Category: News

Early rail retiree insurance cap raised

November 29, 2011 UTU members and their dependents insured under the Railroad Employees National Early Retirement Major Medical Benefit (ERMA) Plan (GA-46000) will have their lifetime maximum amount of coverage increased, effective Jan. 1. ERMA is a comprehensive benefits plan for employees wh [...]

Bus driver cell-phone ban finalized

November 25, 2011 WASHINGTON – A Final Rule has been issued by the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) prohibiting bus (including school bus) drivers and truck drivers, operating in interstate commerce, from using hand-held cell phone while operating their vehicles. Also innclu [...]

Tags Cell Phone Ban, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, FMCSA

Rail disability plan revisions effective Jan. 1

November 23, 2011 Revisions to the Anthem Voluntary Short Term Disability (VSTD) plan that better reflect the actual claims experience of our rail members and adjust to the prevailing market rate for this type of coverage will become effective Jan. 1, 2012. Revisions to the Lincoln National Li [...]

Congress OKs Amtrak, air, bus, transit funding

November 21, 2011 WASHINGTON — Congress, unable to agree on very much lately, has agreed on funding for Amtrak, bus transportation, commercial aviation and transit through Sept. 30, 2012. The funding is for fiscal year 2012, which began Oct. 1. Earlier, Congress agreed to legislation extending [...]

Tags air, Amtrak, bus, commercial air, Essential Air Service, FY 2012, transit

Others settling as PEB recommended

November 17, 2011 The UTU International is receiving questions from members regarding recommendations of Presidential Emergency Board 243, which was created under provisions of the Railway Labor Act after talks between other rail unions and the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC) br [...]

Tags National Rail Contract, NCCC, PEB 243

FRA safety advisory on shoving movements

November 17, 2011 WASHINGTON – The Federal Railroad Administration, in response to inquiries about when it is permissible for an employee directing the movement to operate a motor vehicle in the context of a pushing or shoving movement, has issued the following advisory: The central concern in [...]

Tags Federal Railroad Administration, FRA, safety advisory, shoving movements

Temporary change in UTU DIPP fax number

November 16, 2011 The published fax number for the UTU’s Discipline Income Protection Program (DIPP), (216) 227-5209, is not working. Until the technical issues are resolved, those needing to contact the DIPP by fax should use this number: (216) 916-4845. Watch www.utu.org/ for notice th [...]

Tags DIPP, fax

FAA reauthorization: A Sisyphean struggle

November 15, 2011 WASHINGTON – For more than four years, Congress has attempted, unsuccessfully, to pass a long-term commercial aviation funding bill to modernize airports and the national’s air traffic control system. Two sticking points this year in reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Ad [...]

Tags Essential Air Service, FAA reauthorizaton, Harry Reid, Jay Rockefeller, John Mica, NMB rule

Former UTU local treasurer indicted for embezzlement

November 14, 2011 A former treasurer of UTU Local 1006 (Brownsville, Pa.), Derek Klingman, has been indicted on charges of embezzling more than $9,300 from his local, reports the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The newspaper reports the indictment alleges Klingman “wrote and cashed unauthoriz [...]

Tags Derek Klingman, embezzlement, indictment, Local 1006

New deputy administrator at FRA

November 14, 2011 WASHINGTON – The Federal Railroad Administration’s chief legal counsel has been named deputy administrator – the agency’s number two position. Karen Hedlund succeeds Karen Rae, who departed to take a post in the administration of New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo. Hedlund had been a [...]

Tags Federal Railroad Administration, Karen Hedlund, Karen Rae