Author: bnagy

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Dear members of SMART Transportation Division:

Your help is needed to get the word out to certain members of Congress who want to take pension money from our Sheet Metal brothers and sisters and other union workers covered by multi-employer pension plans.

A decade ago, in the midst of the Great Recession, SMART and other multi-employer pension plans had the foresight to take steps to make sure they could meet their necessary obligations even during a period of financial collapse. These steps involved sacrifice on the part of these plan participants and resulted in solvent and stable pension plans able to meet their obligations for years to come.

However, there is a minority of pension plans covering about 1 million participants that did not make these changes, and these pensions could run out of money in the future. In addition, the Pension Benefit Guarantee Corporation (PBGC), which serves as a safety net for financially troubled pensions, is having money troubles of its own. It could be insolvent within a decade.

To address these shortfalls, Congress has convened a Joint Select Committee to consider ways to resolve the potential insolvencies. But the draft plan being considered by this Congressional committee could punish healthy and solvent pensions, like the one covering SMART members, for the sake of solving the financial shortfalls of the failing pensions and the PBGC.

Politicians need to know that this plan is not acceptable, and we ask that you make it clear that another solution, one that does not take money away from solvent plans, must be found.

Our SMART brothers and sisters need our help, please call. You also can text PENSION to 21233 and to be connected directly to your congressional office. Message and data rates apply for that service.

Members of the Joint Select Committee:

  • Congressman Vern Buchanan – Florida 16th 202-225-5015
  • Congresswoman Virginia Foxx – North Carolina 5th 202-225-2071
  • Congressman Phil Roe – Tennessee 1st 202-225-6356
  • Congressman David Schweikert – Arizona 6th 202-225-2190
  • Congresswoman Debbie Dingell – Michigan 12th 202-225-4071
  • Congressman Richard E. Neal – Massachusetts 1st 202-225-5601
  • Congressman Donald Norcross – New Jersey 1st 202-225-6501
  • Congressman Bobby Scott – Virginia 3rd 202-225-8351
  • Senator Orrin Hatch – Utah (Co-Chair) 202-224-5251
  • Senator Lamar Alexander – Tennessee 202-224-4494
  • Senator Michael Crapo – Idaho 202-224-6142
  • Senator Rob Portman – Ohio 202-224-3353
  • Senator Sherrod Brown – Ohio (Co-Chair) 202-224-2315
  • Senator Heidi Heitkamp – North Dakota 202-224-2043
  • Senator Joe Manchin – West Virginia 202-224-3954
  • Senator Tina Smith – Minnesota 202-224-5641

A suggested script for your call to Congress:

My name is ___________ and I am a member of SMART Transportation Division Local ____. My union brothers and sisters in the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers participate in a multi-employer defined benefit pension fund.

I am calling today to voice my strong opposition to the current proposal of the Joint Select Committee. This proposal attempts to infuse money into the broken PBGC on the backs of healthy pension plans and forces the funding status of well-performing funds to go backward.

My union does not endorse this proposal, nor do I. We expect any friend of labor to stand with us on this position.

A feed company whose truck rolled down a hill and crashed into railroad tracks in Cimarron, Kan., in March 2016 has admitted fault and avoided a trial on the matter.

This aerial view provided by the Kansas Highway Patrol in March 2016 shows derailed cars from the Southwest Chief.

Amtrak’s Southwest Chief derailed on those same tracks about 15 hours later, and 28 people aboard the Los Angeles-to-Chicago train were hurt.
The Associated Press reported that Cimarron Crossing Feeders said in a court filing that an employee was negligent in not setting the truck’s brake, allowing it to roll.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined last November that the probable cause of the derailment was that driver’s failure to properly secure his unattended truck, which struck the BNSF railroad tracks and caused them to misalign.
NTSB also ruled the failure of the truck’s driver and his supervisor to report the incident to local authorities was a contributing cause in the accident.

UnitedHealthcare has announced that enrollment is open under Group Policy GA-23111.
From November through December 2018, any individual who is eligible for coverage under one of the GA-23111 plans can enroll and will be accepted for coverage without any medical underwriting or requirement of good health. This includes family members who may not already be covered by the policy.
There are no limitations for pre-existing conditions, and coverage will be effective Jan. 1, 2019.
Only applicants whose completed enrollment forms are postmarked in November or December 2018 will be considered for enrollment.
This enrollment is for former railroad employees (and their dependents) who:

  • Were previously covered under any railroad health plan and were represented by a railway labor organization, or
  • Were members in accordance with the constitution or bylaws of one of the participating railway labor organizations when coverage under their applicable group health plan ended.

