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James Stem

By James Stem, 
National Legislative Director – 

As a new Congress begins its largely partisan struggles, which are sometimes difficult to understand and frequently disturbing, the job of the National Legislative Office is to convince lawmakers that the legislative agenda of SMART members is the ideal recipe.

The education process itself can be brutal, as evidenced by these numbers: In this Congress there are 84 new House members, 11 new senators and 17 new members of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, where air, bus, rail and transit legislation often has its beginning.

The job of the National Legislative Office and the state legislative directors is to provide members of Congress with facts and be available as a resource when they have questions or are approached with different points of view by others.

High on the list of issues important to SMART members is a stable and sufficient source of funding for Amtrak and mass transit, which are carrying record numbers of riders and which are expected to swell further with demands from budget travelers, seniors and those frustrated with airline delays and increasing highway congestion.

Of importance to the safety of rail members is preventing further delay in implementation of positive train control, and refining some of the language in the hours-of-service law passed by Congress in 2008.

As discussions proceed on how to deal with America’s substantial debt and deficit spending, we are working with other labor organizations to ensure that middle-class Americans don’t face the brunt of the problem. For example, it is imperative we preserve the home mortgage-interest tax deduction and that Congress does not attempt to require employees to pay income taxes on their health care benefits.

Preserving the financial integrity of Social Security is another issue. Also, we expect conservative lawmakers, who don’t understand that Railroad Retirement is entirely funded by the taxes of rail workers and railroads, to seek again to fold Railroad Retirement into Social Security.

Returning to hours-of-service regulations, among our objectives is to gain new legislative language providing predictable and defined work/rest periods, a 10-hour call for all those in unassigned road service, and a mandate that the 10-hour undisturbed rest period be immediately prior to performing covered service instead of immediately following service. We also want all yardmaster assignments to be covered under hours-of-service regulations and that there be a two-hour limit on limbo time per tour of duty.

Our plate is full, but we are heartened that much, if not all, of the anti-labor conservative agenda expected to be proposed will be defeated either by a more sober-thinking House majority or in the Senate, where the labor-friendly majority was increased in the November elections.

In 2012, UTU PAC played a meaningful role in reducing the anti-worker majority in the House and increasing the labor-friendly majority in the Senate.

Your UTU PAC contributions continue to be a great tool in facilitating face-to-face conversations with members of Congress and helping keep our friends in office.

I urge you to become a PAC member if you are not yet one, or increase your PAC contributions to a minimum of a dollar-a-day level. UTU PAC contributions are one of the most effective investments you can make in job security, improved wages and benefits.

Dr. Norman Brown

By Dr. Norman K. Brown
UTU Medical Consultant

We have known for a long time that inadequate oxygen from poor heart or lung function, or poisonous gases such as carbon monoxide carried from breathing into our lungs, can injure our brains.

Recent studies of women exposed to second hand smoke showed statistical increases in dementia over time as compared to unexposed women. Similarly, particulate air pollution exposure appears to increase the chance of dementia in later years.

People with periodontal gum disease have a higher incidence of Alzheimer’s disease. However, brushing your teeth and seeing your dentist for a cleaning regularly will help greatly to prevent gum disease.

Recently, it has been found that two major components of our so-called Western diet, namely saturated fatty foods – think French fries – and simple carbohydrates such as sugar in soda pop, can alter brain cell function.

Most interestingly, it is theorized that one result of this impaired hippocampus is a tendency to overeat, leading to a vicious cycle of ongoing weight gain.

Although it seems paradoxical, our brains depend upon sugar for all their energy; yet, sugar surges in the blood stream from high sugar foods can apparently be difficult for the brain. Our brains need a steady, continuous flow of the sugar glucose from our blood, such as from complex carbohydrates like starch in fruits and vegetables, but jolts such as after drinking soda may be not so good.

There is some consensus that the following food items may help our brains to function better longer:

• Complex sugars (e.g., vegetables, fruits) that are embedded with fiber so the payout of sugar to our bloodstreams is slow and steady.

