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This column was submitted by Dan Lough, who worked for the TD Public Relations Department and as a meeting planner for the union for more than four decades prior to his retirement in 2018. His father was an auto worker and a member of the UAW.

I don’t pretend to be an expert in the auto industry or labor relations. But I did work for the largest freight railroad/bus union in the country for 42 years. And I helped negotiate the first employee union contract (and several more after that) for my fellow employees to protect our rights, our seniority and our pensions over the years. With that being said, I’d like to share some information so people can see the UAW employees’ side of the equation and their reasoning in their negotiations with the Big 3 auto makers.

As of September 1, 2023, the average hourly pay for a UAW worker was $18.54 an hour. A large portion of UAW workers are temporary workers who start at $17 an hour on average and do not get the healthcare and pension that the full-time workers get. The average hourly wage for an assembly line worker is between $19-$24. Top-scale assembly workers make $32.32 an hour. The average assembly line worker in Michigan makes between $41,000 to $52,000 a year.

Dan Lough shows solidarity for workers in Strongsville, Ohio, in 2011.

When the economic disaster of 2008-09 happened, the Big 3 and the UAW came together and worked together to help the Big 3 survive the economic disaster. Both sides needed to do this to help the Big 3 car companies survive and to help workers save their jobs as well. For years, the UAW gave up general pay raises and cost-of-living wage increases to help the Big 3 control costs and stay competitive with foreign car markets.

UAW workers hired after 2007 do not receive defined benefit pensions. And their health benefits are less generous, too.

The average UAW pension is $1,590 a month for an auto worker with 30 years of service.

It’s important to note that companies with union workers tend to eliminate the higher salaries from the high seniority workers as they retire and then replace those salaries with much lower-tiered salary levels. This is very common in the steel industry, the railroad industry, auto industry, electrical industry, etc. That way they can bring in the new (much younger) workers at a much lower pay rate.

Consider this:

In the last decade, the Big 3 made a quarter TRILLION dollars in profits.
In the last six months, the Big 3 made $21 BILLION in profits.
In the last four years, the price of cars went up 30%.
In the last four years, the Big 3 pay for CEOs went up 40%
In the last four years, the UAW workers pay went up 6%.

AND NO ONE SAID A WORD.

Over the last decade, UAW workers have given up concessions such as full pension, hourly pay reductions, guaranteed wage increases and healthcare reductions.

A lot of UAW workers cannot afford to buy the vehicles they build because the cost of living has gone way above the wages UAW workers make.

But now that the UAW workers are asking for their fair share and repayment for all the concessions they gave up during the economic crisis of 2008-09, people are looking at them and accusing them of being greedy and driving up the cost of cars and trucks.

Corporate greed is at the top of this food chain plain and simple, not the workers who build the vehicles.

GM made more than $22 billion last year. If all 50,000 UAW members received an $80,000-per-year raise, the car makers would still make $18 billion — more than any year prior to 2020.

Tags Dan Lough, Guest column, UAW strike

In October, Local 933’s Jorge Moralez had a hand in two “rebirths” — one public and one personal.

First is that of a Missouri Pacific caboose that had been out of service for decades. Sitting neglected in the middle of the town of Pleasant Hill, Missouri, its destiny seemed to be a slow, gradual rot as oxidation and moisture both took their toll following years of neglect.

Yet Moralez, a Union Pacific conductor who formerly served as a trustee at Local 1409 in Kansas City, found himself at his new local in Jefferson City, Missouri, saw potential there and acted to do something about it.

“It sat there for 20 years,” said Moralez, who’s been a railroader for 16 years. “People didn’t want to see it fade away – we had the community and the support.”

So while still working as a conductor, Moralez spent his own time coordinating dozens of volunteers, getting supplies, spreading the word to a national audience, getting the project rolling and maintaining the momentum so that, in time, the caboose would be fixed.

At times it seemed like a difficult thing to accomplish, but the restoration attracted a level of support that surprised even Moralez. At the beginning of October, a planned flurry of activity involving former and current railroaders, members of the community, including Cub and Boy Scouts, and even top union officers, turned back time and preserved a piece of the town’s and rail history.

“At the end of the day, I was just looking for support,” he said. “We had an amazing turnout. Twelve volunteers a day – the city came out in force. The union came out, and so did Union Pacific. Nothing says community more than the fact that UP, SMART-TD and the city of Pleasant Hill could pull together to accomplish this. Everything got done in six days.”

While balancing the amount of food needed to keep volunteers happy was admittedly a challenge on a daily basis during the work session, Moralez said the resulting job well done and a collective experience shared by many people who might never have been united in such a common purpose was a special thing.

