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In so-called “right-to-work” states like Florida — the home of commuter rail service Tri-Rail — union workers are often forced to overcome multiple obstacles during contract negotiations. On the one hand, they’re trying to make gains on pay, benefits and working conditions. On the other, they need to surmount potential division between the workers who have signed up for the union and those who opt out of representation.  

But that wasn’t a problem at Tri-Rail’s Hialeah, Florida, facility during the most recent round of contract negotiations. The tireless work of SMART Mechanical Department Local Chairpersons Luis Roves and Raul Barnat ensured every single worker on the property signed up to be a member of SMART-MD — and when the time came to vote on a new contract, every single SMART-MD member cast a vote. The result: 100% ratification.

“Everyone was on the same page,” said SMART-MD General Committee 2 Directing General Chairperson John McCloskey, who negotiated the agreement alongside International Rep. Rob Shanahan. “We had one unified message, and that made it easy to negotiate as one voice and win the contract the members wanted.”

SMART-MD first organized and negotiated a contract at the Hialeah facility in 2015. At the time, 15 of the 28 Tri-Rail employees signed up for union representation.

Barnat and Roves

When ownership of Tri-Rail changed hands from Bombardier to Herzog Transit Services in 2019, SMART-MD ran another organizing campaign at the facility, with Roves and Barnet playing key roles. The two local chairpersons engaged every employee, including brand-new hires — explaining the union advantage and the importance of signing up with SMART-MD. Eventually, they established 100% union membership throughout the property.

“There is definitely a language barrier when I’m down in Miami,” said McCloskey, an Irish immigrant. An added difficulty for McCloskey and Shanahan: The vast majority of the Tri-Rail employees are of Cuban descent, mostly speaking English as a second language. “Luis and Raul are just so proactive. They kept it together in a right-to-work state. They fielded all the questions, all the concerns.”

The previous Tri-Rail contract was subject to renegotiation on July 1, 2024, with SMART-MD initiating discussions two months prior. With Roves and Barnat consistently in contact with Tri-Rail’s workforce, relaying their priorities to McCloskey and Shanahan, SMART-MD eventually reached a tentative agreement with the employer in February, with the unanimous, full-participation ratification vote taking place shortly after.

McCloskey paid tribute to Roves and Barnet’s industrious work on behalf of their fellow Tri-Rail employees, calling their effort a “great success.” He also noted how the negotiation process demonstrated our union’s values.

“At the end of the day, we serve our members no matter their background — we’re not going to let a language barrier get in the way,” he said. “That isn’t going to deter anyone in our organization from negotiating a good contract.”

On March 18, 2025, Steven MacKinnon, minister of Jobs and Families in Canada, visited the SMART Local 47 (Ottawa, Ontario) training centre to announce $67 million in funding for unions to enhance training, aimed at ensuring skilled trades workers lead the transition to the clean economy of the future. The funding, awarded through the Union Training and Innovation Program (UTIP) Sustainable Jobs Stream, included a possible $8.9 million for SMART.

“We’re thrilled that the government has awarded this project to SMART,” said Jack Wall, SMART director of Canadian affairs. “This funding will go a long way to significantly improving the quality of the training our members receive and will help more than 2,000 of our members upgrade their skills, and build a new permanent resource for every apprentice and journey-worker in our trade.”

SMART Canada has been working for years to make sure Canada’s green future is built union. Since the Canadian government announced its ambitious goal to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, SMART has worked to promote strong labour standards in federal policy, secure funding for training programs such as Canada’s Building Trades Unions’ “Building It Green” initiative, promote the union sheet metal and roofing trades as pathways to good jobs, and more.

Partnering with CBTU and SkillPlan Canada to help secure financial assistance for new training is the next step in that process. Overall, the funding announced by MacKinnon in March will go to 10 union-led projects across Canada, training nearly 29,300 tradespeople with the skills they’ll need to build Canada’s new clean economy. The Local 47 training centre was one of the beneficiaries of that funding; CBTU and SMART also received funding to develop a national online training curriculum, empowering sheet metal workers nationwide to access always-available training to develop crucial skills for clean energy work.

“This is an exciting day for our organization,” Wall concluded. “This will be a team effort to help redevelop some of our curriculum and help train our members to be better prepared for green projects — and to pass those skills on to future generations.”