• Antioxidant-containing foods: berries, especially blueberries, spinach, and tomatoes.

• Omega 3 containing fish, especially salmon, flax seed oil, cod liver oil, or fish oil pills.

• Bananas for potassium.

• Avocados and nuts, raw or dry roasted, which contain unsaturated fat.

Please also think about some of the conditions in your family such as diabetes, high cholesterol and high blood pressure, for which a double effort to prevent these conditions will in turn benefit your general health, including your brain.

I believe in the concept that in future years there will be more tests available to detect a genetic tendency a toward particular condition and, furthermore, that there will be some biochemical interventions to help certain patterns.

But before that time, please work on the basics: good diet, weight control, supplements and exercise, which we know are good for all of us.

“First Student bus drivers and mechanics from Local 1908 are so much more than just people who get your children to and from school,” said Local Secretary Joann Ehrhardt.
If you need proof, just ask some of those children.
After a Buffalo, N.Y., School District family of six lost everything to a Dec. 1 house fire, the members of Local 1908 set their holiday wheels in motion.
It all started when Pam Przybylak, the manager at First Student’s Gruner Road Terminal, posted a flyer looking for donations for the family.
Local 1908 members, along with management employees and Buffalo Board of Education bus aides, were suddenly transformed into Santa’s elves.
“Pam gave us a list of the children’s ages and clothes sizes, and people just went shopping,” Ehrhardt said. “We collected presents for the whole family, along with non-perishable food items.”
“Some people collected food from a local food bank, some donated cash and others picked up donated items from one member’s church.”
On Dec. 21, the presents, food, blankets, towels and more were delivered to the family.
“One of the bus aides even bought a Christmas tree, and another bought ornaments, and they actually decorated the tree for them,” Ehrhardt said.
“This truly was collaborative effort,” Ehrhardt added. “Everybody in our terminal contributed.
It’s really nothing new at Local 1908. First Student employees also adopted a family, whose father had recently lost his job, and delivered gifts and food to them. “We usually call Catholic Charities and get the name of a family in need, along with children’s clothing sizes and whether they have boys or girls,” Ehrhardt said. “We do that every year.”
The local also represents drivers in the communities of Cheektowaga and Williamsville and bus mechanics in Rochester.
Ehrhardt said that at a recent local meeting, one of the Local 1908 members asked why their local was never in the UTU News, “so I thought I would send this in.”

First Student employees at Buffalo, N.Y., load the sports utility vehicle that served as Santa’s sleigh
after they decided to deliver Christmas to a family that lost everything in a house fire.

The following message was sent to the UTU National Legislative Office from Federal Railroad Administrator Joe Szabo:

In his State of the Union Address last week, President Obama spoke about the importance of investing in our infrastructure as a path to create new jobs and lay a foundation for America’s economic success.

Joe Szabo

In the last three years, American businesses have added 6 million new jobs, including a half-million in manufacturing. But there’s more to be done. And while construction jobs are often the most visible, our investments can continue remaking America as a magnet for manufacturing.

In a new report, the Environmental Law and Policy Center highlights the scope of the railway supply industry in the Midwest.

The report found 122 suppliers in Ohio, 99 in Indiana, 49 in Michigan, 84 in Illinois, 73 in Wisconsin, 26 in Minnesota and seven in Iowa. The Midwest is not alone. Railway suppliers are located in 49 out of 50 states and employ 94,000 people.

Manufacturers like Cleveland Track Material in Ohio are benefiting from the $12 billion the U.S. DOT has invested in passenger rail over the last four years. Started by Vietnam Veteran Bill Willoughby in 1984 in an impoverished section of Cleveland, the company was one of 53 across 20 states that received an order from Maine’s Downeaster service expansion project. Last year, Cleveland Track invested over $5 million in new production equipment at their plant. The company employs 300 people in Ohio, Tennessee and Pennsylvania. 

