Category: Transportation
STB chair to Class Is: You have cut the workforce too deep
On May 27, the chair of the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) Martin J. Oberman reached out to all Class I CEOs asking them whether the carriers are prepared to reverse the workforce cuts they have made in anticipation of handling an economic rebound as the coronavir [...]
RRB: Railroad Retirement survivor benefits
Monthly benefits may be payable under the Railroad Retirement Act to the surviving widow(er), children, and certain other dependents of a railroad employee if the employee was “insured” under that Act at the time of death. Lump-sum death benefits may also be payable to qualif [...]
Local 17 vice president passes away from injuries
Brother John Pohle, vice president of Local 17 (Marshalltown, Iowa), passed away in the hospital on May 25, 2021, nearly a month after he suffered a critical injury while working April 30 in Union Pacific’s Marshalltown Yard. Brother Pohle, a member of the union for mor [...]
Switching Operations Fatality Analysis (SOFA) Working Group issues alert
The Switching Operations Fatality Analysis (SOFA) Working Group issued an alert late last week in response to three rail fatalities that have occurred since early March. Two of those incidents resulted in the loss of life of SMART-TD members — Taj Ellis and Buddy L. Strieker [...]
The first 100 days: How the Biden-Harris Administration is winning for workers
“Strong unions built the great American middle class. Everything that defines what it means to live a good life and know you can take care of your family — the 40-hour workweek, paid leave, health care protections, a voice in your workplace — is because of workers who o [...]
RRB reminds that 2020 service statements will be released in June
Notice from John Bragg, the RRB labor member Brothers and Sisters, It is hard to believe that 2020 is in the rearview mirror and we are already approaching the mid-point of 2021. The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is still operating in a remote capacity with field offices cl [...]
Time to rise to the challenge
As we turn from enduring a difficult winter and the challenges of a pandemic that has tested our resilience and our country for more than a year, our organization has continued to press ahead to better serve you. The core purpose of SMART-TD is to aggressively and vigorously [...]
House transportation leaders request GAO study on PSR
WASHINGTON — The chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR) and the chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Donald M. Payne Jr. (D-NJ) are requesting the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) [...]