With attacks against transit workers showing no signs of slowing down, SMART-TD's safety and legislative directors fight to pass legislation to address this issue in every state. Colorado’s pending new law creates harsher penalties for transit assault, but can it pass before the legislature adjourns? Read on to find out what’s in the bill, who is backing it, and what hurdles remain before it reaches the Governor’s desk.
A coalition of Kansas labor organizations succeeded in creating a dedicated funding mechanism for Amtrak and intercity passenger rail service in the sunflower state. With federal funding for similar projects across the country on the chopping block, our legislative victory demonstrates that progress is still possible. Read on to learn which projects the new Passenger Rail Service Revolving Fund will boost.
A Maryland bill designed to protect bus and passenger rail workers from violent assaults has officially passed both chambers of the state legislature and is now headed to the governor’s desk for signature. HB-1144 passed unanimously because of powerful union member testimonies, cross-union collaboration and the strategic coordination by Maryland’s new Safety & Legislative Director David Pendleton. Read on to learn more about Pendleton’s first legislative win and the benefits headed to our Maryland members.
ACT NOW! Our union is calling on our Nevada members to help support a new rail safety bill by reaching out to your representatives or by contacting Governor Joe Lombardo’s office before April 1. This is our fourth attempt to pass this critical legislation, with Lombardo vetoing the last two bills. Read on to learn what’s in the bill and how you can help change his mind.
Many disabled railroaders receive a fixed income from the Railroad Retirement Act. This can place them in a bind when their property value, and the associated taxes, go up over time. Legislation championed by SMART-TD corrects this problem by bringing a “homestead reimbursement" long enjoyed by social security beneficiaries to New Jersey railroaders. Read on to learn how our local legislative team helped make this law a reality.
SMART-TD's Danny Brewer helped push a bill through the 2023 Utah legislature to establish a Utah Office of Rail Safety. Union Pacific has now “persuaded” the same legislators to gut it before the new office could complete a single inspection or levy a single fine. Read on to see how Safety and Legislative Director Brewer and the rest of Utah’s Safety and Legislative Board are pushing back to protect Utah’s railroaders.
SMART-TD prepares for best-of-class safety legislation with a new tool that allows the union to remix existing laws into new bills. Read on to learn how the new bill tracker will help the Bus and Transit Assault Prevention and Safety (BTAPS) Committee create safer workplaces from coast to coast.
Last year, the Office of Rail Safety was created in Colorado. Now, SMART-TD is pressing for a new law to ensure the office is funded so that it can do the job it was created for: making sure Colorado railroaders and the communities they serve are safe. Read on to learn why the original bill was passed without teeth and how our new bill aims to fix that.
The law in Massachusetts is clear: assault a public transit worker, and you go to jail. Except, in many cases, public transit is operated by private companies. Boston's Keolis, which employs 426 SMART-TD members, is one such company. Read on to learn what SMART-TD is doing about this.
Two years after the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, laws meant to fix the situation remain stalled in Congress despite strong bipartisan support and urgent safety needs. With railroads prioritizing profits over safety, the call for federal action grows louder as communities and workers continue to suffer. Read on to see what’s being done to push for change.