Manufacturers are opening new plants in the United States. Recently, the state of California awarded the newly-opened Nippon Sharyo plant in Illinois with a contract to build 130 rail cars that will run on the state’s existing corridors.

Amtrak and California High Speed Rail Authority have answered our call to work together to explore a bundled procurement for the next generation of high-speed rail equipment – equipment designed to reach up to 220 mph. Combining orders will provide incentives to high-speed rail manufacturers to build factories domestically, creating new high-quality jobs and tremendous opportunities for suppliers.

Investments in freight rail will also mean new jobs at suppliers. Last week, the Association of American Railroads announced the industry would invest more than $24 billion this year in its network.

President Obama also recently signed into law the Shortline and Regional Railroad 45G Tax Credit. The Railway Tie Association estimates that when the 45G credit is in effect, between 500,000 and 1,500,000 additional railroad ties will be installed each year.

For the first time in more than a decade, America is adding new manufacturing jobs. Continued investment in our rail network will put Americans to work in factories today, and lead to economic expansion over the next generation.

In their final approach for union representation, the pilots of Avantair, Inc., successfully touched down on the SMART Transportation Division runway.

The Feb. 14 vote brought 224 Avantair pilots under the SMART umbrella. Among the pilots who participated in the representation election, 77 percent voted in favor of SMART.

“Our ability to represent transportation employees was one of the key factors in their choice of UTU/SMART,” said SMART Transportation Division Director of Organizing Rich Ross. “They had specific questions and wanted answers about union representation and we were able to accommodate their needs. Now we have to get down to business to get them a contract.”

“These pilots fly everywhere and anywhere at any time of the day. We set up a lot of conferences calls at all hours of the day in this campaign,” Ross said. “Some of these guys are working 80 hours a week.”

“I once again extend my sincere appreciation to International organizers James “Mike” Lewis and Calvin Studivant, and to International staff member Cara McGinty,” Ross said.

“I also want to thank the pilots’ group that initially approached us. They were the key to making this a successful campaign.”

Avantair is an aircraft fractional ownership company, headquartered at Clearwater, Florida, U.S.A.

With fractional jets, some customers may buy a share of a plane rather than an entire plane. Their fee is pro-rated and the cost of an aircraft is spread among a number of investors. They then have access to a plane for a specified number of hours or days per year on short notice.

The company operates of fleet of Piaggio Avanti P180 aircraft.

Local 240, Los Angeles, Calif.
Local Chairperson Harry J. Garvin Jr. reports that the local’s 2013 monthly meetings will be held at Ozzie’s Diner at 7780 E. Slauson Ave. in Los Angeles off 5 FWY between 710 FWY and 605 FWY. The diner’s telephone number is (323) 726-0300. Meetings will be held the second Wednesday of each month at 1 p.m. during odd-numbered months and at 7 p.m. during even-numbered months.
Local 219, Hannibal, Mo.

Members of this BNSF local again voted to make a generous food donation to the Salvation Army branches in Hannibal, Quincy, Ill., and Keokuk, Iowa, Secretary & Treasurer Buddy Strieker reports. “We would like to thank the membership of Local 219 for voting to help the less fortunate in our communities so everyone could have a nice dinner during the holidays,” Strieker said. “We were able to purchase 2,600 pounds of food for distribution at the Salvation Army.”

Pictured, from left, are Vice Local Chairperson Jeff Willis, Local Chairperson Lance Sonnenburg
and Local Chairperson Virgil Peters as they make a delivery to the Salvation Army.

Local 286, North Platte, Neb.

North Platte Locals 7, 200 and 286 annually sponsor a little league baseball team,
and a picture of their billboard at Legion Baseball Field has appeared in the UTU News.
When Vice Local Chairperson Kevin Winder asked Local 286 to sponsor his daughter’s
traveling basketball team, the local jumped at the chance, Legislative Rep. Steve Coleman reports.
Above is Local 286’s new favorite team, with Ashtyn Winder at far left.

