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.”
The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) issued the following statement in response to President Trump’s March 27, 2025, executive order, which seeks to eliminate collective bargaining rights for approximately 700,000 federal employees — including those serving in critical roles at federal shipyards:
“Collective bargaining is not just a cornerstone of the labor movement — it is a fundamental American freedom. President Trump’s executive order is a stunning and deeply troubling assault on that freedom, and it represents a direct threat to the livelihoods and dignity of working people across this nation.
“This order targets the rights of hundreds of thousands of federal workers who serve our country every day — from caring for our veterans and staffing our hospitals to protecting frontline workers during national emergencies. These dedicated public servants, many of whom are military veterans themselves, deserve respect and security — not political attacks designed to strip them of their voice on the job.
“Collective bargaining has empowered generations of SMART members to earn fair pay, strong benefits, and safe working conditions. Through these rights, we have helped build and sustain the very infrastructure that makes America strong. That legacy is now under siege.
“Make no mistake: This executive order is not only an attack on federal workers — it is an attack on every working American who believes in fairness, democracy and the right to be heard.”
“SMART stands in unwavering solidarity with our brothers and sisters across the labor movement,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “We will fight back against any effort to silence workers and dismantle the collective power that has built — and continues to build — our great nation.”
I want to wish you and your families a very happy holiday season.
Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or practice your own tradition, this is a meaningful time. I hope all of you are able to spend these days with loved ones.
The end of the year is an opportunity to reflect on the past and look forward to the future.
The labor movement has been resurgent in recent years, with working people organizing like they haven’t in decades and union approval ratings close to all-time highs. That includes in our industries: More than ever, Americans and Canadians realize just how crucial SMART members are to our two nations. They understand the importance of the workers who manufacture and install HVAC systems and who help maintain the quality of the air we breathe. They finally recognize the essential work performed by freight railroaders and public transit operators. And they see the true value of our collective power: We are the workers fighting to raise the standard of living for our neighbors and communities.
With that foundation, we made history over the last 12 months.
We put members to work on megaprojects across the United States and Canada. We negotiated strong contracts across industries and trades. We fabricated HVAC systems for hospitals, chip plants and more. We won a nationwide two-person train crew rule. And we grew as a union, bringing in tens of thousands of new SMART members.
The truth is this, sisters and brothers: Our two nations simply don’t work without sheet metal and transportation workers, whether we’re helping build new schools or bringing freight from coast to coast. I want to thank you for all that you do — every single day.
The holiday season means different things to different people. But at its core, I believe it’s about our common humanity. As union members, that is one of our core values; the idea that every working person deserves safety, fair pay, a secure retirement and a life with dignity, and that we will organize together to win those rights.
That principle — our solidarity — will guide us in the future. As we close out 2024 and head into 2025, we will continue to stand united, to organize and to have each other’s backs.
Again, happy holidays from me, my family and the SMART General Executive Council. Enjoy the season, and please stay safe.
I want to wish all of you and your families a very happy Thanksgiving, from myself, General Secretary-Treasurer John Daniel and the entire SMART General Executive Council.
Today is a day to gather with those we hold dear. From the essential workers who manufacture, build and install the HVAC systems that keep our air clean and healthy, to the railroaders and transit operators who literally keep our supply chain moving — and who, even today, are transporting passengers and freight where they need to be — we know just how valuable these moments are.
Everyone has their different traditions on days like today. Many of us gather to eat turkey and stuffing with family and friends; others may practice different observations. But no matter what you choose to do, I hope you keep in mind a spirit of fellowship, unity and our common humanity.
For me, Thanksgiving is especially welcome in the wake of election season. Politics can so often feel divisive, and these days, elections are used by the rich and powerful to try and pit us against one another. Today and every day, please remember one thing: As union members, we are each other’s family. We have each other’s backs. No matter what’s taking place in the political arena, our solidarity is by far the most important principle we can uphold.
Organized labor has changed history time and again, and we did it through our unbreakable unity. All of us should be proud to be trade unionists; to be part of a collective movement to better the lives of working-class people from coast to coast.
I want to thank each one of you for the invaluable contributions you make to our union, our labor movement and our nation.
Again, happy Thanksgiving. Enjoy the holiday, and please stay safe.
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.
