Sheet Metal Air Rail and Transportation Workers

Name

Sheet Metal Air Rail and Transportation Workers

Legal name

The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART)

Website

https://smart-union.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

SMART is a North American labor union with approximately 203,000 members organized through two divisions: Sheet Metal Workers and Transportation (SMART-TD), providing collective bargaining, training, advocacy, and member services across freight rail, passenger rail, transit, HVAC, construction, and shipyard industries in the U.S. and Canada.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Labor Union Representation

NAICS

Apprenticeship Training (611513)

SIC

Services-Employment Agencies (7361)

akta.pro primary industry

Skilled Trades & Industrial Direct Hire (BPACAFAG)

akta.pro secondary industry

Skills Assessment & Talent/Employability Testing Platforms (EDAFADAM)

Keywords

• Labor union representation
• Collective bargaining services
• Sheet metal apprenticeship
• Rail worker advocacy
• Transportation union services

Headquarters

HQ city

Washington

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Member Dues: SMART union generates revenue through membership dues from its 203,000 members across sheet metal, transportation, and shipyard industries. Members pay dues to their local unions which support the international union structure.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels11 records

Core offering

SMART is a labor union that represents approximately 203,000 workers in sheet metal, HVAC, manufacturing, freight rail, passenger rail, transit, bus operations, and shipyard industries across North America. Its core offering is collective bargaining representation, grievance handling, and contract negotiation on behalf of individual worker-members, supported by apprenticeship training through 148 training centers, member digital portals, and legislative advocacy on wages, benefits, safety, and job security.

Product overview

SMART (International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers) is a labor union with approximately 203,000 members across North America. The union offers a portfolio of member services including the SMART Union Mobile App for member communications, TD Connect and Member Portal for online access, the SM Job Bank for employment services, and the Voyager system for local union operations. Training is delivered through 148 sheet metal industry training centers, while the BE4ALL Toolbox Talks and Learning Journeys provide workforce development resources. The union also supports members through the TD Auxiliary organization. Rather than a single unified product, SMART provides a collection of complementary services and platforms that serve different member segments across sheet metal workers and transportation workers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• BE4ALL (Belonging and Excellence for All): A joint diversity, equity and inclusion initiative of SMART, SMACNA and the International Training Institute aimed at creating welcoming work environments and retaining skilled workers.
• SMART-TD (Transportation Division)
• TD Connect
• SMART Canada

Products and services

• SMART Union Mobile App A smartphone application that allows members to stay connected with union news, access benefit information, scan labels, and contact their local union for representation.
• SM Job Bank An online job listing platform that aggregates sheet metal job opportunities, typically reflecting large projects and positions available through local unions.
• TD Connect Portal A member portal for SMART Transportation Division members providing access to resources, news, and union services specific to transportation workers.
• Member Portal A web-based platform providing members access to union resources, personalized information, and tools to manage their membership.
• Sheet Metal Training Program An apprenticeship program operated through 148 sheet metal industry training centers across North America, providing on-the-job and classroom training for careers in the sheet metal trade.
• Transportation Member Toolbox An online resource center for transportation division members providing tools, documents, and information for union activities and member support.
• Transportation Local Toolbox A resource repository for transportation local unions offering guidance, documents, and tools for local union operations and member services.
• Voyager System A technology tool developed to help local unions serve members more efficiently and effectively by leveraging institutional knowledge.
• BE4ALL Toolbox Talks Educational materials distributed bimonthly as part of the Belonging and Excellence for All (BE4ALL) initiative, designed to increase worker productivity, reduce workplace bullying, harassment, hazing and discrimination, and promote solidarity among members.
• BE4ALL Learning Journeys Educational sessions hosted by the BE4ALL Committee providing information on topics including mental health awareness, workers' rights, Black History Month, LGBTQ+ Pride Month, and Juneteenth.
• TD Auxiliary A support organization for SMART Transportation Division members providing additional member services and community engagement.

Quantifiable outcome

• Union members earn 30% higher wages than nonunion counterparts
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.

