Tag: General President Michael Coleman

Home>News>General President Michael Coleman

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.”

On Thursday, April 10, the United States Supreme Court issued a decision that backed a federal judge’s order requiring the government to facilitate the return of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to the United States. SMART General President Michael Coleman issued the following statement in response:

“Since last week, our demand has been a simple one — one that echoed the calls of Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia’s family, community and allies: Bring Kilmar home and give him the due process that is his right.

“It’s been weeks since Kilmar, a sheet metal apprentice working hard to pursue the American dream, was mistakenly deported. Over those weeks, in what has been a heartbreaking and terrifying time for Kilmar’s family, we have seen Americans from coast to coast raise their voices against Kilmar’s deportation. And in the midst of that outcry, the United States justice system instructed the government, again and again, to bring Kilmar back to the U.S.

“In court last Friday, U.S. Department of Justice attorney Erez Reuveni admitted that there was nothing in the record to support ICE apprehending and deporting Abrego Garcia. The federal district court judge who heard Kilmar’s case stated she ‘[hadn’t] been given any evidence’ to support the government’s allegation of gang affiliation and ordered the government to bring Kilmar home. On Monday, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit unanimously denied the government’s request for a stay. And yesterday, the United States Supreme Court reaffirmed the government’s responsibility to facilitate Kilmar’s return from El Salvador.

“Our call is unchanged, and it is now backed by the Supreme Court: The government must bring Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia home and grant him due process. We are overjoyed for Kilmar and his family, and we look forward to the Trump administration taking immediate steps to bring him back to the U.S.”

Following Supreme Court Chief Justice John Roberts’ decision to temporarily stay a federal district court order to return Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia to the United States by 11:59pm tonight, SMART General President Michael Coleman issued the following statement:

“In court Friday, U.S. Department of Justice attorney Erez Reuveni admitted that there was nothing in the record to support ICE apprehending and deporting Abrego Garcia. The federal district court judge who heard Kilmar’s case stated she ‘[hadn’t] been given any evidence’ to support the government’s allegation of gang affiliation and ordered the government to bring Kilmar home by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, April 7. And earlier today, a three-judge panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit unanimously denied the government’s request for a stay. Circuit Judge Thacker aptly described what is at stake in Kilmar’s case, writing that:

‘The United States Government has no legal authority to snatch a person who is lawfully present in the United States off the street and remove him from the country without due process. The Government’s contention otherwise, and its argument that the federal courts are powerless to intervene, are unconscionable.’

“Now, instead of fixing the error the federal government has acknowledged making by bringing Kilmar home, the government has taken the matter to the Supreme Court. Today, Chief Justice Roberts temporarily stayed the order.

“We are devastated for Kilmar and his family that his return has been delayed. But our call remains unchanged: The Trump administration must bring Kilmar Armando Abrego Garcia home and grant him the due process that is his right.”

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 principle of due process is one of the fundamental values our nation is founded upon. Every single person in America has the right to due process, the right to face one’s accusers — the guarantee that no one shall be ‘deprived of life, liberty or property, without due process of law.’

“When Kilmar Abrego Garcia was mistakenly deported to El Salvador, he was denied his right to due process, and we at SMART are fighting to ensure he receives the treatment he is granted under law — just like we would, and we always will, fight for the rights of every single SMART member. We continue to call on the United States government to return Abrego Garcia to the United States and be granted due process, and we encourage every American who believes in the rule of law to do the same.”