Category: Front Page
SMART TD member killed in Amtrak crash
A current SMART Transportation Division conductor and a former member were killed when Amtrak Train 91 traveling from New York to Miami collided early Feb. 4 with a stationary CSX freight train east of Columbia, S.C. Brother Michael Cella, 36, of Orange Park, Fla., was a cond [...]
Right to Work for Less stopped in Colorado
SMART Transportation Division Colorado State Legislative Director Carl Smith reports that efforts by some state legislators to advance a Right to Work For Less bill were stopped in committee. By a 6-3 vote, members of the state House’s Colorado House State, Veterans & Mil [...]
SMART SM Local 33 Member Tapped to Lead Toledo City Council
A member and leader at SMART Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 33 has been tapped as president of the Toledo (OH) City Council. Matt Cherry, who represents District 2, received 11 of 12 votes from his counterparts on the city council to become its new leader. The president run [...]
SMART SM Local 105 Recognized for Work on U.S. Employment Plan
SMART Sheet Metal Workers Local 105 was presented with a Los Angeles County Scroll along with Jobs to Move America and a coalition of organizations, in recognition of their collaborative efforts in the adoption of the U.S. Employment Plan Policy at LA Metro. The U.S. Employme [...]
SMART TD announces two-person crew bill has been introduced in U.S. Senate
Washington, D.C. (January 31, 2018) – SMART Transportation Division announced today the introduction of the Safe Freight Act (S.2360) by U.S. Senator Heidi Heitkamp (D-North Dakota), which would require two crew members — one certified locomotive engineer and one certified co [...]Amtrak train carrying GOP lawmakers hits garbage truck
A privately chartered Amtrak train carrying dozens of Republican members of the House and Senate crashed into a garbage truck just south of Charlottsville, Va. So far, only minor injuries have been reported amongst the train passengers. One out of the three passengers on the [...]
LA County Metro Board Unanimously Approves First-of-Its-Kind Good Jobs Policy
The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (Metro) Board of Directors unanimously adopted a motion to establish an agency-wide Good Jobs and Equity Policy that will cover billions of dollars of taxpayer-purchased trains, buses, and equipment last night. The [...]
Biggest Gains In 2017 Union Membership Were for Younger Workers
Last week, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released data on changes in union membership from 2016 to 2017. It was good news for workers, as the total number of union members grew by 262,000 in 2017. Three-fourths of these gains (198,000) were among workers aged 34 and under, w [...]