Tag: Summer 2025

Home>News>Summer 2025

Former local union organizer and SMART International Instructor Eli Baccus has begun his tenure as director of the SMART Education Department — another step in a career dedicated to advancing the interests of union workers across North America.

SMART Education Department Director Eli Baccus on the picket line during his time as an organizer with Local 33, pictured wearing a Local 33 hat with an inflatable Scabby the Rat behidn him.
SMART Education Department Director Eli Baccus speaks to a police officer while holding hand bills and a megaphone during his time as an organizer with Local 33.

“Eli’s extensive experience, dedication and passion for labor education make him exceptionally well-suited for this role,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “I am confident that under his leadership, our Education Department will continue to thrive, equipping our members with the knowledge and skills necessary to succeed.”

“I am honored to work with the International’s staff to help General President Coleman implement his vision of SMART as a union that is focused on benefiting the lives of the members,” Baccus said. “I am humbled by the opportunity to serve our membership in this position and will strive to ensure SMART’s local union officials are getting the best training possible.”

Baccus joined the SMART Education Department as an International instructor in April 2024. Before then, he served as the director of organizing and partnership development at Local 33 (Northern Ohio) — a role he held since July 2015, and one in which he demonstrated strong leadership and a commitment to labor education.

“His tenure there was marked by a renewed focus on growth, engagement and strategic partnerships,” Coleman said.

Before his time at Local 33, Baccus spent five years as a labor attorney at the law firm Widman and Franklin, where he represented unions across Ohio, advocating for workers’ rights and fair labor practices.

As SMART’s new education director, Baccus said he plans to deliver engaging, relevant and fun programming that meets the immediate and long-term needs of our organization.

“Class content will be driven through a collaborative process between the Education Department and other International departments to ensure we are providing the skill training that new officials need to improve members’ lives,” he explained. “We will be creating experiences for union officials that allow them to immediately apply class content in near real-world scenarios in a meaningful way.”

“Learning does not have to be boring,” Baccus added. “In fact, it will be more impactful if class participants enjoy the experience.”

Learn more about the SMART Education Department in the SMART Member Portal.

Canada’s unionized construction industry is expe­riencing significant victories for workers. From prevailing wage requirements on green infra­structure projects, to tax deductions for travellers, to new federal legislation designed to expedite nation-building projects, the future is bright for SMART members and the broader labour movement.

As Canada gears up for a wave of megaprojects from coast to coast, it is more important than ever to remain focused on organizing. Organizing victories ensure SMART has the capacity, skill and strength to meet the demands of high-profile, intensive projects, while protecting the wages, benefits and working conditions that members deserve.

Across the country, SMART locals are rising to this challenge by prioritizing organizing and expanding their reach. On the West Coast, Local 280 (Vancouver) has grown its membership by 35%, thanks to successful organizing campaigns involving 15 new companies. Their most notable victory was organizing a roofing company with over 50 members, marking a significant step forward for both the local and broader construction industries in B.C.

In Northern and Eastern Ontario, smaller locals are also ramping up their efforts. Local 504 (Sudbury) and Local 269 (Kingston) have hired full-time organizers for the first time, a sign of their commitment to signing nonunion companies and preparing for the influx of new projects.

Newly organized Local 562 member Brian Vos in the shop in Kitchener, Ontario

Meanwhile, in Southwestern Ontario, Local 562 (Kitchener) achieved a breakthrough after years of determined efforts, welcoming 56 new members who made the switch from the Christian Labour Association of Canada (CLAC). The turning point came when CLAC compared their current wages and benefits, which highlighted the clear advantage of SMART member­ship. Even with a recent $18/hour raise from CLAC, the workers realized they were still behind SMART’s collec­tive agreements. Ultimately, this move wasn’t just about higher wages; it was about joining a union that provides meaningful representation and long-term security.

