Category: Washington
SMART-TD, BLET joint statement on Labor Day 2022
The following is a statement from SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson and BLET President Dennis Pierce. CLEVELAND, (September 2) — As we approach Labor Day 2022, our Unions stand at a crossroads. While our normal messages heading into one of the most important days for Organiz [...]
PEB a.m. update: Aug. 17, 2022
SMART Transportation Division leaders have multiple discussions scheduled today as they continue to evaluate the recommendations made by Presidential Emergency Board 250. As the release of the PEB recommendations is the first step in the final stage of the Railway Labor Act p [...]
FRA Administrator Bose: Safety is first
SAN FRANCISCO — Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose didn’t elaborate on the Rule of 2 that his agency recently put forth for the public to weigh in on, but he made it clear as he spoke on the second day of the SMART Leadership Conference that the lines of communication a [...]
Oberman addresses SMART General Session
As part of the first SMART Leadership Conference in San Francisco on Aug. 8, Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin Oberman appeared remotely to address the general session. The STB, which is tasked with the economic regulation of various modes of surface transportation [...]
House leaders introduce bill reauthorizing STB and to assist rail customers
A bill introduced by leaders in the U.S. House on Aug. 2 and endorsed by the SMART Transportation Division seeks to address complaints levied against the Class I rail carriers brought by customers and echoed by rail unions in hearings in the spring before the Surface Transpor [...]
SMART-TD, BLET presidents update members following PEB 250
Brothers and Sisters of our unions: Presidential Emergency Board (“PEB” or “the Board”) 250 conducted hearings in Washington, D.C. this past week, concluding on July 28th. We both were honored to represent our unions and, by extension, the memberships of the dozen strong [...]
Rail labor statement regarding the appointment of a PEB
WASHINGTON – Greg Regan, President of the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO, of which the SMART Transportation Division (SMART-TD) and SMART Mechanical Divisions (SMART-MD) are members, released the following statement in response to President Joe Bid [...]
NMB proffers arbitration to United Rail Unions
The United Rail Unions issued the following statement on June 15, 2022: Following the conclusion of our third week of compulsory mediation conducted by the National Mediation Board (NMB), the rail unions who are bargaining as part of the Coordinated Bargaining Coalition (CBC) [...]