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SMART TD opposes the recent nomination of former U.S. Rep. Lynn A. Westmoreland of Georgia by the Trump administration to serve on the Board of Directors of Amtrak.
Former U.S. Rep. Lynn Westmoreland of Georgia is a nominee of President Donald Trump to the Amtrak board.As a longtime member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, Westmoreland has a hostile voting record against Amtrak, which includes efforts to eliminate federal funding for Amtrak entirely. In addition. Westmoreland has been an original cosponsor of the “National Right-to-Work Act” on multiple occasions, which would significantly weaken our ability to collectively bargain. For these reasons, we oppose his nomination as it would undermine the core mission of Amtrak and its employees.
Please see below former Representative Lynn Westmoreland’s extreme voting record on Amtrak in the 114th Congress (2015-2016):

  • RCV#110: Voted YES on McClintock Amendment to H.R. 749  — Eliminate ALL Amtrak Funding (3/4/15)
  • RCV#303: Voted YES on Brooks Amendment to H.R. 2577  — Eliminate Amtrak Operating Grants (6/4/15)
  • RCV#304: Voted YES on Brooks Amendment to H.R. 2577  — Eliminate Amtrak Capital/Debt Service Grants (6/4/15)
  • RCV#314: Voted YES on Sessions Amendment to H.R. 2577  — Prohibit Funds for Sunset Limited Line (6/9/15)                                   
  • RCV#315: Voted YES on Sessions Amendment to H.R. 2577  — Prohibit Funds for Amtrak Routes 2x Cost/Revenue (6/9/15)

Earlier this year, Trump’s budget proposal to Congress for fiscal year 2018 called for eliminating federal support for Amtrak’s long distance train services, which would result in the immediate loss of 10,000 non-Northeast Corridor Amtrak jobs and the destabilization of the Railroad Retirement trust fund.

Brillhart

Amtrak Conductor and Local 1933 member Amanda Brillhart is in critical condition after her husband, Charles Nethercutt, poured gasoline on her and set her on fire Sept. 19.
Brillhart, 27, has a one-year-old son. As a result of the attack, she has undergone extensive surgeries and is expected to be out of work for quite a while. Police are still searching for her husband.
A GoFundMe account has been set up by her co-workers to help with the financial burden that medical bills and being off work is causing.
Click here to donate.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for help at 1-800-799-7233 or for the hearing impaired TTY 1-800-787-3224.
Visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline website at www.thehotline.org.
Click here to learn more about domestic violence.

In a 128-293 vote, the U.S. House of Representatives voted Sept. 6 to reject an amendment introduced by Rep. Mo Brooks (R – Ala.) to eliminate $1.1 billion of federal subsidies for Amtrak for 2018.
Click here to read more from Railway Age.

BostonGlobe.com reported that John Sweeney, longtime Amtrak conductor and SMART TD Local 1462 member from Boston, Mass., successfully completed a 3,000 mile, coast-to-coast bicycle trek that he was suppose to embark on 41 years ago, and never did. Read the complete story here.
Stock photo courtesy of public domain.net.

Instead of working to upgrade long-distance transportation services, and ignoring his promise to invest in American infrastructure, Trump is working to end long-distance train travel.
According to an article posted on July 3, 2017, in the San Francisco Chronicle, if Trump’s 2018 proposed budget is passed, long-distance passenger trains that have crisscrossed America for more than a century will fade into oblivion.
Despite record high numbers of Amtrak passengers, Trump’s budgetary plan is to slash funds for Amtrak by nearly 50 percent, forcing the end of Amtrak’s long-distance train service in America.
Click here to read the entire article.
 
 
 
 

CSX conductors and Local 600 members Jake LaFave and Stephen Deal lost their lives June 27 when they stepped off a CSX locomotive to check an alert and were hit by an Amtrak train.

Jake J. LaFave

LaFave

LaFave, 25, enjoyed spending time with loved ones, working on electronics, playing video and card games, and going on road trips. A newly wed, LaFave married his wife, Caitlin in March 2017.
A Pinckney High School, (Pinckney, Mich.) 2011 graduate, LaFave continued his education at Washtenaw Community College, in Ann Arbor, Mich., where he studied Computer Systems and Networking.
He is survived by his wife, Caitlin (Blough) LaFave; parents James and Kathy LaFave; sister, Shae LaFave; grandparents, Bud and Beverly Mancuso, and James and Marcia LaFave; and many aunts, uncles and cousins.
A public memorial service will be held at the Blough Residence on July 8 at 7 p.m. at 9833 Turkey Creek Rd., Easton, MD 21601. Family and friends are also invited to LaFave’s home at 12922 N. Cresap St., Cumberland, MD 21502, July 11 from 2 – 8 p.m. to share stories and offer condolences.
Click here to leave condolences online.

