Congress must advance plan for Amtrak


ORLANDO, Fla. – As lawmakers prepare to debate passenger rail reauthorization, leaders of AFL-CIO transportation unions are calling on Congress to set a long-term future for Amtrak that meets the demands of a growing ridership, invests in the railroad’s decaying equipment an [...]

FRA issues new report on fatigue

The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a new report on the status of fatigue among railroad industry employees. In 2001, the FRA began examining the fatigue status of safety-critical railroad employees by using logbooks to collect work and sleep data over a period of [...]

With elections past, our work begins

By James Stem, National Legislative Director –  As a new Congress begins its largely partisan struggles, which are sometimes difficult to understand and frequently disturbing, the job of the National Legislative Office is to convince lawmakers that the legislative agenda of S [...]

Acting for impaired Railroad Retirement beneficiaries

According to Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) policy, every annuitant has the right to manage his or her own benefits. However, when physical or mental impairments make a railroad retirement annuitant incapable of properly handling benefit payments, or where the RRB determines [...]

We pledge allegiance, in solidarity

By SMART General President Joe Nigro –  We are one! Not only as a result of our recent merger, but also by the pledge we make to one another as union brothers and sisters. The strength of organized labor lies in the hearts and minds of every union member who understands the m [...]

Conductors, engineers deal with trauma

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — In the last three years in Duval County, four people have been killed walking on railroad tracks. That number may seem pretty small, but there are the unseen victims to consider in these cases as well: The men and women who have to witness a train k [...]

Wash., Mo., Va. legislative updates

Transportation funding in Missouri has been a hot topic at the state capital this session, State Legislative Director Ken Menges reports. In its last session, the Missouri legislature appointed a committee to study the state’s transportation needs and UTU was invited and made [...]

Negotiations with Amtrak continue

Contract talks on Amtrak are continuing, General Chairperson Dirk Sampson reports.  “As these negotiations are ongoing and sensitive, I am not a liberty to release the details,” he said.  “My main priority with Amtrak is getting this contract settled,” [...]