Each quarter of the year, as part of the Belonging and Excellence for All (BE4ALL) initiative, SMART members are challenged to answer one simple question — why are you proud to be a SMART union member? — to be entered into a raffle to win a $100 gift card and a BE4ALL jacket.

And each quarter, SMART members meet the challenge, telling their stories of union pride and solidarity.

The Fall 2024 challenge raffle winners are no different.

Local 9 (Denver, Colorado) sister Delores Bledsoe, the sheet metal winner, answered: “I want to start with, I love my union! I have been a member for nine and a half years, and from day one I can honestly say it has transformed my life, from building my self-worth to financial stability!

Bledsoe receives her BE4ALL jacket from Local 9 Business Manager Jon Alvino and her fellow members

“My self-worth was minimal to say the least [before joining the union]. I had no skills and no direction in my life, but when I joined the union it all came together! I had purpose and went home every day feeling good about how my day went. I was able to learn a skilled craft, and I was able to build relationships that will last forever. There were days I wanted to give up and throw in the towel, but between my classmates and the local union staff, I had a support system that I never knew was possible. As for the financial stability, I feel like I went from rags to riches — I went from a studio apartment in a very rough neighborhood to owning a five-bedroom, four-bath home.

“Every day I come home feeling blessed, and I know that without my union and hard work, this might not even be possible! I now work with the Colorado Building and Construction Trades to spread hope, happiness and knowledge about unions, and to show people that being proud of where you work is possible and living happily and comfortably is obtainable.”

Eleven-year SMART-TD Local 1378 (Wilmington, Delaware) member Joseph Castiglione, the TD winner, said: “The union has made it possible for me to provide a life for my wife and daughter that my parents were not able to provide for my sister and me. With the contracts SMART has been able to negotiate for us, I was able to purchase our house, becoming the first in my family to own a home. I owe everything I have and will have to this organization and its amazing leadership.”

Castiglione pictured with his wife, daughter and BE4ALL jacket

And in a demonstration of SMART values, Castiglione gave his $100 gift card to a local sheet metal apprentice in his area — putting the principle of solidarity into practice.

The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) reports that construction is second only to mining when it comes to suicide rates in American professions. According to a 2020 survey, 83% of construction workers said they had struggled with mental health issues. And data from the National Survey on Drug Use conducted by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration found that 12% of construction workers have an alcohol abuse disorder, compared with the national average of 7.5%.

For all those reasons — and as part of our union’s core values of solidarity and safety — SMART and the Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT) started the SMART Members Assistance Program (MAP) approximately 10 years ago. Now, in addition to SMART MAP, members at participating local unions also have access to an employee assistance program called Union EAP, founded by SMART MAP consultant and subject matter expert Ben Cort.

“[Union EAP] is based on a premise that our members are asked to do way too much when they’re in a time of crisis: You make a phone call, and you basically end up getting a list back of a bunch of different places that you can call if you want to,” Cort said. “The idea that we had with this was much more of a concierge kind of mental health service. You call, you speak to a clinician, that clinician does a full assessment, understands what’s going on, and then builds an individualized and personal plan for you and for your family. And then we see you through all of it.”

Alongside SMART Director of Wellness and Mental Health Support Chris Carlough — and as part of his work with the SMOHIT helpline, which provides a resource for members to call when they are experiencing crisis or need a helpful ear — Cort has been taking phone calls from members for the last five or six years, helping direct them to resources and work their way through mental health crises. He said that aspect of his profession is “one of the most rewarding things in my entire career.”

Many employee assistance programs fall short of the standard SMART sets for member benefits. For instance, Carlough reported, “we have seen EAPs categorize hits on their website as contacts or in many cases ‘member engagement,’ which is quite the stretch. Also, the limited number of providers available through EAPs can be a challenge for our members.” According to the National Council of Mental Wellbeing, he noted, “the average wait time to access mental health support is about six weeks. If you’re looking for a specialist in a certain area or with specific attributes, wait times can stretch into months.”

Some perks of Union EAP, according to Carlough:

  • Every call is taken by a licensed clinician, 24/7/365.
  • Their primary key performance indicator (KPI) is increased utilization rates, versus website visits or other metrics.
  • Each case is led by a master’s-level clinician, who works with the member and their insurance and builds a personalized plan.

