Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 1, 2020 

ICYMI: The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers Endorses Joe Biden

Today, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART), announced it voted unanimously to endorse Joe Biden for President of the United States. In a statement,  SMART highlighted the contrast between Vice President Biden and Donald Trump saying: “SMART members have made it clear they can no longer wait after four years of empty promises for new infrastructure initiatives from the current administration” and citing Joe Biden’s commitment “to acting on a plan for real infrastructure work to enhance employment opportunities for current and future members in the industries SMART represents.”
 
SMART issued the following press release:

The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) is pleased to endorse Vice President Joe Biden for President of the United States, following a unanimous vote of its General Executive Council.
 
The endorsement was informed by discussions with and feedback from SMART members and leaders from across the United States who met to discuss SMART issues and which candidate best supports them. Over the past four years, SMART leadership has also met with all the major presidential candidates from both parties, including the incumbent president, and had meaningful dialogue with them regarding issues impacting SMART members.
 
“SMART has engaged with and listened to our members from coast to coast about their views and opinions regarding our union, their jobs and current events that affect their future,” said SMART General President Joseph Sellers, Jr. “This effort was launched to ensure members have a say in shaping the course of our union as it proceeds to advance the needs and viewpoints of the membership.”
 
Biden has a long history of engaging with SMART members and working families in both the sheet metal and transportation industries. The endorsement decision was based on Biden’s strong support of the concerns most important to our members, including the need for two-person railroad crews, retirement and pension security, protection of prevailing wages, and a prioritization of workplace safety. He also is dedicated to acting on a plan for real infrastructure work to enhance employment opportunities for current and future members in the industries SMART represents. SMART members have made it clear they can no longer wait after four years of empty promises for new infrastructure initiatives from the current administration.
 
“From his early years working with local sheet metal workers as a County Commissioner in Delaware, to his frequent meetings with SMART Amtrak conductors during his commute back and forth to Washington, D.C.,” said Sellers, “Joe Biden has been acutely aware of and engaged with the issues on the minds of our members.”
 
After a series of discussions with Biden’s campaign staff, where members’ feedback and concerns were shared with the candidate, Vice President Biden took the time to respond with a video outlining his positions on the issues. His impassioned message in this video proves that Biden is the clear choice for our union and the membership.
 
“SMART is highly engaged in the political process to ensure our issues are advanced and our members’ livelihoods are protected,” said Sellers. “We also strive to ensure union leadership is transparent and clear with our members when it comes to decisions in the electoral arena. We work to advance our members’ issues by advocating and educating on their behalf while supporting candidates, regardless of party, who stand with SMART members and for issues important to all working families.”


SMART, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, is one of North America’s most dynamic and diverse unions with 200,000 members. SMART’s members ensure the quality of the air we breathe, promote energy efficiency, produce and provide the vital services that move products to market and passengers to their destinations. We are sheet metal workers, service technicians, bus operators, engineers, conductors, sign workers, welders, production employees and more. With members in scores of different occupations, we advocate for fairness in the workplace, excellence at work and opportunity for all working families.
 
National unions representing a range of other workers and professions have also endorsed Biden, including AFL-CIO, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT), Pride at Work, American Postal Workers Union (APWU), the United Steelworkers Union (USW), Transport Workers Union (TWU), International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees (IATSE), the International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers (IFPTE), International Association of Firefighters (IAFF), United Auto Workers (UAW), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), National Education Association (NEA), International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU), United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), American Federation of Teachers (AFT), American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), International Association of Bridge, Structural and Ornamental Iron Workers (IW), Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU), Operative Plasterers’ & Cement Masons’ International Association (OPCMIA), and International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), and the International Longshoremen’s Association (ILA).