Category: Amtrak/Commuter News
GP Sellers: Addressing SMART TD member questions and concerns
General President Joseph Sellers Jr. recently met with SMART TD general chairpersons at the SMART TD Western General Chairperson’s Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Click here to watch a video of GP Sellers addressing the issues SMART TD members face.
N.D. draft rail plan to increase freight traffic
BISMARCK, N.D. — The Planning and Rail Section of the North Dakota DOT (NDDOT) has a draft rail plan that they believe will grow freight rail in the state. The plan focuses on crossing safety, safe transportation of HazMat, passenger rail service and improvements to inf [...]A solution to get our nation back on track: electric trains
In an article published June 5 on Resilience.org, activist Bill Moyer outlined his case for investment in high speed electric rail, and is leading an effort in his home state of Washington to lobby for this mode of transportation that has existed in Europe and Asia for decad [...]
AFL-CIO issues memo to unions on Trump budget; highlights damages to workers
In a memo dated May 31, AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka issued a statement to unions on President Trump’s proposed budget. “This budget is the most significant betrayal yet of the working people President Trump claims to support. It is a blueprint for how to r [...]
Former UTU VP Bruce Wigent dies
Bruce Robert Wigent, 73, of Prescott, Wis., died Wednesday, May 25 at United Hospital. A member of Local 1709 in Pontiac, Mich., Wigent hired out as a switchman on the Grand Trunk Western Railroad in December 1964. He was first elected as a local officer in 1970 and then serv [...]Trumka: President Trump’s budget betrays working people
On May 23, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka released a statement on how President Trump’s FY2018 budget proposal favors the top one percent and hurts working Americans. Trumka described Trump’s proposal as a “blueprint for how to rig the rules of the economy to f [...]After Trump delays federal funds for Caltrain, project back on track
The Washington Examiner reported that the Caltrain electrification project, stalled for months by the Trump administration, is now back on track and moving forward. The Federal Transportation Administration (FTA) is expected to approve the entire funding agreement. Click her [...]Crew van bill becomes law in Wash. state
After a prolonged five-year battle against the railroad carriers’ opposition to legislation to ensure the safety of their own employees; ESHB 1105, the number one priority of the SMART TD Washington State Legislative Board, was finally enacted into statute law May 16, w [...]