Category: Transportation
Member Disaster Relief Needs Increase!
Updated: September 13, 2017 Dear Members of the SMART Transportation Division: The catastrophic storm damage and flood waters caused by Hurricane Harvey and Irma have devastated Texas and Florida with loss of life and immeasurable destruction of property. Some of those affect [...]
Trains could be the next target for terrorists
NJ.com reports that despite legislation requiring strengthened security procedures for railroads having passed a decade ago, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has yet to put any new security measures in place. Both the House Homeland Security Committee and the [...]
Your Track to Health: Resources available for those impacted by Hurricane Irma
Your Track to Health today released important health and wellness information for members who have been impacted by Hurricane Irma. Click here to view this important information. Click here for a pdf document of the available resources.
BNSF announces operations back to normal in wake of Harvey
BNSF Railway reports that its operations affected by Hurricane Harvey are back to normal with some delays. “While service has been restored on nearly all affected rail lines, track and signal work continues in some locations,” BNSF said. Click here to read more fr [...]
Amtrak win: defunding amendment rejected
In a 128-293 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives voted Sept. 6 to reject an amendment introduced by Rep. Mo Brooks (R – Ala.) to eliminate $1.1 billion of federal subsidies for Amtrak for 2018. Click here to read more from Railway Age.
Former DLC David Kiker dies
Retired UTU Designated Legal Counsel (DLC) David B. Kiker, 70, died Saturday, Sept. 2. An attorney for the law firm Rossi, Cox, Kiker & Inderwish in Aurora, Colo., Kiker served as DLC until his retirement in 2003. Kiker is survived by his wife of 45 years, Pamela Seale; t [...]
Social Security expedites decisions to those with serious disabilities
Nancy A. Berryhill, acting commissioner of Social Security, announced Tues., Sept. 5, that three new Compassionate Allowances conditions: CACH–Vanishing White Matter Disease-Infantile and Childhood Onset Forms, Congenital Myotonic Dystrophy, and Kleefstra Syndrome. Comp [...]
Labor Day – Thank your Union day
By John Risch, National Legislative Director, SMART Transportation Division Enjoy yourself this Labor Day weekend, provided you’re lucky enough to get the weekend off. In my 30 plus years working freight rail, I worked many a Labor Day weekend, but I am lucky to get this one [...]