The work done by professionals throughout SMART and SMOHIT is all part of fostering a union-wide environment that helps SMART members feel comfortable talking about mental health and seeking help when they need it. The more we can provide those resources, Carlough maintained, the better we will be able to keep our fellow union workers healthy and safe.

“We don’t necessarily want to talk about it on the jobsite, but when we’re given a safe space to be able to talk a little bit about it, we have our members really opening up on how they’re feeling. How they’re dealing with divorce, for example, what they’re struggling with — whether it’s mental health, substance use,” he said. “We’ve had members express that they have suicidal ideations — and we [can support] them. We have these moments in these trainings [when] I really feel like our union is light years ahead of other building trades unions in this.”

Kevin Mulcahy, a 42-year member of SMART Local 63 (Western Mass.) and longtime International staff member, retired on July 31, 2024, bringing an end to decades of leadership and activism on behalf of SMART members.

Mulcahy joined Local 63 in 1982, getting involved with his union as a trustee from 1991 to 1997, then running successfully for business manager/financial secretary-treasurer — positions he held from 1997 until 2007. During the same time, he served as president of the Western Massachusetts Building Trades and as first vice president of the Western Massachusetts AFL-CIO, both from 2000 until 2007. That was the year Mulcahy took the leap to International advocacy: From 2007 until 2024, he worked as an International organizer, assistant director of organizing and regional director of organizing, helping build the foundation for a period of astonishing growth for our organization.

Mulcahy’s decades of dedication to SMART are an inspiration to union activists across North America, and his impact will continue to be felt for years to come.

Mulcahy with his wife, Maribel

SMART is committed to keeping members informed about actions that impact our jobs, livelihoods and families. The SMART Governmental Affairs and Communications Departments are tracking executive actions that affect members — positively and negatively — and will continue to do so moving forward. This list was last updated April 10, 2025.

Pro-worker actions:

  1. President Trump nominated former Oregon Republican Rep. Lori Chavez-DeRemer as secretary of the Department of Labor. Chavez-DeRemer built a pro-worker record in Congress, voting for bipartisan legislation like the Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act and National Apprenticeship Act. Chavez-DeRemer was confirmed to lead the DOL in March.

    Anti-worker actions:

