland, Ohio) as the union’s general president on Wednesday, August 14, by acclamation.
“I nominate a person I respect, a person who puts the advancement of SMART before himself,” said SMART General President Emeritus Joseph Sellers Jr., whose nomination was seconded by delegates from across the SMART sheet metal and Transportation Divisions.
General President Emeritus Sellers nominates Coleman, surrounded by delegates from SMART-TD.
Delegates also elected John Daniel of Local 265 (Carol Stream, Ill.) as general secretary-treasurer, by acclamation, and voted 11 general vice presidents onto the SMART General Executive Council (GEC).
Local 265 Business Manager Matt Gugala nominated Daniel for general secretary-treasurer, touting his leadership, open-mindedness, collaborative attitude and success at Local 265. Daniel also received seconds from across the union and from all corners of North America.
“I’m not advocating for John because he deserves it. I’m advocating for John because we, this union, deserve John Daniel as our GST,” Gugala said.
Coleman and Daniel were joined by SMART Transportation Division President Jeremy Ferguson, who was reelected on Sunday during the Third Transportation Division Convention.
Coleman dedicated his acceptance speech to giving thanks. Along with Local 33, its members and leaders, he paid tribute to Assistants to the General President Darrell Robert and Tom Wiant, as well as General President Emeritus Sellers — for his leadership, for how he positioned SMART, for his friendship and for his mentorship. He also thanked General Secretary-Treasurer Daniel and Transportation Division President Ferguson, who he hailed as trailblazing leaders and even better friends, along with a variety of other union members, leaders, and sisters and brothers.
He ended by giving heartfelt thanks to his family, including his son, Nick, and his wife, Liz, before expressing his gratitude for the delegates gathered at the convention.
“I want you to know how humbled and honored I am to have your vote,” Coleman said. “I will never back down from anybody, and I will fight tooth and nail for each and every single one of you and your members.”
Daniel thanked his home local, Local 265, and gave his sincere thanks to the many union members and leaders — retired officers, current members and beyond – who molded the man he is today. He also declared his unwavering commitment to serving every member, in every craft, in every industry that our union represents. Reiterating a recurring convention theme, he vowed to fight on members’ behalf to grow and strengthen SMART and the labor movement.
“Together, we are unstoppable,” he concluded. “Let us build a union that stands for every member.”
Transportation Division President Ferguson used his acceptance speech to thank his wife and family, TD office staff in Cleveland, UTUIA staff, retiring TD General Counsel Kevin Brodar and Ferguson’s deceased mentor, former Local 313 Chair Herm Boruta. He also remarked on the incredible solidarity on display:
“I will never forget General President Emeritus Joseph Sellers making the nomination for Mike Coleman, with all those TD local numbers behind him,” he said.
Like Coleman, Ferguson concluded his remarks by thanking convention delegates.
“The greatest honor I have is to give a thank you to each and every one of you delegates. Thank you for your dedication and your love of this union.”
SMART General President Emeritus Sellers swore in the newly elected officers. Wednesday’s elected general vice presidents are: Derek Evans, first GVP; Arthur Tolentino, second GVP; Rick Werner, third GVP; Bill Kenyon, fourth GVP; Robert Butler, fifth GVP; Ray Reasons, sixth GVP; Lance Deyette, seventh GVP; Thomas De Bartolo, eighth GVP; Jason Pedersen, ninth GVP; Stephen Langley, 10th GVP and Matthew Fairbanks, 11th GVP.
From the elections that took place Sunday, Sellers swore in TD President-elect Jeremy Ferguson, National Legislative Director Greg Hynes and Rail Vice Presidents Brent Leonard, Chad Adams, Jamie Modesitt and Alvy Hughes.
The terms of all the newly elected officers begin on October 1, 2024.
This is an overview of day two of the Third SMART General Convention. More details will be included in the Fall Members’ Journal.
Committees, department directors and delegates to the Third SMART General Convention continued their work on Tuesday, August 17. With guest speakers paying tribute to our union’s strength and resolutions aimed at securing our collective future, the day demonstrated the commitment of delegates to seize this pivotal moment of opportunity.
McGarvey to delegates: “What we do will impact future generations”
North America’s Building Trades Unions President Sean McGarvey has spent decades working alongside SMART members and leaders to win progress for workers in the legislative, organizing and economic development arenas. In his Monday speech to delegates at the Third SMART General Convention, McGarvey took time to note the victories we have won together — and emphasized that we cannot stop pushing.
“With these wins and significant investments coming online, we must capture as much work as possible,” he declared. “We must be intentional about recruiting and retaining the next generation of unionized building trades workers and growing our contractor base.”
SMART members made incredible progress in the last several years. Under the Biden-Harris administration, McGarvey said, labor standards in pro-union laws and unprecedented investment in the United States’ core infrastructure created opportunities for building trades workers that once seemed unthinkable — not to mention the administration’s actions to strengthen Davis-Bacon prevailing wages and pension reform in the American Rescue Plan Act.
In turn, he added, unions like SMART have been able to expand their focus on organizing, recruiting and retaining workers from all communities and bring our neighbors — people of color, the justice-involved, veterans and more — into our best-of-class apprenticeship programs. He specifically credited the SMART Belonging and Excellence for All (BE4ALL) initiative, Women’s Committee and director of special projects Louise Medina for their work to make the building trades welcoming to all, especially in this crucial moment.
Now, as election 2024 approaches, the rubber meets the road, McGarvey said. Our ability to build, organize, grow and keep members on the jobsite rests largely on who takes office in November. Referencing Project 2025 and the ABC-endorsed Trump administration’s previous efforts to gut building trades unions — with Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs being just one example — he highlighted the importance of putting pro-union lawmakers in office.
