Category: TD Leadership Messages

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Know the facts before you vote

November 7, 2016 By John Previsich, President, SMART Transportation Division It is said that two things to never discuss at a family gathering are religion and politics and for the most part that is very good advice. But I’m going to break that rule here–I view my brothers and sisters in the [...]

Tags Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, vote

Back to basics

November 3, 2016 By John Lesniewski, Vice President, SMART Transportation Division In the July/August edition of the SMART Transportation Division News, both SMART General President Joseph Sellers and SMART Transportation Division President John Previsich wrote extensively about the importanc [...]

Tags 2016 Presidential Elections, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, John Lesniewski

Candidate Pence: Anti-union, anti-worker, anti-American

October 4, 2016 Watching the Vice Presidential candidate’s debate tonight? Keep in mind that VP candidate Mike Pence built his legacy on supporting initiatives that sent jobs overseas, weakened unions, halted worker safety regulations, threatened retirements, and supported tax codes th [...]

Tags anti-labor, defeat trump, elections, hillary for president, Pence anti-union candidate, Pence voting record

Our SMART TD Brothers and Sisters in Louisiana need your help!

September 22, 2016 Dear Members of the SMART Transportation Division: The Baton Rouge, Louisiana flood waters, caused by an unprecedented, “thousand-year rainfall” have subsided, yet the devastation left behind in loss of life and destruction of property is immeasurable. Baton Rouge is located [...]

Tags John Previsich, Louisiana flood victims, SMART TD Disaster Relief Fund

Vote for those who support us

September 21, 2016 Sisters and Brothers, My most recent post generated some lively feedback and I spent quite a bit of time speaking to members on the phone and answering all the emails I received about our endorsement Of Hillary Clinton for president. To be clear, my role and our union’s role [...]

The outcome of this election will affect your job

September 13, 2016 By John Risch, SMART TD National Legislative Director For those of you who don’t know me, I’m honored to serve as your elected National Legislative Director. I came from the ranks, starting in the track department on the Burlington Northern and went into train service, spendi [...]

Tags aviation, bus, commuter rail, Freight rail, presidential campaigns, presidential election, why trump is bad for unions

Members make all the difference!

June 28, 2016 Dear Member: Recently, Republican Congressman Louie Gohmert of Texas – one of the most conservative members of the U.S. House of Representatives – cosponsored our two-person crew legislation, H.R. 1763, the Safe Freight Act. This show of support follows cosponsorship from Co [...]

Tags H.R. 1763, John Risch, The Safe Freight Act

Contact your Reps. about two-person crew legislation

June 24, 2016 By National Legislative Director John Risch Recently, Republican Congressman Louie Gohmert of Texas – one of the most conservative members of the U.S. House of Representatives – cosponsored our two-person crew legislation, H.R. 1763, the Safe Freight Act. This show of support [...]

Tags H.R. 1763, John Risch, The Safe Freight Act, two-person crews, two-person crews legislation

SMART TD, BLET: Federal regulators must prohibit one-person freight train crews

June 16, 2016 SMART Transportation Division President John Previsich and Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) President Dennis Pierce, issued a joint statement, following their submission of their comments to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on train crew size. [...]

Tags crew consist, Dennis Pierce, Federal Railroad Administration, FRA, John Previsich, press release, proposed rule, two-person crews

SMART TD to Washington state: DEIS will set "troubling precedent"

June 10, 2016 John Risch, National Legislative Director with SMART TD, submitted comments to Cowlitz County and the Washington State Department of Ecology, in concern over the state’s possible efforts to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions from major construction projects, and the neg [...]