The Trump admin hasn’t been talking to working people. Prices on everything are going up while paychecks don’t budge. Workers are fighting just to pay their bills. This economy only works for the billionaires and giant corporations, not workers who create their profits.

Aaron Rupar@atrupar.com · 19h ago

Trump: "I think we should be given an A+ on the economy"

After several months of warning signs, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) sent a letter to the Belt Railway of Chicago requesting information on what it calls “concerning trends” and an action plan for stabilizing freight rail operations in the region: www.smart-union.org/enough-is-en...

Enough is Enough: STB Puts the Belt Railway of Chicago on Notice - SMART Union

After several months of warning signs, the Surface Transportation Board (STB) sent a letter to the Belt Railway of Chicago requesting detailed information on what it calls “concerning trends” and an a...

smart-union.org

📍 Lubbock: Sheet Metal Workers (@smart-union.bsky.social) Local 49 just cut the ribbon on a new JATC apprenticeship training center – investing in the next generation of union tradespeople in West Texas!

‘Future of West Texas’: Lubbock’s new training center

LUBBOCK, Texas — SMART Sheet Metal Workers Local Union 49 celebrated the grand opening of its apprentice training facility in Lubbock on July 24, marking an important investment in skilled tr…

everythinglubbock.com

#PartnersInProgress: SMART Local 36 members working for SMACNA's Design Aire are racing to install 259 HVAC systems before Washington University’s fall semester: www.smacna.org/news/smacnew...

RESIDENTIAL: The 12-month Build

Inside Design Aire’s race to install 259 HVAC systems before Washington University’s fall semester.

smacna.org

#PartnersInProgress: A look inside Ventcon's 124,000 square foot shop, featuring SMART Local 80 members hard at work!

In fabulous Las Vegas, Local 88 is organizing to grow its membership, strengthen union contractors and create more opportunities for members. In the last two months, the local’s Organizing Department has signed up a number of sheet metal workers from larger nonunion contractors in the region.

WORKER WIN: Rhode Island became the latest state to require a minimum two-person crew on trains on July 23, and SMART-TD’s New England Safety & Legislative Board helped lead the way. Read more about this victory for workers and communities: www.smart-union.org/another-win-...

Another Win for Safety: 2-PC Signed into Law in Rhode Island - SMART Union

Rhode Island became the latest state to require a minimum two-person crew (2-PC) on trains after Governor Dan McKee signed H7608 into law on July 23. Read on to learn why it took a true collective eff...

smart-union.org

Another piece of common-sense legislation! The Build America Plan invests in SMART members, American jobs and our country’s manufacturing industry — prioritizing our national interests while supporting the people who build and move our nation every day.

Congressman Chris Deluzio@deluzio.house.gov · last wk.

I want my kids to know an America that works hard, builds strong, and dreams big. That’s why I’m introducing my Build America Plan to help us reindustralize the USA.

Rep. Walkinshaw's bill would implement a comprehensive review of indoor air quality conditions across all federal buildings, protecting the safety of millions of people and putting SMART members to work ensuring indoor air quality in those buildings.

Rep. James Walkinshaw@repwalkinshaw.bsky.social · 2w ago

(1/3): Last week’s dangerous air quality was a stark reminder that clean indoor air is essential to protecting public health.

Across our union, SMART sisters are experiencing the union difference first-hand: Performing top-notch work and getting the pay and benefits they deserve while they do it.    Visit SMARTCareers.org to learn more!

In Wheeling, W.V., Local 33 and the Heavy Metal Summer Experience (HMSE) are showing young people what it’s like to work in the sheet metal trade. Out of 19 participants in the HMSE Summer Camp, nine are now working as apprentices for Local 33 contractors! www.smart-union.org/a-future-in-...

A future in the trades: Local 33, Heavy Metal Summer Experience recruit the next generation in Wheeling - SMART Union

In Wheeling, West Virginia, SMART Local 33 and Heavy Metal Summer Experience introduced young people to the sheet metal trade.

smart-union.org

WORKER WIN: Workers at Dallas-area contractor Stratus Systems first started organizing back in 2023. Over the years, they faced plenty of challenges — but the workers never gave up. And on May 1, the workers voted UNION YES to join SMART Local 68! Read more: www.smart-union.org/texas-worker...

Texas workers build strength together, organize with SMART Local 68 - SMART Union

Texas workers at Stratus Systems, LLC won a big victory in May 2026, overcoming several setbacks to join SMASRT Local 68.

smart-union.org

When air quality is dangerously low outside, having clean, reliable air inside is even more important. Thank you to the union sheet metal workers who work to keep us breathing quality indoor air across North America!

The New York Times@nytimes.com · 3w ago

Weather forecasters expect smoke from wildfires in Canada to darken skies across North America again on Thursday and send air quality readings surging to dangerous levels in many places. Here’s what to know about the smoke, and when it might end.