“We are on the cusp of an Infrastructure Decade,” McGarvey told delegates. “You helped us get here, and we need you more than ever between now and November to prevent a hostile administration from taking away all of the gains we made by meeting the challenges placed in front of us.”
Nevada Rep. Lee pledges continued partnership with SMART
On the morning of Tuesday, Aug. 13, delegates heard from Congresswoman Susie Lee of Nevada’s Third District — a pro-union legislator whose votes have benefited SMART members in Nevada and beyond.
“It’s always great to be with my brothers and sisters in the house of labor — in the city of labor,” Lee told delegates. “Las Vegas is known as entertainment capital of the world, but what we also should be known as is a town built by labor, run by labor, and because of labor we will continue to be strong.”
As she explained to delegates, it’s been a crazy five years for everyone in the United States — including SMART.
“We won some tough fights,” she said.
Lee grew up in a steel town — Canton, Ohio — where she witnessed first-hand the life-changing power of a union job, as well as the devastating effects of offshoring, attacks on the labor movement and divestment in American manufacturing.
“When I fight for worker protections, for PLAs, for pensions, for worker safety, for two-person train crews, let me tell you — it’s personal to me,” she said.
That’s why Lee cast major votes for the American Rescue Plan, Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, CHIPS and Science Act and Inflation Reduction Act in Congress, she explained. Those laws have funded projects like the Brightline West high-speed rail line, set to create 140,000 new, good-paying union jobs, putting SMART sheet metal and transportation members to work.
Rep. Susie Lee with Nevada SMART members
But, she emphasized again and again, our work together isn’t finished. We need to pass the Railway Safety Act, the Protecting the Right to Organize Act and the No Tax Breaks for Union-Busting Act
“What are we doing subsidizing companies that are trying to be union-busters?” Lee said. “I don’t get it.”
Lee concluded by vowing to continue partnering with SMART to win for workers, from Southern Nevada to the rest of our country.
“The fight is never over,” she declared.
USA’s Ingram touts solidarity, service and the great outdoors
Across the United States, SMART sheet metal and Transportation Division members have worked with the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) to conserve wildlife, connect with local communities and, of course, enjoy the great outdoors — whether hunting, fishing or hiking.
In remarks to delegates, USA Executive Director and CEO Walt Ingram expounded on the important relationships that the USA-SMART partnership helps create — and how it helps SMART take on a variety of challenges. Foremost among those is bringing members together in true solidarity.
“We’re a member engagement for you at your local unions, and I want to encourage you to take advantage of that,” Ingram said.
SMART is one of the largest union affiliates in the USA. And when SMART members work with the USA to engage their communities, via clay shoots, service projects, Take Kids Fishing Day events and the like, communities start to see the true meaning of union solidarity in real time. Ingram spotlighted SMART’s work on conservation projects, specifically recent ones involving Local 55 in Burbank, Washington; Local 85 at Lake Allatoona in Atlanta, Georgia; and an all-tradeswomen event at Tradeswomen Build Nations 2023.
Those conservation projects, Ingram said, change members’ lives, change local communities and change some members’ perceptions of their union.
“I urge you to get involved,” he concluded.
TruHearing’s Rosander-Powell presents on keeping members healthy
Thirty percent of workers exposed to loud noises at work have hearing loss, according to Michelle Rosander-Powell, TruHearing national sales director for labor. Rosander presented to SMART convention delegates on Tuesday, August 13, on how SMART and TruHearing have partnered — and can continue to partner — to offer members lower-cost treatment options for hearing loss.
“Your union benefits make a huge difference — you provide allowances to your members to help them get hearing aids — but we want to stretch your dollars to help your members get the best hearing aid technology for the lowest price,” she said.
Cecilia Lopez (TD Local 1701) presents the Transit and Bus Committee report.
Committees and directors continue their reports
Delegates heard reports from a variety of committees throughout the day, such as the Constitution, Resolutions, Credentials, Wellness and Mental Health Resources, Rail and Airline, Compensation, Transit and Bus, Apprenticeship, Grievances and Appeals and the Rules Committees. SMART department directors also presented to delegates, overviewing progress made in the department of wellness and mental health support, the Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust, pension funds and the Canadian Affairs Department. Finally, delegates heard, discussed and voted on proposed amendments and resolutions.
Compensation Committee Chair Tom De BartoloCompensation Committee Sec. Matt FairbanksDirector of Wellness and Mental Health Support Chris Carlough
BE4ALL, RISE, Women’s Committees meet to forge a stronger union
Following the first day of proceedings at SMART’s Third General Convention, members of the SMART Belonging and Excellence for All (BE4ALL); Representation, Integrity, Support, Empowerment (RISE); and Women’s Committees came together for a celebration of progress and comradery — and a recommitment to their important work moving forward.
While differing in their specific missions, each of the committees broadly focus on strengthening SMART by making our union a more welcoming and inclusive place for all members. Each committee works with current members, local union and regional council officers, International staff and potential new members on recruitment, retention, empowerment and solidarity within SMART, all of which are key to our continued success.
In Las Vegas, members arrived from the furthest reaches of our union — everywhere from Vancouver to Ontario, San Francisco to Atlanta — to engage in this important committee work. General President Michael Coleman and General Secretary-Treasurer John Daniel met with committee members for an open question-and-answer session; attendees also had the chance to open up to one another and forge deeper bonds of comradery.
This is an overview of day one of the Third SMART General Convention. More details will be included in the Fall Members’ Journal.
On Monday, August 12, SMART General President Michael Coleman officially commenced the Third SMART General Convention, bringing delegates to order to set the course for the future of our union. Starting today and continuing through Friday, delegates heard from guest speakers, convention committees and SMART directors, and debated resolutions and amendments to the SMART Constitution.