But our largest organizing victory came in Windsor, where Local 235 mobilized 450 SMART travellers to support work on the NextStar Energy megaproject. At peak, the site had 950 union members working, a clear demonstration of SMART’s capacity to scale up orga­nized labour.

Looking ahead, more megaprojects are on the horizon. From the PowerCo (Volkswagen) battery plant to multiple hospital builds across the country, these proj­ects offer incredible opportunities for SMART members to develop their skills, secure steady employment and sustain rewarding careers in their local communities.

But seizing these opportunities requires organizing. It is only through continued organizing efforts that we can ensure all construction workers, regardless of their location in Canada, can reap the benefits of union repre­sentation. Better wages, safer worksites and stronger worker protections start with a commitment to grow our union. Together, we’re building more than infrastruc­ture; we’re building a stronger future for every SMART member across Canada.

SMART-TD Local 202 (Denver, Colo.) sister Tierney Gallegos started her journey as a union railroader just six years ago. But in that short time, she has emerged as a model of leadership, service and solidarity.

“Union leadership is a voluntary position, and not every position is filled with people determined to make a difference,” said Omar Ledesma, local chairperson and alternate safety and legislative representative in Colorado. “Sister Gallegos strives to make that difference. She wants people to know that railroaders still exist. We may not have the numbers we once had, but we are still present in our community and a leader among other unions.” 

A conductor for BNSF Railway and the vice president of Local 202 in Denver, Colorado, Sister Gallegos also serves as the secretary of the Local Committee of Adjustment (LCA) for the yard, a role that she was elected to in 2022, and has quickly become an indispensable force. 

She mobilized support for SMART-TD’s legislative priorities and broader labor initiatives. From state Senate and House hearings to street-level rallies, Gallegos ensures our members show up proud, powerful and ready to fight for positive change. 

Union influence creates a community-wide benefit 

Elected to her first four-year term as Vice President two years ago, Sister Gallegos hit the ground running. She assumed leadership of both the Charity Committee and the Ways and Means Committee, where she has redefined what it means to connect union strength with public good. Her efforts have brought Local 202 into collaboration with key organizations such as: 

  • Toys for Tots 
  • The Colorado Railroad Museum 
  • SMART-TD Colorado Legislative Board 
  • Women on the Tools Event 

For the third consecutive year, she successfully organized Local 202’s support for the National Stamp Out Hunger Food Drive, forging a powerful partnership with the Bienvenidos Food Bank and a local post office to combat hunger and raise awareness. She has made it her mission to bring the message of SMART-TD into the broader community: if something needs to be fixed, the union will get organized and fix it. 

Our values lead to a brighter future 

Gallegos demonstrates what all SMART-TD members stand for: determination in the face of adversity, strength through unity, service to the community and a commit­ment to lifting one another when any of us has fallen. Her rise in prominence is a testament to her unshakeable dedication to these values. Great work, sister!

The SMART International leadership team is adding two new staff members, bolstering the International’s capacity in order to better serve members across North America.

Deyette
Bailey

Lance Deyette joined Darrell Roberts and Tom Wiant as an assistant to the general president (AGP) following the 2025 SMART Leadership Conference. Deyette is a long-standing member of SMART Local 66 in Washington — more than 34 years — and most recently served as president of the Northwest Regional Council, as well as a general vice president on the General Executive Council.

The International also established a new assistant to the general secretary-treasurer (AGST) position to support General Secretary-Treasurer John Daniel in his work. Aaron Bailey, a 28-year member of Local 66, began his position on June 21, following many years spent strengthening our union as an International organizer, Local 66 business representative and local union organizer.

For SMART members, solidar­ity is more than just a word or belief system. It’s action. It means having each other’s backs without question — extending a hand without expecting anything in return.

Local 55 (Boise, Idaho) member Petey Deligiannis detailed how union solidarity changed his life:

“As an apprentice, I was in a situation where I had no home, no food, no table to put it on even if I had. My mentor journeyman, Jerry Varccaro, noticed and gave me cash for food. This was the most kind thing somebody had ever done for me. Once I’d gotten my feet under me, I went to pay him back. I shouldn’t have been surprised, but he was speechless and wouldn’t take it. It meant more to him that I’d made good and was willing to pay him back.

