Category: Washington
TTD president testifies on behalf of labor before House committee at supply chain hearing
Greg Regan, president of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department, of which the SMART Transportation Division is a member, testified on behalf of labor before the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee at the Nov. 17 hearing regarding “Industry and L [...]Pro-carrier “exclusive” attacks the Rule of 2
In anticipation of today’s House hearing on the U.S. supply chain, an “exclusive” pro-carrier piece in the Washington Examiner on freight crew size says that keeping two people on freight crews is making the problem worse, neglecting to mention the massive c [...]
NLRB counsel issues memo on OSHA-issued COVID-19 ETS
In response to an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to protect workers from coronavirus that was issued earlier this month by OSHA, National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo issued a memo to all field offices concerning COVID vaccine mandates and collec [...]
SMART Statement on Signing of Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act
Today, President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law. SMART General President Joseph Sellers and rank-and-file union members joined him at the signing ceremony. SMART issued the following statement after the ceremony: WASHINGTON, DC — “ [...]
Infrastructure bill’s passage a huge win for passenger rail funding, plus enhances freight, bus safety measures
The U.S. House of Representatives in the waning hours of Nov. 5 passed H.R. 3684, the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the bipartisan infrastructure framework, by a 228-206 vote. The bill provides $1.2 trillion in funding for infrastructure, with a [...]
Peter DeFazio introduces bill to protect workers, passengers from harm on transit
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-OR), the chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure, introduced the Stop Sexual Assault and Harassment in Transportation Act (H.R. 5706) Oct. 25, legislation to help protect passengers and personnel from sexual assault and [...]
NJ SLB member introduces President Biden at NJT facility
As President Joe Biden appeared Oct. 25 at the New Jersey Transit Meadowlands Maintenance Complex in Kearny, N.J., it was SMART Transportation Division New Jersey State Legislative Board Vice Chairperson Joseph Williams (GCA-770), a New Jersey Transit engineer, who set the st [...]
Rail workers’ right to choose medical network upheld
In early July 2020, just over eight months after the current round of national bargaining had begun, the carriers’ representative — the National Railway Labor Conference (NRLC) — proposed reconfiguring the National Plan’s network structure in a way that would forc [...]