    1. President Trump fired National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo and board member Gwynne Wilcox. These firings cast out a pro-worker champion at the NLRB who advanced SMART members’ rights (banning captive audience meetings, for example) and made it so the NLRB couldn’t meet to oversee union organizing elections or hear cases about employers breaking the law.
    2. President Trump canceled government support for wind energy projects, putting construction on hold and forcing contractors and local unions to look elsewhere for work.
    3. Trump’s Environmental Protection Agency has canceled $20 billion in loans for building retrofits and other energy efficiency projects that would create good jobs for SMART members.
    4. President Trump revoked an executive order that implemented the Inflation Reduction Act and directed federal agencies to focus on creating good-paying union jobs. To date, the labor standards in the Inflation Reduction Act have created thousands of jobs, with projects paying prevailing wages and providing opportunities for hundreds of SMART apprentices.
    5. President Trump revoked an executive order implementing the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law; the order had prioritized creating jobs with high labor standards where workers have the chance to join a union.
    6. President Trump revoked an executive order that implemented the Inflation Reduction Act provisions on Medicare negotiation of lower drug prices.
    7. President Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) fired thousands of federal workers who provide needed healthcare to veterans and ensure seniors receive the Social Security payments they earned.
    8. President Trump issued an executive order directing agencies to disapprove finalized union contracts signed within the last 30 days of the Biden administration.
    9. The Trump administration’s Federal Railroad Administration granted 22 waivers to Genesee & Wyoming Railroad subsidiaries, including the Heart of Georgia Railroad and Georgia Central Railway, to begin testing autonomous freight rail cars — despite SMART-TD raising concerns about safety (prototypes failed several critical safety tests) and members’ job security.
    10. The Trump administration’s Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought is currently trying to shut down the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau, a law enforcement agency formed after the 2008 financial crisis to protect American consumers from financial institutions allegedly practicing dishonest or illegal activity. The CFPB has returned over $13 billion to millions of Americans who have fallen prey to financial scams.
    11. The Trump administration’s Department of Defense ended the use of project labor agreements on “large-scale construction projects,” taking away work from union members and signatory contractors.
    12. The Trump administration’s then NLRB Acting General Counsel William Cowen made captive audience meetings, a key tactic for bosses looking to scare workers into voting against a union, legal again after they had been banned by the previous NLRB general counsel.
    13. President Trump, in a joint address to Congress, called for the cancellation of the CHIPS Act, which is creating thousands of jobs for SMART members on semiconductor manufacturing projects from Arizona to Vermont.
    14. President Trump’s Department of Homeland Security canceled the collective bargaining agreement between the Transportation Security Agency and TSA officers, leaving 47,000 TSA officers without representation.
    15. The Trump administration’s Department of Education fired half of its staff, including those in charge of workforce development programs that direct students into the trades. These cuts will make it harder for children with disabilities to get the education they deserve. President Trump later signed an executive order directing Education Secretary Linda McMahon to dismantle the department.
    16. President Trump and Elon Musk’s DOGE announced the closure of Railroad Retirement Board field offices across the country, compounding the already unacceptable delays and wait times rail workers experience when attempting to contact or get information from the RRB. Additionally, President Trump’s executive orders made it so the RRB can only hire one employee for every four who leave, adding onto the capacity issues the under-funded board already faces.
    17. President Trump repealed previous executive orders that promote registered apprenticeships on infrastructure projects, handing an early win to nonunion contractors. The Trump White House said the order, which leveled the playing field for SMART contractors and apprentices, was “forcing radical labor policies and apprenticeship mandates onto American businesses and government agencies.”
    18. President Trump picked Crystal Carey, a lawyer at the notorious union-busting law firm Morgan Lewis, to head the National Labor Relations Board. Carey’s biggest recent client was Amazon.
    19. As part of the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department’s DOGE-directed downsizing, HUD is closing the Office of Field Policy and Management, which enforces prevailing wage and anti-discrimination laws that protect SMART construction workers; 150 field staff have been let go as of Friday, March 21.
    20. Following the directions of President Trump, DOGE moved to dismantle the Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service, a small agency that supports unions and employers throughout the collective bargaining process and helps to resolve work stoppages. The kneecapping of the FMCS, which makes up 0.0014% of the U.S. budget, could result in longer work stoppages, prolonged contract negotiations and more.
    21. President Trump issued an executive order that stripped union rights and collective bargaining from more than 700,000 federal workers, including those who take care of veterans and work in border security, among many others. This undermines the bedrock principles of collective bargaining our nation was founded on, and that SMART members rely on when bargaining every union contract.
    22. Trump Energy Secretary Chris Wright directed the National Laboratory Operations Board to “assess the benefits and risks of removing construction labor agreement provisions from National Laboratory contracts” — a clear step away from decades of project labor agreements that benefit SMART members on National Laboratory work.

    SMART Army members across North America volunteered their time, energy and donations during the holiday season, helping provide for those in need.

    Local 9 (Colorado) partnered with community organization Foster Source, delivering toys to youth in foster care and spreading joy and hope to those who need it most.

    SMART-TD Local 1741 members proudly continued the local’s toy collection tradition for San Francisco children and families, distributing gifts to General Hospital and a local domestic violence shelter.

    Local 33 members in Toledo, Ohio, stepped up for their community, providing gifts for several families in need and gathering hams for workers who lost their jobs during the holidays after a fire destroyed their place of employment.

    Local 265 members (Carol Stream, Ill.) gathered and donated gifts as part of the United States Marines Corps’ Toys for Tots program.

    Local 17 members served their community at the Francis Gatehouse with the Merrimack Valley Food Bank, which helps people without adequate access to resources get the nutrition they need.

    Local 40 (Rocky Hill, Conn.) apprentices helped set up and take down lighting displays for Goodwill’s Fantasy of Lights event at Lighthouse Point.

    Local 83 (Albany, N.Y.) members collected gifts for those in need as part of Toys for Tots.

    In an annual tradition, Local 104 members in California’s South Bay volunteered with the set up for the 2024 San Jose Christmas in the Park.

