Tag: General President Michael Coleman

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A $2 billion megaproject that was set to create more than 3,000 union jobs in Massachusetts is under threat after Congress passed the 2025 tax bill, which President Trump signed into law on July 4, 2025.

The Allston Multimodal Project, which had a project labor agreement in place, would have put workers on the job straightening out the Massachusetts Turnpike throughout Boston’s northwest corner, opened up land for development and invested in public transit. SMART sheet metal workers and other union construction members would have played a key role, including building a new train-and-bus hub.

But on Friday, July 18, the Trump administration’s Department of Transportation confirmed that DOT is terminating $327 million that Massachusetts won in 2023 for the Allston Multimodal Project. Massachusetts will keep just $8 million from the grant.

“Unfortunately, some of the harmful pieces of the spending bill are already starting to impact SMART members and our communities, just weeks after the president signed it into law,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “This project wasn’t only going to create thousands of union jobs, including for SMART sheet metal workers. It was going to invest in local communities and the state’s transportation network. Because funding has been so drastically cut, all of that is in jeopardy.”

The project has been in the works for more than a decade. The Boston Globe reported that it “was Governor Deval Patrick, after all, who first promised this new transit hub, dubbed West Station, alongside the turnpike realignment, 11 years ago.”

But the pieces only came together in March of last year, when the Biden administration awarded the project a $335 million grant through the Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods program.

Even with the rescinded funding, Mass. Governor Maura Healey said in a statement that her administration “remain[s] committed to doing everything we can, working with our incredible project partners, to make Allston Multimodal a reality.”

But the fact remains that the pulling of federal grant money directly threatens SMART members’ jobs.

“The Healey-Driscoll Administration is conducting a strategic review of the project to determine a path forward,” SMART Northeast Regional Council President Bob Butler said in an email to Local 17 members. “Local 17 stands with our fellow union partners, as well as our community and government allies in demanding the funding be restored — and in fighting to keep this project alive.”

Cleveland-Cliffs, a steel manufacturer, reportedly cancelled a $500 million project in Middletown, Ohio, in June 2025 — leading to a loss in work hours for union sheet metal workers in the area.

“This would have been a solid project for Local 24, especially our Dayton-area membership,” said Local 24 Business Manager Jeff Hunley.

Local radio station WYSO 91.3 reported: “The planned switch from a coal-based steel plant to hydrogen was expected to create 1,200 union construction jobs and protect 2,500 existing positions.”

WYSO noted that Cleveland-Cliffs had planned to replace its coal steel-making furnace with a hydrogen-powered system, supported in part by a $500 million grant from the Department of Energy. That grant came from the Inflation Reduction Act, signed into law under the Biden administration in 2022.

But Steel Industry News reported that the Trump administration’s shift away from clean energy and its focus on fossil fuels created uncertainty for the company, and rising tariffs on steel imports “forced Cleveland-Cliffs to prioritize short-term profitability.”

Now, at least for the time being, the project has been abandoned.

Changing clean energy policies impact SMART members

Union sheet metal workers play a key role in building and converting clean energy facilities, including hydrogen, nuclear and battery plants. That’s what makes federal grants, tax credits and funding so important to SMART sheet metal workers, and why the strong labor standards included in such policies under the Biden administration were also crucial for members.

“When we work to pass laws like the Inflation Reduction Act, we’re investing in our future,” explained SMART General President Michael Coleman. “The grants and tax credits we got passed in that law are the kinds of policies that create jobs for sheet metal workers five, ten, fifteen years down the line. Unfortunately, when those types of policies are thrown in jeopardy, we see companies become less willing to invest, and projects get paused or cancelled.”

“The Cleveland-Cliffs project cancellation means that the jobs Local 24 was expecting will no longer be available to members in Ohio. With the cuts to clean energy tax credits and programs in the spending bill passed by Congress, we can expect more disappointing stories like this, at least for the next few years,” he added.

As the spending legislation known as the “One Big Beautiful Bill” made its way through the United States House and Senate in spring and summer of 2025, SMART had a constant presence in the offices of both Democratic and Republican lawmakers. SMART’s Governmental Affairs staff met repeatedly with representatives and senators, explaining how provisions in the legislation that cut tax credits, infrastructure funding, clean energy funding, Medicaid funding and more would negatively impact SMART members’ work opportunities and health care coverage.

“Cutting the waste and fraud, nobody’s against that. But these cuts go way deeper than that,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman in a video message to members explaining the bill. “These cuts are actually going to have an impact on our plans and our members. We’re all for cutting waste in the federal government, but they’re going to have to end up cutting programs that are essential for regular, working people.”

