Category: News
VSTD waiver of elimination period extended through February 2021
The SMART Voluntary Short Term Disability Plan (VSTD) has temporarily suspended the elimination period for COVID-19 disabilities. Previously, the waiver of the elimination period began in the month of March and extended through May of this year and then was once again extende [...]
Fundraiser established for Local 1846 member who passed from COVID
Angel Lomeli, a 14-year member of our union, passed away Jan. 5, 2021, from COVID-19. He was 48 years old. Brother Lomeli was a member of Local 1846 (West Colton, Calif.) and worked as a trainman for Union Pacific. “God gained the absolute best angel today, we miss you, [...]
Norm Patterson Jr., LCA-020 vice local chairperson, passes away from cancer
Norman “Norm” Patterson Jr., 52, of Lubbock, Texas, vice local chairperson of LCA-020 and a member of Local 9 (Slaton, Texas), passed away Jan. 5 after a battle with cancer. A member of our union since 2006, Brother Patterson was a conductor for BNSF, and he had s [...]
UPDATED: Local 584 member killed in on-the-job accident in Tupelo, Miss.
Our union lost another member late last month in an accident. Tyrone Davis, 40, of Local 584 (Meridian, Miss.), passed away the morning of Dec. 23 in Tupelo, Miss., after an on-the-job accident. Known as “Mr. T” by co-workers, he had been a SMART-TD member since A [...]
RRB update from the labor member: 2021 Covid and budget notice
Brothers and Sisters, It has been one challenging year for us all and many of you have been hit extremely hard by COVID-19 – if not by the virus itself, by the impact it has had on the railroad industry. As you may have heard, Congress recently enacted legislation to pr [...]
FRA roundup – several actions published in Federal Register
Over the past 1.5 weeks, the Federal Railroad Administration has published several notices in the Federal Register. Below are portions of those postings, including: Drug and alcohol testing: Determination of minimum random testing rates for 2021 (notification of determination [...]
ERMA lifetime maximum benefit to increase in 2021
The lifetime maximum benefit for the Railroad Employees National Early Retirement Major Medical Benefit (ERMA or GA-46000) Plan will increase from $171,100 to $175,700 beginning Jan. 1, 2021. At the end of 2001, labor and management had agreed on various procedures to adminis [...]
SMART-TD leadership warns of FRA’s new brake rule, urges caution
December 18, 2020 Brothers and Sisters: As we find ourselves amid what is historically the most dangerous season of the year, I must unfortunately caution you of new additional intensified dangers borne from the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) most recen [...]