Category: Uncategorized
Pew Research Confirms American Middle Class Is Shrinking
According to a new report from Pew Research, a nonpartisan nonprofit think tank based in Washington, DC, the American middle class has not only shrunk, but it has also lost 30 percent of the wealth it held a generation ago. The report finds that in early 2015, 120.8 million a [...]SMART TD Praises Passage of FAST Act
On December 3, 2015, Congress passed H.R. 22, the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST ACT) by overwhelming bipartisan votes of 83 to 16 and 359 to 65 in the Senate and House respectively. The legislation is the first long-term surface transportation reauthorizat [...]
PLA Support Grows On Capitol Hill
U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez toured the $345 million wharf project at Naval Base Kitsap this week, which is being built primarily with local labor thanks to a Project Labor Agreement (PLA). After touring the facility, Perez and Rep. Derek Kilmer (D-WA) met with the h [...]SMART TD’s New DLC Coordinator
Designated Legal Counsel (DLC) Anthony Petru has been chosen as coordinator of the DLC Program. Petru replaces long-time DLC member and Coordinator Steve Young, who retired earlier this autumn. Petru is a long-time DLC with years of experience in the rail industry. He graduat [...]
Win a Trip to Bass Fishing’s Ultimate Event!
The GEICO Bassmaster Classic is the Super Bowl of competitive bass fishing, and now, Union Sportsmen’s Alliance members have a chance to be part of the memorable experience, cheering alongside more than a hundred thousand fellow bass fishing fanatics as pro anglers weigh thei [...]Two New Members Elected By General Executive Council
Brothers Rick Werner and Chris Griffey were both unanimously elected to the SMART General Executive Council starting November 1, 2015. They replace Bruce Word (Local 104 – Northern California) and Norm Whiteman (Local 68 – Dallas, TX) who both retired in late summer after lon [...]
AAR safety alert: blade found in chock
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reports that a homemade knife was found in a chock in the storage bin (pictured below), with the blade facing in toward the railcar at a Subaru facility in Vancouver, Wash. The knife was found when a rail loader went to remove a cho [...]
A Tribute To Bobby Bonds 1954-2015
Robert “Bobby” Bonds passed from this life October 29, 2015 at the age of 61. Bobby is survived by his wife, Ronna, and four (4) children, Max, Madalyn, Danielle and Andrew, his mother Marie and brother Richard. Bobby was employed by Amtrak for nearly 4 decades. Most of his [...]