GP Coleman to delegates: “We are not done.”
After SMART Local 88 (Las Vegas, Nev.) Business Manager Geremiah Robnett and TD GCA-953 General Chairperson Luke Edington delivered remarks welcoming delegates and guests to Las Vegas, SMART General President Michael Coleman took the stage to outline our union’s journey – from yesterday, to today, and until tomorrow.
“Today, we see the fruits of our predecessors’ hard work. Today, we are a strong union. Today, we are a forward-thinking union. And today, we are a united union,” he said.
He also looked back on the last five years — some of the most extraordinary and eventful that our two nations, let alone our union, have ever faced.
Sheet metal locals were confronted with a potentially devastating attack on union apprenticeships when the Trump administration proposed its anti-worker Industry-Recognized Apprenticeship Programs (IRAPs) rule. Meanwhile, the transportation industry faced an anti-worker administration that — among other things — conducted an all-out offensive on freight railroaders, withdrawing a proposed federal two-person crew regulation and attempting to pre-empt state 2PC laws. On top of that, there was the 2020 United States election, pitting a stridently pro-worker challenger against an anti-worker incumbent, plus provincial battles against anti-labour laws in Canada. Not to mention, Coleman added, the world-altering COVID-19 pandemic.
“But we not only met those challenges, we exceeded all expectations,” he declared. “It took all of us. Rowing in the same direction. As General President Sellers used to say, pulling on the same rope. Working together as ONE UNION.”
SMART members mobilized to defeat the IRAPs initiative. We elected pro-union legislators who passed transformative laws that saved union pensions, created union sheet metal jobs, funded transportation infrastructure and gave Canadian members the ability to more effectively travel for work. We staffed megaprojects that spurred incredible growth at local unions across North America. And we finally won a two-person freight train crew regulation, putting rail safety and union jobs ahead of shareholder greed.
We achieved all of that, Coleman told delegates, because we know our “why” — our reason for doing what we do. That “why” is each other: the members of this great union. And it’s because of that “why” that we aren’t finished winning for SMART members across North America.
“General President Emeritus Sellers set us up for this moment. We MUST seize it,” Coleman said. “It is our obligation to him, it is our obligation to this organization, it is our obligation to our members, and it is our obligation to ourselves.”
Delegates to the Third SMART General ConventionLuke Edington
Whether it’s legislation that protects our bus and transit members from assaults or aggressive organizing to staff megaprojects, handle manufacturing demands and ensure a just transition to a green economy, Coleman emphasized the importance of keeping SMART members’ future in mind as, collectively, the convention body maps the direction our organization will take for the next five years.
SMART is resurgent, Coleman continued. Now, we need to seize this moment. Because make no mistake, he said: Our enemies are ruthless, and they won’t stop attacking SMART members.
“Think about why they hate us,” Coleman said. “Think about what crime they think we commit. They hate us because we fight for safety in the workplace. They hate us because we fight for the ability to live and raise our families with dignity. They hate us because we fight for the ability to retire with dignity. And when it comes time to leave this place, we fight for the ability to do that with dignity.”
“It is going to be a fight,” he told delegates. “A fight that we didn’t choose. But if it is a fight they want, it is a fight they are going to get. But this time, we will tell them when the fight is over.”
GST Daniel: “How will we be remembered?”
SMART General Secretary-Treasurer John Daniel knows well the challenges faced by union workers across North America – over the last five years, and over the last several decades.
SMART GST John Daniel
“I’ve been a sheet metal installer, a fabricator, an instructor, an organizer, a business representative and – above all – a proud union member for over 33 years,” he told attendees. “I stand before you not just as your SMART general secretary-treasurer, but as a fellow worker – one who has walked the same paths, faced the same struggles and fought the same battles.”
Daniel was there when the railroads sued to pre-empt Illinois’ two-person crew law, he explained. He was business manager when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, shutting the world down and casting the world into total chaos.
“But I can say from firsthand experience, those challenges didn’t stop us in Illinois. And I know it didn’t stop anyone in this room,” he said.
After paying tribute to his predecessor as general secretary-treasurer, SMART Director of Megaprojects Joseph Powell, Daniel detailed some of the challenges SMART members have met since 2019: “Together, we’ve stood strong and unified, proving time and again that we will not be pushed around.”
SMART Canada has worked hard to win jobs and strong labor standards in the transition to a green economy up north, representing workers in not only sheet metal but roofing and various production sectors. Meanwhile, internal organizing and a focus on training have helped the Transportation Division both organize and retain members in the face of adverse conditions, while investments in recruitment and retention will help SMART sustain its growth.
The financial health of the organization is stellar, Daniel said. And on the back of megaprojects and strong representation across sheet metal and transportation, SMART’s membership has increased from a little over 203,000 to 230,000.
“Now, it is our time to decide who we are,” he declared.
Diversity in the production and bus industries provides a model for SMART to follow as we strengthen our union through organizing and inclusion. We need to keep reaching out to people of all backgrounds in every community, Daniel said, and ensure that anyone who carries a dues receipt gets the representation they deserve.
He also argued that SMART needs to continue investing in ourselves if we want to build on the success we have achieved. Subsidized organizers, legislative staff and programs aimed at recruiting and retaining members have been key to recent victories, Daniel told attendees – and such investment needs to continue.
Jose Manso (Local 30) presents during the Roofing Committee’s reportA delegate stands at the mic during debate
He closed by reminding attendees exactly why we are gathered in Las Vegas this week.
“Whether it’s your first convention or your fifth, we’re all here for the same reason,” Daniel concluded. “This truly is our time. This truly is our moment. What we do now will define us.
“How will we — how will each of you — be remembered?”
