Category: Washington
Coal vital to America’s energy future
By James Stem, UTU National Legislative Director – Coal is America’s most abundant source of energy, helping reduce our nation’s dependence on imported oil. Coal also means jobs, with almost one in every five freight rail jobs dependent on transporting coal. And coal m [...]
Affordable Care Act eliminates many copays
UTU members with questions on how the Affordable Care Act will affect them and their families should visit the websites of their health care insurance carriers. For UTU members covered under the national railroad medical, prescription drug, dental, vision, and life insurance [...]
Congress retains Essential Air subsidies
Of importance to UTU-represented Great Lakes Airlines pilots and flight attendants, Congress has scrapped an attempt by conservatives to eliminate the Essential Air Service program. Great Lakes Airlines is the largest recipient of Essential Air Service grants, which helps kee [...]New surface transport law a mixed bag
It’s not all we wanted, but, maybe more important, it’s not as bad as it could have been. Given the polarization of this Congress, the Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century – MAP-21 – is as good a new transportation authorization bill as we could have hoped for. Passe [...]TSA sets new TWIC renewal policy
WASHINGTON – The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has established a new policy on renewals of the Transportation Worker Identification Credential (TWIC) – a tamper-resistant biometric worker-access pass — which is required of rail crews entering maritime por [...]
We will not back down
By UTU International President Mike Futhey and SMWIA General President Joe Nigro – We are just months from one of the most important Election Days in our careers. Not in our lifetimes has organized labor been under attack as we are today from corporate-funded anti-worker con [...]
NS retaliation again slapped by OSHA
It is reasonable to wonder just how many millions of dollars in sanctions must be assessed against railroads by the federal government before they learn the lesson that employees are not the equivalent of number 2 pencils to be chewed on at will and discarded when convenient. [...]UTU political strength praised in retirement fight
Among the numerous political challenges facing working families is preservation of Railroad Retirement and Social Security, which are both under attack by political conservatives. As the UTU’s Portland, Ore., regional meeting commenced June 18, the labor member of the Railroa [...]