TD leaders meet with DeFazio about carriers’ and agencies’ lax COVID-19 response

WASHINGTON, D.C. – SMART Transportation Division President Jeremy R. Ferguson and National Legislative Director Gregory Hynes met with U.S. Rep. and Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) earlier this week, alerting him to carriers’ inadequate efforts to protect essential transportation workers during the coronavirus pandemic. President Ferguson told the chairman about field reports from […]

Broad alliance tells White House: Transit workers need better protection from COVID-19

SMART General President Joseph Sellers Jr. and SMART Transportation Division President Jeremy Ferguson as well as dozens of unions, business groups, economic justice organizations, and local transit advocates from across the nation wrote today to Vice President Mike Pence and Dr. Deborah Birx, coordinator of the White House Coronavirus Task Force, demanding better federal coordination […]

Local 23 mourns death of retired former S&T from COVID-19

Members of Local 23 in Santa Cruz, Calif., are mourning the passing of Transportation Division retiree Domingo Tovar on April 14 from COVID-19. Brother Tovar, 68, served two stints with Santa Cruz Metro as a bus operator starting in 1982, then leaving for another carrier before returning to Santa Cruz in 1987. He was involved […]

America’s freight railroads refuse to cover out-of-pocket COVID-19 treatment costs

While America and the world struggle to combat the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, new heroes have emerged. While much of America has long celebrated its athletes and celebrities as its heroes, this pandemic has shown us who the real heroes are in our society. At the onset of World War II, Maj. Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower […]

In hard-hit NYC, TD members rise up to COVID challenges

What is SMART-TD on Long Island, N.Y., doing during the COVID-19 pandemic? New York City and its bordering suburbs and counties have been among the hardest-hit in the nation by the coronavirus due to its density and the demands of the city’s economic engine driven by the financial and business districts. Like most transportation systems, […]

Second member passes from COVID; Ferguson calls for federal agencies to act

On April 15, SMART Transportation Division Local 61 (Philadelphia, Pa.) announced that conductor Michael A. Hill, 58, of Glassboro, N.J., died from the coronavirus. Brother Hill was a 30-year member of SMART-TD and worked for the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority (SEPTA). He is the second active member fatality for SMART-TD from the virus following New […]

TTD: Labor unions call on lawmakers to press pause on automated vehicle legislation, continue focusing on COVID-19 response

The Honorable Frank Pallone, Jr. Chairman House Committee on Energy & Commerce 2125 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC  20515 The Honorable Greg Walden Ranking Member House Committee on Energy & Commerce 2322 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, DC  20515 Dear Chairman Pallone and Ranking Member Walden: While the COVID-19 pandemic continues to present our […]

VSTD NOTICE: ELIMINATION PERIOD WAIVED FOR COVID-19 (CORONAVIRUS) DISABILITIES

April 15, 2020 As Trustees of the SMART Voluntary Short Term Disability Plan, we have a responsibility to manage your Plan with care and prudence. We are always concerned with maximizing the benefit of the program for you, particularly in your time of need. We believe this has been accomplished over the years through favorable […]