Stephen Wayne Deal

Deal

Deal, 20, was a 2014 graduate of Meyersdale Area High School, Meyersdale, Pa. He attended the Meyersdale Grace Brethren Church and was a member of the FFA, where he received the Keystone and American Degrees. Before coming to work for CSX, Deal was employed as a farm hand and as a temporary PennDOT worker.
Deal enjoyed riding his motorcycle and ATV, farming, hunting and spending time with his family.
He is survived by his parents, Donald S. and Loretta (Hetz) Deal; sister, Aleigha (Walt) Oakes; nephew, Wyatt Austin Oakes; grandmothers, Wilda Deal and Judy Hetz; great-grandmother, Thelma Durst; aunts and uncles, Rhonda (Charles) Teets, Monica (George) Porter, Teresa (Gary) Haer, Harrison (Kim) Hetz, and Jesse (Melissa) Hetz; and numerous cousins and friends. Deal was preceded in death by his pappys, Donald W. Deal and Harrison F. “Cork” Hetz Jr.
Click here to leave condolences for the family.

Two employees of CSX Transportation were struck and killed, Tuesday, June 27, as an Amtrak train approached Union Station in Washington, D.C.
The victims were aboard a CSX freight train approaching the station when an alert instructed the crew to stop and check part of the train, a National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) official said. The two CSX employees were then struck by the Amtrak train after getting off of their freight train. Of the 121 passengers aboard Amtrak Train 175, no one was hurt.
The identities of the two victims has not yet been released out of respect for the families. The NTSB is still investigating the cause of the accident.
Read more from NBC 4 Washington.

Anderson

Amtrak announced that it has named Richard Anderson, a 25-year veteran of the aviation industry, as its next president and chief executive officer. Anderson, former chief executive officer of both Delta and Northwest Airlines, will begin his role on July 12.
To ensure a smooth transition, Anderson will serve in a co-CEO capacity with current CEO Wick Moorman through Dec. 31, 2017, at which time Moorman will become an advisor to the company. Moorman joined Amtrak in September 2016 as a transitional CEO tasked with improving the company’s operations, streamlining the organizational structure, and helping recruit his successor.
Anderson, 62, most recently was executive chairman of the Delta Air Lines board of directors after serving as the airline’s CEO from 2007 to 2016. He was executive vice president at United Healthcare from 2004 to 2007 and CEO of Northwest Airlines from 2001 to 2004, which later merged with Delta. Anderson also served in the legal division at Continental Airlines and was a former county prosecutor.
“It is an honor to join Amtrak at a time when passenger rail service is growing in importance in America. I look forward to working alongside Amtrak’s dedicated employees to continue the improvements begun by Wick,” said Anderson. “Amtrak is a great company today, and I’m excited about using my experience and working with the board to make it even better. I’m passionate about building strong businesses that create the best travel experience possible for customers.”
“Richard is a best-in-class industry leader and isn’t afraid to face challenges head-on. He has helped companies navigate bankruptcy, a recession, mergers and acquisitions, and 9/11,” said Moorman. “He’s a leader with the strategic vision and tactical experience necessary to run a railroad that benefits our customers, partners and stakeholders nationwide.”
Anderson earned a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Houston at Clear Lake City and a Juris Doctorate at South Texas College of Law. He is a native of Galveston, Texas, where his father worked for the Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railway.

A few dozen members of SMART TD and the National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) joined together Friday, July 23 at St. Paul, Minnesota’s Union Depot to protest President Trump’s proposed budget cuts to all long-distance rail service currently provided by Amtrak.
Minnesota State Legislative Director Phil Qualy and Local 911 member and NARP representative Cameron Slick organized the protest together.
“Airports are heavily subsidized, roads are completely paid for by the government, I think our country is able to afford a decent train system,” Slick told NBC affiliate KARE 11.
Click here to read more about the protest from KARE 11.
Click here to view a map of proposed cuts of Amtrak.
Click here to view an Amtrak fact sheet.
Click here to view a pdf on the fiscal solvency of Amtrak.

John Risch, SMART TD Legislative Director

If signed into law, President Trump’s 2018 budget proposal would eliminate Amtrak’s long distance train service. The immediate fall out would be significant for all American rail workers resulting in the loss of 10,000 non-Northeast Corridor Amtrak jobs by the end of this year.
According to a recent report by the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) actuary, the impact of such job losses would result in a long-term decrease in Railroad Retirement benefits and overall increase in taxes.
Impact on RRB benefits & trust funds if 10,000 Amtrak jobs cut
While RRB accounts could absorb the loss of 10,000 Amtrak jobs, the cumulative impact of losses in the rail industry, including approximately 30,000 jobs that have been lost in just the last two years, will take a significantly negative toll on the entire system. Attached you will find the RRB’s detailed projection in loss of jobs, loss of benefits, and major increase in railroad unemployment benefits projected for 2017 and 2018.
The time to act is NOW
We must urge fellow members, friends and family to call, email and write our national elected officials to OPPOSE any budget that would cut 10,00 Amtrak jobs, eliminate commuter rail service and irreparably harm the retirement benefits that all railroad members worked for a lifetime to secure.
Click here to urge your elected representatives to oppose any budget cuts to Amtrak’s long-distance train service via the Legislative Action Center (LAC).
In solidarity,
John Risch
National Legislative Director
SMART Transportation Division