TD President Ferguson: “We’ve weathered attacks, accomplished much and are a stronger union.”
Newly reelected Transportation Division President Jeremy Ferguson addressed the union during the first day of the third SMART General Convention.
He reflected on the challenges from his first term. There was work needed to be done to strengthen SMART by aligning the Transportation Division more closely with the sheet metal part of the union, as envisioned when the two joined forces in 2014.
“We accomplished that, and so much more,” he said.
The nation’s largest railroads deployed what Ferguson termed a “nuclear option” in 2019 on his second day in office. They attacked rail contracts and tried to eliminate conductors.
“We were all united… We were ready for that fight, and, coincidentally, we were all convened in Cleveland, Ohio,” Ferguson said. “The railroads fought the round and guess what? It took a little while, but they found out they were going to lose that battle.
“As of today, our crew-consist agreements are intact, not one conductor is off a train, and, unbelievably, we have a two-person crew regulation!”
The Transportation Division stayed on offense. Rail workers gained a historic pay raise during the last national negotiation. For the first time in history, railroaders can claim paid sick leave. Ferguson’s administration also created visibility on Capitol Hill for issues faced by our bus and rail members.
“Our officers, including myself, our national legislative director, and some of our state legislative directors have been called to testify — for all crafts — at the federal level including the Surface Transportation Board, Federal Railroad Administration, Federal Transit Administration, at any number of meetings.”
“We are getting the word out there every way we can about the issues that face us,” Ferguson continued.
One example was the recent Bus/Transit Day on the Hill, where the Bus and Transit Assault Prevention and Safety (BTAPS) Committee and other officers met with Congress.
One result of the visibility we’ve gained was the key role SMART-TD’s recommendation played in the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plans. The plans give unions equal footing with management while handling worker and passenger safety.
“You know those things that you know where you were when it happened in that moment?” Ferguson said. “This was a big deal for me.”
On Ferguson’s watch, SMART-TD became the first transportation union to obtain a CRISI grant, which will be used to provide safety training for union members.
“In addition to that, we doubled down on what we are going to do and what we have done for our bus and transit members,” Ferguson said.
Ferguson recognized the work of General Chairperson John Ellis of GO 875, and his efforts to protect his members at the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA). Through Ellis’ and other TD leaders’ efforts, operators at SMART’s largest bus property will be protected by barriers and soon by a dedicated transit police force.
Members across the transportation union are also supported on a more personal level. Plan trustees began extending Voluntary Short-Term Disability (VSTD) benefits to TD members coping with the COVID-19 virus during the pandemic.
Following the pandemic, investment advice from SMART leadership improved the plan’s finances to the point where members are now covered for certified voluntary drug and alcohol treatment programs from day 1.
“That is what this union is about — taking care of one another when you have hard times,” he said. “This union is more united than ever, we are stronger than ever, and we aren’t done. We are only going to keep getting better.”
Delegates vote to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president
Delegates to the Third SMART General Convention voted to endorse Vice President Kamala Harris for president and Minn. Gov. Tim Walz for vice president in the 2024 election on Monday morning, following United States President Joe Biden’s July 21 announcement that he would end his reelection campaign.
The resolution detailed Vice President Harris’s consistent partnership and support for union members across the U.S., including her meetings with SMART members at local union halls in Philadelphia and Boston.
As part of the Biden-Harris administration, the vice president has been an ally in SMART’s efforts to fund public transportation, implement a two-person federal train crew regulation and rebuild our nation’s infrastructure. Harris cast the tie-breaking vote to pass the Inflation Reduction Act, helping create union clean-energy jobs, and helped lobby for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and the CHIPS and Science Act – two pieces of legislation that have put SMART members to work from coast to coast.
Together with President Biden, the resolution noted, Vice President Harris has led an administration whose actions have helped spark union organizing in the last several years, with pro-labor National Labor Relations Board appointments and the creation of the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing – an initiative Harris chaired. And with the passage of the American Rescue Plan Act, Harris and Biden helped protect more than one million union pensions. This included saving 1,600 Ohio sheet metal workers’ pensions from cuts and restoring their full benefits with back pay.
Walz, meanwhile, has signed a laundry list of pro-labor laws as governor, including a state two-person crew law, a bill to put sheet metal workers on jobs improving ventilation in public schools, a huge expansion of paid family and medical leave, the largest increase in state history to the Minnesota work compensation system’s permanent partial disability fund, and much more.
Following floor debate, delegates voted to endorse the Harris ticket by a voice vote – a testament to the vice president’s stellar record of support for SMART’s sheet metal and transportation workers.
“Throughout her term as vice president, Kamala Harris has been laser-focused on pursuing the Biden-Harris agenda, enacting and implementing laws that prioritize the interests of union members and workers, and Governor Walz’s actions for workers and families speak for themselves,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman after the resolution vote. “Faced with the existential, anti-worker threat of another Trump presidential term, all of us at SMART know that Vice President Harris and Governor Walz are the right choices for working families – and we proved it today.”
“This endorsement is a full-throated commitment to sending pro-labor leaders back to the White House this November,” he concluded. “I can’t wait to get started.”
Buttigieg receives warm welcome from SMART
United States Department of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg had a very specific message for SMART when he spoke at our organization’s Third General Convention.
“Union jobs change the trajectory of generations.”
Buttigieg received a warm welcome from SMART delegates, and he matched their enthusiasm with an exciting message that the continued success of America is tied directly to empowering our union workforce.
He spoke in detail about the megaprojects he and the Biden-Harris administration have put in place in every state in the country that are keeping our sheet metal members working. On the transportation side, he discussed the Federal Railroad Administration regulation enacted this spring mandating two-person crews on freight trains in our country as well as the new Brightline West high-speed rail project.