“Everything worked out perfectly,” he said.

The exterior of the Missouri Pacific caboose project in Pleasant Hill, Missouri, was completed on Oct. 23 after a whirlwind effort by a number of volunteers led by Local 933’s Jorge Moralez.

A particular highlight was the engagement of the scouts, ranging from 10 to 12 years old, who peppered the railroaders, both active and retired, with questions about the industry in an impromptu Q&A while chowing down on pizza on a Saturday afternoon.

One particularly memorable moment came when a scout expressed his disappointment that the caboose wasn’t going to make a triumphant return to active service, Moralez recalled with a laugh.

And while the bright red caboose will not be returning to the rails, Moralez himself has experienced a rebirth of sorts himself.

After going through a very difficult period in his life where he struggled with addiction, he had been dismissed from his job. However, the union, in particular General Chairperson Terry Dixon, who retired early this year, had Brother Moralez’s back.

“It’s come full circle – I was not always the best member,” Moralez said. “I went through a dark time – the union didn’t give up on me.”

George Moralez of Local 933 smiles for the camera as he works on the caboose restoration project.

Moralez was reinstated to service thanks in part to GC Dixon and the union’s intervention and has now been clean for five years.

And the efforts by his union family got Moralez back on track as a freight conductor, it also put him on a path where he felt empowered enough to lead and take responsibility for a Herculean task such as the caboose restoration.

“I wanted to show other members the ownership. That caboose is on our territory, and I wanted to make sure everyone knew that,” Moralez said. “I wanted to make sure that Local 933 is the frontrunner.”

SMART Transportation Division President Jeremy R. Ferguson helps clean the interior of a Missouri Pacific caboose.

Surrounding locals and even national officers including SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson and Vice President Brent Leonard recognized the energy and drive he was putting in the project, so they headed to Pleasant Hill to assist.

“I did want all of SMART-TD involved,” Moralez said.

Moralez’s own personal circle came around on Oct. 4 — seven years after he had last been an officer, he once again stepped up to lead. At a Local 933 meeting held at the caboose, he was nominated and then elected by acclamation to serve as his local’s vice president.

“All the stars aligned,” he said. “Everything just fell into place.”

Some of the volunteers, as well as SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson and Vice President Brent Leonard, gather for a group photo during a work session in early October.

Moralez says that he’ll continue to mobilize and motivate members and the public alike in his new position, but first, there’s a touch of unfinished business with the caboose.

While the final emblems placed on the caboose’s exterior were done Oct. 23, there are a couple of areas of the interior that need wrapped up — namely painting, getting the chairs reupholstered, and running electricity to it.

To pitch in, contact Moralez directly at jorgemoralez@gmail.com or follow the QR code in the flyer below to donate to the cause.

“It does take some effort,” Moralez said. “We are not done. It’s just the beginning – there’s other things we fight for,” Moralez said. “I want it to be better for all of us – but I can’t do it all by myself.”

Tags Jorge Moralez, Local 933, Missouri Pacific

The SMART Transportation Division in Illinois has been a beacon of productivity and progress for years.

Mirroring the state’s central role as a hub where the nation’s major Class I carriers operate, SMART-TD’s Illinois operation has plenty of accomplishments and fights won over the last two-plus decades.

During this period of success, there’s been one consistent throughline. For the last 23 years, the steady hand on the wheel has been Tina O’Brien.

Tina O’Brien, right, shown with her husband, John, is retiring from the Illinois State Legislative Board’s office after a long career of providing support in one of SMART-TD’s busiest states.

Tina has announced her retirement effective at the end of the month, and SMART-TD would like to thank her for a career of outstanding service to our members.

She started with SMART-TD in 2000, hired by Illinois State Legislative Director Joe Szabo. In the intervening years, she was part of the movement that saw our Illinois members advance two-person crew legislation all the way to the governor’s mansion, play a central role in infrastructure strategy around Chicago and elsewhere and move ahead with enhanced protections for transit members working for Metra and elsewhere.

“Tina was so much more than an administrative assistant or office manager – she was always an integral part of the team working together to serve the membership,” said Szabo, who later became Federal Railroad administrator.  “I owe a great debt of gratitude to her, and her husband John. They both have earned a long and happy retirement!” 

In 2009, Szabo went to D.C. to assist the national legislative office before his confirmation as FRA administrator, and the reins of the Illinois State Legislative Board were handed over to current SLD Bob Guy. Luckily for Brother Guy, Tina stayed on and was an invaluable source of institutional memory. O’Brien and Guy have proven to be a formidable combination.

