In late August, President Trump’s Department of Transportation canceled $679 million in federal funding for 12 offshore wind projects across the country. That included fully taking back hundreds of millions of dollars in grant money for infrastructure work at Humboldt Bay Harbor District in Northern California — immediately throwing Local 104 members’ work opportunities into question, in the short and long term.
“As long as this administration makes decisions that directly impact our members, I’m going to keep calling balls and strikes. This decision is clearly a ball,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “For our members in Northern California, this was a once-in-a-lifetime project — one that was going to create dozens of jobs in the short term, and keep employing Local 104 sheet metal workers for the long haul. Taking back that grant money, which was already awarded, just makes zero sense.”
The DOT had originally awarded a $426 million infrastructure grant to the Humboldt Bay Harbor District, allowing the Harbor District and the Building and Construction Trades Council of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties — which includes Local 104 — to agree to the very first project labor agreement in the region. Around 90% of that grant was earmarked for the development of a heavy-lift marine terminal to support offshore wind; money that has since been pulled back, putting construction in jeopardy.
When SMART members hear “offshore wind,” they may not immediately think “sheet metal jobs.” But the fact is, the Humboldt offshore wind development would have turned a brownfield site into a full-blown, brand-new facility, expected to include multiple new buildings. That means sheet metal work: duct fabrication, facility construction and potentially up to dozens of Local 104 members on-site at various project phases. And that was just the immediate opportunity. The offshore wind company, RWE, had signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that committed to using union labor for long-term operations and maintenance of the facility, guaranteeing work for years to come.
“In short, this project represented a generational opportunity for our members in an area that doesn’t see many large infrastructure projects,” said Local 104 State Legislative Director Vince Sugrue. “The cuts are a devastating blow to the immediate construction jobs that would have put our members to work, but also to the long-term union maintenance and operations jobs that were guaranteed under the MOU.”
The Humboldt Bay Harbor District is just one example of many jeopardized jobs across the country. In Massachusetts, the DOT canceled $34 million in federal funding for the Salem Wind Port Project, where work had already started. The project was expected to create 800 construction jobs over the next couple years.
“Our government leaders have the power to do things that directly benefit our members. Federal funding for these port projects is a great example of that,” General President Coleman said. “Taking that funding away, and threatening our members’ jobs by doing so, is just not the right thing to do for members, our families or our country.”
Additional projects impacted:
Withdrawn funding:
Sparrows Point Steel Marshalling Port Project (Maryland)
Bridgeport Port Authority Operations and Maintenance Wind Port Project (Connecticut)
Wind Port at Paulsboro (New Jersey)
Arthur Kill Terminal (Staten Island, New York)
Gateway Upgrades for Access, Resiliency & Development at the Port of Davisville Project (Rhode Island)
“We are all in this fight together. It’s one fight, all fight. So let’s fight for what matters … our members.”
That quote, delivered by SMART General President Michael Coleman, summed up the 2025 SMART Leadership Conference. Kicking off Monday, August 4, the conference brought local union officers from every craft, trade and industry — across sheet metal, transportation, the United States and Canada — to New York City, New York, with one common purpose. That purpose? The 2025 conference theme: “Fighting for What Matters…Our Members.”
SMART leaders rally attendees in keynote speeches
SMART’s elected leadership addressed conference attendees for the bulk of Monday’s general session, outlining the challenges our union has faced and the importance of sticking together for the fights ahead.
General President Coleman opened his keynote remarks by addressing the circumstances SMART members find ourselves in. To put it simply, SMART and organized labor are facing constant attacks aimed at dividing us.
Our union, Coleman explained, has always fought for the same basic principles: the right to live with dignity, to raise a family, to know your work means something and your future is secure.
But lately, he said, “it feels like those basics are getting lost in all of the noise. It feels like those core principles have slipped to page two of people’s priority list.”
“Brothers and sisters, people are scared,” he added.
Scare tactics are the oldest trick in the book, particularly when anti-worker entities are trying to undermine the cause of unions and organized labor. Whether it’s railroaders fighting against brutal hours and employers treating safety like it’s optional, sheet metal workers and roofers facing rising costs and attacks on our jobs, or shifting tariff policies meant to turn Americans and Canadians against one another, SMART members are up against a lot right now.
That’s why it’s more important than ever that we adhere to the conference theme: fighting for what matters, our members.
“Our solidarity doesn’t have divisions, and it doesn’t have borders,” Coleman declared. “But the fights are going to continue.”
TD President Jeremy FergusonGST John Daniel
General President Coleman then addressed what he referred to as the issue that “might just be the elephant in the room.” This issue was SMART’s fight for due process that surrounds the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia.
He leaned into the fact that this union fights for due process for each and every SMART member in the United States and Canada. We fight for due process on the shop floor, we fight for due process in rail yards, and we fight for due process in bus garages. SMART membership does not quit when members clock out.
That’s what defines our union. And those values are vital as we face the powerful forces across North America that hate us. Coleman referenced a recent op-ed written by Steve Forbes that accused SMART-TD of buying our hard-won two-person crew rule.
“See, people like Steve Forbes can’t imagine a world where working people have any power. They just can’t fathom that,” he said.
General President Coleman wrapped up his opening remarks by addressing the uncertainty we face in the world today. He talked about the mergers being proposed on the rail system. He talked about the near daily headlines about megaprojects being canceled; projects that looked set to create years of good-paying jobs for sheet metal workers.
