Addition of new members brings additional responsibility

I hope this edition of the SMART Transportation Division News finds that all our members enjoyed a safe and happy holiday season.

The SMART TD has been successful in recent organizing campaigns, adding new members to our union in general, and the bus department in particular. With the addition of new members comes the task of getting good work agreements. I will work with the Bus Department to do just that.

When comparing our labor agreements with other organizations, I am proud to say the SMART TD has secured some of the very best agreements in the bus industry. We represent the finest operators on the roads today and with their help, we were able to secure those agreements. With the Republican Party’s continued assault on organized labor, now is the time for us to stand strong and deliver.

I want to thank our legislative officers in Washington, D.C., for staying abreast of the ever-changing regulations from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and for providing us with the necessary tools to make sure our members are some of the most well informed operators in our industry. I also want to thank the SMART TD leadership for providing the same.

With their support, now is the time to make this bus department bigger and stronger than ever. To achieve this goal, we must work harder and be wiser in getting our message out to our members. We will stand side by side and not be bullied by anyone trying to undermine the important contributions we make to the communities we serve.

I am proud to congratulate the entire negotiating committee of Local 1715 in Charlotte, N.C., where our membership recently ratified a new three-year agreement.

I am also proud to welcome the operators of First Transit in New Brunswick, N.J., who by more than a 90 percent margin, voted to join our bus family.

Brothers and sisters, thank you for all that you do to keep this union strong. It is you, the membership, whom we all serve.