A railroad dinosaur is coming back to life

It’s been sitting around in Pomona for nearly 53 years, but now the beast they call Big Boy is making tracks for Wyoming. Officially known as Union Pacific steam engine No. 4014, the locomotive has been parked at the RailGiants Train Museum in Pomona since 1962, a displ [...]

General VP Word: Leaders Must Lead, All Members Must Be Active

One hundred twenty-five years ago, when this organization was founded, the original members came together for the same reason we are here today, justice in the workplace. The difference is that then there was no well-established organization to advocate on their behalf. They [...]

General President Nigro: The Power of Unity

Last month, delegates from both the SMART transportation and sheet metal divisions stood together united as one on the floor of the AFL-CIO convention. SMART’s message to our brothers and sisters in the labor movement was simple. We demanded that organized labor, as a whole, [...]

SMART Transportation President Previsich: Common Interests

Employment for our members in the transportation industry is unique in many respects. Regardless of mode—air, bus or rail—transportation is primarily an industry that operates 24 hours per day, seven days per week, 365 days per year. Employees often work unscheduled hours and [...]

VW isn’t fighting union, but right-wing groups are

After Volkswagen issued a letter in September saying the company would not oppose an attempt by the United Auto Workers (UAW) to unionize its 1,600-worker Chattanooga, Tenn., facility, Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) was flabbergasted. “For management to invite the UAW in is [...]

SEPTA depending on passage of transportation bill

SEPTA officials are preparing for the worst, detailing a doomsday scenario that they say will take place if Pennsylvania lawmakers don’t pass a transportation funding measure in the next nine days. In a written press release, officials stated that SEPTA’s fiscal year 2014, wh [...]

Thirty Ore. retirees to be honored at party

Thirty operating employees from Union Pacific Railroad in the La Grande, Ore., area, who retired or left employment on disability in the last year, will be honored at a retirement party Nov. 23, SMART Transportation Division Local Chairperson Larry Romine reports. The 30 memb [...]

Local 73 Shows Its Value At Work At Rosemont Shopping Outlet

The Rosemont Fashion Outlet Mall opened August 1, 2013 and took a year and a half to complete. The mall is 550,000 square feet with over 120 stores, a food court and connected parking. During construction, there were over 20 different sheet metal companies doing the work; wit [...]

Cleveland railroad workers win 44-year-old suit

After a legal battle that dragged on for more than four decades, a group of Cleveland railroad workers and their heirs will be sharing a multi-million-dollar award. ideastream’s David C. Barnett says it’s the surprising conclusion of a story that has its roots in the rise and [...]