Local 582, Stevens Point, Wis.
Canadian National conductor James E. Stewart and engineer Steve Polanski were awarded Chippewa Falls Community Service Awards Dec. 4 by Mayor Greg Hoffman, according to a report in the Leader-Telegram, for “heroic actions in helping to save the life of a citizen in need.” The two were riding an eastbound train and saw what appeared to be someone on the ground waving a hat. They notified their dispatcher, who immediately called police. Shortly thereafter, police and EMT personnel found Don Shilts, 86, lying near the tracks. Shilts had suffered a stroke while raking leaves in his yard and fell down a hill near the tracks. He had been on the ground for more than four hours and his body temperature was down to 88 degrees. He then suffered a heart attack in the ambulance on the way to the hospital, but has recovered.
Local 626, McCook, Neb.
Conductor Chris Corbett, 29, was severely injured while working near Hudson, Colo., on the BNSF Brush Subdivision Jan. 1, and was airlifted to a Denver area hospital, Colorado State Legislative Director Carl Smith reports. Corbett suffered multiple fractions of his pelvis. “Chris and his wife are expecting a child in two months and they will have some obvious hardships. We are asking anyone that can to help our brother and his family during this difficult time,” Smith said. Contributions may be sent c/o Chris Corbett to UTU, 3222 Tejon St., Unit B., Denver, CO 80211-3471.
Local 662, Richmond, Va.
At this local’s Jan. 9 meeting, Cecil L. Pinner was sworn in as local secretary & treasurer following the retirement of former Secretary & Treasurer James Galbraith. Pinner ran unopposed in a special election and was elected by acclamation. In other news, Galbraith reports that retired former Local Chairperson Howard Knight, 73, died Dec. 28. He is survived by his wife, Carolyn.
Locals 262, 1462, Boston, Mass.
The members of Amtrak Locals 262 and 1462 turned their annual holiday party in December into a fundraiser for conductor John Newman, who was paralyzed from the chest down in a November automobile accident. Following their lead, Local 1462 Treasurer Dave Bowe reports, Newman’s sister, Jeannie Nocera, opened a bank account in Newman’s name for anyone wishing to assist him financially. Contributions may be sent to Liberty Bank, Attn.: Cindi Whitehouse, John Newman Charitable Fund, 315 Main St., Middletown, CT 06457. “Rehabilitation has been slow, but Newman is improving,” Bowe said.
Local 1608, Chatsworth, Calif.
Local Secretary Jack Dedrick and the members of this bus local representing employees of Los Angeles Metro congratulate the following brothers and sisters who retired in 2012 and wish them health, happiness and success: James C. Sherman (35 yrs.), Martin Crespi (33), Norma Uribe (31), Cynthia De Gruy (30), James Johnson (25), Walter W. Brady (24), Robert Anderson (23), Harry Fradejas (23), Estelle Plasencia (23), Victor Granillo (23), Luis Lopez (23), Mary Montgomery (10) and Nelson Duncan (10).
Local 1741, San Francisco, Calif.

Local members in the drivers’ room at the San Francisco bus yard on Sept. 21, 2012,
were watching on television as the space shuttle Endeavour was flying piggyback
over the Golden Gate Bridge to its final destination at the California Science Center in Los Angeles when,
everyone in the bus yard started jumping and shouting, member Judith Hoff reports.
The space shuttle was flying directly overhead at about 1,500 feet.
Everyone ran out of the drivers’ room to see lead mechanic Alex Ageev take this picture.

