Category: Transportation
TD Ohio SLD to appear before Senate at hearing today
The Senate Commerce Committee will be holding a hearing on “Improving Rail Safety in Response to the East Palestine Derailment”. The hearing will start at approximately 10:45 a.m. ET, following a 10 a.m. mark-up session. SMART TD Ohio State Legislative Director Clyde Whitaker is scheduled to testify at the hearing along with Jennifer Homendy, chair of […]
UPDATED: President Ferguson appears with U.S. Sen. Brown to discuss Railway Safety Act
SMART Transportation Division President Jeremy Ferguson appeared with U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown in Cleveland on Monday morning to discuss the bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2023 as momentum for legislative action on railroad safety continues to build on Capitol Hill. Sen. Brown and fellow Sen. J.D. Vance of Ohio, Pennsylvania Sens. Bob Casey and John […]
Analysis: Lawsuit means shareholders might not be OK after East Palestine
The brutal effects of Precision Scheduled Railroading, better known as PSR, on the lives of railroaders since 2017 have been well-documented. It’s been almost as bad for suppliers, who have seen delays in their products making it to market. It’s been bad for shippers, who have seen deliveries have to take circuitous routes so the […]
FRA issues safety bulletin on grade-crossing shove moves after fatal accident
FRA SAFETY BULLETIN 2023-02 SUBJECT: Highway-Rail Grade Crossing and Shove Movement Accident The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is investigating a recent switching accident that resulted in a crew member fatality. Based on FRA’s preliminary investigation, a conductor with 18 years of service was fatally injured when the tank car he was riding to provide point […]
Kansas rail safety legislation needs support
Kansas is a state with a population of only 2.94 million people — ranking as the 35th largest state in the country, population-wise. In contrast to that number, according to the American Association of Railroads’ website, Kansas ranks sixth in the nation for distance of rail with 4,252 miles. With 16 railroad companies operating in […]
Husband of TD staff member in need of liver donor
The whole foundation of unionism is the idea of putting the needs of other people in a situation similar to yourself — your union brothers and sisters — above the needs of the individual with the intent that things will improve for all through that collective effort. It’s the big motivator as to why officers […]
Railway Safety Act top of mind at Senate’s NS hearing
Last week’s much-anticipated hearing of the U.S. Senate’s Committee on Environment and Public Works featured a discussion of the Norfolk Southern derailment and the subsequent release of chemicals in East Palestine, Ohio. The spectacle of seeing NS CEO Alan Shaw fend off questions from the senators was clearly the main event of the day; however […]
From the Ballast: Accountability? Shaw didn’t show it
“From the Ballast” is an open column for SMART Transportation Division rail members to state their perspective on issues related to the railroad industry. Members of the union are encouraged to submit content by emailing to news_TD@smart-union.org. Columns are published at the union’s discretion and may be published in the SMART-TD newspaper. Most of us […]