But, he pointed out: That is why our union’s annual leadership conferences are so important. Officers come to these conferences to train and prepare to put up the best fight possible, because that is what SMART’s membership expects and deserves.
“…let me tell you what gives me hope,” Coleman said. “This right here. This gathering of labor leaders. The solidarity we developed over the years. The solidarity that we saw last year at the convention.”
“That,” he concluded, “is what this moment demands.”
General Secretary-Treasurer John Daniel used his remarks to speak directly to the officers in the room.
“We are in a fight that matters,” he told attendees.
He pointed out that officers’ leadership must revolve around listening and responding to members’ needs.
And in 2025, “All that matters is this: Can I take care of my family?” he said. “That is where the politics get real.”
That’s why, at the International level, SMART is working tirelessly to take advantage of new tools and data to strengthen our union’s resilience and bolster efforts to recruit, retain and grow. And it’s why, Daniel reemphasized, every leader — from the newest elected officer to the seasoned rep — needs to refuse comfort and instead continuously listen and lead.
“Let’s fight for what matters,” he said. “Not just for our jobs. Let’s fight for our families. Let’s fight for our futures; our ability to look the next apprentice in the eye and say, we’ve got your back.”
“I am here to fight with you,” he concluded. “We are here to fight together.”
Mental Health and Wellness Support Director Chris CarloughSMACNA CEO Aaron HilgerTD NLD Jared CassityDirector of Gov. Affairs Steve Dodd
Transportation Division President Jeremy Ferguson used his remarks to urge SMART-TD leaders to match the courage and commitment members display every day. He pointed out that in moments of danger, on the job and in their communities, SMART members are known for their decisive and selfless leadership, and that officers owe it to them to lead from the front, reflecting that same warrior spirit back to them.
He pointed out the importance of this mentality, especially in the face of attacks on our two-person crew rule and the ongoing threat of automation.
“Our leadership must mirror the fight our members display — and stand just as strong.”
He urged every officer in attendance to take the information they received during the conference to heart and to use it to better defend members back home.
Attendees also heard from leaders from the conference’s host local unions: General Chairperson, SMART-TD General Committee of Adjustment 505 Anthony Simon; Local 28 (New York City and Long Island) Business Manager Eric Meslin; and Local 137 (New York City) Business Manager Anthony Fotiadis.
Anthony FotiadisAnthony SimonEric MeslinLocal 28 member Eleta Boone performed the national anthems
General sessions welcome congressional allies
Union sheet metal and transportation workers are greatly impacted by the actions of the federal government — both positively, like the Federal Railroad Administration’s two-person crew rule, and negatively, like the recent One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which is set to raise health care costs and threaten projects that would have put SMART members on construction jobs.
That’s why SMART works tirelessly to develop strong alliances with pro-worker legislators across the political spectrum. During the 2025 Leadership Conference, SMART officers heard from Congressman Tom Suozzi, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries, Congresswoman and New Jersey gubernatorial candidate Mikie Sherrill and Congressman Joe Morelle — political leaders who have stood by SMART members throughout their public service careers.
Congressman Suozzi, who represents Long Island and parts of Queens, addressed the conference on Monday morning. Suozzi has defined his time in Congress by pushing for prevailing wages, strong apprenticeship programs, union jobs and two-person crews, and he proactively stands alongside SMART-TD members at the Long Island Rail Road, advocating for their priorities in Congress.
Suozzi told attendees that he will remain an ally, promising to fight for the elimination of taxes on overtime, support pro-worker legislation like two-person crews and promote collaboration between parties to improve SMART members’ lives.
“We need to return back to rewarding hard work,” he said. “When you play by the rules, you should earn a decent life.”
Tom SuozziHakeem Jeffries
Rep. Jeffries, who has worked to support and pass laws that benefit sheet metal and transportation workers for years, fired up officers with a speech about our core American values and the fight ahead:
“What an honor and privilege to be with this great union during this critical time — a union that continues to fight for hardworking American taxpayers, for your members, for people who are working hard to pursue the American dream.”
“When you put workers first,” he added, “when you put unions first, you put America first.”
Costs are too high right now, Jeffries said, and the actions of Congress and the current presidential administration aren’t doing anything to stop that, particularly with the passage of the 2025 spending bill. That bill, he noted, is an attack on health care, on organized labor, on good-paying jobs. He promised that in response, he and fellow pro-union representatives would put their focus on making the lives of working families and union members better: “We don’t need to be in a country of the billionaires, by the billionaires and for the billionaires. We should be a country of organized labor, by organized labor, for organized labor.”
The fight ahead, Jeffries said, is not going to be easy. The road will be challenging. But unions and worker allies aren’t going to back down. He vowed to work hard to elect a pro-union Congress that will fight on behalf of SMART members, the right to organize, prevailing wages and beyond.
“Together, we will succeed,” Jeffries declared.
During her time in Congress, Rep. Sherrill has done more than just talk about being a pro-worker candidate. With her votes to pass job-creating laws for sheet metal workers and her advocacy for railroad safety and union jobs in the transportation industry, she has walked the walk. Sherrill took time off the campaign trail for New Jersey governor to speak to officers about her dedication to ensuring organized labor and SMART members are prioritized, whether in Congress or, if elected, as Jersey governor.