Open enrollment under Plan F is available for railroad employees’ parents or parents-in-law who are eligible under Medicare.
For persons eligible for Medicare, call 800-809-0453 for more information.
For persons not eligible for Medicare, call 800-842-5252 for more information.
To get an enrollment form, visit www.yourtracktohealth.com and follow the “Plan Your Retirement” link at the top of the home page, then visit “Essential Forms” and then “Group Policy GA-23111 Enrollment Form.”
A PDF with more information about GA-23111 is available for download.
An open enrollment period for GA-23111 Plan E also is underway in November and Decemeber.
GA-23111 Plan E is made available by rail labor organizations and pays 70 percent on eligible expenses of the 20 percent not covered under GA-46000, which is the Railroad Employees National Early Retirement Major Medical Benefit plan (ERMA). Combined, GA-46000 and Plan E cover 94 percent of your eligible expenses.

  • Plan E has a $100 calendar year deductible per individual.
  • Plan E adds an additional lifetime maximum amount of $500,000 for you and each enrolled dependent, which is much higher than for GA-46000 alone
  • Plan E has some benefits for routine and/or preventive benefits. For example, covered expenses for pap smears and mammograms are payable in full at 100 percent and not subject to the calendar year deductible. However, the charge for the office visit in connection with the preventive service is not payable under Plan E.

A PDF with more information about Plan E also is available.

As families and friends gather to give thanks over this year’s holiday, let’s not forget the transportation workers who move people and cargo by road, rail and air safely to their destinations.
An estimated 54.3 million travelers are hitting the road or taking to the skies in 2018 to celebrate this holiday, the most since 2005. Americans will have to endure long lines, traffic, canceled, delayed and overbooked flights and the stress that comes with those inconveniences. On the busiest travel day of the year, the true consequences of letting our national transportation system and infrastructure fall apart are made apparent.
Bridges in the U.S. need replacement, transit systems need their anemic budgets revitalized for safer and more efficient travel, trains run through century-old tunnels, miles of highways remain neglected and our aviation system could use updated technology.
As frustrated as travelers may feel, the men and women who keep America moving understand their concerns all too well. Transportation employees know, probably more than anyone, that this country can and must do better when it comes to making travel safe and efficient. After all, they’re the ones contending with our neglected transportation system on a daily basis.
Talk to a transportation worker, and you’ll hear about more than just poor infrastructure. They’ll tell you about safety problems; obsolete, shabby and outdated equipment; fatigue on the job; and belligerent employers and passengers. You’ll hear about budget cuts that undermine safety and reliability as they try to do their jobs and also threaten good wages, benefits and the security of their jobs.
You’ll also hear about dedication, hard work and responsibility. Despite all the challenges they face, the men and women who keep America moving stay focused on the needs of the people and the country they serve. The priority of America’s transportation workers is to move people and goods as safely and efficiently as possible. Many of them will give up or postpone Thanksgiving plans to accommodate the needs of the traveling public, giving their time to make sure travelers get where they want to be on this holiday.
Thank you to the people who operate, maintain and build our transportation systems. Your diligence and commitment keep our journeys safe. Your service helps to make holidays, including the one we’re about to celebrate, happy and possible.

Executives from both Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific (CP) said that they anticipate a boost in crude-by-rail traffic come springtime, Trains Magazine reports.
Both CN Chief Financial Officer Ghislain Houle and CP Chief Marketing Officer John Brooks presented Nov. 13 at the Scotiabank Transportation & Industrials Conference in Toronto and said their railroads would be readying for increased oil traffic when the spring arrives and the country’s grain shipping rail traffic winds down, the magazine reported.
A lack of pipeline capacity is restricting the amount of oil that can flow, and crude-by-rail traffic has ramped up to a level approaching the country’s 2014 peak of a rate of 140,000 carloads annually, the magazine reported.
Data from the Association of American Railroads show that petroleum product shipments are up by more than 30 percent for both Canadian Class I carriers.
The full article is available on the Trains Magazine website (subscription required).