“From Day One, Tina has been instrumental for me as I grew into the position of state director. I leaned on Tina for so much early on since I couldn’t reach out to my predecessor, Joe Szabo, as he had headed off to lead FRA,” Guy said. “Her commitment to our board and our Illinois members is evident to anyone who knows her.  She’s always been proactive in helping solve problems or answer questions for our members when they call.  Knowing the industry intimately herself, she has always taken pride in helping our members through the rough times, especially the work she did in helping us assist our locals through the early stages of the COVID pandemic and through the national agreement fight and near strike last year.

“Tina was invested in those fights, just as she was when helping me with materials when moving legislation in Illinois, like our successful effort to pass a two-person crew bill in 2019. Tina will be sorely missed by myself and our entire board, but I wish her and John a long, happy and healthy retirement. On behalf of our Illinois Legislative Board, congratulations Tina on a well-deserved retirement!”

“Tina’s work for our members has resonated in a way that affects more than our operations in Illinois,” said Jenny Miller, chief of staff in SMART-TD’s National Legislative Department in Washington, D.C. “I’ve known and worked with Tina for over 20 years. Whenever I needed something, or a question answered – she was just a friendly phone call and email away from coming to my assistance. A major part of our victories in the National Legislative Office hinges on working closely with the state legislative boards.  Tina was a very important part of that successful relationship, and I’ll miss her a lot.”

SMART-TD is indebted to Sister O’Brien, and we hope she and her husband John have a long and happy retirement full of all the travel and time with grandchildren that they can handle.

Tags Illinois State Legislative Board, Illinois State Legislative Director Bob Guy, Joe Szabo, Tina O'Brien

The passing of SMART-TD Vice President John “J.D.” Whitake r was a loss felt throughout our organization. His contributions to this union are well known and will resonate for years to come. That being said, one of the strengths of this organization is the depth of our roster.

In mid-September, SMART-TD’s Board of Directors elevated Alternate Vice President Gary Cre st, general chairperson of SMART-TD GO 887 (Union Pacific Western Lines) to vice president of the SMART Transportation Division.

Brother Crest started his railroad career in 1993 with the Copper Basin Railway as a trainman and was promoted to engineer in 1994. He continued to work there as an engineer until December 1997 when he was hired by the Union Pacific Railroad.

Brother Crest has been a general chairperson on the Union Pacific property since January 2015 with an unprecedented level of success, including obtaining paid sick time for the first time for Union Pacific employees. Prior to serving as GC of GO 887, Crest served as a vice local chairperson, local chairperson, delegate, vice general chairperson, chairman of the Western General Chairpersons’ Committee and has been a member of the SMART TD Executive Board.

Beyond his service to our union, Gary has also served on the Federal Railroad Administration’s Rail Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC).

Crest’s new role as vice president was made official during a Sept. 18 Board of Directors meeting, and he began his duties on October 1.

Brother Crest said he’ll bring the same level of confidence and intensity as a vice president as he’s had as a GC.

“I thoroughly enjoyed the work I did and the progress we were able to make in my time as a general chair at 887,” he said. “I look forward to bringing that experience and the same fight to my role as a VP.”

Tags GO 887, Vice President Gary Crest

As SMART Transportation Division local elections are approaching, it is important that proper procedures are followed. In order to provide support to our locals in their election process, SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson’s staff worked with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to provide answers to questions secretary & treasurers and other local officers might have about the procedures.

SMART Transportation Division and the U.S. Department of Labor held a joint educational session online to instruct local officers about the rules and regulations governing upcoming SMART-TD local elections.

Over a 2 1/2-hour webinar Oct. 12, SMART-TD staff and two DOL representatives presented about election requirements and the DOL regulations that govern local elections to help our locals follow and apply them correctly. Representatives from roughly 40 SMART-TD locals were in attendance on the call.

SMART-TD wants to thank the S&Ts and other local officers throughout our organization who made the effort to be part of the productive session. We would also like to thank the representatives from the DOL’s Office of Labor-Management Standards who lent their expertise.

If you are a local officer or candidate for local office who has questions surrounding the election process, please reach out to President’s Department Administrative Assistant Ralph Leichliter at 216-227-5285 or rleichliter@smart-union.org.

Tags local elections, S&T workshop, U.S. Department of Labor

As a union, we are reaching out to request your support of one of our brothers in his moment of need. Brother Greg Nunez from SMART-TD Local 898 (Boston, Mass.) has been a SMART-TD member for over nine years.

He works as a conductor for Keolis in commuter service. More importantly, Nunez has a young family at home in the Greater Boston area, and the circumstances surrounding a kidney and pancreatic transplant surgery have him stranded in Orlando, Florida away from his two beautiful children and his family support network.

