Tag: GP Coleman

Brothers and sisters,

As your general president, my mission is crystal clear. It is to fight for what matters: SMART members and their families. In any arena, by any means — organizing, negotiating or lobbying, whether we’re in union halls, state houses or our nations’ capitals. Fighting for members and fami­lies: That is this union’s North Star.

Here at the SMART International headquarters in Washington, DC, where your leadership and International staff take on that mission, we get to witness first-hand how the United States government works — or doesn’t work. These days, politics are known for divi­siveness and an inability to get things done.

But in January 2026, something unusual happened in Washington. Members of both political parties — 213 Democrats and 17 Republicans — came together to pass a law through the House of Representatives that benefits working Americans by extending Affordable Care Act subsidies. Without these subsidies, SMART members would see their health care costs go up as insurance companies shift the cost burden onto our strong benefit plans.

Unfortunately, this law made no progress in the United States Senate. But the House passage of this bill is still important. It’s proof that our issues aren’t Red or Blue — they’re just common sense. Both Republicans and Democrats recognized that these subsidies help hardworking Americans get the care they need.

Across the United States and Canada, the people who represent us in government have one job: to come together on the issues that matter to working people. We are the people who build and move our two nations. We are the workers who take on the hardest jobs, every single day of the year, to keep our societies running. In return, we deserve governments that stand with us, and for us, when it comes to our priorities.

SMART members and families don’t ask for much. We want good jobs, health care, a stable retirement. We want to be able to provide for ourselves and our families. And as union workers, our governments play a big role in our ability to do those things: to work, to stay safe on the job, to be able to help our loved ones and children stay secure, healthy and pursue their dreams. Whether it’s through rail safety laws or job-creating investments, the people we vote for have a direct impact on our everyday lives.

That’s why we will always work with any politician, no matter their political party, to pass laws that benefit members and their families. Because SMART members are our mission.

As you might already know, 2026 is an election year in the United States. SMART members and families can expect ads, emails and mailers from candidates and elected representatives through Election Day on November 3. You will hear promises from candidates about how they will stand with working Americans, not billionaires and elites. That’s when it will be more important than ever to stand together in solidarity, and pay attention to what candidates DO — not what they say. At the International, we work hard to track what candidates actually do to support SMART members, and we will make sure to communicate which candi­dates support us, regardless of their party. Because as your elected representatives, that is our obligation.

It is the greatest honor of my life to represent you and your families. That is my mission, it is SMART’s mission, and it is the work your union will continue to do every day.

In solidarity,

SMART General President Michael Coleman

I’ve talked a lot about the importance of solidarity recently. It’s our foundation, our core value and our strength; it’s the guiding principle that has carried us through generations of challenges, whether we’re at work, at the bargaining table or on the picket line.

Much of the conversation around our solidarity has been in response to political events in the United States. Recent developments, from the unprecedented firings at the U.S. National Labor Relations Board to the shifting policies on tariffs, have sent ripples through our industries. These decisions have real consequences for working people — our people.

But make no mistake, brothers and sisters: Our union solidarity spans all of North America, from Hawaii to Vancouver, Florida to St. John’s; whether we’re on the shop floor, the jobsite, the railroad or the bus terminal.

Amid all the noise encompassing our nations’ governments, I want to focus on the hard-working citizens of our two nations that make up our membership: We have far more in common than we have differences. Skilled SMART sheet metal workers perform top-notch craftsmanship on jobsites and in production shops across both of our two nations. Organizing in British Columbia, Ontario and everywhere in between strengthens our union in the states just like it does in the provinces, and vice versa. And political developments in Ottawa and Washington have ramifications for every single one of us.

“Our union solidarity spans all of North America, from Hawaii to Vancouver, Florida to St. John’s; whether we’re on the shop floor, the jobsite, the railroad or the bus terminal.”

As SMART members, we want the same thing, regardless of which country we call home: good, family-sustaining jobs, stellar pay, a retirement with dignity. And our union organizes across North America for those exact goals — recently, in both of our nations, winning extraordinary growth. Regardless of the political climate, no matter who holds power in Washington or Ottawa, we will continue to fight for the betterment of this union: no member left behind.

The history of SMART spans over 200 combined years of organizing, tradition, mentorship and solidarity. We’ve faced adversity, fought countless battles and secured life-changing victories for workers across North America. Every victory we’ve achieved stems from our unity and the principle that an injury to one is an injury to all.

I want to emphasize something, though. That collective power doesn’t simply appear when we pay our dues. We, the members, are the union. We need to be engaged, involved and ACTIVE in our locals. That’s how we organize new manufacturing plants and contractors, like Evergreen Sheet Metal in B.C. That’s how we secure local laws that bring in more work for members, like project labor agreements in Southern California. That’s how we develop new tools to help keep our SMART-TD bus members safe. All this is only possible when we proactively flex our collective strength.

We continue to see anti-worker entities, whether bad-faith employers or antagonistic governments, attempt to divide us. They want us to fight each other instead of fighting the rich and powerful. They want to pit Canadians versus Americans, railroaders versus sheet metal workers; they want workers against workers.

Brothers and sisters, we must reject that division and choose solidarity instead. Let’s stand together, not just in the face of political challenges, but for the future we believe in. When we are united across the United States and Canada, there’s nothing we can’t achieve.

In solidarity,

SMART General President Michael Coleman