    Members of SMART Local 36 in St. Louis partnered with the local SMACNA chapter to help stock food pantry shelves and supply area children’s charities with toys for those who need them.

    Local 58 (Syracuse, N.Y.) apprentices volunteered to help fix bikes for the CNY Bike Giveaway event at the New York State Fairgrounds.

    SMART-TD Local 0023 partnered with the nonprofit Grey Bears to serve more than 300 meals to seniors in Santa Cruz, Calif.

    Local 66 (Seattle, Wash.) brought together 45 volunteers for its Christmas Blessing Holiday Meal Program, providing meals to 47 families, delivering gifts to 112 children and raising $10,400 to support the initiative.

    The Local 280 SMART Army made donations at Toy Mountain 2024, a Vancouver, British Columbia-area toy drive that distributes new toys and cash donations to families in need. Local 280 provided more than $1,500 in toys.

    TD supports working families nationwide

    As workers and their families celebrated during the festive season, SMART-TD members across the country stepped up to ensure that those who might need a little extra help were able to experience the joy of the holiday season.

    In Chicago, the members of Local 1534 worked with the Pediatric Oncology Treasure Chest Foundation, collecting over 100 toys and $200 worth of gift cards for children and teenagers battling cancer.

    In Illinois, for the second year in a row, SMART-TD Local 445 hosted the Yuletide Food Drive in partnership with the Jamieson Food Bank in Monmouth, Ill., and the Fish Food Pantry in Galesburg, Ill. Headed up by Brothers Wes Ekstedt, Josh Gordon and Jack Girard, the local collected over 400 pounds of food and nearly $800 to distribute throughout the community.

    And in Memphis, Tenn., SMART-TD Local 1557 conducted its second bike drive and secured 100 bikes for the Binghampton Development Corporation after setting a goal of just 20 the year before, which it far surpassed.

    TD Local 1557 bike drive
    TD Local 1534 toy drive
    TD Local 445 food drive

    The SMART Heroes Foundation honored sponsors and recognized recent program graduates during an appreciation reception Nov. 18 in Washington, DC. DeWalt was recognized as a gold sponsor, and it was announced the company would become a program partner for next year.

    Jon Howland, DeWalt director of trade marketing, said the company’s participation in SMART Heroes is intended to help grow the trades by bringing in more women, people from underserved communities and veterans. A Navy veteran, Howland also promised if SMART Heroes was to open a third location, DeWalt would fill it with products and tools.

    “Continue to fund these programs,” he urged. “They’re so important.”

    SMART Heroes began in 2017 in Western Washington to provide exiting military members and recent veterans the opportunity to complete a concentrated version of their first year of sheet metal apprenticeship as the beginning to a civilian career. The second location in Colorado Springs began offering the same training in 2019. Both locations work with local military bases of all branches to aid in a successful transition into the civilian workforce.

    In order to graduate, SMART Heroes participants complete a seven-week course, and upon discharge from service, they may choose to enter any of the 148 SMART apprenticeship programs in the United States. There, they are provided direct entry and advanced placement as a second-year sheet metal apprentice with corresponding wages and benefits.

    The SMART Heroes program has graduated more than 600 graduates, with approximately 60% currently working in the trade and an additional 5% eligible to apply for the apprenticeship upon discharge. Two graduates — Kurtis Mancuso from SMART Local 9 in Colorado Springs and Kevin Moore from Local 66 in Western Washington — were in attendance at the reception with their instructors, Greg Daniels and Tommy Mumma, respectively.

    To Moore, the camaraderie of the union is similar to that of the military.

    “The veterans need this program,” he added. “All veterans need is that same environment, only without bullets flying at them.”

    Mancuso found out he was going to become a father a few months before he was to be discharged from the Army. Panic set in as he wondered how he would provide for his family. Then, SMART Heroes called.

    He graduated from the apprenticeship earlier this year.

    “SMART Heroes was the only program that kept reaching out to me,” Mancuso said. “I am very, very thankful to the SMART Heroes program. Veterans need that. Without it, some of us don’t do very good.”

    Arizona Sen. Mark Kelly, a retired astronaut and U.S. Navy captain, attended the reception to show his support for the program: “It’s a model that other unions and other companies need to follow,” he said.