“We’re facing big challenges in the Garden State,” she said.
Joe MorrelleMikie Sherrill
Discussing her campaign to build housing and infrastructure in New Jersey — with strong labor standards to put SMART members to work — and to lower costs for working families across the state, Sherrill described the importance of investing in public transit and transportation, ensuring that railroad crews and transit operators are safe and protected. (Sherrill has worked closely with New Jersey Safety and Legislative Director Ron Sabol in the past.) She also detailed her plans to expand apprenticeship programs and invest in child care and mental health programs for members and families.
“While some paint this election as a Democrat versus Republican narrative, that’s not what this is about,” Sherrill concluded. “This election is about making our state the best possible state for working families.”
Rep. Morelle has represented Rochester, New York, in Congress since 2018, standing up for Local 46 sheet metal workers and all SMART members nationwide. His voting record reflects his actions on behalf of SMART workers and families — voting for job-creating laws like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, the CHIPS Act, the Rail Workers Sick Leave Act and more. During his remarks to conference attendees, he thanked International and local leaders and SMART members everywhere for the work they do every day to better our country. He also outlined the ways he and fellow pro-worker legislators are fighting alongside SMART on behalf of members — not with words, but with actions.
Informed by his father’s life as a union plumber, Morelle discussed the importance of doing the work, whether on the jobsite, in the rail yard or in the halls of government.
“That’s what American exceptionalism is — it’s not about being richer, about being more sophisticated, it’s about outworking everybody … and that’s what SMART members do,” he said.
Morelle also talked about how the recently passed spending bill takes money from the poorest people in America in order to benefit the richest. As billionaires get richer and working people suffer, he called for investment in union labor, PLAs on every project in America, the passage of the PRO Act and the National Apprenticeship Act, and more.
“If we want to fix the problems, we need to spend less time talking, more time doing. … Let’s not waste time,” he concluded.
STB chair visits SMART conference in the wake of merger news
The Surface Transportation Board (STB) plays a key role in the careers and lives of SMART-TD railroaders, overseeing the economic regulation of surface transportation — particularly freight rail — and the development of major railroad legislation. For that reason, SMART is committed to working with the STB in any way possible to benefit the lives of members; a commitment demonstrated as officers welcomed STB Chair Patrick Fuchs to the leadership conference on Wednesday, August 6.
STB Chair FuchsFuchs took questions from TD leaders
In his remarks, the STB chair provided an overview of his role and the structure of the STB, as well as his goals as chair, namely accountability and transparency to the public and to the various bodies that the board serves.
But the biggest talking point for officers in the room was the proposed Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern merger.
Fuchs was prohibited from talking about his personal views on the merger or answering specific questions; however, he was as open as he could be, and he was crystal clear about one thing: “As long as I’m chairman, labor will always have a seat at the table. … We need your perspective.”
SMART-TD found out about the proposed merger from the news. By contrast, Chairman Fuchs told SMART-TD he wanted labor to be involved. He proved that, to an extent, later in the morning: Following his speech, Fuchs participated in a Q and A session with SMART-TD legislative representatives and general chairs to find out what our issues are at the ballast level.
“What I can promise you is that the board will give [the proposed merger] a fair and thorough review,” he told officers.
Fuchs went out of his way to say that he and the STB are seeking SMART’s input, and input directly from members, to be included in the decision-making process.
Officers demonstrate solidarity, honor member engagement
An annual highlight of every SMART Leadership Conference is the Joseph J. Nigro SMART Army Member of the Year award, bestowed upon transportation and sheet metal members who go above and beyond in representing the values of our union.
The SMART-TD winner, Local 200 member Amanda Snide, serves as a local chairperson, local safety and legislative representative and as the Nebraska assistant safety and legislative director — all while working as a switchman and yard foreman in North Platte, one of the largest and busiest rail yards in North America. While introducing Snide, General President Coleman discussed several stories of her recent service to fellow members and working families.
Amanda SnideConference charity HEART 9/11’s Bill KeeganLocal 105 Business Manager Rick Werner accepted Suen’s award on her behalf
That included the time, just this last summer, when Snide was at the TD Regional Training Seminar in Denver, Colorado, and got the news that one of her fellow members in North Platte was in an accident and in danger of losing his arm. Without hesitation, she left the RTS and headed home to ensure her union brother’s rights were protected, that he received the best possible treatment and that his family was taken care of.
“That shows exactly what kind of leader Amanda is,” Coleman said. “She truly represents this year’s conference theme.”
“Our union has both provided for me, and provided ways for us to give back — fighting for what really matters, our members,” Snide said, reflecting on her journey. “We refer to one another as family because we rely on mutual support … our collective strength is founded on knowing our brothers and sisters stand ready at our side.”
The 2025 sheet metal Joseph J. Nigro SMART Army Member of the Year couldn’t be in New York City to accept her award. But Local 104 (Northern California) apprentice Rebecca Suen received plaudits from leadership conference attendees all the same. Suen, who spent nine years serving her country in the United States Army, originally worked in an office job. But after a while, she just couldn’t take it anymore, and thanks to Local 104’s Veteran Direct Entry Program, she started her sheet metal career in 2022.
