During the 2025 North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) Legislative Conference, SMART officers and IA staff gathered for a reception to honor the local unions who donated the most, per capita, to the SMART Political Action League (PAL) in 2024, as well as hear from congressional allies Angie Craig and Brian Fitzpatrick. Rep. Craig, a longtime ally of SMART members in Minnesota, illustrated the impact collective bargaining made on her and her family, as well as her commitment to apprenticeship programs.

“The fight you’re putting up to make sure your members have jobs, have work, is incredible,” she said.

Rep. Fitzpatrick is a longtime pro-labor Republican who supports legislation like the PRO Act, the National Apprenticeship Act and has called on the president to rescind executive orders attacking collective bargaining. Fitzpatrick thanked SMART for our union’s support of pro-union candidates across party lines, and promised to keep fighting for our priorities.

The top 31 local unions in PAL donations, per member, in 2024: 

  1. Local 137 (New York, N.Y.) 
  2. Local 66 (Seattle, Wash.) 
  3. Local 71 (Buffalo, N.Y.) 
  4. Local 265 (DuPage County, Ill.) 
  5. Local 293 (Honolulu, Hawaii) 
  6. Local 112 (Elmira, N.Y.) 
  7. Local 17 (Eastern Mass.) 
  8. Local 25 (Northern N.J.) 
  9. Local 22 (Union, Morris, Somerset, Sussex Counties, N.J.) 
  10. Local 40 (Hartford, Conn.) 
  11. Local 36 (St. Louis, Mo.) 
  12. Local 27 (South N.J.) 
  13. Local 435 (Jacksonville, Fla.) 
  14. Local 206 (San Diego, Calif.) 
  15. Local 49 (Albuquerque, N.M.) 
  16. Local 399 (Charleston, S.C.) 
  17. Local 80 (Detroit, Mich.) 
  18. Local 88 (Las Vegas, Nev.) 
  19. Local 256 (Chicago, Ill.) 
  20. Local 44 (Northeastern Pa.) 
  21. Local 20 (Indianapolis, Ind.) 
  22. Local 33 (Northern Ohio) 
  23. Local 63 (Western Mass.) 
  24. Local 218 (Springfield, Ill.) 
  25. Local 105 (Los Angeles, Calif.) 
  26. Local 104 (San Francisco, Calif.) 
  27. Local 38 (Westchester and Rockland Counties, N.Y.) 
  28. Local 12 (Southwestern Pa.) 
  29. Local 15 (Central Fla.) 
  30. 441 (Mobile, Ala.) 
  31. Local 7 (Lansing, Mich.) 

Pictures of the top 31 locals (who were present at the reception) can be viewed and downloaded here.