SMART Union
Support for saving Amtrak’s Southwest Chief passenger train and making Pueblo a route stop is picking up steam.
The Pueblo Area Council of Governments passed a resolution Thursday pushing the importance and need for Pueblo to be added on to the Southeastern Colorado route, and to keep the Chief rolling through this area, New Mexico and Kansas.
Landfall Travel, the official travel agency of the UTU Alumni Association, is offering two trips to Transportation Division members and retirees in the coming year.
The first offering is an Alaskan cruise aboard the Golden Princess. This eight-day cruise leaves from Seattle, Wash., July 19, 2014, and features time spent cruising Glacier Bay National Park and stops at the ports of Ketchikan, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria, B.C., Canada. The cruise returns to Seattle, July 26.
For those not yet ready to end their vacation travel, or for new travelers, a second eight-day tour is being offered from July 27 to Aug. 3, exploring the Pacific Northwest and California. It begins with a sightseeing tour of Seattle, followed by a visit to the Mt. St. Helen’s Visitor Center and an overnight stay in Portland.
Next, travelers will see Mt. Hood, the Columbia River Gorge, Bonneville Dam and Cascade mountains. Finish the night off with a dinner cruise along the Willamette River and Lake Oswego. Other points of interest include a cruise up the Rogue River, explorations of Bandon State Natural Area, time spent at the Redwood National Park, crossing of the Golden Gate Bridge, as well as time spent in San Francisco and more.
Interested parties can contact Landfall Travel directly at (440) 799-8977 or (800) 835-9233 for more information. All are welcome; you do not have to be a member of the Alumni Association to enjoy these excursions.
The Alaska Railroad Board of Directors has named Bill O’Leary President and CEO of the Alaska Railroad, succeeding Chris Aadnesen.
O’Leary will start in his new position this Friday, Nov. 1, 2013.
Read the complete story at Railway Age.
Following the retirement of former SMART Transportation Division President Mike Futhey and former Transportation Division Board of Appeals member Don Seyer, four members have been elevated to new International office positions.
Following a meeting of the Transportation Division Board of Directors earlier this month, Alternate Vice President Doyle Turner has been elevated to the office of vice president; Alternate to the Executive Board Chad Adams has been elevated to the office of alternate vice president; CSX GO 851 General Chairperson John D. Whitaker III has been elevated to the office of alternate to the executive board, and North Dakota State Legislative Board Secretary Tessa Burkle has been elevated to the board of appeals.
While serving as Transportation Division assistant president, John Previsich also held one of the vice president positions of the Transportation Division. When he was elevated to Transportation Division president following Futhey’s retirement, the vacancy in that vice president position was filled by Doyle Turner.
A member of Local 1962 in Toledo, Ohio, Turner became interested in union affairs and was elected local chairperson in 1992. He was elected local delegate to the UTU International convention held in 2003. He was elected general chairperson of CSXT Railway General Committee GO 347 in 1996 and continues to serve in that position. He also served as alternate vice president from 2003 to 2007.
Turner was elevated to the position of second alternate vice president – East, in October 2009 and re-elected alternate vice president in 2011. As a Transportation Division vice president, Turner also was appointed to the Transportation Division Board of Directors.
Adams was appointed alternate to the executive board by the board of directors in 2o12. A member of Local 331 at Temple, Texas, he also serves as BNSF GO 393 general chairperson and local delegate.
A member of Local 1106 at Rocky Mount, N.C., Whitaker has served as general chairperson of GO 851 since Jan. 1, 2011.
Burkle is a member of Local 1137 at Fargo, N.D. She had previously served as North Dakota state legislative director and local chairperson and remains Local 1137’s legislative rep. and delegate.
“I look forward to working with each of our new officers and thank them for their commitment to serving their fellow brothers and sisters of SMART. I am sure will all be assets to this administration,” Previsich said.
OAKLAND — A man who randomly walked up to two women and punched them in the face, punched a train conductor, then pulled a knife on a witness who tried to help, was arrested Thursday afternoon near the Amtrak station at Jack London Square, police said.
The 40-year-old man, who has addresses in both San Ramon and Fairfield, was arrested for battery, brandishing a weapon and possession of drugs — possibly methamphetamine, police said. His name was not released.
Read the complete story at the San Jose Mercury News.
SMART Transportation Division Local 61 members working at Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority recently ratified a new agreement governing the rates of pay and working conditions of conductors and assistant conductors on the regional commuter railroad.
With nearly 79 percent of eligible members casting ballots, a vast majority of those voting – 87 percent – approved the agreement.
The five-year pact includes a signing bonus, general wage increases, conductor certification pay, enhanced bereavement allowance, increased uniform allowance and enriched continuation of health and welfare benefits among its provisions.
Transportation Division Vice President John E. Lesniewski, who assisted with negotiations, expressed his gratitude to GO STA General Chairperson Freddie Williams and his negotiating committee consisting of Vice General Chairpersons Francis McDermott, Martin Strom, Michelle Duncan and General Committee Secretary Nelson Pagan for their enduring commitment to finding an equitable agreement for the benefit of Local 61 members.
SEPTA is a metropolitan transportation authority that operates various forms of public transit – bus, subway and elevated rail, commuter rail, light rail and electric trolley bus – that serves 3.9 million people in and around Philadelphia, Pa.
By Bonnie Morr,
Vice President, Bus –
The AFL-CIO held its convention from Sept. 8-11, 2013. The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers had a large delegation in attendance from both the Transportation Division and the Sheet Metal Division.
