Category: Leadership Messages
Your vote is crucial. Vote Nov. 2
By James StemUTU National Legislative Director Alfred E. Newman, the not-very-bright Mad magazine character, had an expression shared today by too many Americans: “I am not sure who is running, and my vote won’t make a difference anyway.” It is doubtful thos [...]Health insurance alert: Children under 26?
By UTU International President Mike Futhey One of the jewels of the Obama health care reform plan passed into law by Congress earlier this year allows certain dependent children to remain on an employee’s health care insurance plan until age 26 without regard to student, mari [...]Let’s Organize the Unorganized
By Richard Ross Former SMART TD Director of Organizing The SMART Transportation Division has a long history of representing transportation workers — fighting on their behalf for better job security, and improved wages, benefits and working conditions. We have consistent [...]Younger members are our future
By Assistant President Arty Martin For more than 40 years, the UTU has been instrumental in improving job security, wages, benefits and safe working conditions. To achieve that success, the UTU has always relied on the membership to step forward to rebuild elected officers [...]- Tags future, leaders, local office, members, membership, mentor
State of the union, 2010
By International President Mike Futhey Are things better now than they were three years ago? Have you witnessed an improvement in representation, union finances, internal procedures and management transparency since Arty Martin, Kim Thompson and I took office Jan. 1, 2008? He [...]UTU seeks collaborative safety, security plan
By UTU International President Mike Futhey The recent tragic, senseless and violent murder in New Orleans of CSX conductor Fred Gibbs, and wounding of the train’s engineer (a potential witness whose name is being withheld), accelerates an already urgent need for better [...]- Tags conductor, CSX, Fred Gibbs, intermodal, murder, New Orleans, safety, security, terrorist, workplace safety
Fatigue, harassment, intimidation take toll
By International President Mike Futhey We all know that when one wants the truth from the iron horse’s mouth, we ask the rank-and-file membership. That is especially so when it comes to safety. I commend our Rail Safety Task Force for going directly to the membership wi [...]Retiring soon? Don’t be a fraud victim
By UTU GS&T Kim Thompson A recent article on the UTU Web site, headlined “Ponzi Scheme Targets Retired L.A. Bus Drivers,” reminded me of the pitfalls that our members can face in having a secure retirement. It seems you can’t watch the evening news, open a ne [...]RLA designed to avoid strikes, lockouts
By Retired UTU GS&T Dan Johnson In the February issue of UTU News, it was explained that the Railway Labor Act (RLA) is purposely designed to encourage both sides to reach a mutually acceptable solution that keeps the trains running. Railroad contracts have no expiration [...]- Tags contracts, Dan Johnson, NMB, Railway Labor Act, RLA