Our union will only be as strong as we make it

By Joe Nigro, SMART General President –  The SMART General Executive Council met in Maryland the week of March 31 to April 4 to identify opportunities and challenges in developing a five-year plan to move SMART forward. Representatives from the Sheet Metal and Transportation [...]

Stop the House from weakening labor agreements

Next week, the U.S. House of Representatives will consider H.R. 4486, the Military Construction-Veterans Affairs Appropriations Act. Amendments may be offered to this bill that seek to either weaken or repeal the Davis-Bacon Act, as well as to prohibit Project Labor Agreement [...]

Obama sends transportation bill to Congress

The Obama administration on Tuesday (April 29) sent a bill to Congress that aims to cover an expected shortage in money to spend on America’s bridges, roads and transit systems, but Republican opposition could prevent its passage. Funding for the four-year, $302 billion [...]

Conductor keeps time on train, trains on time

Carl Picanco stares at the radio on a table across the aisle and when nothing happens, he checks his watch and then taps his iPhone and glances at his watch again. He looks out a window. The brush and desert scrub stretch out in brown and green waves toward the foothills outs [...]

Wellness programs more popular with employers

That little voice nagging you to put down the cake and lace up the running shoes is increasingly coming from your employer and is likely to grow louder with a looming change under the federal health care overhaul. More companies are starting or expanding wellness programs tha [...]

Bus travel gives other modes run for the money

Buses are starting to give airlines, trains, and even cars a run for their money. With spiffed up coaches, internet reservations, and often significantly cheaper fares, bus travel is becoming an increasingly popular alternative to flying, taking the train and even driving you [...]

NTSB: Oil tanker rail safety has been compromised

The recent spate of accidents in the U.S. and Canada involving trains carrying crude oil demonstrates that “far too often, safety has been compromised,” the head of the top U.S. transportation safety agency said today. The amount of crude oil transported on railroads — shipme [...]