Petey Deligiannis with his daughter

“Later that year he surprised me at Christmas, too. Because of him I was able to buy my daughter and brother Christmas gifts and a special meal. His kindness showed me what broth­erhood was about and is something I think of daily. I hope to continue this show of brotherhood and perpetuate that type of kindness.”

That’s union family!

So-called “right-to-work” laws force unions to represent and bargain on behalf of workers who don’t pay dues. Union dues are the funds that empower local unions to devote resources to bargaining better contracts, organizing more jobsites and workplaces, and better representing members. When local unions are forced to bargain on behalf of non-dues-paying members, both SMART members and nonunion workers suffer.

Know the facts:

• The average worker in “right-to-work” states makes approximately $8,989 less per year than workers in free bargaining states.

• “Right-to-work” laws damage retirement contributions, hurting members’ pensions.

• The workplace fatality rate in so-called right-to-work states is 37% higher compared with free bargaining states.

• Uninsured rates are 11.9% higher in so-called right-to-work states compared with free bargaining states.

State-by-state comparison:

The Economic Policy Institute compared the economic paths of Wisconsin and Minnesota from 2010 to 2018, which included the years in which Wisconsin passed a so-called right-to-work law and Act 10, which restricted the collective bargaining rights of public sector unions. During that time, job growth in Minnesota grew 11% compared to Wisconsin’s 7.9%. Minnesota’s wages increased by 9.7% compared to Wisconsin’s 6.4%. Household income grew 8.5% in Minnesota compared to Wisconsin’s 6.4%.

A collection of new crew room posters and flyers is available to help keep SMART-TD members informed and engaged. Printed flyers can be requested at no charge in various sizes — up to 11”x17”. Posters are laminated for use with dry-erase markers, making them easy to update and reuse. You also have the option to download and print them yourself. For more information, please reach out to your local officers.

If you’d like to request printed flyers or have an idea for a new addition, please reach out to SMART-TD Vice President James Sandoval at jsandoval@smart-union.org. You can also place an order yourself by filling out this form.

A collection of new crew room posters and flyers is available to help keep SMART-TD members informed and engaged. Printed flyers can be requested at no charge in various sizes — up to 11”x17”. Posters are laminated for use with dry-erase markers, making them easy to update and reuse. You also have the option to download and print them yourself. For more information, please reach out to your local officers.

If you’d like to request printed flyers or have an idea for a new addition, please reach out to SMART-TD Vice President James Sandoval at jsandoval@smart-union.org. You can also place an order yourself by filling out this form.

SMART-TD E-3 Committee responds to member requests

Members came to SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson with the idea of creating new flyers for union bulletin boards in crew rooms to share important information, and President Ferguson tasked the E-3 Committee with making that happen.

Launched in 2024, the E-3 Committee (which stands for empowerment, education and engagement) focuses on ways to help locals and keep members updated on impor­tant events, benefits and solidarity-building activities.

E-3 Committee members:

  • James Sandoval
  • Nicholas Greficz
  • Justin Schrock
  • Charles (Buddy) Piland
  • Hilary (Bill) Manoski
  • William (WW) Jackson
  • Matt Pietrzak

Knowledge is power, on and offline

Not all members are tech-savvy or avid social media users, and those who are among those groups made it clear that they prefer notices that are posted on bulletin boards.

Sandoval pointed out how this is proof that members’ ideas are incredibly valuable, since the idea is now being put into action.

“We found that a lot of our members weren’t aware of events and the value-added aspects that SMART-TD provides, including the Discipline Income Protection Plan (DIPP) and voluntary short and long-term disability insurance,” said Sandoval. “Some of the bulletin boards in the crew rooms hadn’t been updated in [over 20] years, and we were committed to fixing that.”

