News - Page 536 of 598

Fourth tour-bus crash since March kills driver

June 28, 2011 PITTSBURGH – In another high-profile bus crash, a tour-bus driver died and 23 passengers were injured June 27 when the bus struck the rear of a tractor-trailer near here on the Pennsylvania Turnpike, reports Reuters. The bus, owned by New Oriental Tours and carrying Asian tou [...]

Tags tour bus

CSX connection seen in lawmaker’s rail support

June 28, 2011 ORLANDO, Fla. — House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) wants to privatize Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, which is seen by critics as a first step toward destroying Amtrak. In his home state, Mica opposed using state funds for a now-mothb [...]

Tags CSX, Mica, SunRail

UTU member dead in Nevada Amtrak-truck crash

June 26, 2011 FALLON, Nev. – An Amtrak conductor was killed and an assistant conductor seriously injured here June 24 when a tractor-trailer combination rammed the side of a double-deck passenger car of Amtrak’s westbound California Zephyr in a fiery crash at a highway-rail grade crossing. [...]

Tags Amtrak. Local 166, rankin, richard d'alessandro

Supreme Court declines to weaken FELA

June 24, 2011 WASHINGTON — In a 5-4 decision, the Supreme Court June 23 declined to tighten the standard of proof injured rail workers must demonstrate to win an award under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA). The ruling is a significant victory for injured rail workers. The [...]

Tags designated legal counsel, DLC, Federal Employers' Liability Act, FELA

Futhey pointing; Mike Futhey; Futhey, Mike; Pointing

State of the union: ‘Stronger than ever’

June 23, 2011 International President Mike Futhey SAN ANTONIO — Stronger protections for members, improved finances, successful organizing drives and superior wage and benefits agreements characterize the United Transportation Union in 2011, International President Mike Futhey told s [...]

Tags dues increase, Futhey, state of the union

Amtrak privatization bill: ‘A rat hole worth watching’

June 23, 2011 WASHINGTON – Legislation to privatize Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor, as a first step toward destruction of Amtrak, will almost certainly be dead-on-arrival in the Democratic-controlled Senate, and will face a tough challenge in the Republican-controlled House; but the authors o [...]

Tags Amtrak, Lautenberg, Mica, privatization, Rahall, Shuster

Conductor cert, passenger HOS regs on tap

June 22, 2011 WASHINGTON — The Federal Railroad Administration will soon publish final rules instituting conductor certification and imposing new hours-of-service limitations on intercity passenger-train and commuter employees in safety sensitive positions. FRA Associate Administrato [...]

Tags Brooks, conductor certification, FRA, HOS, hours-of-service, John Risch, Lesniewski, Mann, Parsons, RSAC, Stem, strang, Szabo, Tessitore

NLRB seeks to speed rep-votes; increase transparency

June 22, 2011 WASHINGTON – In a move organized labor has long pushed for, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) June 21 proposed new representation-vote rules that will speed-up the voting process and give more transparency to employer actions intended to discourage a “union, yes” vote [...]

Tags National Labor Relations Board, NLRB, representation votes; rep-votes, Stem; Bus

Benefit for Minn. member who lost both legs

June 22, 2011 Friends and former co-workers of UTU Local 1177 member Corey Kluver will hold a fundraiser for the Kluver family Saturday, June 25. Kluver, a 31-year-old BNSF conductor and father of three, lost both legs in a Willmar, Minn., rail yard accident Feb. 3. The benefit, including [...]

Tags kluver; cory kluver

New year for rail unemployment, sickness claims

June 21, 2011 A new year under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act for unemployment and sickness benefits begins July 1. The maximum daily benefit rate payable remains at $66 in the new benefit year. Benefits are normally paid for the number of days of unemployment or sickness over fou [...]

Tags railroad retirement, RRB, sickenss, unemployment