Unfortunately, in a move that says a lot about how politics works in today’s day and age, representatives and senators moved forward with a bill that included those cuts.

While some of the worst elements of the bill — including the most extreme energy tax credit cuts and an AI provision that threatened SMART-TD bus operators — were removed due to the collective work of SMART members nationwide and the labor movement, Congress pushed through cuts to Medicaid that will cause working families to suffer and raise the costs of health care plans for SMART members and families, cuts to tax credits that will lead to canceled projects and lost work hours for sheet metal workers, and more. And on July 4, President Trump signed the bill into law.

“Members will lose work. Costs will go up. And that just doesn’t make sense,” Coleman said in a video on tax credits cut by the bill.

Across the construction sector, the bill threatens millions of jobs and work hours, which translates to billions of dollars in lost annual wages and benefits. Members may not feel the consequences immediately. But in the years to come, construction workers and their families, alongside working people everywhere, will lose out on important jobs.

“Simply put, it is the equivalent of terminating more than 1,000 Keystone XL pipeline projects,” said North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) President Sean McGarvey in a statement.

The legislation signed by President Trump included a tax exemption on overtime earnings. However, despite advocacy and proposed fixes, the bill does not extend this benefit to employees covered by the Railway Labor Act — AKA, railroaders.

“Our members sacrifice holidays, family time and weekends to keep this country running. Excluding them from a policy aimed at easing the burden on working Americans is more than disheartening,” said SMART-TD National Legislative Director Jared Cassity. “But we’re not walking away from this. We’ll keep pushing until our voices are heard.”

The cuts to Medicaid are simply devastating across the board. They don’t take effect right away, but once they do, they will hurt blue-collar workers and their families.

“The biggest impact will be on families that are fighting to keep their healthcare. Right now, the CBO scores that 16 million people will lose their healthcare coverage, which inevitably is going to lead to preventable deaths in the future,” said Coleman in another video to members. “And for members who don’t think cuts to Medicaid are going to have an impact on them, I can tell you that history has proven that any cuts to Medicaid lead to an increase in the costs of the health plans that we fund and that we fight for every single day.”

SMART will continue to advocate for members and working families, at the federal level and in states and cities across the United States. But make no mistake: The bill signed into law in July will hurt workers for years to come.

Brothers, sisters and friends,

I’d like to wish all of you and your families a very happy Fourth of July. Today is a day to celebrate the birth of our nation and the ideals that define our country — freedom, democracy, solidarity — and I hope every one of you is able to relax and enjoy a well-earned day with loved ones.

For many of us, today is a day for potlucks, barbecues, grilling, fireworks; for others, it may just be a day to relax with friends. For still more of us, especially our brothers and sisters in the Transportation Division, this is a day spent working, and for that, all of us are grateful beyond words.

For me, today is also about history.

July 4 marks the day that a brave group of people decided to break free from tyranny and empire in the name of liberty and democracy.

July 4 marks the beginning of a long journey for our nation, one that would enshrine principles like free speech and freedom of association — priceless for everyone living in this country, but especially for union members.

July 4 set the foundation for the many forward steps that our country has taken since, as together, trailblazing Americans have worked to make a more perfect union. That includes people like George Washington and Abraham Lincoln — and also Eugene Debs, the women of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire, leaders like Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Cesar Chavez, our SMART forefathers and so many more.

And, of course, it includes all of you, the hardworking SMART members who continue to build and move our country.

I truly believe that every day, SMART members from coast to coast are making the American dream a reality, doing their part to turn the words written on July 4, 1776, into everyday life. Of course, we do that by building schools and hospitals, transporting passengers and freight, and helping provide clean air and safe communities for our neighbors. But we also do it by fighting for the principles of our union. The principle of solidarity. Of looking out for each other. Of collective power. Of fighting for the working people of America.

Those are our values as SMART members. And they are our American values as well.

So this Independence Day, as you celebrate with friends and family, I hope you take time to reflect on our core values as union members. Those same principles are what make our country the greatest in the world.

I’d like to close by paying tribute to the generations of Americans who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country. Your bravery and selflessness will never be forgotten.

Once again, happy Fourth of July — please stay safe, and enjoy the holiday.

In solidarity,

Michael Coleman

General President

Sisters and brothers across Canada,

On behalf of the SMART General Executive Council, I want to wish all our Canadian members and their families a very happy Canada Day!

