FOX5NY reports that 103 people were injured when Long Island Rail Road (LIRR) train 2817 derailed at the Atlantic Terminal in Brooklyn, N.Y. at 8:20 a.m. The first train car left the track, but no other cars seemed to have derailed. Approximately 600 passengers were on the tr [...]
Jan. 3 – SMART Transportation Division submitted comments protesting in-cab distractions to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA). The FRA recently issued a public notice in docket FRA 2016-0002-N-22, allowing for comments to be made on in-cab distractions. “W [...]
The WashingtonPost.com recently reported that the rail industry is lobbying hard to stall or potentially reverse the FRA’s ruling that freight trains be equipped with ECP (electronically controlled pneumatic) brakes by 2021. Despite the growing number of rail crashes an [...]
Charlene Payne, a long-time UnitedHealthcare representative for the Railroad Accounts, passed away unexpectedly Saturday, December 17, 2016. Payne was a dear friend to many at SMART Transportation Division, and her passion and dedication in serving all railroad members was re [...]
Anyone working in a cold environment may be at risk of cold stress. Some workers may be required to work outdoors in cold environments and for extended periods, for example, snow cleanup crews, sanitation workers, police officers and emergency response and recovery personnel, [...]
In an effort to improve efficiencies and provide enhanced, more cost effective service to our members, the SMART Transportation Division has recently conducted a review of its internal operations. One of the areas identified for restructuring is the process for providing assi [...]
In a press release, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) signed an Implementing Memorandum of Understanding (IMOU) with SMART TD Local 61, BLET and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for the Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS). Below i [...]
U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is asking the Dept. of Homeland Security to “immediately step in to enforce a recommendation” made years ago to screen mass transit employees against federal terror watch lists. Read the complete article from abcnews.go.com.
President-elect Trump wasted no time in slamming a union leader for speaking the truth. Chuck Jones, president of United Steelworkers Local 1999 at the Carrier plant in Indiana, stated that the actual number of jobs that will remain at the Indiana plant is near 800, not the n [...]
The amounts of compensation subject to railroad retirement tier I and tier II payroll taxes will increase in 2017, while the tax rates on employers and employees will stay the same. In addition, unemployment insurance contribution rates paid by railroad employers will continu [...]