The project links Las Vegas, Nevada, to Los Angeles, California. It will provide sheet metal work for building and maintaining the tracks, stations, and infrastructure and bring jobs to the TD side with SMART crews operating the trains.
Speaking directly to SMART-TD’s bus operators, Buttigieg pointed out that one of the things he is proud of in his three-plus years at the DOT is that his administration worked with SMART and the Federal Transit Administration to finalize a rule forming safety committees on bus properties around the country. He pointed out that our bus operators will be on these safety committees and that they will control the safety programs that come out of them.
But, he and even the Biden-Harris administration could not have accomplished these things on their own. He gestured to the delegates on the convention floor: “You drove that! That is what the power of organizing can do!”
That Buttigieg made the time to address the convention of this union was exciting. To hear his message thanking our members for the vital role they play daily in the successes of his department and the Biden-Harris administration as a whole took that excitement to a new level and garnered a standing ovation.
Union jobs and SMART jobs not only “change the trajectory of generations,” but also empower each of us to “shape a future your kids can be proud of,” he said.
SMART is grateful Secretary Buttigieg again took his time to address our union, and it is safe to say that his message will not be forgotten to those lucky enough to have been here to hear it!
Guest speakers praise unionists, encourage continued progress
Throughout the day, delegates and leaders heard from various guest speakers, who offered insight, praise and motivation as SMART looks to the future.
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler fired up delegates with a rousing speech that connected SMART members’ fights to the ongoing resurgence of the labor movement, telling SMART members and leaders:
“Whether you’re a sheet metal worker, a bus operator, a service technician, a railroad engineer, a sign worker, a welder, a production employee — if you’re a part of this union, North America does not work without you.”
In her remarks, Shuler discussed the still-enormous fight that working people face across the United States, recounting the experiences of workers struggling for dignity and living wages — and contrasting those experiences with the exorbitant payrolls of America’s executive class. Those executives, she explained, are the people who stand to benefit if Donald Trump gets reelected and implements his Project 2025 agenda.
But thanks to the labor movement, Shuler said, workers across the U.S. are seeing that another way exists. Specifically shouting out the work and achievements of Local 435 in Gainesville, Florida, TD Local 1704 in Kansas City and Local 480 in Faribault, Minn. — plus victories at the national level, like the federal two-person freight train crew regulation, the work of the SMART Women’s Committee and the BE4ALL Rapid Response Protocol — she praised SMART’s work to empower the working class in the face of profit-flation and corporate greed.
“You are setting the standard,” she declared.
Shuler ended with a request: As November approaches, delegates, officers, families and people across the labor movement need to hit the jobsite, the phone banks and the doors to spread the word about what’s at stake in this presidential election.
“We can be the ones who make history,” Shuler concluded. “We have the momentum. … Are you ready? Let’s do this.”
Nev. AFL-CIO Exec. Secretary-Treasurer Susie Martinez with Al Lopez, Local 88
Nevada AFL-CIO Executive Secretary-Treasurer Susie Martinez, a lifelong unionist and former Nevada Assembly member who helped win a state two-person crew law and job-creating indoor air quality legislation, also spoke to delegates. In her remarks recounting her run for Nevada state office, she noted the importance of having the labor movement on her side — both during her campaign, and as a legislator. Working closely with SMART-TD and Local 88, including Al Lopez, who she brought on stage, Martinez noted the victories she was able to win and the importance of union members running for office.
“That two-man crew bill, they tried to pass that for many years. … We passed that bill! I was so proud.”
And Representative Steve Horsford, an ally of SMART members and working families in Congress, delivered remarks that reiterated his support for union workers and pledged continued partnership. Horsford, who represents SMART members and working families in Nevada’s Fourth Congressional District and is also the co-chair and founder of the Congressional Labor Caucus, received a warm welcome for his stellar support for organized labor while in office.
Horsford voted for the American Rescue Plan, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS and Science Act and the Inflation Reduction Act, a package of legislation that saved SMART members’ pensions; created jobs building the United States’ critical infrastructure; invested in American railroads and public transit; put union sheet metal workers on clean energy jobs and much more. He also worked to fund the Brightline West high-speed rail line, creating work for SMART sheet metal and railroad workers, and has helped local unions in Nevada and beyond win funding for their training centers.
“Thanks to the work of my colleagues and I, especially the Congressional Labor Caucus, and the advocacy of SMART, this [Brightline West] funding requires an organized workforce,” Horsford said.
Throughout the day, delegates also heard reports from the Rules Committee, Credentials Committee, Production Committee, Roofing Committee, HVAC Service Committee and General Executive Council Committee.
Derek Evans, Local 540Art Tolentino, Local 293Ray Reasons, Local 36Steve Langley, Local 85Joe Cook, Local 219Russell Bartash, SMART NERC
U.S. Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Marcia L. Fudge
Union leaders continued the work of ensuring the 2023 SMART Leadership Conference theme – “This Is Our Time” – is more than just a catchphrase as the conference rolled into its second day in Washington, D.C.
Throughout the morning’s joint session, attendees were presented with evidence that the union has strengthened both financially and in membership, and with a vast number of opportunities ahead to ensure the prosperity of our membership and our two nations.
New VP sworn in to the GEC
General President Michael Coleman began the joint session by recognizing the career of SMART Sixth General Vice President and Northwest Regional Council President Tim Carter, who retired after the conclusion of the conference’s first day.
Carter oversaw extraordinary growth and progress in the Northwest, from welcoming the formation of women’s committees to new organizing across the region.
Brother Carter is replaced on the General Executive Council by Ray Reasons, president and business manager of SM Local 36 (St. Louis, Mo.), who becomes SMART’s 11th General Vice President.
