Rampungake ukara ing ngisor iki: Ing taun 1937, Smith muncul minangka wakil presiden nalika pembentukan Uni Maritim Nasional, sing dhewe nuduhake kenaikan aktivisme serikat ing antarane pelaut sawise 1933 Scottsboro Boys Case lan
1934 West Coast waterfront strike (dipimpin déning Harry Bridges's International Longshoremen's and Warehousemen's Union utawa ILWU lan West Coast Marine Cooks and Stewards utawa MCS), sawisé anane International Seamen's Union (ISU) lan mudhuné Industrial Workers of the World (IWW utawa "Wobblies") ing taun 1920-an. Ironis, jeneng Smith dadi penting amarga dheweke diadili internal dening panitia NMU amarga gagal ndhukung mogok 1934, nanging mengko ngresiki serikat kasebut.