UTU Day at Fonner Park
UTU locals from Nebraska and surrounding states will be holding their third UTU Blanket Day at Fonner Park in Grand Island, Neb., April 12, beginning at 3 p.m., GO 953 Vice General Chairperson Rich Mohr reports. Last year, more than 75 UTU members representing different UTU locals attended the event. A blanket adorned with the SMART logo, sponsored by Local 1503 at Marysville, Kan., will be presented to the owner of the horse that wins the UTU/SMART race. Last year’s blanket sponsor was Local 367 at Omaha. Admission to the park is free. For more information and to confirm attendance, contact Local 7 Vice Local Chairperson Cliff Gordon by calling (308) 530-5766 or at cgordonutue@hotmail.com, or Local 286 member Ed Mueller by calling (308) 530-6711 or at meeko@kdsi.net. Reduced room rates are available at the Midtown Holiday Inn in Grand Island. Mention code “United Transportation Union” or “SMART” when making a reservation at (308) 384-1330.

According to Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) policy, every annuitant has the right to manage his or her own benefits. However, when physical or mental impairments make a railroad retirement annuitant incapable of properly handling benefit payments, or where the RRB determines that the interests of the annuitant so require, the agency can appoint a representative payee to act on the annuitant’s behalf.

A representative payee may be either a person or an organization selected by the RRB to receive benefits on behalf of an annuitant.

The following questions and answers provide information for family members, or others, who may have to act on behalf of an annuitant.

1. Does the RRB have legal authority to appoint a representative payee for an annuitant?

The Railroad Retirement Act gives the RRB authority to determine whether direct payment of benefits, or payment to a representative payee, will best serve an annuitant’s interest. The RRB can appoint a representative payee regardless of whether there has been a legal finding of incompetence or commitment and, depending on the circumstances in a particular case, the RRB can select someone other than the individual’s legal representative to be the representative payee.

2. What if a person has been given power of attorney by a beneficiary?

Power of attorney is a legal process where one person grants another the authority to transact certain business on his or her behalf; but the RRB, like the Social Security Administration, does not recognize power of attorney for purposes of managing benefit payments for a beneficiary. For this purpose, the RRB uses the position of representative payee.

3. Why doesn’t the RRB recognize power of attorney?

The Railroad Retirement Act protects a person’s right to receive benefits directly and to use them as he or she sees fit by prohibiting the assignment of benefits. Power of attorney creates an assignment-like situation that is contrary to the protections given by this law. The Act likewise gives the RRB exclusive jurisdiction in determining whether to appoint a representative payee for an annuitant. If the RRB recognized power of attorney, it would be deferring to a designation made by someone outside of the agency and would, in effect, be abdicating its responsibility to the annuitant.

Also, events often occur which may affect an annuitant’s eligibility for benefits. The responsibility for reporting these events to the RRB is placed, by law, directly on the annuitant or the annuitant’s representative payee. When benefits are accepted, the annuitant or his or her payee attests to a continued eligibility for such benefits. And if payments are misused, they can be recouped from the payee. This is not true with power of attorney.

4. How are these representative payees selected?

Generally, the RRB’s local field offices determine the need for a representative payee and interview potential payees. The field office also advises the payee of his or her duties, monitors the payee, investigates any allegations of misuse of funds, and changes the method of payment, or the payee, when appropriate.

The RRB provides 15 days’ advance notice to an annuitant of its intent to appoint a representative payee, and the name of the payee, in order to allow the annuitant a period of time in which to contest the appointment.

5. What are the primary duties and responsibilities of a representative payee?

The payee must give first consideration to the annuitant’s day-to-day needs. This includes paying for food, shelter, clothing, medical care and miscellaneous personal needs. Beyond day-to-day needs, railroad retirement benefits may be used for other expenses.

The payee is also responsible for reporting events to the RRB that affect the individual’s annuity, and is required to account for the funds received on behalf of the annuitant.

In addition, since railroad retirement benefits are subject to Federal income tax, a representative payee is responsible for delivering the benefit information statements issued each year by the RRB to the person handling the annuitant’s tax matters.

Periodically, the payee will be asked to complete a report which includes questions regarding how much of the railroad retirement benefits available during the year were used for the support of the beneficiary, how much of the benefits were saved, and how the savings were invested. In order to complete the questionnaire correctly, a payee must keep current records of the railroad retirement benefits received and how the benefits were used. The records should be retained for four years.