Local 36 has long been on the forefront of growth and innovation, and members there played an important role beating back a recent attempt by state politicians to institute so-called “right to work.”
“Under his leadership, Local 36 has continued its tradition of success, and today he joins us on the dais,” Coleman said. “Congratulations, Ray – I look forward to working with you in the coming years.”
Union Sportsmen’s Alliance details its good work
One benefit free to all members of our union — sheet metal and TD alike — is membership in the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA).
Alliance Executive Director and CEO Walt Ingram joined the conference to discuss USA’s ongoing relationship with SMART — the fourth-largest union affiliate of his group.
Ingram described the USA’s events, which include dinners, 25 clay shoots around the nation and environmental restoration projects designed not only to provide an opportunity for union camaraderie, but also as a way to bring families and communities alike together.
USA’s Walt Ingram
“We’re a great tool to connect the local to the membership and then the membership to the community,” Ingram said, noting that SMART sponsors a pair of shoots in Port Republic, N.J., and Brighton, Colo. “Our mission is to unite the union community through conservation to preserve North America’s outdoor heritage. We do that every day in a variety of different ways. We want to help you recruit apprentices for your program and also join the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance.”
AFL-CIO president speaks
AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, who has worked closely with SMART on issues ranging from green energy jobs to pension security, was unable to join the conference in person. She sent remarks via video, in which she discussed the importance of the conference theme: This is our time.
“What a perfect way to capture the moment we are in and the urgency that we should feel in taking advantage of it,” she said. “This is our time. This labor momentum that you hear people talking about — you’re living it every day.”
Shuler reminded attendees that 71 percent of Americans approve of unions — the highest level since 1965.
“We are finally seeing huge gains in the battles we have been fighting for years. Now the question is, how do we build on these wins and create even more power for workers?” she asked.
The organizing and solidarity displayed by SMART as TD members’ efforts secured paid sick leave and two-person crew victories in Ohio, Minnesota and Kansas will serve as examples to follow in the future, as workers fight to have a say and profiteers try to use tech, automation and AI to eliminate people’s jobs.
“Unions are going to rebuild this country – SMART members are going to rebuild this country!” she concluded. “We have a lot of work ahead of us, but I can’t think of anyone I’d rather fight alongside than the activists and leaders in this room.”
Supporting Maryland Special Olympics
Representatives of the Special Olympics of Maryland (SOMD), the designated charity of the Leadership Conference, talked about the importance of its work. Providing year-round sports training and athletic competition for children and adults with intellectual disabilities, SOMD gives participants the opportunity to develop physical fitness, demonstrate courage, experience joy and share their gifts, skills, and friendship with others.
“It is because of the dedication, compassion and love of the people from the Special Olympics community, and organizations like yours, that awareness and understanding is helping people to see that the intellectually disabled community is no different than those who are not,” said global Special Olympics representative and coach Tim Gowen. “We are capable, hard-working and have dreams, just like anyone else.”
Gowen has been part of the Special Olympics for 50 years, growing up in Silver Springs, Md., and through the program, eventually found supportive schools and communities.
“It changed my life and gave me the tools to succeed. … Having the opportunity to play and compete in sports is wonderful, but that’s not all we experience.,” Gowen said. “It’s the friendships I have made over the years, the companies and the communities that support us.
“I would like to thank you, the members of SMART,” he concluded. “It is amazing to play sports and win medals, but that wouldn’t happen without the generosity of people like you.”
Legislative leaders report
SMART Director of Governmental Affairs Steve Dodd and TD National Legislative Director Gregory Hynes took the stage to deliver a report on legislative and government affairs.
“Never in my life would I have ever thought that we would have the opportunity to be on offense the way we are right now,” Dodd said, noting that SMART has worked with federal agencies to implement a pro-labor regulatory agenda and provide funding for projects that will employ unionized workers.
In short, the Biden administration has delivered for SMART members, he said, and local unions have a great environment to take advantage of and spread the message of the progress labor has made.
“This administration’s been great for us, as you could see from the administrator of FRA being here yesterday,” Hynes said.
His report detailed the Transportation Division’s agenda, with two-person crews, Class 1 certification programs, train length and blocked crossings, bus and transit operator assaults, yardmaster hours of service, sick leave and more on the list.
Progress has been made on many of these areas at the state level, including rail safety, train length and blocked crossing legislation, he said.
SMART-TD has leveraged the extensive media attention given to railroads from the national contract negotiations and the East Palestine, Ohio, disaster to make real gains across the country, meeting with lawmakers and introducing legislation that protects members.
Dodd (left) and Hynes
“We’ve fielded more media than I have ever seen in my entire career,” Hynes said. “Jared [Cassity, SMART-TD Alternate Legislative Director], Jeremy [Ferguson, SMART TD President] for a period there, we were doing several interviews every day with affiliates all over the country — major networks, newspapers, the major news publications. What it did is put us in the mind of the general public, and members of Congress were very interested to talk with us.”
Dodd and Hynes both detailed SMART’s 2023-24 get-out-the-vote strategy. In 2023, three governor’s races in particular are of interest to our union. Turning their eyes to 2024, control of the U.S. House, Senate and presidency will be determined.
They both said that improving voter turnout and making sure members know which elected officials and policies truly support us – and getting members out to vote – are going to be key goals moving ahead.
Finances, DOE secretary and SASMI presentation
Controller Warren May said that the rough financial period the union weathered due to the pandemic has passed, saying that finances all around the union are moving in a positive direction.
“If any accountant saw this, they would say, ‘Oh my gosh, those are fabulous financials,’” May said.
Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, former governor of Michigan, also delivered her speech via video. Granholm, who has used her position in the Department of Energy to advocate for good, union, clean energy jobs, met recently with both General President Coleman and NEMI Administrator Lisa Davis – affirming the Biden administration’s commitment to working with SMART and organized labor.
“Unions built the middle class, you know this. Unions run best-in-class training programs, for construction workers,” Granholm said. “Unionized employers have an easier time hiring because workers want union jobs, and that’s why our incentives require companies to pay prevailing wage, require them to hire registered apprentices. That’s why we attach strong labor standards to every single federal law.”
Ken Columbo followed with the rundown of SASMI’s programs, noting an explosive growth in the use of an improved travel benefit in the first quarter of 2023 compared with the same period the year prior – all due to Biden-Harris administration and infrastructure projects coming to fruition in the form of megaprojects.
A maternity benefit also has received a good reception, Columbo said, and also growing is the newly introduced HRC benefit card that participants can use to pay for prescription and over-the-counter medications.
SASMI also has extended COBRA benefits to the spouses of deceased members to 18 months and remains in solid financial health after a decline due to the pandemic.
Secretary Fudge
HUD secretary: SMART needs to lead the way
Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Marcia L. Fudge closed out the session with a message encouraging SMART to continue to educate newer generations about the value of the labor movement and to maintain its position as a leader as the nation’s economy continues to transform.
Secretary Fudge has a long history with GP Coleman from their time in Cleveland — when Coleman was president of Local 33 and Fudge was a civic leader, first as mayor of Cleveland suburb Warrensville Heights, then as a U.S. representative for Ohio’s 11th congressional district.
She described the progress the Biden-Harris administration has made in constructing an economy from the bottom up and from the middle out.
“As the president often says, ‘The middle class built America, but the unions built the middle class.’ I never thought I would ever get to a point in my life where we would have to explain to people why unions are important,” she said after recounting the benefits that unions have brought to the working class — the 40-hour work week, overtime pay, pension plans and the weekend being among them.
The Biden-Harris administration’s actions have launched a period of economic growth through its signature infrastructure law, creating 13 million jobs thus far in the United States, with an expected growth rate of 1 million additional jobs per year, she said.
SMART members will be a huge part of these projects: operating energy-efficient buses and trains and performing energy-efficient retrofits to older houses, HVAC systems and other programs that her department oversees, Fudge added.
“These projects do not happen without skilled technicians or skilled tradesmen like you,” she said. “Because I know that with you, there is not much that we cannot do. We cannot build this country without you, so work with us.
“Let me tell you what. You have a hammer. You need to use your hammer to hammer a warning about where we’re going in this nation. You need to use your hammer to take the lead in support of American workers. You can hammer out injustice if you just raise your voice,” Fudge said. “We all have the right to the American Dream. I’m saying to you, SMART, hammer it out!”
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. changed the course of history, leading a pioneering crusade for racial justice and civil rights. Unfortunately, his bold vision for the country and the world is often diluted in favor of a sanitized version of history, and many important characteristics of his activism are swept under the rug – including his labor advocacy.
SMART News highlighted Dr. King’s fight for workers’ rights during its sixth episode, with SMART BE4ALL Committee member Rafael De La Rosa noting that there’s no better time than Black History Month to recognize the shared purpose of the labor movement and the civil rights movement (episode six was released in February).
Watch the SMART News segment on Dr. King’s labor advocacy.
“Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. recognized that the struggle for racial justice cannot be separated from the fight for workers’ rights,” De La Rosa explained.
The segment highlighted clips of King speaking to the AFL-CIO convention in 1961, where he clearly illustrated the common cause of labor and civil rights activists.
“[African Americans’] needs are identical with labor’s needs,” King said in his speech. “Decent wages. Fair working conditions. Livable housing. Old age security. Health and welfare measures. Conditions in which families can grow, have education for their children and respect in the community.”
De La Rosa went on to discuss King’s presence at picket lines and other labor actions throughout his life – including in the days leading up to his death. When King was murdered in Memphis on April 4, 1968, he was in the city to support a sanitation workers’ strike. The sanitation workers, who organized with AFSCME despite the city of Memphis refusing to recognize their union, walked off the job after two workers were crushed to death in a garbage compactor in February 1968. Their strike ended soon after Dr. King’s assassination, when the city agreed to recognize the union and provide wage increases.
“This history often goes untold, just like Dr. King’s radical vision is often watered down,” De La Rosa concluded. “During Black History Month and throughout the year, it’s important to study the past so we can achieve justice for all in the future.”
Will Griffin (second from left) with his family and Vice President Kamala Harris
On Tuesday, April 12, SMART General President Joseph Sellers, Vice President Kamala Harris, Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler, Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and others rallied at the SMART SM Local 19 (Philadelphia, Pa.) union hall to publicize an important Department of Labor (DOL) initiative.
On April 8, the DOL Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) created a National Emphasis Program (NEP) on workplace heat hazards, launching a targeted effort to protect workers from the threat of heat-related illness which, as a result of climate change, has increased in 18 of the last 19 summers. Workers suffer more than 3,500 injuries and/or illnesses related to heat each year, with low-wage workers and workers of color disproportionately impacted. With the implementation of the NEP — which is effective starting April 8 and will remain in effect for three years unless canceled or extended — the DOL aims to protect workers in more than 70 industries, including those that employ SMART workers. Learn more at OSHA.gov/heat.
GP Sellers addresses the crowd at the Local 19 union hall in Philadelphia.
Facts on the NEP from OSHA:
The NEP is a nationwide enforcement mechanism for OSHA to proactively inspect workplaces for heat-related hazards in general industry, maritime, construction or agriculture operation alleging hazardous exposures to heat (outdoors and/or indoors).
This means that OSHA can now launch heat-related inspections on high-risk worksites before workers suffer preventable injuries, illnesses or fatalities.