Tripling union membership would: 👉 Strengthen communities. States with high union density invest more in public education, have higher unemployment insurance recipiency rates, and have all adopted Medicaid expansion. 7/

Tripling union membership would: 👉 Boost the number of people with health insurance. Since unions increase other forms of compensation, like health insurance benefits, the number of non-elderly people without health insurance would fall by about 25%. 6/

Tripling union membership would: 👉 Raise wages in every state. Annual wage increases would range from $1,900 to $10,600, according to the report’s state-by-state breakdowns. 4/

Tripling union membership would: 👉 Shift $1.2 trillion to workers annually. This would reverse one-third of the increase in inequality experienced since 1979. 3/

Tripling union membership would: 👉 Deliver a 14.5% raise for the median worker—amounting to more than $7,700 annually, or nearly $270,000 over a 35-year career. These life-changing increases would benefit union and nonunion workers alike. 2/

🌟 NEW 🌟 First-of-its-kind analysis from @cmcnich.bsky.social, @jensherer.bsky.social, and @benzipperer.org measures how expanding union membership would boost wages, lower inequality, and benefit communities and democracy. A teaser of what that would mean for workers 🧵 1/

The case for tripling union membership: How rebuilding union power would strengthen workers, the economy, and our democracy

Foreword Imagine union membership tripling in the United States. It may sound radical—if you’ve forgotten history. In fact, more than 1 in 3 private-sector workers belonged to a union in the 1950s. Th...

epi.org

WORKER WIN: After YEARS of being passed around to various employers while working under an old contract, Local 1590 (Anaheim) unanimously ratified an agreement with WeDriveU! Learn how members refused to give in and fought for what they deserved: www.smart-union.org/local-1590-u...

Local 1590 Unanimously Ratifies New Agreement with WeDriveU - SMART Union

After years of being passed around to various properties while working under an old contract, Local 1590 (Anaheim, Calif.) has unanimously ratified an agreement with WeDriveU! Read on to learn how the...

smart-union.org

Negotiations in the railroad industry are never easy. But after more than a year without a new agreement, SMART-TD General Chairperson Rick Lee believes it’s time for CSX’s Southern Region to show exactly what it is asking its employees to accept: www.smart-union.org/put-your-mon...

"Put Your Money Where Your Mouth Is": SMART-TD Challenges CSX to Make Its Current Contract Offer Public - SMART Union

CSX employees deserve answers, not games and half-truths. Read on to see why SMART-TD is calling Jacksonville’s bluff and telling the railroad to show its cards.

smart-union.org

Extreme heat continues to blanket large portions of the country this summer, and working safely is in the heat is top of mind for SMART members. Read SMART-TD on how to how help prevent heat-related illnesses and emergencies before they happen: www.smart-union.org/incoming-hea...

Incoming Heat Wave Reminds Us to Take Safety Measures on the Rails - SMART Union

With most of the country bracing for extreme temperatures this week, working safely in the heat is top of mind for many railroaders. Read on to learn more about how you can help prevent heat-related i...

smart-union.org

A lot has changed since sheet metal workers first organized in 1888. But one thing hasn't: #UnionPride. Local 24 member Roger Hoover drew on that feeling for his book, "I Built That! And So Can You." He joined Talking SMART to discuss his book, journey and more: www.smart-union.org/i-built-that...

Podcast: I Built That! And So Can You

Local 24 member Roger Hoover's new book, I Built That! And So Can You, is a must-read about the union sheet metal trade.

smart-union.org

This economy only works for billionaires and a certain trillionaire, not the working people who make our country run. It’s time to balance the scales. A union contract is how we start to fight back. Organize, mobilize, and get your fair share.

Form a Union | AFL-CIO

Form a Union Organizing a union in your workplace is about getting more rights and more power. Thousands of working people--all across the country and in all kinds of jobs--organize unions every year because unions are the best way to secure the things ...

aflcio.org

"Unions are here to help people." In SMART Local 33's Meet a Member series, Wheeling, West Virginia member Ezra Cavicchia talks about his journey into the trade and how the union sheet metal trade is already paying off for him and his career: youtu.be/owDUhpyw0MA?...

Journey into the Sheet Metal Trade | SMART Local 33

YouTube video by SMART Sheet Metal Workers Local 33

youtu.be

Happy Canada Day from SMART! Watch General President Michael Coleman's message to members, which pays tribute to the work members do every day to build Canada's future: youtu.be/VeE8iFVMiBc?...

Canada Day 2026: General President Coleman's message to members

YouTube video by SMARTUnion

youtu.be

A tax incentive called Section 179D has been in place for over 20 years to help make buildings more energy efficient and put SMART members to work. But it ends TODAY. Watch this video from last year of General President Coleman explaining the importance of 179D: www.youtube.com/shorts/bWZ7K...

GP Coleman breaks down impact of Section 179D tax credit

YouTube video by SMARTUnion

youtube.com

Seeking treatment for drug or alcohol dependency shouldn't mean worrying about lost income. Read about how SMART-TD removed a major barrier to recovery for members this year: www.smart-union.org/day-one-shor...

Day One “Short Term” Coverage for Members Seeking Help with Substance Issues - SMART Union

Seeking treatment for drug or alcohol dependency shouldn't mean worrying about lost income. Read on to see how SMART-TD removed a major barrier to recovery for members this year.

smart-union.org

In SMART, we organize to win the work that members rely on. That was proven recently in Chicago: Through strong teamwork from rank-and-file members and local staff, Local 73 successfully reclaimed multiple rooftop unit replacement projects for a UNION contractor: www.smart-union.org/local-73-sec...

Local 73 secures work for members by organizing - SMART Union

SMART Local 73 organized proactively to secure work opportunities for members, showing the power of proactive action.

smart-union.org

In March, SMART Local 441 reported on a momentous victory at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, Mississippi. One key to that victory? A recently retired Ingalls steward turned organizer, who helped the local rebuild its membership and strength at the shipyard: www.smart-union.org/shipyard-ste...

Shipyard steward turned organizer helps win contract victory in Missouri - SMART Union

A retired Local 441 steward at Missouri's Ingalls Shipbuilding returned as an organizer, helping fellow members win a stellar new contract.

smart-union.org