Category: Yardmasters
Retired Local 1532 officer DeBaun passes away
William “Bill” J. DeBaun, a retiree from SMART Transportation Division Local 1532 and a former vice chairperson and legislative representative for the Kansas City, Kan., local, passed away late last month. Brother DeBaun was 73 years old. A yardman out of Argentin [...]
RRB Labor Member: Enhanced benefit payments expected by month’s end
A message from John Bragg, the Railroad Retirement Board’s labor member, released this week stated that the increased $1,200 in unemployment benefits from the CARES Act will begin to be deposited toward the end of the month. “We do not have an implementation date [...]
RRB begins payment on extended unemployment benefits
From the RRB’s Public Affairs office: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, recently signed into law by President Trump, authorized extended unemployment insurance (UI) benefits for railroad workers sidelined during the COVID-19 pandemic. [...]
NS idles yard in N.C.; UP an engine shop in Ark.
In a move that carrier officials said was in reaction to the COVID-19 pandemic, Norfolk Southern has idled the hump yard at Linwood Terminal in North Carolina, costing more than 80 people their jobs. NS told Trains Magazine May 1 that the “unforeseeable business circums [...]
Presidential Assistant Horvath retiring
After nearly four decades of service to members and numerous administrations in various roles in both SMART Transportation Division’s Public Relations and President’s Department, Senior Administrative Assistant to the President John Horvath is calling it a career. Starting Ma [...]RRB labor update: Unemployed railroaders appear to be eligible for state Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)
I wanted to send out another update on what is going on at the agency. We have received inquiries regarding Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) that was established under the CARES Act and whether railroaders may be eligible for benefits under that program if they are not [...]
Some Railroad Retirement recipients must add dependent info with IRS to get $500 COVID payments
Railroad Retirement benefit recipients who have a qualifying child and didn’t file a 2018 or 2019 tax return have a limited window to register to have $500 per eligible child added automatically to their soon-to-be-received $1,200 COVID-19 payment, the Internal Revenue [...]
America’s freight railroads refuse to cover out-of-pocket COVID-19 treatment costs
While America and the world struggle to combat the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, new heroes have emerged. While much of America has long celebrated its athletes and celebrities as its heroes, this pandemic has shown us who the real heroes are in our society. At the onset of Wo [...]