The NEP encourages employers to protect workers from heat hazards by providing employee access to water, rest, shade, adequate training, and implementing acclimatization procedures for new or returning employees.
The NEP contains both enforcement and outreach/ compliance assistance components.
The NEP establishes heat priority days when the heat index is expected to be 80°F or higher. On heat priority days:
OSHA will initiate compliance assistance in the targeted high-risk industries.
OSHA will also continue to inspect any alleged heat-related fatality/catastrophe, complaint or referral regardless of whether the worksite falls within a targeted industry of this NEP.
OSHA will conduct pre-planned inspections in targeted high-risk industries on any day that the National Weather Service has announced a heat warning or advisory for the local area.
OSHA also recognizes that many businesses want to do the right thing by developing heat illness prevention plans to keep their employees safe.
On heat priority days, OSHA field staff will engage in proactive outreach and technical/compliance assistance to help keep workers safe on the job.
Vice President Kamala Harris speaking at SM Local 19.
In addition to the NEP, Vice President Harris, Secretary Walsh and President Shuler reaffirmed the Biden administration’s support for organized labor and working people across the country. Following an introduction by Local 19 third-year apprentice Will Griffin, in which he spoke about his journey in the trade and the benefits he’s experienced since joining SMART, Vice President Harris discussed planned improvements to schools and other local infrastructure using Bipartisan Infrastructure Law funding — improvements to be completed by members of organized labor, including SMART. “It will put thousands of union workers … and, yes, sheet metal workers, to work across the country,” Harris said.
“[The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law] will put thousands of union workers … and, yes, sheet metal workers, to work across the country,” Harris said.
“President Joe Biden and I are determined to lead the most pro-union administration in America’s history,” she added. “Because you see, we are clear and we know, each and every day in ways big and small, unions change lives. Unions negotiate better wages and safer working conditions for millions of workers around our country.
FTA has not yet implemented worker safety provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
WASHINGTON – Today, 20 labor organizations representing transit drivers and other transportation workers urged Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Federal Transit Administration (FTA) Administrator Nuria Fernandez to immediately implement the safety provisions in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL) to protect transit workers from assault.
Four months after the passage of the BIL, the FTA has yet to implement these safety provisions. Meanwhile, transit workers continue to face danger on the job.
Assaults against transit workers have long been a concern but dramatically increased during the last three years of the pandemic, as did assaults on other frontline transportation workers like airline and airport workers.
Labor unions representing frontline transit employees have responded to this crisis over the years through legislative and regulatory measures, most recently securing several provisions in the BIL to protect transit workers.
Because of the BIL, the FTA is now statutorily required to collect accurate data on transit workforce assaults, to reform its Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan (PTASP) process to include worker voices and incorporate measures to reduce the risk of assault in every transit system, and to update its national safety plan to address the risk of assault and public health concerns.
The unions wrote: “Our members include bus and rail transit operators, station agents, car cleaners, mechanics and other frontline workers, all of whom are at risk of assault and worse each day they arrive at work. President Biden committed to protecting these workers and that promise was enshrined into law as part of the BIL. Before, and particularly during the COVID19 pandemic, these workers have laid their lives on the line every day to ensure Americans have access to safe, reliable transportation, and we must not turn our backs on them another day.”
Signers of the letter include the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO (TTD) and the nation’s largest transit unions, including the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), Transport Workers Union of America (TWU), International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers–Transportation Division (SMART-TD), International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT), and Transportation Communications Union/IAM (TCU).
The letter was also signed by the following unions: Air Line Pilots Association (ALPA), American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA), Association of Flight Attendants–CWA (AFA), Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes–IBT (BMWED), Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS), International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW), International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB), International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA), International Organization of Masters, Mates & Pilots (IOMM&P), International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), National Conference of Firemen & Oilers, SEIU (NCFO), Office and Professional Employees International Union (OPEIU), and Professional Aviation Safety Specialists (PASS).
The AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department, of which the SMART Transportation Division is a proud member, released the following statement on March 1 after President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.
Greg Regan and Shari Semelsberger, president and secretary-treasurer of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issued the below statement in response to President Biden’s first State of the Union (SOTU) address to the nation.
“From the passage of the American Rescue Plan to the biggest investment in infrastructure in our nation’s history, the first year of the Biden Administration was a capstone year of legislative victories for transportation labor unions and working people.
“Chief among these legislative victories is the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), a once-in-a-generation investment across every sector of our transportation network — and an unprecedented investment in workers.
“We proudly represent 36 labor unions whose members will be put to work during the implementation of this historic legislation, ushering in a new era of manufacturing, construction, and transportation job creation. We applaud President Biden for putting union job creation and worker empowerment at the center of his governing agenda.
“We welcome the progress of the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, which recently released a report outlining 70 recommendations to empower workers, including an initiative to increase worker awareness of their federally protected rights to organize and establish a resource center for information on unions and collective bargaining.
“We urge Congress to heed the President’s call to pass the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would help workers collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions.
“We look forward to continuing to work with President Biden and the Administration to create good union jobs, invest in America’s transportation infrastructure, and expand collective bargaining for every transportation worker in the nation.”
A statement from SMART-TD President Jeremy R. Ferguson on the passing of AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka: “Brother Trumka was a distinguished, energetic and passionate leader — a true force whose presence will be missed by all who knew and worked with him in advancing the solidarity and selflessness that propels the American labor movement. We share in the sorrow of his passing and mourn with our brothers and sisters in labor. SMART-TD extends our most heartfelt condolences and will continue his legacy of standing up for the working class.“ Trumka was a keynote speaker at the 2019 SMART General Convention. Click below to view a highlight from his address to more than 1200 convention delegates.
