SMART TD, BLET petition FRA for speed signs

SMART TD and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen (BLET) have submitted a petition to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for rulemaking that mandates uniform warning speed signs in advance of a permanent speed restriction. SMART TD National Legislativ [...]

KY GOP Targets Prevailing Wages

Republican legislators in Kentucky have proposed SB 9 which would restrict prevailing wage protections from future state-funded projects.  The bill passed through the Senate Standing Committee on Appropriations and Revenue and is due for a full Senate vote. Changes to the pre [...]

NTSB unveils 2016 most wanted list

?WASHINGTON – The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) unveiled its 2016 Most Wanted List of transportation safety improvements Wednesday, calling it a “road map from lessons learned to lives saved.” The list focuses on 10 broad safety improvements on which the NTSB ha [...]

TTD: Why you should care about union court cases

Yesterday (January 11), the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in a case you may have heard about — Friedrichs v. California Teachers Association (CTA). The gist of the case is this: many California public school teachers are members of CTA. Like all union members, California [...]

SMART TD weighs in on CP’s NS takeover bid

“You don’t merge two railroads like this to create job opportunities, but to boost profits for a few investors,” stated John Risch, National Legislative Director of SMART Transportation Division, to Reuters reporter, Nick Carey. Click here to read the comple [...]

Menards backpedals union busting threat after lawsuit

The Progressive Magazine reported Dec. 8, 2015, that in a union-busting move, Menards (a home improvement chain store) was threatening 60 percent pay cuts to managers if workers under their supervision organized a union in a 2015 managers contract. The Progressive Magazine la [...]

U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Arguments In Case Challenging Unions

The Supreme Court is set to hear the case Friederichs v. California Teachers Association on January 11. The case could weaken public sector unions by forcing a public sector ‘right to work’ law nationwide. The court will determine whether public sector unions can continue to [...]

Start the New Year Off Right

Start the New Year off right with this special offer, only for SMART members, at select Gold’s Gyms across the U.S.  A 12 month contract is required.  The promotion is only valid until January 10, 2016.  Visit www.GoldsGym.com/Corporate for a list of participating locations.

BNSF workers furloughed in Minn. and N.D.

The Minneapolis/St. Paul Business Journal reported that BNSF has recently laid off rail yard workers in North Dakota and Minnesota.  According to BNSF, the furloughs are the result of customer volumes decreasing. Read the complete article here.

NTSB report says UP contributed to collision

The Hutchinson News reported that a recently released NTSB investigation report indicates that UP contributed to the ‘probable cause’ of the 2014 collision of two UP freight trains near Galva, Kan.  Read the complete article here.