    Mike Harris, executive director of the ITI, NEMI and SMOHIT, reminded the audience that SMART Heroes cannot continue without support.

    “These veterans … this is what this program is all about,” Harris said. “But we can’t do it without the support of our sponsors who help us fund these programs.”

    North America has changed frequently and drastically since sheet metal workers first began organizing more than 135 years ago. Technology, domestic politics, international trade, pandemics and industrial fluctuation have impacted our union, our industry and our two nations. But one thing remains constant: Whatever is taking place in government, politics or business, SMART members win when we organize.

    Local 280 Business Manager Steve Davis detailed that fact in spring 2024, when a multi-year organizing campaign led to the workers at Evergreen Sheet Metal joining our union and growing SMART’s market share in British Columbia.

    “After signing the company, there was some resentment and hard feelings, but they are now operating at more than 60 employees,” he said. “The company has embraced joining the union and is an active member of SMACNA British Columbia.”

    Davis, who was elected business manager in 2024, began working as a Local 280 organizer in March 2020 — the onset of COVID-19 lockdowns worldwide. But the groundwork for the organizing campaign was set two years prior, when one of the largest nonunion plumbing companies in the area — Pitt Meadows Plumbing — purchased Evergreen, until then a small, family-owned contractor.

    “Pitt Meadows had primary subbed all its sheet metal work to Local 280 signatory companies, and from 2018 to 2020, they were working with one of our union companies, All Valley Metals, at the Abbotsford Law Courts jobsite,” Davis recalled. But then, “Pitt Meadows Plumbing went on a stripping effort, recruiting about 15 of our members to quit the union to join Evergreen.”

    The attack on Local 280 took place as Davis was starting his work as an organizer. Throughout 2020, he recruited 96 new members to Local 280 — and spent much of his remaining time communicating with the former members who had left the local for Evergreen.

    “I constantly shared our benefits and wage increases with the Evergreen employees to ensure they were at the same levels as us,” he said. “I stripped several workers per year, with 10 leaving at the end of 2023. That is when everything started coming together. I was working with a few of their foremen who I had built trust and respect with, and we planned an organizing drive in December of 2023.”

    Local 280 hit the ground running in early 2024 — and quickly ran up against a fierce union-busting campaign. After organizers visited a jobsite with union certification cards early one morning, where about 25 Evergreen workers were on site, the company caught wind — only two workers showed up at a second jobsite, where Davis had planned to get more cards signed from the 20 workers who were supposed to be present.

    “Things were not looking good, as we just didn’t have the numbers,” he said.

    That’s when a site supervisor from the second jobsite, an acquaintance and former Local 280 worker, contacted Davis and asked to meet for lunch. Davis asked him to set up a meeting with the Evergreen owners, initiating a two-pronged organizing approach. Davis scheduled a sit-down with Evergreen management, Local 280 and SMACNA B.C., hoping to sign the contractor more amicably. In the meantime, as the meeting approached, he kept in touch with Evergreen workers — signing seven more members to give union supporters the majority.

    Evergreen rejected Local 280’s attempt at a friendly agreement, and at workers’ urging, Davis filed with the Canadian Labour Relations Board for card check certification. The company ramped up its anti-union efforts, with a foreman on site trying to convince Evergreen employees to revoke their signed cards. On January 29, 2024, Local 280 filed an unfair labour practice complaint against the company. Two days later, the Labour Relations Board granted Local 280 certification, with 64% approval. Through the workers’ strength and resilience, their union was won.

    At that point, Davis said, there was the unpleasant possibility of entering arbitration for up to one year. But Local 280 met with ownership throughout February, and the two parties ended up signing a collective bargaining agreement in March 2024.

    “This was the largest victory I had as an organizer,” Davis said.

    Thanks to Local 280’s focus on organizing and the collective determination of Evergreen employees, a hostile, nonunion employer became a friendly signatory, bringing 60 new members into our union and reminding SMART members everywhere: Organizing is how we win.

    SMART-TD kicked off 2025 with a bang, organizing two Genesee & Wyoming-owned railroad properties in the span of two weeks.

    The first victory, at Wilmington Terminal Railroad, was won with a unanimous vote from railroaders who spent years dealing with a variety of anti-worker attacks.