Since then, General President Coleman said from the podium, Suen has set an example of what it means to be a SMART member. She is a constant presence at Local 104 volunteer events, and she has spoken in favor of project labor agreements and other pro-worker policies at local city council meetings — offering first-hand testimony that has helped win major victories for both herself and her fellow members.
Local 104 Business Manager Rick Werner accepted Suen’s award on her behalf, telling attendees: “She is what we all look at as one of our true leaders in the industry. … I can tell you, Rebecca’s in every union meeting, she’s there every time we need her to help out — she steps up.”
Maybe the most inspirational moment of the day came when General President Coleman welcomed host local leaders and HEART 9/11 President Bill Keegan to the stage, where Coleman announced to officers that, collectively, attendees of the 2025 SMART Leadership Conference raised more than $317,000 for the organization, which helps communities all over recover from disasters.
Leaders learned in tailored breakout sessions throughout the conference.
The fight worth fighting
At the end of the final joint session on Wednesday, General President Coleman took the podium for closing comments. Meditating on a successful week of hard work, solidarity and skill building, Coleman noted: “I think about the fight, and what we fight for, every single day. How all we do is lift people up, every single day. And then I think, there’s people out there who hate us.”
There are powerful anti-worker forces across both our nations that don’t just hate our movement, Coleman explained; they want to destroy us.
“We ask that we’re able to take care of our families and our loved ones, and they want to destroy us,” he said, in disbelief.
That’s why these conferences are so crucial, he added. Because we need everyone together as we work to protect and secure the future for our members.
“I want to thank all of you for being in this fight,” Coleman told officers. “That’s what we’re here for. It’s not easy, I know it — it’s exhausting. But you do it, every single day. And members count on you to do that, every single day. And it is the fight worth fighting.”
Information in this article is current as of September 18, 2025.
Temperatures were rising and spring was in the Maryland air on March 12, 2025. SMART Local 100 apprentice Kilmar Abrego Garcia had just finished a shift for a signatory contractor and picked up his five-year old son from school. He was headed home with his son strapped into a car seat designed for children with disabilities.
As he drove on Baltimore Avenue in College Park, Md., a law enforcement officer pulled him over.
Abrego Garcia thought it was just a routine traffic stop. It was anything but.
The events that followed marked the start of a monthslong saga for Abrego Garcia during which he was unlawfully sent to El Salvador and held at the notorious CECOT prison. They also reveal just what’s at stake when we say, “an injury to one is an injury to all.” Because the case of Kilmar Abrego Garcia is not just about one man. It is about all of us — and the rights we all stand to lose when one person is deprived of theirs.
Kilmar Abrego Garcia with his childAbrego Garcia (right) with his wife, Jennifer, in Baltimore
The right to work
Kilmar Abrego Garcia joined Local 100 as an apprentice in January 2025. Five years prior, an immigration judge had granted Abrego Garcia “withholding from removal” status, which prohibited the government from deporting him to El Salvador on account of a credible fear of persecution and gang violence. Like many SMART members and millions of taxpayers in the United States who are not citizens, Abrego Garcia’s status authorized him to work in the United States — and to union representation.
As SMART House Counsel Luke Rebecchi noted, “millions of people in this country, many of our members, are not citizens but have every lawful right to be here and to work. And it’s incumbent upon the union to represent them.”
Abrego Garcia’s immigration status prevented the federal government from sending him to El Salvador, what Rebecchi called “the one and only place that he could not be removed to.” But that is exactly what the federal government did, just days after he was detained. The federal government later sought to justify his deportation by describing Abrego Garcia as a gang member, but it never gave Abrego Garcia theopportunity to defend himself against the allegation. It simply removed him.
General President Coleman speaks at a press conference in Maryland
When Abrego Garcia arrived in El Salvador, he was immediately imprisoned in the Centro de Confinamiento del Terrorismo (CECOT); a prison known worldwide for alleged human rights abuses. He was later moved to a different prison in response to public pressure, but according to United States Senator for Maryland Chris Van Hollen — who met with Abrego Garcia in El Salvador — he had no contact with his wife, his children or legal counsel for months. His attorneys have since alleged that he was tortured and lost 30 pounds during his imprisonment.
Following Abrego Garcia’s removal to El Salvador, and in the months since, various media personalities and governmental officials have resorted to attacking his character and made all sorts of allegations against him, as justification for his removal. These attacks made headlines, but they do not change the central fact of the matter: The federal government did not give Kilmar Abrego Garcia an opportunity to defend himself before he was summarily removed to El Salvador. In other words, he was deprived of due process.
The constitutional right to due process
The Fifth Amendment of the United States Constitution states: “No person shall be … deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of the law.” The 14th Amendment adds: “nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.”
As SMART House Counsel, Rebecchi works to protect the rights of SMART members on a daily basis. He explained that the wording in the Constitution around these rights to due process is very specific — and it protects every one of us from unfair persecution.
“The Constitution mentions ‘citizens’ in many places, but it specifically states ‘no person’ [in the Fifth Amendment],” Rebecchi said. “The use of ‘person’ was intentional, and it protects all persons in the United States regardless of their citizenship status. Before the government deprives a person in the United States of life, liberty or property — for instance, by imprisoning them, fining them or deporting them — that person is entitled to a fair hearing and the opportunity to defend themselves against the charges. Without process of law, without an opportunity to present your case, to have your liberty decided by someone who’s neutral and impartial — without that, we’re all at the whims of somebody else, of whoever occupies the Oval Office. Without due process, then it’s whatever they say. That’s a terrifying reality to live in.”
