SMART Transportation Division Alternate Vice President
Thomas “Tommy” Gholson, of Local 573 in Danville, Ky., has worked for Norfolk Southern since 1998, first as a brakeman, then as a conductor and as an engineer.
He held the local offices of president, legislative representative and local chairperson before becoming an assistant general chairperson in 2011.
Gholson has served as general chairperson for GO 898 since 2018 and became a SMART-TD alternate vice president in October 2019. He also serves as vice chairperson of the Association of General Chairpersons, District 1. He was elected to the position of alternate vice president at the Third TD Convention in 2024.
In conjunction with multiple union officers, Brother Gholson assisted in the negotiation of the national railroad contract talks that opened in 2019. He also served on the Work-Rest Subcommittee and was a driving force behind the work that led to NS joining the Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS).
He resides in Somerset, Ky., and is a veteran of the U.S. Marines.