6. What are a representative payee’s primary responsibilities for an annuitant’s Medicare coverage?

When an annuitant requires covered medical services, the payee must have the annuitant’s Medicare card available. The payee must also keep records of the services received and the expenses incurred or paid, just as for any other usage of railroad retirement benefits.

7. What if an annuitant is confined to an institution?

When annuitants are in a nursing home, hospital or other institution, their railroad retirement benefit payments should be used to meet the charges for their current maintenance. Current maintenance includes the usual charges the institution makes for providing care and services.

The payee should use the benefit payments to aid in the annuitant’s possible recovery or release from the institution, or to improve his or her living conditions while confined. Payments may be used to provide such items as clothing, personal grooming supplies, transportation of relatives to visit the patient, trial visits to relatives, medical and dental care, and reading materials and hobby supplies.

8. How should railroad retirement benefits not immediately required to meet an annuitant’s needs be handled?

Benefit payments which will not be needed in the near future must be saved or invested unless they are needed for the support of the annuitant’s legally dependent spouse or child, or to pay creditors under certain circumstances. It is recommended that conserved funds be held in interest-bearing accounts. Preferred investments are Federally-insured or State-insured accounts at financial institutions and obligations of, or those backed by, the Federal Government, such as U.S. Savings Bonds.

Funds should not be kept in the home, where they may be lost or stolen, nor can they be mingled with the payee’s own funds or other funds.

9. How can a person get more information about being appointed as a representative payee, or whether the use of railroad retirement benefits for a particular purpose would be proper?

More information is available by visiting the agency’s website, www.rrb.gov, or by calling an RRB office toll-free at 1-877-772-5772. Persons can find the address of the RRB office servicing their area by calling the RRB’s toll-free number or at www.rrb.gov.

CSX is fighting efforts by the UTU and neighboring residents to use flagmen in a busy rail yard to increase safety and reduce noise.

Residents living near the yard in Worcester, Mass., recently complained to city and railroad officials about the constant use of locomotive horns at the yard, especially overnight.

At the suggestion of the UTU, CSX began using flagmen in 2007 at a similar rail yard nearby after residents there complained about railroad-related noise, including the frequent blaring of train horns and whistles all hours of the night as they passed an automotive facility.

Soon after that system was implemented, noise-related complaints about CSX trains from town officials and residents declined.

Now Worcester residents are asking why a similar system could not be put into place at the CSX yard in their town.

The UTU agrees. Not surprisingly, CSX does not.

“The UTU New England States Legislative Board supports the position of the residents,” State Legislative Director George Casey said. “The creation of the flagman job in Spencer was established as direct result of my contact with the local elected officers there. Naturally, I would like to see UTU members pick up similar jobs in Worcester.

“It’s a simple solution that I am sure the carrier will resist and will obfuscate with the rubric of Federal regulation. Clearly, it is the tactic the carrier attorney has already employed.

“Further, this area is in the middle of a thickly settled city neighborhood, and in close proximity to the University of Massachusetts Medical Center and the St. Vincent Hospital. There has been a railroad yard in that location for over 100 years, and the neighbors certainly know that it existed, but the new intermodal facility that was constructed has greatly expanded the footprint of the railroad, not to mention increased the use of locomotive horns. 

CSX attorney Robert E. Longden Jr. said federal regulations require trains to blow their horns when entering the freight yard and when passing another train. The purpose is to warn workers who might be on the tracks. The horn is also sounded if there is a safety hazard, such as something on the tracks, he said.

Longden said a review was done in response to noise complaints and it was found that the times when the train horns were sounded and the decibel levels from those horns did not exceed federal regulations.

