Category: Amtrak/Commuter News

Home>News>Transportation>Amtrak/Commuter>Amtrak/Commuter News

al-Qaida but one transport terrorist threat

May 6, 2011 The news media may be atwitter with concerns of an al-Qaida attack on trains, but there is no validation that any specific attack is imminent or has been planned. What is crucial is that each of us — whether we work for an air, bus, freight train, transit or passenger t [...]

Tags al-Qaida, plot, sabotage, terrorist

Union Plus offers disaster relief grants

May 6, 2011 Union members living in areas impacted by the recent tornadoes and flooding, and who participate in Union Plus programs, may be eligible for financial assistance. Union Plus disaster relief grants of $500 are available to help participants in the Union Plus credit card, insur [...]

Tags disaster, FEMA, grants, relief, Union Plus

Arty Martin; Martin, Arty; Assistant President

Unions under attack; we must respond

May 5, 2011 By Assistant President Arty Martin While we go about our daily lives, political extremists are gaining strength and working non-stop to undermine and eliminate much of what we cherish on the job and look forward to in retirement. It’s not just Wisconsin and Ohio where r [...]

Tags anti-union, attack, bargaining, collective bargaining, right-to-work, union busting

Ready to help those ravaged by weather

May 3, 2011 Recent tornados in southern states — from Mississippi to Virginia that killed more than 340 and injured thousands more — plus severe flooding in other parts of the country have likely affected UTU-member families living in those areas. While identification of the [...]

Tags flooding, help, ravaged, tornado, weather, weather-ravaged

T&E employment up 7.47 percent in March

May 3, 2011 Train and engine employment on major U.S. railroads climbed by almost 7.5 percent in March 2011 to 62,627, versus March 2010, according to U.S. Surface Transportation Board data. The 7.47 percent increase in train and engine employment is more than double the increase in any [...]

Tags employment, intermodal, T&E, train and engine employment

Chicago South Shore members ratify new pact

May 2, 2011 Brakemen, conductors and engineers on Chicago South Shore & South Bend Railway (CSS), all represented by the UTU, have ratified a new five-year agreement by a four-to-one margin. The contract, retroactive to Jan. 1, provides for hourly wage increases, a cap on health care [...]

Tags agreement, contract, CSS, ratified, South Shore

Wrap up: Major rails’ 1st quarter 2011 profits

May 2, 2011 Most major North American freight railroads reported strong earnings for the first quarter 2011 versus first quarter 2010. Following is a wrap-up for the quarterly earnings reported by the railroads to the investment community. Not included is BNSF, which is privately held an [...]

Tags Canadian National, Canadian Pacific, CN, CP, CSX, earnings, Kansas City Southern, KCS, Norfolk Southern, NS, profits, Union Pacific, UP

UTU, rails in tentative new five-year agreement

April 29, 2011 A tentative new five-year national rail agreement covering wages, benefits and working conditions has been reached between the UTU and the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC). The tentative agreement is retroactive to Jan. 1, 2010, and extends through Dec. 31 [...]

Tags agreement, contract, NCCC, rail agreement, tentative agreement

Rail engine out-chugging U.S. economy

April 28, 2011 America is still mired in recession, but the railroad industry continues to show financial strength. Most railroads over the past week reported strong improvements in profit and operating efficiency for the first quarter 2011. Stocks of Union Pacific and Kansas City Southern [...]

Tags economy, financial strength, profit, rail, recession

NS first-quarter profit leaps 26 percent

April 28, 2011 Norfolk Southern reported a 26 percent increase in profit for first quarter 2011 versus first quarter 2010. This follows a 45 jump in NS profit for calendar-year 2010. NS CEO Wick Moorman said the railroad intends to add some 1,100 new workers during 2011, returning employmen [...]

Tags Norfolk Southern, NS, profits