• Union Pacific RailroadcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 22 September 2025On September 22, 2025, SMART-TD and Union Pacific Railroad announced a historic agreement ensuring job security for thousands of railroad workers as Union Pacific and Norfolk Southern pursue a proposed merger. This landmark agreement protects SMART-TD members during consolidation.
• TOOTRiScoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 16 January 2025On January 16, 2025, SMART announced a transformative partnership with TOOTRiS to offer childcare benefits to sheet metal members across the United States. This partnership addresses one of the biggest obstacles facing working families by providing wraparound childcare benefits through participating local unions.
• California High-Speed Rail Authority (CAHSRA)flagshipStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2023CAHSRA announced a ground-breaking MOU with 13 rail unions including SMART-MD and SMART-TD to utilize rail workers covered by federal railroad labor laws. The agreement ensures highly skilled rail workers will perform traditional railroad work when trains begin operating on the largest high-speed rail project in North America.
• SMACNA (Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors' National Association)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2021SMACNA and SMART partnered on diversity, equity and inclusion within the industry through the BE4ALL initiative. Both organizations agreed to develop a coordinated strategic plan with long-term and short-term objectives to recruit and retain a diverse and inclusive workforce.
• International Training Institute (ITI)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerITI is a key partner in the BE4ALL initiative along with SMART and SMACNA. ITI provides training and certification programs for sheet metal workers and is co-developing diversity, equity and inclusion strategies for the industry.
• National Energy Management Institute (NEMI)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNEMI partners with SMART on training initiatives and conferences. NEMI showcases inductees into the TABB Hall of Fame at industry conferences.
• Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust (SMOHIT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSMOHIT partners with SMART on safety initiatives and recognizes safety champions through the Safety Matters Awards program, now part of the Sheet Metal Industry Institutes Conference.
• Labor Alliance for Public TransportationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA coalition of unions created to fight for transit funding legislation in Illinois, successfully passing the Northern Illinois Transit Authority Act in December 2025 to protect SMART members' jobs.
• Canadian Apprenticeship StrategyminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCanadian federal government program covering up to 50% of eligible costs for training equipment modernization, helping Red Seal trades upgrade tools and technologies used in apprenticeship training.
• High-Speed Rail Labor CoalitionflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerCoalition of 13 rail unions representing more than 160,000 freight, regional, commuter, and passenger railroad workers, working with CAHSRA on high-speed rail labor agreements.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• AFL-CIO: Largest U.S. labor federation representing 60 unions and 12.5 million workers. SMART is an AFL-CIO affiliate; relevant peer for political advocacy scale, legislative coordination, and overall union density trends that shape SMART's organizing environment.
• North America's Building Trades Unions (NABTU): Umbrella organization coordinating 14 building-trade unions including counterpart unions to SMART's sheet metal division. Comparable as the institutional counterweight to SMACNA and a coordination point for collective bargaining across unionized construction, including policy advocacy on apprenticeship and prevailing wage.
• United Auto Workers (UAW): Large industrial union (~400,000+ members post-mergers) representing manufacturing, transportation, and public-sector workers. Comparable in scale and structure to SMART but with broader industrial footprint; overlapping in automotive parts and freight transportation.

Direct peers

• United Steelworkers (USW): Represents ~800,000 workers across metals, manufacturing, transportation, and shipyard industries. Overlaps with SMART in sheet metal manufacturing/production worker representation, shipyard work, and some transit authorities; comparable training and apprenticeship infrastructure.
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW): Large U.S. construction trades union representing ~775,000 electrical workers. Directly comparable to SMART as a building-trades union with apprenticeship training infrastructure, collective bargaining with electrical contractors (SMACNA's counterpart is NECA), and overlapping membership in HVAC and industrial construction projects.
• Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET): Division of the Teamsters representing ~57,000 locomotive engineers at Class I and short-line railroads. Most directly comparable peer to SMART-TD's locomotive engineer representation; both bargain with the same Class I carriers (UP, NS, BNSF, CSX).
• International Brotherhood of Boilermakers: Represents ~60,000 skilled construction, manufacturing, shipyard, and railroad workers. Highly comparable to SMART's sheet metal/shipyard workforce with apprenticeship training at Boilermaker National Training Centers; competes for shipyard work at the same Navy facilities SMART-MD staffs (Ingalls, Pearl Harbor).
• International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAMAW): Represents over 600,000 members across transportation (including rail at some carriers), aerospace, manufacturing, and shipyard industries — overlapping directly with SMART's transportation division and shipyard workforce, and competing for the same skilled-trade labor pool.
• International Brotherhood of Teamsters: Represents ~1.3 million workers including freight, rail, and transit workers. Comparable to SMART-TD in freight rail representation and bargaining posture with Class I railroads; competes for membership on overlapping Amtrak and freight rail agreements.

Others

• National Education Association (NEA): Largest U.S. labor union (~3 million members), though in a different sector (public education). Comparable as a dues-funded 501(c)(5) nonprofit labor organization of similar institutional scale, providing a reference point for governance, lobbying, and member-benefit economics of large U.S. unions.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/smartunionworks
• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/SMARTUnion
• Facebookfacebook.com/smartunion
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/united-transportation-union
• Instagraminstagram.com/smartunionworks

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Sheet Metal Air Rail and Transportation Workers