Flyers fill the gaps

Focused on important educational material, such as union “just cause” protections, the flyers also feature QR codes that take users directly to various SMART-TD-provided benefits.

“These QR codes encourage engagement amongst all of our brothers and sisters,” explained Sandoval. “With a simple tap on their smartphone, tablet or other device, our members have access to valuable information and benefits provided by their union at their fingertips.”

Many members also voiced concerns that they did not know where or when their local meetings took place, or who their local officers were if they had a problem.

The new flyers ensure that all members have access to these details, even if they don’t carry a smartphone or follow their local on social media.

Empowerment, education, engagement

The three-pronged approach of empowerment, educa­tion and engagement is crucial in the quest to build SMART-TD’s collective power. And the E-3 Committee is committed to pursuing that approach in the future, near and far.

“This committee is dedicated to strengthening our union by equipping our members with the tools to advo­cate for their rights,” said Sandoval. “Through fostering continuous learning and development and promoting active participation, we can forge a stronger union family capable of driving positive change.”



SMART members have an excellent opportunity to further their careers in the construction industry via Rowan University’s Bachelor of Arts in Con­struction Management program, which has been endorsed by North America’s Building Trades Unions and is specifically intended for members pur­suing career development in the building trades. This online program is designed for pre-apprentices, appren­tices and journeypersons looking to gain the leadership and technical skills needed to plan, execute, monitor and control the construction process.

Some of the perks:

  • Courses are entirely online, providing affordable, accessible learning that members can tailor to their schedules
  • Union apprenticeships and specialized training can fulfill general education and elective requirements, accelerating degree completion
  • The program includes three stackable certificates: Fundamentals of Construction Management, Project Management and Leadership (completing the full degree is not required)
  • A specialized tuition rate is available to all NABTU affiliated unions

As our industry continues to evolve, leadership devel­opment will be more crucial than ever — for members’ careers and for our union.

Learn more here.

When SMART Local 5 (East Tennessee and North Carolina) member Steven Ruger became an organizer in April 2023, the local had around 1,100 members — the majority in Tennessee — with 500 sheet metal workers needed to take on several approaching N.C.-based megaprojects.

“I wanted to become an organizer to help build and grow Local 5,” said Ruger, who first joined the trade in July 2011 with SMART Local 112 (Elmira, N.Y.) before moving to North Carolina years later. “To give others the opportunity I had and build solidarity in North Carolina.”

By all conventional measures, he’s succeeding. Today, thanks in large part to aggressive organizing conducted by Local 5 and spearheaded by Ruger, the local has more than 1,500 members, and the size of Local 5’s North Carolina membership has increased by more than 60%.

Megaprojects drive growth

Back in 2023, three megaprojects in Local 5’s jurisdiction — a Wolfspeed chip plant, a Toyota battery plant and a VinFast plant — put huge workforce demands on signatory contractors. That meant Ruger had to get straight to work once he started his new job as an organizer, training with now-retired International Organizer Kevin Mulcahy while simultaneously building a person-of-interest list for the local.

“Kevin and I researched nonunion fabrication shops in Charlotte, Raleigh and Greensboro, found where workers left these shops and placed yard signs at high-traffic intersections,” Ruger recalled.

In September 2023, the International put on an organizing blitz in Raleigh, North Carolina, to help staff the megaprojects, with organizers undergoing two days of training and two days of jobsite visits. There were four cars, with four organizers in each car, Ruger said — including one bilingual organizer per vehicle. He also had more than 500 palm cards printed, made up with a QR code that would direct users to a Local 5 landing page that explained megaprojects, pay scale, per diem, overtime and other facts about the union advantage.

Local 5 palm card
Steven Ruger

“We flooded jobsites, gas stations and supply houses with these cards,” Ruger said. “This was a huge success.”

