Obama will veto bill limiting NLRB action

The Obama Administration strongly opposes H.R. 1120, which would prohibit members of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) duly appointed by the president from taking any action. If the president is presented with legislation that would undermine the functions of the Nati [...]

Bus companies target sleep apnea

By Calvin Studivant, Alternate Vice President, Bus –   Sleep apnea is a serious ailment and certainly one that should not go untreated. But it also should not be used to discriminate against our members, which it appears some carriers are doing. There are reports from some of [...]

Halt the neglect of transportation infrastructure

SMART Transportation Division President Mike Futhey and Assistant President John Previsich this week joined the leaders of other AFL-CIO affiliate unions at the organization’s annual winter meeting. They also meet separately with members of the organization’s Transportation T [...]

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 [...]

First Student employees bring Christmas to kids

“First Student bus drivers and mechanics from Local 1908 are so much more than just people who get your children to and from school,” said Local Secretary Joann Ehrhardt. If you need proof, just ask some of those children. After a Buffalo, N.Y., School District family of six [...]

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 [...]

Union membership slips after anti-labor attacks

The percentage of American workers in labor unions took an unusually large fall in 2012, dropping to 11.3 percent last year from 11.8 percent in 2011, the Bureau of Labor Statistics announced. The total number of union members also took an unusually big drop, by 400,000, to 1 [...]

GO LIRR Sandy relief fund aids members

Days after super storm Sandy hit the New York Tri-State area, Long Island Rail Road GO LIRR General Chairperson Anthony Simon established the “UTU Hurricane Sandy Relief Fund” for Long Island Rail Road members in need. Through both mail-in and boots-on-the-ground donation cam [...]