Rebecchi noted that the right to due process has particular significance for SMART members.
“None of us would stand for an employer who just says, ‘no, you don’t work here anymore.’ We negotiate contracts that ensure that members have a right to be heard,” he said. “That protects them at work. That’s one of the guarantees of the labor movement.”
SMART General President Michael Coleman summed it up succinctly following a press conference in April: “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.”
Justice delayed
On March 24, 2025, Abrego Garcia’s wife, Jennifer, sued the government on behalf of herself, Kilmar andtheir son. Almost immediately, the federal government admitted that Abrego Garcia’s disappearance to El Salvador was an “error,” and on April 4, Judge Paula Xinis ordered the government to return Abrego Garcia to the United States. The government appealed the ruling all the way to the Supreme Court. On April 10, the Supreme Court ruled against the federal government and ordered the federal government to facilitate his return to the United States.
And yet, Abrego Garcia remained in an El Salvador prison until early June.
“It’s just not enough to admit that you made a mistake,” General President Coleman said in April. “You need to fix it.”
From coast to coast, SMART members fight for justice
The magnitude of Abrego Garcia’s case became clear immediately, and SMART leapt into action. SMART leaders and members rallied with Abrego Garcia’s family, lawyers and supporters, demanding justice and due process. General President Coleman appeared on CNN to emphasize the importance of due process and constitutional rights.
SMART leaders also helped rally the labor movement to the cause. General President Coleman, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) President Jimmy Williams, UNITE HERE President Gwen Mills and Liz Shuler, president of the AFL-CIO, sent a letter to Ambassador Milena Mayorga of El Salvador on May 1, 2025, calling on the Salvadoran government to immediately release Abrego Garcia and respect his right to due process.
International leaders were joined by SMART members from coast to coast. On May 1, members of Local 80 helped lead the Detroit May Day parade, with Business Agent Jason Grunenwald delivering a speech demanding justice for Abrego Garcia. And in Los Angeles, Local 105 officers and members rallied with sister unions and members of Congress, demanding thatthe government bring Abrego Garcia home and give him due process.
“Today it’s Kilmar, tomorrow it could be me,” said Local 105 member Alex Calderon. “Tomorrow it could be any one of us or our loved ones. Please fight to bring Kilmar back home.”
An injury to one is an injury to all
It hasn’t only been SMART members fighting for Abrego Garcia’s due process. Across North America — and even across the world — workers demonstrated the meaning of union solidarity in the battle for our rights. That included Iron Workers in Boston, UNITE HERE members in Las Vegas, transit workers in Southern California, railroad workers in Maryland, the Unión General de Trabajadores in Spain and many more.
Why? Because union members know, better than most other people in the world, the power of solidarity.
“Kilmar was denied his due process, which is not only wrong — it’s also a very betrayal of what we stand for in this country,” said former Local 105 Business Manager Steve Hinson.
Abrego Garcia returns to the United States — but the case continues
Abrego Garcia was finally brought back to the United States in early June. But he was immediately indicted on new criminal charges of alleged human trafficking. Abrego Garcia has pled not guilty, and his attorneyshave steadfastly maintained that the criminal charges are baseless and nothing more than political retribution.
In August, Abrego Garcia was released on bond from Putnam County Jail in Tennessee and traveled home to Maryland, where he finally reunited with his family.
But just three days later, while he was following the law and attending a mandatory Immigration and Customs Enforcement check-in in Baltimore, he was taken back into custody. The federal government has since notified Abrego Garcia’s attorneys of its intent to deport him to Eswatini — a country he has no relation to — after he rejected a deal in which, in exchange for a guilty plea, the government would have deported him to Costa Rica.
“At SMART, we fight for the principle of due process every single day. We stand for the fundamental American value that all our members, and everyone in this country, are innocent until proven guilty. Let’s be very clear: Kilmar deserves his day in court. And if the government wants to send him to jail, they need to prove his guilt in court,” said General President Coleman after ICE took Abrego Garcia back into custody.
He added: “As of [Monday] morning [August 25], Kilmar has filed a lawsuit challenging his detention and deportation, ‘unless and until he [has] a fair trial in an immigration court, as well as his full appeal rights.’ We stand with Kilmar’s family and supporters in demanding he receive a fair trial and the chance to make his case in court.”
Davis-Bacon prevailing wage rates set minimum pay and benefit standards on federal construction projects, based on surveys of wage rates in the area. This ensures that contractors bidding on those jobs can’t undercut area standards — putting skilled, well-trained construction workers (including SMART members) on projects. In many places, prevailing wage laws provide union-won pay and training standards to local workers, benefiting local communities and working families.
Prevailing wage rates also help SMART members at the bargaining table. When contractors across a local area are required to provide strong, family-sustaining pay and benefits, local unions can negotiate for the contracts members deserve without worrying about bad-faith companies pricing out high-road employers and lowering area working standards.
That’s why SMART fights for strong prevailing wage laws at the local level, and to strengthen the Davis-Bacon and Related Acts in the federal government. Because unfortunately, SMART members are just as impacted when prevailing wage rates are lowered.
