News Archive
Local 73 secures work for members by organizing
A recent story from SMART Local 73 (Chicago and Cook County, Illinois) shows just how important organizing is to members and their families. Through coordinated job action, strategic market recovery efforts and strong teamwork from members and staff, Local 73 successfully reclaimed multiple Home Depot rooftop unit replacement projects from a non-signatory contractor and secured the work for a Local 73 union contractor.
Need for Speed? Safety Isn’t Number One After All
A U.S. Senate hearing on Tuesday was billed as a Top Gun style “Need For Speed” vision for transportation technology. Read on to see how Senator Todd Young and the Association of American Railroads (AAR) took the hearing from Top Gun to a horror movie for real-life railroaders.
2026 AFL-CIO Convention: Delegates plan a unionized future
From June 7-10, 2026, affiliated unions of the AFL-CIO, including SMART, came together for the federation’s convention in Minneapolis, Minn.: charting a path forward for our movement and strategizing on how we can secure a UNIONIZED future. Led by General President Michael Coleman, who also served on the AFL-CIO’s Constitution Committee, SMART delegates attended to bring the voice of sheet metal and transportation members to the largest gathering of organized labor in our nation.
LISTEN: Cassity Breaks Down Railroad Safety Act in Must-Listen Podcast
Railroads are spending big bucks fighting common-sense safety reforms while spreading false claims that 2-PC is causing inflation nationwide. Read on to see how SMART-TD’s Jared Cassity exposes the truth on a podcast that came out this week.
Call for Rail Safety on Full Display at Big Boy Ohio Stops
As Union Pacific’s Big Boy No. 4014 swung through Northeast Ohio today, the massive crowds gathered were just as enthusiastic about the historic locomotive as they were for crucial rail safety reforms that are making their way through Congress. Read on to find out how SMART-TD encouraged those watching history roll by to get involved with a simple flyer and how you can do the same!
LAST CHANCE to Register for St. Paul Regional Training Seminar
TOMORROW (Tuesday, June 9) is your LAST day to register for the upcoming St. Paul Regional Training Seminar (RTS)! Please make sure that all of your information is submitted by noon ET! No onsite registration will be available, and late registration is subject to an additional $125 late fee. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to strengthen your leadership skills!
Local 33 builds new partnerships, creates opportunities for members through organizing in West Virginia
Local 33 (Northern Ohio area) has started 2026 with strong organizing momentum, signing six new contractors to date and continuing to grow the local’s market share across multiple districts. These victories are especially significant in West Virginia, where organizing success in a "right-to-work" state requires persistence, relationship-building and commitment from the local’s staff and potential new partners.
Local 63 rebuilds presence in Vermont, puts union members to work through organizing
The union difference isn’t just something that pays off in better pay, safer working conditions and stronger benefits for union members. Study after study shows that unions raise pay and living standards across entire regions, for both union and nonunion workers alike. That’s why organizing is so important, and why SMART works constantly to bring signatory contractors into every state and province of North America. A recent victory in Vermont demonstrated how that work pays off in practice.