The recruiting didn’t stop there. Ruger ran ads on Craigslist and Indeed, marketing the many perks of being a Local 5 sheet metal worker. The local has partnered with Guilford Technical Community College to help bring on two classes of 25 first-year sheet metal apprentices. And Ruger found great success stripping one of Local 5’s nonunion competitors, Environmental Air Systems.

“On a couple jobs, I stripped the foreman, and he brought his whole crew of 10-plus people with him,” he said.

Language isn’t a barrier to the union advantage

Ruger, Mulcahy and Local 5 knew that navigating potential Spanish-English language barriers would be key to any organizing success in the area. Along with the bilingual organizers brought in for the Raleigh blitz, Ruger worked with International Organizer Josh Garner and Strategic Research and Data Team Manager Kris Harmon to make sure the Local 5 landing page could be translated into Spanish. He even invested in translator ear buds in order to communicate with Spanish-speaking workers directly.

“I would meet these workers at Sheetz gas stations and our local union hall, explaining all the benefits of joining,” Ruger said. “I hired a few bilingual workers, and going forward they would help me relay information and assist with recruiting.”

Bad-faith employers often exploit language barriers to keep workers from organizing, collectively bargaining and speaking up about jobsite issues. That wasn’t the case at SMART signatory contractor Dynamic Systems, Inc. (DSI), which took on the Wolfspeed chip plant in Siler City, North Carolina. Thanks to their cooperation, all workers were put in a position to succeed — benefiting the employer as well.

“DSI worked with Local 5 and set up two orientations for workers, one in English and one in Spanish,” Ruger explained. “I would send all Spanish-speaking workers to the shop on Friday, and then DSI would report them to the jobsite for orientation in Spanish.”

The success achieved by Ruger and Local 5 marks a roadmap for SMART locals across North America. A wide variety of challenges lie ahead for our organization, from workforce demands to encroaching nonunion competition. But regardless of the nation, state or municipality of any given local, there’s at least one action we can always take: organize, organize, organize.

When Michael Harris chose the word “elevate” as the motivational theme for the International Training Institute (ITI) staff for 2025, he had no idea what was in store.

At the beginning of this year, Dan McCallum, executive director of the Funds — which includes the ITI, National Energy Management Institute (NEMI) and Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT) — announced his retirement. This set in motion some new and exciting changes to the Funds’ administrative staffs.

In March, Harris was hired as the new Funds execu­tive director, and John Jackson, from Local 28 in New York, was chosen to take the helm as ITI administrator. Joe Potesta, former ITI field representative and welding specialist, stepped in as assistant to the ITI adminis­trator. Craig Reehten, former ITI representative and TAB specialist, was hired to take over the NEMI adminis­trator role this spring.

There are no changes to the SMOHIT administrative staff, and Aldo Zambetti remains as SMOHIT’s administrator.

“We have new administrators who are bringing new, fresh ideals and continuing the path forward,” Harris said. “Progress requires change sometimes, and we’re definitely bringing change in our own structure to better serve the industry.”

The position of assistant to the ITI administrator was in the works before McCallum’s retirement, and hiring Potesta and Jackson together ended up being perfectly timed, Harris said.

“I’ve admired this ITI team for a long time — everyone brings a wealth of experience and expertise to their positions — and I’m excited to now be a part of it,” Jackson said.

This revamped executive team brings their own unique energy to invigorate the mission established for all three funds: to better support and provide resources to JATCs and serve the members of the unionized sheet metal industry.

Reehten is ready to hit the ground running, as he looks forward to his new chapter at NEMI.

“Playing to our team’s strengths and ambitions and leaning into more collaboration with ITI and SMOHIT is exciting, because it will not only better serve NEMI’s stakeholders but benefit the industry as a whole,” Reehten said.

Harris said collaboration is key to “elevate” the Funds.

“My goal is to continue to bring the three funds closer together with the hope to eventually be seen as one collective team,” he said. “I’m excited to see what we can all accomplish together.”