caduceusThe lifetime maximum benefit for the Railroad Employees National Early Retirement Major Medical Benefit (ERMA or GA-46000) Plan will increase from $162,500 to $166,400 beginning Jan. 1, 2019.
At the end of 2001, labor and management had agreed on various procedures to administer the annual changes in the amount of the lifetime maximum benefit under the ERMA Plan.
In conjunction with the formula established in 2001, a new lifetime maximum was calculated by utilizing the October 2018 consumer price index (CPI) data for Hospital and Related Services and Physician Services. The result is a lifetime maximum for 2019 of $166,400.
For individuals who have reached the lifetime maximum, the incremental maximum available is applied to eligible expenses submitted for dates of service on or after the effective date of the new maximum. For 2019, this amount will be $3,900.
This change will apply to all railroads and crafts participating in ERMA.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released a preliminary report on the Oct. 4 collision of two Union Pacific (UP) trains in Granite Canyon, Wyo., that killed SMART Transportation Division Local 446 members Jason Vincent Martinez, 40, and Benjamin “Benji” George Brozovich, 39.
The report states that data retrieved from the event recorder of the train indicated that an emergency brake application failed to slow the train as it descended a grade west of Cheyenne before striking the rear of a stationary train.
“Normally, the locomotive would send a message to the end-of-train device to also apply the brakes with an emergency brake application,” NTSB said in the preliminary report. “According to the event recorder, the end-of-train device did not make an emergency application of the brakes. Investigators are researching the reason for the communication failure. After the engineer applied the emergency application, the train continued to accelerate until reaching 56 mph as the last recorded speed.”
Positive train control (PTC) was active at the time of the accident, NTSB said.
NTSB said further investigation will focus on components of the train’s air brake system, head-of-train and end-of-train radio-linked devices, train braking simulations and current railroad operating rules. Investigators will also determine if the railroad’s air brake and train handling instructions address monitoring air flow readings and recognizing the communication status with the end-of-train device, the report stated.
Three locomotives and 57 cars of the striking train derailed. Nine cars of the stationary train derailed.
The investigation into the collision is continuing, and a final report will be released by NTSB at a later date.
Follow this link to read the preliminary report.

Ohio Assistant State Legislative Director Ralph Leichliter sent along a notice that the Ohio House of Representatives is going to begin discussions Tuesday, Nov. 13 in Columbus about H.B. 53 — yet another attempt in the Buckeye State to get Right to Work for Less legislation passed.
Leichliter says that this bill aims to destroy union membership among public sector employees.
“We have to get a message out to our representatives ASAP to let them know that their constituents oppose this bill. As labor advocates, it’s important to protect the collective bargaining power of all workers, and to push back against the war on unions,” Leichliter said.
The primary sponsor of this attack on unions is Ohio Rep. John Becker (R – Dist. 65).
To fight back, you can send a message to your state representatives using the following links:
Ohio State Legislative Board
HB 53 – Right to Work Legislation in Ohio
Supporting Becker’s bill are 12 co-sponsors:

  • state Rep. Thomas Brinkman Jr. (R – Dist. 27)
  • state Rep. Kristina Roegner (R – Dist. 37)
  • state Rep. Niraj Antani (R – Dist. 42)
  • state Rep. Derrick Merrin (R – Dist. 47)
  • state Rep. Candice Keller (R – Dist. 53)
  • state Rep. Paul Zeltwanger (R – Dist. 54)
  • state Rep. Bill Dean (R – Dist. 74)
  • state Rep. Ron Hood (R – Dist. 78)
  • state Rep. Craig Riedel (R – Dist. 82)
  • state Rep. A. Nino Vitale (R – Dist. 85)
  • state Rep. Andy Thompson (R- Dist. 95)

This is an important year for the direction of our country, and as we do on the roads and on the rails of these great United States, SMART Transportation Division will lead the way.
With your vote comes the chance to shape where the future of the transportation industry will go by selecting those candidates who support issues, such as two-person crews, the safety of our bus operators and yardmaster legislation, that are important to us.
Not registered? Voters in California, Colorado, Connecticut, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maine, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, Utah, Vermont, Washington, D.C., Wisconsin and Wyoming can still register and vote today!

Elections matter. Be sure to have your say about the future of your paycheck, your healthcare, your retirement and your safety on the job.
For election and poll location information in your state, text “VOTE UNION” to 21333. Message and data rates may apply.