Category: Amtrak/Commuter News
Union officers’ efforts yield better protections for N.J. transportation workers
SMART Transportation Division Bus Department Vice President Calvin Studivant and New Jersey State Legislative Director Ron Sabol spent a significant time brainstorming ways to protect members in Sabol’s state last year. The ongoing coronavirus pandemic had added even more potential risk to our members working on New Jersey Transit (NJT) and other carriers. Beyond their […]District court denies SMART-TD, BLET bid to halt Metra vaccine mandate
CLEVELAND, Ohio (January 7) — On January 6, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, Eastern Division, ruled against the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), denying the unions’ preliminary injunction motions to stop […]
Bill enhancing punishment for assaulting transit workers on desk of N.J. gov.
Legislation championed by the SMART Transportation Division that toughens penalties on passengers who do harm to transportation workers has passed both chambers of the New Jersey Legislature and has been sent to Gov. Phil Murphy’s (D) desk for his signature. Assemblyman Daniel R. Benson (D-Dist. 14) and state Sen. Patrick J. Diegnan Jr. (D-Dist. 18) […]
SMART-TD, BLET suits seek immediate halt to Amtrak vaccine mandate
CLEVELAND, Ohio, (Dec. 9, 2021) — The Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) yesterday filed motions for a preliminary injunction, seeking to immediately halt a unilaterally implemented vaccine mandate imposed by Amtrak, and require the carrier to […]
Railroad Retirement tax rates stable; compensation level subject to taxes increases
The amounts of compensation subject to Railroad Retirement Tier I and Tier II payroll taxes will increase in 2022, while the tax rates on employers and employees will stay the same. In addition, unemployment insurance contribution rates paid by railroad employers will include a surcharge of 3.5 percent, reflecting increased unemployment claims due to the […]
Unions counter Metra COVID vaccine mandate
CLEVELAND, Ohio (Nov. 24, 2021) — The Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) and Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) have responded to the suit Metra filed against them on Nov. 8, 2021, in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, […]
AFL-CIO TTD responds to FTA’s NPRM on Transit Worker Safety
The Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO, of which the SMART Transportation Division division is a member, filed a response to the Federal Transit Administration’s request for information regarding transit worker assaults. Its filing is reproduced below. On behalf of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) and our 33 affiliated unions, we thank you for […]
SMART-TD, BLET join to fight Amtrak on COVID mandate
CLEVELAND (Nov. 23, 2021) — The Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD) and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) are challenging Amtrak over its actions in implementing its COVID-19 vaccine policy without the bargaining mandated by the Railway Labor Act. The unions filed suit […]