A recent example from Florida: For decades, the United States Department of Labor has used one Davis-Bacon wage determination for construction work at the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station, Patrick Air Force Base, Kennedy Space Center and Malabar Radar Site — known altogether as Cape Canaveral — and another for Brevard County, Florida. The Cape Canaveral wage determination reflected union-won rates for all classifications, ensuring contractors bidding on work were paying strong, union-negotiated packages (and helping signatory contractors and members win more work). The Brevard County wage determination does not reflect those rates. Most of the rates on the Brevard County wage determination are low rates that haven’t increased substantially for more than 10 years.
Earlier this summer, the new administration’s Department of Labor announced that the Cape Canaveral prevailing wage rate would be replaced, effective July 4, 2025, by the lower Brevard County rate.
“Unfortunately, this is a decision that will affect SMART members in the near future and for many years ahead,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “The high standards contractors previously met at Cape Canaveral have now been lowered, opening the door for companies to bid on work without paying workers what they deserve. That’s the immediate impact. And in future negotiations, local unions in the area won’t have the foundation of strong prevailing wages to stand on when bargaining for the pay and benefits that our members earn.”
“SMART members and their fellow construction workers at Cape Canaveral are doing vital work to support our nation,” he added. “Undermining that just doesn’t make sense.”
Canada sets the standard
The disappointing actions by the United States Department of Labor and Congress contrast sharply with the current policy that SMART members enjoy in Canada.
In the U.S., the spending bill President Trump signed into law gets rid of a variety of work-creating tax credits. In Canada, similar tax incentives known as Investment Tax Credits offer companies a 30–40% credit for investments in clean technology, hydrogen production and carbon capture. These green economy credits are designed to drive investment toward sustainable energy projects. What sets them apart, however, is their strong labour standards. To qualify, employers must ensure that at least 10% of total work hours are performed by registered apprentices and that all construction workers are paid the prevailing wage — which includes health and welfare benefits as well as pension contributions.
In other words, this represents the strongest definition of prevailing wage ever implemented in Canadian labour history, utilizing the union definition of prevailing wage.
“It’s simple: Thanks to these incredibly strong standards, SMART Canada members will be put to work and Canadian families will benefit. No question,” General President Coleman said. “We applaud the Government of Canada for putting working families first, and we will continue to work with state and federal governments in the U.S. to win policies that benefit our members and their families.”
Across the United States, working parents — including SMART members — are facing a child care crisis. Whether from the cost or the lack of availability, trying to find child care can put working Americans’ lives on hold, impacting their ability to pursue their career, grow their family and more.
That’s why SMART partnered with TOOTRiS to offer members at participating U.S. sheet metal locals access to wraparound child care benefits. And for Local 3 (Omaha, Neb.) member Tanner Tieken, that benefit has already made a difference.
“It [TOOTRiS] was probably one of the best customer experiences I’ve had, working with any company,” he said.
Local 3 member Tanner Tieken
With the TOOTRiS child care benefit, members can access more than 200,000 licensed child care providers nationwide via TOOTRiS’s state-of-the-art platform, including programs offering non-traditional hours, drop-in care and 24/7 availability. TOOTRiS technology — accessible to members for free via the TOOTRiS app or online — allows parents to search, compare and enroll in care based on real-time availability tailored to their needs, making it easier to find affordable options that work for them.
Perhaps most importantly, as Tieken pointed out, the TOOTRiS concierge service offers prompt, personalized assistance, whether trying to find summer camp a year in advance or dealing with a child care need at an unexpected time. That means that members who prefer not to use technology have a dedicated service that has their backs: real people helping them find the care they need.
“It was timely,” Tieken said. “It wasn’t like I waited, asked a question and waited three hours. It was at most maybe 30 minutes.”
Child care crisis hits home across the U.S.
In a 2024 report, the advocacy group Kids Count in Nebraska revealed that “a full year of tuition and fees… at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln was cheaper than sending an infant to center-based care in 2021.”
Meanwhile, Nebraska Extension and We Care for Kids reported that 31% of parents with children five and under said that they left the workforce because they couldn’t find affordable child care; 34% of parents with children five and under said they refused a job opportunity, promotion or change because it would increase child care expenses; and that inadequate access to child care and early learning costs Nebraska families, businesses and state tax revenues nearly $745 million annually in direct losses.
Before making use of his child care benefit, Tieken said he and his family had experiences that backed up those reports.
“You almost feel like you want to wait until preschool before you try to go to another [kid,] number two. I’m just working to pay for daycare at that point,” he explained, adding: “I think that that’s kind of the contributor to the rise of a single-income household with a stay-at-home mom or dad. Because if you run the numbers sometimes, it just doesn’t make sense to be away from your kid that long, and you’re not really financially benefiting from [both parents working].”
TOOTRiS benefit makes a difference
Tieken was the first member at Local 3 to sign up for the TOOTRiS benefit. Not only is it making a difference for him and his family; he said it shows SMART’s commitment to helping members in any way possible.
“[SMART] sees where the struggle is,” Tieken noted. “Obviously, with today’s market and inflation and all that, everything’s going up in price. So obviously [SMART] can’t do too much about that; can’t pay everyone $100 an hour, it’s not feasible, not possible — the world would shut down, businesses would close — but [SMART is saying] we can help you out with something like child care.”
A $2 billion megaproject that was set to create more than 3,000 union jobs in Massachusetts is under threat after Congress passed the 2025 tax bill, which President Trump signed into law on July 4, 2025.