    Wilmington Terminal workers, who already live in the so-called “right-to-work” state of North Carolina, came under G & W ownership in 2005 — and found themselves facing anti-union intimidation from the get-go.

    But new SMART-TD member Parker Greenough grew tired of G & W’s threats to shut down the terminal and switch the cars elsewhere if organizing talk became a reality.

    “I always figured that [securing union representation] would be difficult and that it would take a long time, but we were finally ready,” Greenough said. “Enough is enough.”

    “SMART has negotiated some great agreements on G & W properties,” McCray said. “These guys see that and what they’re missing out on and what a union can do for you.”

    After having important conversations with coworkers, Greenough and his colleagues decided that they were ready to stand up to G & W’s endless stream of scare tactics and join a union.

    There was just one problem: He didn’t know exactly where to start.

    A Friday night Google search led him to SMART-TD, and he immediately made a call to the organizing department. By Monday morning, he was on the phone with General Committee 433 Vice Chair Andy Goeckner, who asked Greenough what he and his brothers needed. Authorization cards were in the mail to them that same day.

    Crucial support also came from TD Local 1105 (Wilmington, N.C.) President Mike Stafford. He was present during an initial town hall on SMART-TD membership and provided invaluable help as the vote approached.

    “I was shocked at how easy SMART-TD and Andy made this process,” Greenough noted. “We could tell that he was excited to be in this fight with us, and that made us even more motivated to organize.”

    G & W predictably and blatantly engaged in further union busting, attempting to swing the vote against SMART-TD supporters. Management was rebuffed with a unanimous vote in favor of unionization.

    Vice Chair Goeckner then walked the new members through the process of filing the correct documentation with the Department of Labor and other federal organizations.

    Fellow North Carolinian Todd McCray, who hails from the CSX general committee, helped Wilmington Terminal navigate the process at the state level, a responsibility that he wasn’t required to assume.

    “Todd’s not an organizer,” Goeckner pointed out. “Being from the same state and having the knowledge to make it happen, he just wanted to help his brothers secure the protection and respect that they deserve. He went above and beyond his job description to bring these guys into our SMART-TD family.”

    McCray believes that the vote is a true reflection of the union difference.

    “SMART has negotiated some great agreements on G & W properties,” McCray said. “These guys see that and what they’re missing out on and what a union can do for you.”

    Connecticut Southern workers organize for change

    Just days after their union siblings at the Wilmington Terminal Railroad, workers at Connecticut Southern Railroad — another Genesee & Wyoming subsidiary — joined SMART-TD in a nearly unanimous vote.

    Connecticut Southern workers were previously under an umbrella agreement with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLET), which benefits some (but not necessarily all) properties that it covers.

    With only 15 members in train and engine service, the Connecticut Southern members often felt like they were left in the dark and didn’t have their needs fully addressed.

    “Looking at our own situation, we had to say, ‘Hey, are we getting our bang for our buck?’” said Garrett Desjardins, who was the local chairperson while they were represented by the BLET.

    Tired of feeling like they weren’t being heard, our new brothers reached out to SMART-TD.

    GCA 687 Associate Chairperson Nick Greficz assisted with the organizing efforts.

    “[Joining SMART-TD] wasn’t a knee-jerk reaction,” Greficz emphasized. “There was some apprehensiveness about the contracts in place, the longevity of the contracts, and there was some misinformation that was being spread.”

    Discussions with Local Chair Matt Pietrzak from Local 352 (West Springfield, Mass.) eased many of the workers’ worries. Pietrzak knew most of TD’s new members before the switch.

    “We worked side-by-side with those guys,” he said.

    “I see [Pietrzak] almost every day when I’m at work,” Desjardins added. “We just met each other through doing the job, and you meet good people along the way. So it almost seemed like a no-brainer for us because our representation is right there.”

    Connecticut Southern workers made a strong impression on Greficz throughout the organizing process — their professionalism and solidarity as a unit helped achieve the overwhelming victory. He specifically conveyed how proud he is of Pietrzak, who is now preparing to become an official organizer, for his leadership throughout the campaign.

    “It’s a true story of organizing from the rocks, because he wasn’t an organizer,” Greficz explained. “It doesn’t matter what your title is … everybody is an organizer at the end of the day.”