This is the next post in our series that will take a deeper look at each of our affiliates. The series will run weekly until we've covered all 65 of our affiliates. Next up is the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART).
Name of Union: International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers
Mission: To serve, protect and raise the living standards of people working in the sheet metal, shipyard, manufacturing/production and transportation industries throughout the United States and Canada. To 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.
Current Leadership of Union: Michael Coleman was elected SMART general president on June 1, 2023, by the SMART General Executive Council. He was reelected in August 2024 by delegates to the Third SMART General Convention in Las Vegas. Coleman has more than 20 years of dedicated leadership at the local and international level. He began his career as a SMART sheet metal worker in 1985, when he joined what was then Local 65 in Cleveland (Local 65 merged with Local 33 soon after). After graduating into journeyperson status and honing his craft for several years, he ran for election as a member of the local’s executive board. From there, he became business representative, then Local 33 president and business manager in 2012. Seven years later, upon the request of the SMART General Executive Council, Coleman moved to Washington, D.C., to work as SMART’s director of business and management relations. Shortly after that, then-General President Joseph Sellers asked Coleman to become assistant to the general president, a position in which he served until May 31, 2023.
John Daniel serves as SMART general secretary-treasurer. Jeremy R. Ferguson was elected to a second term as president of the SMART Transportation Division on Aug. 11, 2024. Jared Cassity serves as the Transportation Division's national legislative director. SMART also has 15 vice presidents: Derek Evans, Arthur Tolentino, Rick Werner, Bill Kenyon, Robert Butler, Ray Reasons, Jason Pedersen, Steve Langley, Matthew Fairbanks, Bryan Bush, Corey Beaubien, Brent C. Leonard, Chadrick J. Adams, Alvy Hughes and Jamie C. Modesitt.
Current Number of Members: 230,000
Members Work As: Sheet metal workers, service technicians, bus operators, engineers, conductors, sign manufacturing and installers, welders, HVAC technicians, production employees and more.
Industries Represented: Sheet metal production and installation, HVAC service, roofing, indoor air quality and energy efficiency, railroad mechanical/engineering, freight and passenger rail, bus and other mass transit, among many others.
History: The history of this organization begins in the second half of the 19th century, with the founding of several unions that were forerunners of the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association (SMWIA) and the United Transportation Union (UTU), which later joined together to form SMART. In 1888, the Tin, Sheet Iron and Cornice Workers' International Association formed and by 1901, the union had grown to more than 5,500 members from 108 locals in the United States and Canada. In 1889, the union first received a charter from the American Federation of Labor and would change names several times.
In 1922, SMWIA railroad shop members launched one of the biggest strikes in U.S. history, when 400,000 workers walked off the job. After a federal injunction shut down strike support activities, the action ultimately failed. But the seeds were laid for future collective action and success. SMWIA continued to grow, particularly as many smaller unions in the industry came on board to help expand the power of their members. By 1925, membership had risen to 24,000 from more than 440 locals.
Over the ensuing decades, sheet metal workers rose to prominence. In 1927, members from Local 206 in San Diego built a major part of the “Spirit of St. Louis,” which Charles Lindbergh flew across the Atlantic. During World War II, members were secretly part of the team that developed the atomic bomb. After the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center, sheet metal workers in the building trades helped search for survivors and transportation workers evacuated as many people as possible from the danger zone.
In 1969, the UTU was officially formed with the merger of the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen & Enginemen, the Order of Railway Conductors & Brakemen and the Switchmen’s Union of North America. And in 2008, UTU and SMWIA merged to become the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART).
Current Campaigns: The SMART Action Network gives members and supporters opportunities to make a difference on important issues. SMART also has the SMART Army, which engages members in local communities and events in order to build and promote members’ role in their communities while furthering public understanding of the values of the labor movement. On the local and national level, SMART works constantly to improve safety on construction jobsites, on the railroad and on public transit; to ensure workers across North America are paid prevailing wages and treated with the dignity they deserve; and to expand opportunity to working people in every community.
Community Efforts: SMART has numerous teams focused on member safety. SMART publishes the SMART Member's Journal and the SMART Transportation News to provide news and additional resources related to the industry. SMART offers numerous training opportunities for members. Read about SMART's efforts to make workplaces welcoming and inclusive of all workers. The pioneering Belonging and Excellence for All (BE4ALL) effort aims to better the unionized sheet metal industry for all members. The SMART Heroes program helps bring military servicemembers into fulfilling union careers. SMART has a Members Assistance Program to support members’ mental health and scholarships for members and their families. It also has a women's committee and provides assistance for veterans. You can buy branded merchandise in SMART's online store.
Learn More: Website, Facebook, X, YouTube, Instagram, TikTok