The Allston Multimodal Project, which had a project labor agreement in place, would have put workers on the job straightening out the Massachusetts Turnpike throughout Boston’s northwest corner, opened up land for development and invested in public transit. SMART sheet metal workers and other union construction members would have played a key role, including building a new train-and-bus hub.
But on Friday, July 18, the Trump administration’s Department of Transportation confirmed that DOT is terminating $327 million that Massachusetts won in 2023 for the Allston Multimodal Project. Massachusetts will keep just $8 million from the grant.
“Unfortunately, some of the harmful pieces of the spending bill are already starting to impact SMART members and our communities, just weeks after the president signed it into law,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “This project wasn’t only going to create thousands of union jobs, including for SMART sheet metal workers. It was going to invest in local communities and the state’s transportation network. Because funding has been so drastically cut, all of that is in jeopardy.”
The project has been in the works for more than a decade. The Boston Globe reported that it “was Governor Deval Patrick, after all, who first promised this new transit hub, dubbed West Station, alongside the turnpike realignment, 11 years ago.”
But the pieces only came together in March of last year, when the Biden administration awarded the project a $335 million grant through the Department of Transportation’s Reconnecting Communities and Neighborhoods program.
Even with the rescinded funding, Mass. Governor Maura Healey said in a statement that her administration “remain[s] committed to doing everything we can, working with our incredible project partners, to make Allston Multimodal a reality.”
But the fact remains that the pulling of federal grant money directly threatens SMART members’ jobs.
“The Healey-Driscoll Administration is conducting a strategic review of the project to determine a path forward,” SMART Northeast Regional Council President Bob Butler said in an email to Local 17 members. “Local 17 stands with our fellow union partners, as well as our community and government allies in demanding the funding be restored — and in fighting to keep this project alive.”
In late August, President Trump’s Department of Transportation canceled $679 million in federal funding for 12 offshore wind projects across the country. That included fully taking back hundreds of millions of dollars in grant money for infrastructure work at Humboldt Bay Harbor District in Northern California — immediately throwing Local 104 members’ work opportunities into question, in the short and long term.
“As long as this administration makes decisions that directly impact our members, I’m going to keep calling balls and strikes. This decision is clearly a ball,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “For our members in Northern California, this was a once-in-a-lifetime project — one that was going to create dozens of jobs in the short term, and keep employing Local 104 sheet metal workers for the long haul. Taking back that grant money, which was already awarded, just makes zero sense.”
The DOT had originally awarded a $426 million infrastructure grant to the Humboldt Bay Harbor District, allowing the Harbor District and the Building and Construction Trades Council of Humboldt and Del Norte Counties — which includes Local 104 — to agree to the very first project labor agreement in the region. Around 90% of that grant was earmarked for the development of a heavy-lift marine terminal to support offshore wind; money that has since been pulled back, putting construction in jeopardy.
When SMART members hear “offshore wind,” they may not immediately think “sheet metal jobs.” But the fact is, the Humboldt offshore wind development would have turned a brownfield site into a full-blown, brand-new facility, expected to include multiple new buildings. That means sheet metal work: duct fabrication, facility construction and potentially up to dozens of Local 104 members on-site at various project phases. And that was just the immediate opportunity. The offshore wind company, RWE, had signed a memorandum of understanding that committed to using union labor for long-term operations and maintenance of the facility, guaranteeing work for years to come.
“In short, this project represented a generational opportunity for our members in an area that doesn’t see many large infrastructure projects,” said Local 104 State Legislative Director Vince Sugrue. “The cuts are a devastating blow to the immediate construction jobs that would have put our members to work, but also to the long-term union maintenance and operations jobs that were guaranteed under the MOU.”
The Humboldt Bay Harbor District is just one example of many jeopardized jobs across the country. In Massachusetts, the DOT canceled $34 million in federal funding for the Salem Wind Port Project, where work had already started. The project was expected to create 800 construction jobs over the next couple years.
“Our government leaders have the power to do things that directly benefit our members. Federal funding for these port projects is a great example of that,” General President Coleman said. “Taking that funding away, and threatening our members’ jobs by doing so, is just not the right thing to do for members, our families or our country.”
Additional projects impacted:
Withdrawn funding:
Sparrows Point Steel Marshalling Port Project (Maryland)
Bridgeport Port Authority Operations and Maintenance Wind Port Project (Connecticut)
Wind Port at Paulsboro (New Jersey)
Arthur Kill Terminal (Staten Island, New York)
Gateway Upgrades for Access, Resiliency & Development at the Port of Davisville Project (Rhode Island)
When the Big Beautiful Bill was passed in July, workers governed by the Railway Labor Act were not included in a tax break on overtime pay. But on Friday, September 19, a bipartisan bill was introduced in Congress to include rail workers in the tax exemption. If the bill passes and is signed into law, overtime worked by railroaders will qualify for the same federal tax deduction that millions of other workers will receive starting next year.
“When the One Big Beautiful Bill Act passed earlier this year, one of the only possible bright spots for union workers was the tax deduction benefit on qualifying overtime pay. But that benefit excluded the people who work day in and day out to keep our country moving: SMART-TD and SMART-MD rail workers,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “That wasn’t acceptable. We started working right away to fix that problem, and now, we have legislation that would do just that. I want to note that this is a bipartisan bill. That’s important, because our issues aren’t red or blue. They’re about our members having the pay, benefits and respect that they deserve. They are American issues.
