Category: Leadership
Negotiations update on the National Rail Contract
Dear members, On December 5, 2016, SMART Transportation Division issued a press release to announce that the unions participating in the Coordinated Bargaining Group (CBG) had requested that the National Mediation Board (NMB) mediate the group’s negotiations with the National [...]SMART TD AND BLET: CALL CONGRESS for 2-PERSON CREW, NOW!
CLEVELAND, Jan. 20—The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Rail Air and Transportation Workers (SMART TD) are urging their respective memberships to contact members of the Hou [...]
SMART TD announces introduction of two-person train crew legislation
Washington, D.C. (Jan. 17, 2017) – SMART Transportation Division announced the re-introduction of the Safe Freight Act (H.R. 233) by Rep. Don Young (R-Alaska) and former Chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, which would require two crew members [...]Profits over safety: Rail industry lobbies to stall ECP brake technology
The WashingtonPost.com recently reported that the rail industry is lobbying hard to stall or potentially reverse the FRA’s ruling that freight trains be equipped with ECP (electronically controlled pneumatic) brakes by 2021. Despite the growing number of rail crashes an [...]
Human Rights Committee update
In an effort to improve efficiencies and provide enhanced, more cost effective service to our members, the SMART Transportation Division has recently conducted a review of its internal operations. One of the areas identified for restructuring is the process for providing assi [...]Rail labor seeks federal mediation in national negotiations
On December 5, 2016, Rail Labor’s Coordinated Bargaining Group (CBG) released the following statement, requesting that a federal mediator assist in negotiations: “Despite our best efforts, collective bargaining with the major U.S. Class 1 railroads completely stalled la [...]
GP Sellers: We Continue Working On Our Core Issues
In this election, we worked hard and stayed focused on the issues members said were most important for our union: jobs, growth, pensions and protecting our rights as organized labor. Both Presidential candidates promised more jobs and a stronger economy. The one we endorsed [...]
Risch op-ed: Use rail, not Dakota Pipeline
In an op-ed piece recently published in thedickinsonpress.com, John Risch, native North Dakotan and freight rail operator for more than thirty years, makes the case that the Dakota Access Pipeline is not needed to transport crude oil, as freight rail infrastructure is alread [...]