During the convention, many resolutions were passed, some of which will have a tremendous impact on our membership. One of the most important resolutions had to do with the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (ACA), which will have an impact on the medical insurance coverage of many of our members.
Many of us negotiate our medical insurance directly with our employer. Our negotiations take into consideration the costs of the health care coverage, as well as the benefits these packages provide. Within the ACA, certain benefits have been set at lower levels than some of us currently have. The annual cap may be better, but the levels of coverage may be less.
General President Joe Nigro addressed the leadership and the entire delegation of the AFL-CIO, stating that what we want is the protection of every worker, their families and the Taft-Hartley Trusts. Following a standing ovation, the AFL-CIO National Convention Sept. 11 debated and passed two health care resolutions, one calling for a universal, single-payer health care system and another protecting and expanding Medicare benefits under the Affordable Care Act.
One amendment passed that should have an important impact for SMART members calls for AFL-CIO unions to cease raiding the membership of other affiliated unions. This was an actual amendment to the AFL-CIO Constitution. Other issues addressed included workers’ rights, raising wages, improving retirement security and expanding protection of our collective bargaining rights. Delegates also voted unanimously to protect 13(c) provisions that protect the right to negotiate all areas subject to one’s working relationship with an employer and protect wages and benefits when work is transferred to new employers.
Let’s all continue to work together to build a stronger labor force.
By John Previsich,
SMART Transportation Division President –
Employment for our members in the transportation industry is distinguished in many respects. Regardless of mode – air, bus or rail – it is primarily an industry that operates 24 hours per day, seven days per week, 365 days per year, with its employees often unscheduled and subject to call at a moment’s notice. It is not unusual for transportation employees to have no scheduled days off, no advanced knowledge of whether they will be working or at home on a holiday, birthday or other special event, and no way of knowing when asked by friends or relatives what they are doing next week, this weekend, or even tomorrow.
While such conditions may appear to be very different than those of our members in other, more scheduled work environments, one need only look at the commonalities between the industries to see that our members in the Transportation Division have much more in common with our Sheet Metal brothers and sisters than may be evident at first look.
To begin with, nearly all members of the SMART organization are professionals who work highly skilled positions in a safety sensitive environment. Whether working on a job site in the construction industry, operating machinery in a production environment or moving passengers or freight on trains, planes or buses, our members hold responsible positions that require a great deal of training and education.
All of the craftwork is safety sensitive and unforgiving – from a misstep on a job site to a lapse of concentration while operating a locomotive or landing a plane, to a momentary diversion of attention while operating a bus or a production machine, the results of an error can be catastrophic.
That is why adequate training is such an important part of what we strive for, from the union-operated training facilities to the continual and rigorous oversight of our training agreements on the transportation properties that we represent.
But training by itself isn’t enough. In addition to our members mastering their crafts and showing up for duty adequately trained and prepared to work, safety also depends on proper workplace management, a responsibility that rests squarely on the shoulders of the companies and owners for whom we work.
Far too often, we hear of incidents where management blames the worker instead of the faulty work site. Far too often, the union has to step in and remind the regulatory agencies of their oversight responsibilities and, far too often, our members suffer from the unsafe work environments handed to us by our employers and for the lax regulation that allows such practices to continue.
It is the responsibility of management to provide us with a safe place to work and your union is second to none in advocating for improved safety on behalf of its membership.
This advocacy to improve safety is an area that well illustrates the benefits that can be derived from the synergy of the merged organizations. Both of our predecessor unions possess expertise in training, safety and regulatory affairs. That expertise, when coupled together, is expected to be more effective working as an integrated unit than either was before.
We hope to learn from each other, taking advantage of the skills that both unions bring to the table, to be stronger than ever in ensuring the safe workplace to which our members are entitled. This process has already commenced, with our legislative departments collaborating on safety issues at the federal, state and local levels. It is anticipated that these synergies will provide even more positive results as the integration progresses.
The Union Pacific Railroad is investigating after two employees were injured while jumping from a moving locomotive.
According to Mark Davis, UPRR director of corporate relations and media, the incident occurred at 2 p.m. Saturday near Kennard. The village is just west of Blair in Washington County.
Read the complete story at the North Platte Telegraph.
SMART Transportation Division Local 313 Chairperson Justin Van Houdt, 34, died unexpectedly Oct. 21 at his home in Hudsonville, Mich., Michigan State Legislative Director Jerry Gibson reports.
The cause of death is unknown and the family is awaiting a report from the county medical examiner.
Van Houdt, a CSX conductor, was a member of Local 313 at Grand Rapids, Mich., and entered railroad service in 2000. He was elected local chairperson in 2010.
He is survived by his wife, Alaina, and three small children, the youngest of which was born this year.
A viewing will be held Friday, Oct. 25, at Cook Funeral and Cremation Services, 4235 Prairie St. S.W. in Grandville, Mich., from 1 to 3 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Funeral services will be at the funeral home on Saturday, Oct. 26, at 6 p.m.
Friends have established a fund at 5/3 Bank in Grandville to assist the Van Houdt family. Contributions may be made at any 5/3 Bank by making checks payable to “FBO Justin Van Houdt” and including account number 7168329345 on the memo line.
Gibson said he had just spent time with Van Houdt this past weekend and his death comes as a complete shock. “I ask for our brothers’ and sisters’ thoughts and prayers at this time for Justin and his family,” Gibson said.