Conductor Greg Nunez poses for a photo with a young patient during a hospital visit. Brother Nunez of Local 898 in Boston is contending with his own health problems and his family is asking for assistance.

After years of hoping and waiting for that call, Greg had the good fortune of being paired with a donor of a kidney and pancreas that was compatible. The only problem was that the donor was in Orlando, Florida, 1,293 miles away from Boston.

Initially, this meant an insignificant 2 1/2-hour flight. Unfortunately for Brother Nunez, this surgery that was the key to unlocking a long and productive future with his family has taken a turn for the worse, and he is stranded in Orlando in need of funds to pay for a Med-Flight back to Massachusetts.

Post-surgery, Brother Nunez suffered a stroke due to the effects his life-long battle with diabetes has had on his body. He has subsequently undergone seven surgeries and is currently on machines to assist his breathing.

His wife, Katherine, has been with him in Florida for an extended period, but the strain of being with her recuperating spouse in Orlando while raising a family in Boston is as expensive as it is exhausting.

SMART-TD is asking that you consider donating to Nunez’s GoFundMe account and help Katherine get our brother back to Boston where family, friends and Local 898 can help support Greg’s family while he focuses on beginning his long path to recovery.

Tags GoFundMe, Greg Nunez, Keolis, Local 898, online fundraiser

After a long and distinguished career fighting for the rights and well being of SMART Transportation Division Bus Department members, Vice President Calvin Studivant retired on Sept. 30.

“It’s been a pleasure serving with Brother Calvin in many capacities going back many years,” SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson said. “I am very happy for Calvin and his wife and wish them well and thank him for all his years of service.”

Brother Studivant had served as a vice president for the Bus Department since Oct. 1, 2014, and had the following message to share:

“It has been an honor and privilege to serve you, as I embark on this next chapter of my life, please know that I will continue to pray that you all will be able to do your jobs without the fear of being assaulted. I know that TD President Jeremy Ferguson has the Bus Department’s best interests at heart and will supply the necessary resources to ensure your safety.

“I hope that I represented you well. My only interest was ensuring that you were treated with dignity and respect and received the compensation you deserved. I will always be proud of the bus operators, because I, too, am one, and I know all too well the challenges that you face daily. I pray that God will continue to bless you all. I thank you for that opportunity. SMART forever.”

Fellow Bus Department Vice President Alvy Hughes said that Studivant has been a stabilizing force in the progress the department has made.

“He has always put the Bus Department’s membership first,” Hughes said. “His sacrifice and leadership to this organization have been second to none.

“I have had the pleasure of knowing Brother Studivant since my union career began, and he has been a great mentor, brother, and true friend. I salute him for all he’s done. He will be truly missed.”

Studivant, a member of Local 759, Newark, N.J., served in the U.S. Army from 1982 to 1986, then moved to Clifton, N.J. He was employed at Community Coach starting in June 1993.

He was named alternate vice president — bus-East by the United Transportation Union’s Board of Directors in August 2009 and re-elected in 2011. He was elevated to vice president — bus by the Transportation Division Board of Directors Oct. 1, 2014. At the Second SMART TD Convention on August 11, 2019, he was elected again by acclamation.

Studivant is married to Michelle, and the couple has three children and two grandchildren.

His commitment to the union fulfilled, he said he will now enjoy time with his family in his retirement years.

The SMART Transportation Division wishes Brother Studivant a long and happy retirement.

James Sandoval, who has served as an alternate vice president of the SMART-TD Bus Department, joined Hughes as a vice president Oct. 1 after being elevated by the SMART-TD Board of Directors.

Brother Sandoval has been a bus operator at the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit District for more than a decade.

James Sandoval, a member of SMART-TD Local 23, was elevated to Bus vice president on Sunday, Oct. 1, 2023, following the retirement of Calvin Studivant. — James Sandoval of Local 23 was elevated from alternate vice president to become vice president of the Bus Department on Oct. 1.

He’s been intensely engaged with labor efforts after joining SMART-TD as a member of Local 23 in Santa Cruz, first as a local officer then at a national level.

He assumed his first officer roles as general chairperson of GCA-SCM, alternate legislative representative and local chairperson of LCA-SCM in January 2019.

In February 2022, he assumed the position of Local 23’s legislative representative.

Brother Sandoval joined the California State Legislative Board as a legislative chairperson in June 2022, became an organizer in January 2021, and in August 2022 became alternate vice president of the Bus Department-West.