Nigro

By SMART General President Joe Nigro – 
We are one! Not only as a result of our recent merger, but also by the pledge we make to one another as union brothers and sisters.
The strength of organized labor lies in the hearts and minds of every union member who understands the meaning of allegiance.
President Obama used that term so effectively to set the theme of his second inaugural address: “What makes us exceptional – what makes us American – is our allegiance to an idea articulated in a declaration made more than two centuries ago: ‘We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.’”
His call for collective action – action to address new challenges with new responses that still remain faithful to those founding principles – is no different from the pledge we made when we joined the SMWIA or the UTU.
We pledged our allegiance then, and we must reaffirm that commitment every day, to collectively make our merged union stronger and smarter.
When realizing a merger such as ours, we cannot always avoid spending time on issues like autonomy, titles, responsibilities and other minor details. Still, we have made real progress together to build SMART’s membership in bus operations, to reduce costs, and to keep our members informed about our finances and policies.
I can assure the UTU membership that the autonomy of the general committees of adjustment and the state legislative boards is not an issue that will derail our collective progress.
Now, we must work together – all of us, members and leaders – to ensure our representation is what it should be.
What does representation involve? What purpose does it serve? What does it mean to one who represents and to one who is represented?
Representation is what unions offer workers. It’s a big choice, in some cases, to put your job on the line to join a union. Once in the union, we as members want to be sure that we get what we pay for – that we’re not just a source of dues.
Strong representation is essential in such a diverse organization as SMART. Those who represent SMART members can do so only when they know, and listen to, the members they represent, when they understand members’ problems and challenges.
Our members are on the front lines with their employers and know first-hand whether the employers are living up to their labor agreements. Our members have to know that their union representatives want them to be recognized for the work they do every day, to be involved in the work of the union, and to be fully informed on any condition of employment that affects them or their family.
Our diversity in solidarity is our strength. As we reaffirm our allegiance to each other and to our union ideals, we can and will reach new heights. Together, we will use this year to brand SMART as the union of choice in sheet metal, air, rail, and transportation work.
This year we celebrate the 125th anniversary of this great union, born in Toledo, Ohio, on Jan. 25, 1888. The story of our past and its effect on our present and our future will unfold throughout the year through the commemorative theme: SMART Expertise Since 1888.
Please visit www.SMART125.com to learn more about the commemoration.

Members planning to attend one or both of the UTU’s regional meetings this summer can now complete their registration online through the UTU website.

The secure pages on the UTU website provide for safe and convenient registration. There’s no need for filling out a paper registration form or finding a postage stamp.

UTU regional meeting registration and hotel information, as well as web links to make hotel reservations online, can be accessed by visiting www.utu.org and clicking on the “Meetings” box on the bottom of the UTU homepage. Links to the host hotels, city visitor bureaus, and online car-rental and airline-discount information are also available.

Regional meetings will be held July 1-3 in Boston and July 29-31 in Anaheim, Calif.

Each regional meeting will run for 2-1/2 days, ending early on the afternoon of the third day. The evening of the first day has been left unscheduled so you, your family and friends will be free to explore and enjoy the many offerings of the regional meeting cities.

All those attending the regional meetings must be registered in order to attend any planned social function. Children ages 11 and under who are pre-registered are complimentary.

The pre-registration fee for the 2013 regional meetings is $150 per member, spouse or child over age 11, the same fee charged the last six years. Additional fees apply for the golf outings and family tours. You must make your own room reservations, and certain deadlines apply.

The $150 registration fee covers all workshop materials; a welcoming reception the night before the meeting; three lunches and one evening meal. Those wishing to attend only the workshops do not need to pay the registration fee. No one-day registrations are offered.

You may cancel your meeting registration 10 days prior to the first day of the meeting or the golf outing without penalty. Call the International at (216) 228-9400 or email PR_TD@smart-union.org immediately regarding any changes or cancellations.

If you choose to register by mail, you must submit a completed registration form listing each attendee, regardless of age. Complete payment in U.S. funds must be received at the UTU International, 24950 Country Club Blvd., Suite 340, North Olmsted, OH 44070-5333, by June 21 for the Boston meeting or by July 19 for the Anaheim meeting, or the registrant will be charged an on-site registration fee of $200.