Category: Leadership Messages
FRA awards SMART-TD over $600,000 to fill void in rail carriers’ training programs
It’s easy to levy criticism at the training programs run by the railroad carriers in 2023. But as we all know, criticism is meaningless without action. SMART Transportation Division is doing more than talking about the decline in the quality and quantity of training new hire [...]
What TD members can do to support the UAW strike
Brothers and sisters — As the strike action of our brothers and sisters at the UAW moves forward, I wanted to reach out to all SMART-TD members and reiterate our support for the UAW and the goals they are working to achieve. On Thursday, I reached out to our rail members to l [...]Message to rail workers from TD President Ferguson re: UAW strike action
Brothers and sisters — The SMART Transportation Division stands in solidarity with our brothers and sisters at the United Auto Workers (UAW). As railroaders, we are acutely aware of how it feels to be in their situation. It does not take much of an effort to remember when we [...]
SMART-TD Announces Its Support for STB’s Historic Declaration of Reciprocal Switching
Phone: (216) 228-9400 Fax: (216) 228-0411 Department Email: news_td@smart-union.org “Any time a monopoly is broken up, and competition is emphasized in the workplace, American workers win. SMART-TD stands behind today’s announcement by the Surface Transportation Board. It is [...]
A Labor Day message from TD President Jeremy Ferguson
Brothers and sisters, For many Americans, Labor Day simply signifies the end of summer, beginning of the school year or is viewed as a day off from work. For those of us involved in organized labor, it means more. However, and whenever you are able to celebrate Labor Day, I a [...]SMART-TD Seeks Enforcement of FRA Safety Bulletin Following Fatalities Involving Newly Hired Conductor Trainees
“I’ve got two conductor trainees, both in the same state working for the same carrier whose lives have been cut short. The current condition of all railroad training programs is clearly in need of scrutiny. SMART-TD is not prepared to lose more of our men and women while we s [...]SMART-TD and labor win latest battle against carriers, AAR
The SMART Transportation Division would like to thank all our members who have been filling out the safety forms when PTC doesn’t work as intended, when long trains make handheld radios useless, when signals drop out and when a DP units fail and there’s a mile of cars between [...]SMART-TD stands with BMWED in lawsuit against BNSF
The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers’ Transportation Division (SMART-TD) is standing with its fellow rail labor union, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED), in its lawsuit against BNSF Railway. The [...]