- Tags GoFundMe, John Pohle, Local 17, member fatality
Category: Online fundraiser
Local 1381 member, family in need of help after fire
Brother Wesley Welch of Local 1381 (Hammond, Ind.), his wife and their two daughters lost their house in a fire Jan. 30 and are seeking help. Welch, 39, a switchman with Norfolk Southern, and his family saw their home in Cedar Lake, Ind., destroyed and one family member was t [...]
Local 18 member passes from COVID
Our union is in mourning after losing Jose “Joe” Alfaro, a member of SMART Transportation Division for more than 15 years, to the COVID-19 pandemic on Nov. 13. He was 58 years old. Brother Alfaro was a member of Local 18 in El Paso, Texas, and worked as a trainman/brakeman fo [...]
Two members lost in accidents
Our union is in mourning after losing two of its active members this week: one in a work-related fatality and one in a traffic accident. Ryan Sandy, 37, a member of Local 662 (Richmond, Va.) and a former local chairperson of LCA-201C, was killed in an on-the-job accident at 2 [...]
Union family in need after fire destroys home
Brother Matt Bryant of Local 1067 (Virginia, Minn.), his wife and their three children lost their house in a fire Aug. 14 and could use some help as they attempt to rebuild their lives. Bryant, 34, a conductor with Canadian National, was furloughed in late May and had returne [...]
Help needed for Local 1963 president’s daughter in her cancer fight
Britnee Griffin, daughter of Mike Griffin (a yardmaster, alternate vice chairperson of GCA 347 and the president of Local 1963 in Louisville, Ky.), has been battling aggressive cancer since the spring. The medical bills for her family are mounting, and an online fundraiser ha [...]
GoFundMe opened for member shot while on the job
On July 22 of this year, Local 1715 member Karen Taylor was shot five times in broad daylight while her Charlotte Area Transit Systems (CATS) bus was stopped to unload passengers. “…just as the last person stepped off of her bus, a man appeared out of nowhere and shot five ti [...]
Fundraiser established for Local 1929 member and family
Sad news was reported out of Local 1929 (East St. Louis, Ill.) with the passing of Layla Lynn Thomas, the 2-year-old daughter of member Craig Thomas, after a sudden illness. Layla was rushed to the emergency room March 18 and diagnosed with Influenza A. Her condition develope [...]
Local 590 conductor killed in accident
Brother Robert “Rob” J. Hemling, 39, of Randolph, Wis., and a member of Local 590, died in a train accident March 27 in Sparta, Wis. Brother Hemling, a conductor for Canadian Pacific, was working at Cedar Creek Lumber when he was killed. Police and media reports d [...]