By John Risch, National Legislative Director, SMART Transportation Division Enjoy yourself this Labor Day weekend, provided you’re lucky enough to get the weekend off. In my 30 plus years working freight rail, I worked many a Labor Day weekend, but I am lucky to get this one [...]
Ohio’s State Legislative Director Stuart Gardner went on The Union Edge: Labor’s Talk Radio to discuss with Host Charles Showalter why two-person crews are necessary for the safety of all. https://static.smart-union.org/worksite/Video/Aug_8_Stuart_Gardner.m [...]
Railroad subjected class of female workers to unlawful physical abilities testing, federal agency charges HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – CSX Transportation, Inc., a provider of rail-based transportation services with operations throughout the eastern half of the United States, vio [...]
Reuters posted on August 1, 2017, that in an email last week to his customers, CSX CEO Hunter Harrison addressed service delays and disruptions by placing blame squarely on his employees, stating that they have been “resistant to change.” John Risch, SMART TD nati [...]
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Monday, July 31, issued a Safety Alert warning rail workers of the risks of working on the tracks using only a watchman/lookout to provide the train approach warning. Safety Alert 066 was prompted in part by the deaths of two ra [...]
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Senate Committee on Appropriations approved the FY2018 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, July 27, which prioritizes funding for critical transportation projects, community development initiatives and [...]
DeSmogBlog reported that the top campaign donor for U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Neb.) is Union Pacific Railroad – and, four of her top 11 donors are railroad companies. This past June, Senator Fischer introduced the Railroad Advancement of Innovation and Leadership with [...]
Whether a person is receiving Medicare through Social Security or through the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), the patient may be vulnerable to identity theft due to the SSN/RRB Claim number being present on their Medicare card. Soon, you won’t need to worry about someone obt [...]
John Risch, SMART TD’s national legislative director, spoke with Jaisal Noor of realnews.com on the significance of the 140th anniversary of the first national railroad strike that began July 14, 1877, also known as the Great Railroad Strike and Great Upheaval. More tha [...]
On June 17, 2017, the AFL-CIO issued a legislative alert to U.S. Senators regarding Trump’s nomination of Marvin Kaplan and William Emanuel to fill the vacant seats on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). In the alert, Emanuel is noted for representing the “ [...]