Category: Transportation
Reminder: Open enrollment underway for SMART TD long-term voluntary disability plan
Open enrollment for the new SMART Transportation Division Long-Term Voluntary Disability Plan (VDP) is underway. Enrollment started in May and runs through Nov. 30, 2019. All dues-paying members of SMART TD living in the United States and working at least 20 hours per week ca [...]Carrier sues Illinois to stop two-person crew law
Indiana Rail Road, with the backing of the major rail carrier organizations, has filed suit challenging a law requiring two people on freight crews in Illinois, the Courthouse News Service reported. “The recent history of railroads confirms the wisdom of FRA’s expert de [...]Autumn brings nominations and elections for locals
SMART Transportation Division members are reminded that legislative representative and alternate legislative representative elections are scheduled to be held this autumn, with nominations to be taken in October and elections conducted in November. Locals must solicit for the [...]
Railroad unemployment and sickness benefits reduced again due to sequestration
Starting October 1, 2019, the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) will reduce railroad unemployment and sickness insurance benefits by 5.9%, down from the current 6.2% reduction, as required by law. The adjusted reduction is based on revised projections of benefit claims and [...]
Rail members: Online open enrollment in national health plans begins Oct. 1
Railroad employees covered under the National Railway Carriers/UTU Health and Welfare Plan or the Railroad Employees’ National Health and Welfare Plan are being mailed a notification of the online open enrollment period that begins Oct. 1, 2019, and ends Oct. 31, 2019, at mid [...]
NJT boss to Trains Magazine: Carrier has a way to go to meet PTC deadline
In an interview with Trains Magazine’s Ralph Spielman, New Jersey Transit (NJT) President and CEO Kevin Corbett said that the passenger carrier has much progress to make in its implementation of Positive Train Control (PTC) in order to meet the deadline for full impleme [...]
Help needed for Local 1963 president’s daughter in her cancer fight
Britnee Griffin, daughter of Mike Griffin (a yardmaster, alternate vice chairperson of GCA 347 and the president of Local 1963 in Louisville, Ky.), has been battling aggressive cancer since the spring. The medical bills for her family are mounting, and an online fundraiser ha [...]
APTA reports U.S. rail ridership up in second quarter compared with 2018
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Americans took more than 2.5 billion passenger trips on public transportation in the second quarter of 2019, according to the quarterly Transit Ridership Report released by the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), representing 11 million trips [...]