Category: Leadership Messages
FRA crew-size rule came from our collective power
Railroad history was made the first week of April 2024. The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a final rule stating that freight trains in this country cannot be safely run with fewer than two certified railroaders in a locomotive cab. History could not have been made w [...]
SMART-TD, FRA announce federal regulation requiring two-person freight crews
Phone: (216) 228-9400 Fax: (216) 228-0411 Department Email: news_td@smart-union.org “I would like to start off by saying that this decision by President Biden’s administration is historic for SMART-TD members and all rail labor. Today’s ruling codifying the two-person freight [...]
SMART-TD Union Demands Action in Wake of Los Angeles Bus Hijacking
Independence, Ohio (March 25, 2024) — The union representing the transit operator involved in the Los Angeles bus hijacking demands immediate measures to protect their men and women, and the people they transport, from violence. The LACMTA incident, which hospitalized a union [...]
We say: ‘No crew, no engine, NO WAY that’s safe!’
SMART-TD voiced concerns about Parallel Systems' automated cars to the FRA. The nation's largest freight rail union encourages members to comment on this attempt to run fully automated containers.
Oberman calls out UP, BNSF for cutting jobs when they should focus on growth
Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin Oberman has seen some rail carriers cut jobs and neglect their infrastructure in pursuit of short-term profit, and he says there’s nothing to like about it. Oberman spoke last week before the Southeast Association of Rail Shippers’ [...]
BNSF labor cuts mean Warren Buffett is more about dollars than sense — SMART-TD responds
The nation's biggest rail union, SMART-TD, won't apologize to Warren Buffett or Wall Street for workers getting paid what they've rightfully earned. When profits are more important than judgment, life gets harder at home and more hazardous on the job — all while our railroaders try to keep the nation’s economy humming.
C3RS: SMART-TD and Norfolk Southern agree to anonymous safety reporting
SMART Transportation Division began a new era in rail safety and worker protection by working with Norfolk Southern to accept and act on anonymous safety reports. How it Works The one-year pilot program, called the Close Call Reporting System (C3RS), is similar to one airline [...]
NS, SMART-TD, BLET and FRA sign landmark C3RS safety agreement
Joint pilot program encourages railroaders to confidentially report safety concerns ATLANTA (February 15, 2024) – Norfolk Southern Corporation (NYSE: NSC), the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers – Transportation Division (SMART-TD) [...]