A crowd of several hundred supporters packed the SMART Sheet Metal Local 36 union hall in St. Louis to greet Secretary Hillary Clinton who discussed the economic issues facing America’s working families. She emphasized an economic plan that would raise the minimum wage, use t [...]
RW Chemical Emergence Response Training The Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program has scheduled new training programs for HAZMAT/Chemical Emergency Response for 2016. Three classes for RW Chemical Emergence Response are being offered in early 2016 in Houston. The [...]
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced the adoption of a final rule that will improve roadway safety by employing technology to strengthen commercial truck and bus drivers’ compliance with hours-of-se [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]