As you celebrate Canada’s rich history, diverse cultures and the spectacular landscapes that span across coasts, it is also a moment to recognize and celebrate you, the individuals who make Canada the prosperous nation it is today. The hardworking members of SMART across Canada exemplify service, dedication and solidarity, helping to build a stronger, more reliable future for all.

This Canada Day, we also celebrate a future rooted in sustainable growth powered by skilled sheet metal workers and roofers. From the installation of green roofing systems to energy-efficient air systems and sustainable technologies, our members are leading the way in upgrading buildings, improving indoor air quality and constructing better communities. Together, we’re helping to build a cleaner economy and preserve Canada’s great outdoors for future generations.

As we celebrate Canada Day, I hope we are also reminded of the strength we find in our numbers, of the progress we achieve through our solidarity and the bright future we are building together.

Thank you for the work you do every day to uphold our shared values and advance our mission. From all of us at SMART, across Canada and the United States, we stand with you, today and every day.

Happy Canada Day. Enjoy the holiday, and please stay safe!

In solidarity,

Michael Coleman

General President, SMART

Yesterday, the White House budget office encouraged federal agencies to use project labor agreements on construction jobs. The guidance includes potential exceptions to avoid the use of PLAs.

“Although it doesn’t contain the same protections as the Biden administration, this is a step in the right direction. Project labor agreements create jobs for SMART members and working people across our country,” SMART General President Michael Coleman said in response. “All of us at SMART appreciate and applaud yesterday’s guidance from the White House, and we look forward to keeping this conversation going. We encourage them to go further, for the sake of our members, our families and our neighbors.

“We will continue to do everything we can to keep creating jobs for SMART members and Americans nationwide, and we encourage all agencies to support the use of PLAs on all federally funded projects.”

Members can read the memo here.

The Department of Energy recently canceled $3.7 billion in awards for various energy projects, including a project in Mitchell, Indiana, that had employed Local 20 sheet metal workers.

“These major energy projects were creating jobs for SMART members and American construction workers. Now, after the Department of Energy’s announcement, those jobs have been taken away,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “That’s bad for our members, our families and our country. We’re urging the Department of Energy to reverse this decision and put American workers back on the job.”

Members can learn more here and here.

Following reporting by ABC News that Kilmar Abrego Garcia is being returned to the United States from El Salvador, SMART General President Michael Coleman released the following statement:

“Since March, our demand has not changed: Kilmar Abrego Garcia must be returned to the United States and receive his right to due process. This is a right granted to every person in our country.

“This fight isn’t about one man — it’s about ensuring our constitutional rights are protected, for the sake of all SMART members and everyone in this country. If one person’s right to due process is denied, all our rights are in danger.”

The spending bill recently passed by the United States House of Representatives includes nearly $700 billion in cuts to Medicaid — a move that could have serious consequences for SMART members alongside working families across the country.

“These cuts will affect our members directly at the bargaining table and in their wallets,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “Health care costs rise year after year, but when Medicaid is slashed, health care providers and insurance companies will shift even more of the burden onto high-quality plans like ours. That means even higher premiums, rising deductibles and increased out-of-pocket costs. Our members are already doing their part — this would make it even more expensive just to hold onto the care they’ve earned.

“Medicaid provides health coverage for millions of Americans, including many SMART members’ spouses and children. For families who rely on a combination of employer-provided benefits and public programs like Medicaid or the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), these cuts threaten their access to the care they need. It’s not just about coverage — it’s about stability for our families.

“As the bill advances to the Senate, SMART is actively working with congressional leaders to make sure our members continue to have access to affordable, high-quality health care. We urge senators to improve this legislation by maintaining full funding for Medicaid, which plays a critical role in keeping health care costs manageable for working families.”

The spending bill passed by the United States House of Representatives includes more than $500 billion in cuts to tax credits and infrastructure funding that help finance construction projects. In response, SMART General President Michael Coleman said:

“As written, this spending bill will take work away from SMART members, and it will hurt our country’s national interests. Developers and end users rely on tax credits and infrastructure funding to make sure construction projects are completed. Without that money, projects including nuclear, hydrogen and battery facilities get canceled, and SMART members lose their jobs.

“SMART is working with members of Congress to fix this. We are making sure senators know that these tax credits keep union sheet metal workers on the job so we can provide a stable future for our families.  

“We will keep fighting for our members’ jobs, and we urge the Senate to stand with our members by fixing this bill and keeping these tax credits in place.”