Category: Washington
SMART TD’S Risch: Longer Freight Trains Carry Safety Concerns
As freight trains grow longer, so do safety concerns. According to an article posted by the Omaha World-Herald on July 2, carriers are looking to increase their bottom line by running as many as 142 cars on one freight train—but at what risk? The article noted that in just t [...]
Minn. SLB joins with NARP to protest Amtrak budget cuts
A few dozen members of SMART TD and the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) joined together Friday, July 23 at St. Paul, Minnesota’s Union Depot to protest President Trump’s proposed budget cuts to all long-distance rail service currently provided b [...]
Previsich, Risch speak at San Antonio Regional Meeting
Q&A with SMART TD President Previsich at San Antonio Regional Meeting, June 14, 2017 SMART TD President John Previsich answers members’ questions during the closing session. SMART TD President Previsich honors retiree Ken Menges at San Antonio Regional [...]
RRB issues Certificate of Service Months and Compensation form
Each year, the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) prepares a Certificate of Service Months and Compensation (Form BA-6) for every railroad employee who had creditable railroad compensation in the previous calendar year. The RRB will mail the forms to employees during the fi [...]
AFL-CIO issues memo to unions on Trump budget; highlights damages to workers
In a memo dated May 31, AFL-CIO President Richard L. Trumka issued a statement to unions on President Trump’s proposed budget. “This budget is the most significant betrayal yet of the working people President Trump claims to support. It is a blueprint for how to r [...]Trumka: President Trump’s budget betrays working people
On May 23, AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka released a statement on how President Trump’s FY2018 budget proposal favors the top one percent and hurts working Americans. Trumka described Trump’s proposal as a “blueprint for how to rig the rules of the economy to f [...]
FEMA appoints SMART TD’s Hayes as rail labor rep
Yvonne Hayes, chairperson of Local 1138 in Miami, Florida, and an assistant general chairperson (GO‐851), was recently selected to serve as a member of the FEMA National Advisory Council (NAC) Railroad Emergency Services Preparedness, Operational Needs and Safety Evaluation ( [...]Amtrak engineer faces criminal charges in 2015 Philadelphia crash
NPR.org recently reported that Brandon Bostian is facing eight counts of involuntary manslaughter, one count of causing or risking a catastrophe and several counts of reckless endangerment – for the 2015 Amtrak crash near Philadelphia. Bostian, an experienced train engi [...]