Category: Alumni Association
UPDATED w/services: General Chairperson T.K. Vanwinkle passes away
General Chairperson Thomas K. Vanwinkle (GO 919 — Terminal Railroad Association (TRRA) of St. Louis) unexpectedly passed away February 3, 2020. A career railroader, Brother Vanwinkle worked on TRRA as a trainman from 2003 until present. Prior to working at TRRA, Brother Vanwi [...]
Conductor, engineer rescue wandering 5-year-old girl in Minnesota
The efforts of a two-person crew in East St. Paul, Minn., helped to save a wandering five-year-old girl and reunite her with her family. Near midnight Saturday, Feb. 1, SMART Transportation Division Local 1293 member Jarrod Campbell and BLET member Angela Knutson were operati [...]
Alt. VP Scott Chelette speaks on two-person crews
SMART Transportation Division Alternate Vice President J. Scott Chelette, general chairperson of GO 927, was featured in a television news report about the rail industry’s intention to eliminate the conductor from the cab of freight trains in the wake of Class I freight [...]
Newsday article remembers retired member Brzozinski
Richard Brzozinski, 78, is remembered as a compassionate man and model employee of the Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) in a recent story by Newsday. “A veteran Long Island Rail Road conductor on the Babylon line, Brzozinski made a habit of learning the names of all of his regula [...]
FRA’s own report blows hole in arguments against two-person freight crews
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) in a 41-page report released Jan. 13th by its Office of Research, Development and Technology said what railroaders already know. Researchers at the Volpe Center over a period of years performed cognitive task analyses (CTAs) that exam [...]
Two-person crew bill passes Va. House committee
Virginia’s full House of Delegates soon will be considering H.B. 440, a two-person freight crew bill, after it passed the body’s Committee on Commerce and Labor Jan. 16 by a 13-8 vote. “This is a big win — a huge win today,” said Virginia State Legislative Director Ronnie Hob [...]
Illinois TD member seeks support in run for re-election to county board
Matt Hanson, alternate legislative representative and trustee for Local 171 (Aurora, Ill.), is continuing his bid to retain his seat on the Kane County Board. Hanson, an incumbent seeking a full term, is facing a Democratic primary challenge March 18 and continues to build mo [...]
Texas TD member runs for Congress on his own terms
His hands are rough. His boots are dirty. He has the resume to prove it. Vance Snider is a SMART Transportation Division member out of Local 1313 in Amarillo, Texas, a veteran of the U.S. Army, a father of two and a BNSF conductor. He’s also running for Congress to represent [...]