Who We Are

SMART welcomes all working people into the membership and does not tolerate discrimination, harassment, hazing or bullying due to race, color, religion, age, creed, national origin, sex, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital/parental/family status, veteran’s status, disability or other legally protected class.

SMART recognizes that diversity strengthens the workforce, benefits our communities and makes the unionized sheet metal and transportation industries stronger and more competitive by reflecting the communities where we operate and the people we serve. SMART’s goal is to shift the mindset of management, labor leaders and our respective memberships to recruit, welcome and retain the most competent and skilled workforce available, while embracing differences in age, ability, ethnicity, sex, gender identity, national origin, language, marital status, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation and other characteristics that make individuals unique.

Since the days of the founding of our predecessor unions, SMART has grown to represent members in a diverse range of industry sectors and occupations, including freight and passenger rail conductors, bus operators, HVAC technicians and the sign installers who bring you the bright lights of New York City and Times Square.

Today, you will find your union sisters and brothers in the construction industry, rail shops, shipyards, nuclear power plants, rail yards, at a variety of manufacturing facilities and across America’s diverse transportation network. Chances are the HVAC technician you called when there was a problem with your air conditioning or heating system was a fellow SMART member, as well as the bus operator who took you or your children to work or school.

The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) is a 21^st century labor union serving, protecting and raising the living standards of women and men working in the sheet metal, shipyard, manufacturing/production and transportation industries throughout the United States and Canada.

We strive to establish and maintain desirable and safe working conditions and thus provide for members and their families that measure of comfort, happiness and security to which every person is entitled in return for their labor, through a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay.

• Because we bargain collectively, union members on average earn 27% more than our nonunion counterparts.
• Most union members enjoy paid health care and retirement security for themselves and their families. Unfortunately, workers employed in the nonunion sector are unable to attain these high standards of living through no fault of their own.
• Unions help local communities by generating more income for workers, which contributes to better schools, public works and other community programs.
• Earlier generations of union members fought for many of the benefits we now take for granted. The eight-hour day, overtime pay, health care coverage, Social Security, occupational safety laws, workers’ compensation, minimum wage laws, retirement security, local living wage laws and unemployment insurance were unheard of until the advent of the labor movement, and they remain due to our continuing efforts to protect and expand these benefits.
• During the American civil rights movement in the 1960s, union members stood side-by-side with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., who was murdered while supporting a Tennessee sanitation workers’ strike.
• Unions have always been strong advocates for working families and loved ones. Thanks to unions, workers have more options for working stable hours — providing stability and predictability to allow for more time with family and loved ones. Today, the labor movement also serves as a powerful voice for working families in the global economy.
• Unions are fighting outsourcing and the exploitation of cheap labor overseas while curbing abuses of part-time, wage theft and misclassified labor here at home.
• The labor movement is working to stop corporate attacks on the 40-hour work week and paid overtime while defending Social Security, Railroad Retirement and Medicare, and protecting the rights of patients against the abuses of managed care programs.
• SMART’s legislative staff, at all levels of the organization, serve the interests of members in the political and legislative arena by increasing the effectiveness of our influence in the halls of power. The voluntary contributions made by members to respective political funds strengthens us. That is why we urge all SMART members to get involved in this important program and help ensure we can maximize our effectiveness at lobbying on behalf of all members.

Being a member of SMART provides you with more than higher wages, better benefits, a safe workplace and a voice at work. With over 200,000 members, we can pool our resources and negotiate significant discounts with banks, lenders and other service providers.

SMART is constantly updating and adding to the benefits you are entitled to receive as a union member. A small selection of these member-only benefits are listed below:

• Accident insurance
• Health savings
• Legal services
• A competitive low-rate loan program
• Life insurance
• Mortgage and real estate services
• Discounts on entertainment services and products, such as sporting events, concerts, movie tickets, discounted amusement park passes and flowers for special occasions.
• Auto insurance
• Discounted tools and equipment
• Lower cost cellular services.