“SMART members work tirelessly to serve the American people, and they deserve the same shot at tax savings as other workers. All of us at SMART thank Representatives Nicole Malliotakis (NY-11), Emilia Sykes (OH-13), Tom Suozzi (NY-3), Nick LaLota (NY-1), Brian Fitzpatrick (PA-1) and Steven Horsford (NV-4) for introducing this bill, and we encourage any lawmaker who stands with rail workers to move this legislation forward.”
“I committed early on that I would call balls and strikes with this administration. Not everything this administration has done, or will do moving forward, is going to be harmful to our members. But this is CLEARLY a ball.”
On August 28, 2025, United States Surface Transportation Board member Robert Primus was removed after his position as a member of the board was “terminated.” SMART General President Michael Coleman responded:
“Our SMART-TD railroaders work long, hard hours, day in and day out, to keep our country moving. And they count on public servants like Robert Primus and the Surface Transportation Board to hold the carriers accountable, and to make certain that headcounts are kept adequate and that customers are provided reasonable service. During his time on the board, Mr. Primus has done exactly that. And that’s why his removal from the STB makes absolutely no sense.
“As our SMART-TD leaders pointed out earlier today, Mr. Primus has been a solid supporter of service over efficiencies, challenging Precision Scheduled Railroading and taking on Class I CEOs for unjustifiable job cuts. He was the only board member to oppose the Canadian Pacific and Kansas City Southern railroad merger, and he was a champion for our members during the recent STB hearings. Now, he has been kicked off the STB — the board in charge of either approving or denying the Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern merger. That is something we can’t just ignore. And, to be quite honest, it is a five-alarm fire for anyone who believes corporations shouldn’t just get their way because they say so.
“Let me be 100% clear: SMART will always stand up for our rail members. That’s why we stand with Robert Primus. We call for him to be restored to his position so he can continue to serve railroads, shippers, SMART-TD members and the American people, as he has done so well.”
In 2022, after President Biden signed the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, Congress set aside funds created by the law for a grants program at the Department of Energy that would help public schools perform energy efficiency improvements.
Thanks to the strong labor standards included in the infrastructure law, that program — titled Renew America’s Schools — helped put SMART members to work across the country, taking on energy efficiency jobs in places like Alabama and Oregon.
And by law, the grant funding and resulting job opportunities for SMART members are supposed to continue through the end of the 2026 fiscal year. Each year since fiscal year 2022, Congress appropriated funding to the Department of Energy to carry out the Renew America’s Schools program. Just like other years, the DOE announced a third round of funding opportunity in fiscal year 2025. Submissions from school districts were due on April 3, 2025.
Watch the first episode of SMART News for coverage of IAQ work in Washington schools.
However, following President Trump’s January executive orders regarding funds from the infrastructure law, the DOE delayed funding awards to conduct a review for alignment with the new administration’s policies. So far, it is unclear whether the Department of Energy has resumed committing FY 2025 funds for the program.
So, what does that all mean?
It means that as of January 2025, schools aren’t getting the funds they need to improve their facilities, and SMART sheet metal members are losing out on potential work.
“For the last few years, sheet metal workers have done energy efficiency work at public schools across our country, thanks in large part to this program,” said SMART General President Michael Coleman. “The Renew America’s Schools program is just common sense. It makes schools better, it benefits kids and teachers, and it helps SMART members support themselves and their families.”
“It doesn’t matter who you voted for — I can’t think of anyone who wanted this program, which already has money set aside for it, to be paused,” he added.
Governmental Accountability Office finds DOE violated federal law
The United States Governmental Accountability Office (GAO) is a nonpartisan institution that, according to its website, “provides Congress, the heads of executive agencies, and the public with timely, fact-based, non-partisan information that can be used to improve government and save taxpayers billions of dollars.” Part of that role includes protecting Congress’s “power of the purse,” a phrase that refers to the Constitution laying out that Congress has authority over government spending.
Unless Congress has passed a law that changes how funding is distributed, the GAO noted in its report, executive branch officials and agencies like the Department of Energy need to follow through on awarding appropriated funds when funding is made available. That’s what “power of the purse” means in practice.
“The Impoundment Control Act of 1974 (ICA) allows the President to withhold funds from obligation, but only under strictly limited circumstances and only in a manner consistent with that Act. The ICA was enacted to ensure that legislation passed by Congress and signed by the President is faithfully executed,” the GAO wrote.
“We find that DOE violated the ICA,” the office added. “Considering that the funds were withheld for policy reasons and the uncertainty of whether DOE has or will resume obligating FY 2025 funds for the Schools Program, we conclude DOE violated the ICA when it delayed the obligation of FY 2025 Schools Program funds.”
In other words, it’s not just the fact that funding for the Renew America’s Schools program is in no man’s land, taking potential SMART jobs with it. According to the GAO, the Department of Energy is actually violating federal law by delaying those funds.
“There’s really no good reason for this funding to be delayed,” General President Coleman concluded. “It’s bad for our schools, our kids and our educators, and it’s bad for our members. We hope President Trump will stand up for SMART members and make sure his Department of Energy awards funding through the Renew America’s Schools program.”
