Category: FELA Updates
TD DLC firm pitches in to assist with Minn. 2PC success
Many of us think of the SMART-TD’s Designated Legal Counsel as “The FELA guys” who come to our Local meetings. Members in Minnesota learned DLC does a lot more for our organization. The recent two-person crew victory in the state didn’t magically happen. It took many p [...]Sara Youngdahl is new SMART-TD DLC Coordinator
Sara Youngdahl, managing partner of The Youngdahl Law Firm, P.C. in Houston, Texas, has been appointed by SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson to serve as Coordinator of SMART’s Designated Legal Counsel. Ms. Youngdahl is the only woman in the United States designated as l [...]
SMART-TD, BLET and ARLA urge Supreme Court to protect FELA
The SMART Transportation Division (SMART-TD), Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the Academy of Rail Labor Attorneys (ARLA) have filed a joint motion and brief urging the United States Supreme Court to prevent railroads from seeking property damages f [...]
Updated books spell out federal laws for rail and bus members
The safety coordinator to the SMART Transportation Division Designated Legal Counsel has updated a pair of publications that offer comprehensive surveys of federal laws that cover TD members who work in the rail industry and who work as bus operators. “What Every Railro [...]
Supreme Court: Part of lost wages award is taxable under Railroad Retirement Act
A decision by the U.S. Supreme Court found that the portion of a damages award attributable to lost wages for a workplace injury is considered to be taxable compensation under the Railroad Retirement Tax Act (RRTA). The decision in BNSF Railway Co. v. Loos (No. 17-1042) was r [...]
Essential book informs members about railroad safety laws
“What Every Railroader Should Know,” written by Lawrence Mann, rail safety coordinator to SMART Transportation Division’s Designated Legal Counsel (DLC), is an extensive and comprehensive survey of federal railroad safety law as it pertains to rail workers and is [...]Mo. Supreme Court rules FELA awards not taxable
In cases brought by the law firm of Schlichter, Bogard & Denton, LLP of St. Louis on behalf of injured railroad workers, two courts have ruled favorably to workers that FELA judgments are not subject to tax withholding under the Railroad Retirement Tax Act (RRTA). The Mis [...]Justice Department weighs in on BNSF appeal
The U.S. Justice Department is weighing in on an appeal by BNSF railroad over a $145,000 judgment to a former employee hurt on the job, saying a judge’s order to pay the full amount without deducting federal railroad retirement taxes could be “harmful to the Unite [...]