News - Page 409 of 657

TD officer, vice general chairperson elevated

January 23, 2015 A SMART Transportation Division officer and a general chairperson have been elevated to new Transportation Division positions following the retirement of Alternate Vice President R.W. “Red” Dare Nov. 30. The Transportation Division Board of Directors Dec. 19 elevated Executiv [...]

Tags Jeremy Don Brooks, John D. Whitaker III, R.W. "Red" Dare, Transportation Division officers

Man pleads guilty to stealing locomotives

January 23, 2015 A man on Wednesday admitted in court to stealing two locomotives in Campbell County in October and crashing them into another train, according to information from the U.S. District Court of Wyoming. Derek Skyler Brux entered into a plea deal with prosecutors during a hearing [...]

Opinion: Want to be happy? Join a union

January 23, 2015 Fewer and fewer Americans belong to a union. Membership is down to a historic low of 11.2 percent of the work force, and only 6.7 percent of workers in the private sector. And if the nation’s confidence in the institution is any measure, not many people are mourning its dimin [...]

Tags unions

Opinion: Rail lines should not compromise safety

January 22, 2015 The Associated Press article on railroads’ collective push to reduce freight train crews from two persons to one is informative yet fails to address the very real danger of equipment, mechanical or infrastructure failure. As a matter of record I am a 40-year railroad co [...]

Tags Lloyd R. Holman, one-person crew, two-person crews

Q&As regarding Railroad Retirement spouse benefits

January 22, 2015 In addition to the retirement annuities payable to employees, the Railroad Retirement Act, like the Social Security Act, also provides annuities for the spouses of retired employees. Payment of a spouse annuity is made directly to the wife or husband of the employee. Divorced [...]

Tags Railroad Retirement Board, RRB, spouse benefits

Bargaining Update for Sheet Metal Mechanical and Engineering Members

January 21, 2015 The BMWED/SMART-Mechanical bargaining coalition met for the first time with the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC) yesterday at the NCCC’s offices in Crystal City, Virginia. The parties reviewed and discussed in general terms their respective “Section 6 notices” s [...]

A new year can mean a new you with Medicare

January 21, 2015 The start of a new year is the time for resolutions. Railroad retirees covered under Medicare can receive the help they need in making some of their resolutions a reality. According to USA.gov, the top three New Year’s resolutions are: Lose Weight Volunteer Quit Smoking [...]

Tags Medicare, obesity, Palmetto, Palmetto GBA, quit smoking

BNSF announces plans to expand capacity

January 19, 2015 BNSF Railway Company (BNSF) Jan. 15 announced more details about the major capital projects it plans to complete in 2015 to maintain and grow its rail network. In BNSF’s North Region, the company will invest approximately $1.5 billion across eight states for engineering maint [...]

Tags BNSF Railway

Union Plus scholarship deadline Jan. 31

January 15, 2015 The Union Plus Scholarship Program is once again offering up scholarships ranging from $500 to $4,000 to help union members and their children attend college. These one-time cash awards are for study beginning in the Fall each year and students may re-apply every year that th [...]

Tags AFL-CIO, Scholarship, Union Plus, Union Plus Scholarship

Treasurers’ workshop scheduled for Feb. 23-25

January 15, 2015 The SMART Transportation Division is conducting a second local treasurers’ workshop at its headquarters in North Olmsted, Ohio, Feb. 23-25. The treasurers’ workshop scheduled for Feb. 18-20 is full. Attendance is limited to 25 registrants. If demand for the workshop is [...]

Tags treasurers' workshops