Category: TD Leadership Messages
Our SMART TD Brothers and Sisters in Texas need your help!
Dear Members of the SMART Transportation Division: The catastrophic flood waters caused by Hurricane Harvey have devastated Houston and its surrounding communities with loss of life and immeasurable destruction of property. Some of those affected by the devastation are our Br [...]
Ohio SLD Gardner continues the discussion on two-person crews with The Union Edge
SMART TD Ohio State Legislative Director Stu Gardner continued his discussion with The Union Edge: Labor’s Talk Radio on why we need two-person crews. The show aired Tuesday, Aug. 22. Click play below to listen. https://static.smart-union.org/worksite/Video/Aug_22_Stu_G [...]Risch Op-Ed: Bigger trucks destroy roads
SMART TD National Legislative Director John Risch recently wrote an opinion editorial, published by Inforum, about how larger trucks destroy roads and take away important railroad jobs. “Beyond destroying our roads, increasing the weight of trucks will shift freight tra [...]
General Chairs refute CSX ‘blame the worker’ claims
In a letter dated August 3, that was emailed to CSX CEO Hunter Harrison, SMART TD general chairpersons batted down Harrison’s claims that workers are at the root of service disruptions. General Chairpersons Steve Mavity (GO 049), John Whitaker (GO 851), Dale Barnett (GO [...]
Local officer nominations set for October 2017
SMART Transportation Division members are reminded that elections are scheduled to be held this autumn to fill the three-year local officer positions described by the SMART Constitution’s Article 21B, Section 56. Positions include president, vice president, secretary, treasur [...]
James “JR” Cumby, SMART TD Intl. Representative, passes away
James R. “JR” Cumby, age 59, of Salado, Texas, died Friday, July 28, 2017, after a short illness. Mr. Cumby hired out as a yardmaster in 1976, and was an active member of Local 1962. In 2001, Cumby was appointed to the role of Alternate Assistant to the President-Yardmasters [...]
National negotiations update: Coordinated Bargaining Group Unions say contract negotiations take a “step backwards”
For immediate release July 7, 2017 As part of our ongoing effort to conclude national contract negotiations, the Coordinated Bargaining Group (CBG) met with the nation’s freight rail Carriers (NCCC) for three days during the week of June 26th. These efforts were part of our o [...]
SMART TD voices concerns about accuracy of FRA’s proposed locomotive simulation studies
On June 30, SMART TD’s legislative office submitted comments to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Information Collection Request regarding two FRA research studies on locomotive technology and automation. SMART TD urged the FRA to consider the critical factors o [...]