Tags Bus Department Vice President Calvin Studivant, Bus Department Vice President James Sandoval, retirement

“Our rail members from BNSF properties definitely had their voices heard in this process and they should be proud to see their fingerprints throughout this outstanding TA. They were very clear that they wanted a level of predictability for when their time off would be honored, and they wanted a predictable and non-punitive method of filling vacancies that directed the assignment to those who wanted the work and was not aimed at punishing those who aren’t willing to work off of their turns. This TA that our eight General Chairpersons fought for does both. Not only will our brothers and sisters get more compensated time off, but it will be less of a moving target. This is another big step ahead for SMART-TD and our BNSF members.”

— SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson

SMART-TD is proud to announce that a tentative agreement has been reached between our General Committees and the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad (BNSF). This agreement has been in the works since January 18, 2023, and is highlighted by many upgrades to the quality of life for our members.

All eight SMART-TD General Committees representing our BNSF properties have reached tentative agreements with the carrier and have already sent the details to their local chairpersons for distribution to their members for consideration.

The general chairpersons involved included GO-001’s Mike LaPresta, GO-009’s Scott Swiatek, GO-017’s Rich O’Connell, GO-020’s Justin Schrock, GO-386’s Larry Miller, GO-393’s Kevin Kime, GO-577’s Roy Davis, and Tony McAdams from GO-JTD.

The tentative agreements for each of the eight General Committees are founded on the same language while still giving each General Committee the flexibility to adapt the terms to fit the unique needs of their specific members. The following is a synopsis consistent for all eight of the committees.

Extra boards: Allowed to keep road and yard separate under new conditions under Section V.
6th week of vacation for 25 year or more employees.
Up to two weeks of vacation can be selected as float weeks.
PRE-layoff for all single PLD/VAC, weekly VAC and EDO days.
Continuous-held-away after 16 hours for everyone on every pool.
Extra Paid Sick Leave Day. (5 total w/same option of converting 3 PLD/VAC to total 8)
Earned Day Off: With no unpaid layoffs in a 90-day period, earn one anytime day unpaid to lay off.
Turn swapping on pools that elect this option,
Preventive care days now available to assigned jobs.
Bereavement leave changes to expand the scope of what relationships qualify for bereavement as well as creating additional flexibility as to when bereavement can be used.
Increased new-hire training from 13 weeks to 14 weeks with additional time allotted in terminals that have RCO operations.
All Reduced Entry Rates or Tiers eliminated for all properties. Everyone will be at 100%.
Student and trainer pay rate increases.

Additional details tailored to the members of each General Committee will be included with membership ratification instructions, which are currently scheduled to be mailed to eligible voters on Tuesday, October 3rd. For those members who have email addresses and telephone numbers on file with SMART-TD, electronic notifications and voting instructions will also be sent. Tabulation of the ratification votes will occur on Thursday, November 2nd, and results will be announced soon after.

In a joint statement from the eight general chairpersons of the involved committees, the GCs had this to say about the tentative agreement.

“Our goals for this TA were to defend the separation of the road and yard extra boards and to bring predictable guaranteed time off for our members regardless of their assignment or board. We believe we achieved these goals and significantly more. This TA has come a very long way from where it started back in January. The eight of us and our committees fought hard to finally get it to a point where the TA is worthy of ratification. None of us thought it was possible initially, and up until very recently, we thought it was destined to go to arbitration. But we are excited about the agreement we are putting out to the members for ratification. We would also like to thank Joe Lopez, who was the SMART-TD vice president assigned to this project, along with Vice Presidents Chad Adams and Jamie Modesitt for their assistance over this long nine-month process. Joe Lopez, in particular, went out of his way to shepherd this TA through the many highs and lows in the process. We all appreciate their dedication to the process and to the quality of life this TA has the potential to bring to our members.”

— SMART-TD General Chairpersons representing BNSF crew bases

In a combined statement from the three vice presidents who were involved in this negotiation, Lopez, Adams, and Modesitt were quick to give the 8 GCs the praise, saying, “The ability of this group of general chairpersons to stick together for the benefit of all is a true testament to brotherhood. Maintaining the same course for eight general chairpersons is no easy task, but this group successfully did it. Their effort and hard work were the difference between securing a tentative agreement and leaving the final outcome in the hands of a third-party arbitrator.

“As a group, we are proud to send this TA to the members for a ratification vote. We know that we got every inch of quality-of-life improvements out of this agreement. It’s our belief that our BNSF members are going to have more time off with their loved ones. They won’t get called right before their day off, forcing them to continuously cancel and change their family’s plans, and when they have this time away from the rail, they’ll have a little more in their pockets on top of it. All the way around, this is a good development for our men and women, and we couldn’t be more excited for them.”