Category: TD Leadership Messages
Rule of 2 comment period extended by FRA to Dec. 21
Due to the importance of the issue and the record response, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has extended the comment period for the Noticed of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on a two-person minimum freight crew size rule, the SMART Transportation Division National Legis [...]
VSTD premium reset and benefit changes announced
Several changes regarding the SMART Voluntary Short-Term Disability (VSTD) Plan for bus and rail members will take effect Jan. 1, 2023. The temporary reduction of premiums for Plan participants announced Oct. 21, 2020, will expire Dec. 31, 2022. VSTD premiums will be reset to [...]TD members: To participate in ratification, be sure info is updated
IMPORTANT MESSAGE TO ALL SMART-TD MEMBERS SUBJECT TO NATIONAL RAIL NEGOTIATIONS As you are likely already aware, SMART Transportation Division members will soon be voting on the 2022 Tentative National Rail Agreement. As required by Article 21B, Section 91, of the SMART Const [...]
Two-person crew rule’s comment period receives extension
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced Sept. 22 that the public comment period for the two-person crew size Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) has been extended. Stakeholders now have an additional 60 days to show their support for the minimum crew size of two [...]
From President Ferguson: Please stay vigilant as carriers cut corners on training
Brothers and Sisters, It’s no secret that Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) has devastated this industry. And it’s no secret that safety and service have suffered, but now the most vulnerable among us are being threatened. In the carriers’ pursuit to remove themselves fro [...]
President Ferguson presents facts on Tentative Agreement
SMART Transportation Division President Jeremy Ferguson appeared in a joint video with Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen President Dennis Pierce on Oct. 7 with both presenting facts regarding the Tentative Agreement (TA) being considered by rail labor. Presiden [...]SMART-TD Tentative Agreement update: Oct. 5, 2022
SMART-TD Brothers and Sisters, Due to an immense amount of misinformation, I would like to provide answers to some of the questions and concerns that I have been receiving over the past few weeks, as well as provide an update on where we are in the process regarding the tenta [...]Ultimately, decision about tentative agreement is in members’ hands
For the first time in more than 30 years, this Union has taken the Railway Labor Act (RLA) to its limits. We negotiated. We mediated. We cooled off. We went all the way to a Presidential Emergency Board (PEB) and then back into a cooling-off period again. The coordinated barg [...]