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The SMART Education Department held its new “Right to Work and Member Retention” class in Detroit, Mich., during the week of September 30th. The class focused on the open shop movement, the impact of so-called right to work, strategies for improving membership retention, and the critical role that union leaders play in maintaining local union power.

Twenty-three participants from across our union worked together to problem solve and create action plans for their respective locals. The class also took time to celebrate the repeal of Michigan’s right-to-work law and the role that Michigan Locals 7 (Lansing), 80 and 292 (both Detroit) played in that process.

“Everyone’s hard work will help strengthen our union!” said SMART International Instructor Richard Mangelsdorf.

Conductor Nathan Hatton arrived at work on August 9th ready for an ordinary shift. The twice-daily Amtrak run between Pontiac and Battle Creek, Michigan, is usually busy, but calm. Hatton and Dallas Jeffs, his assistant conductor, greeted passengers as they boarded.

One passenger, ticketed for the three-hour trip to Battle Creek, caught Hatton’s attention.

“This passenger was traveling a long distance, and yet he only had one small suitcase. When I greeted him, he was nonresponsive and avoided eye contact.” Hatton explained. The passenger was also wearing camouflage and knee pads.

LESSON 1: KNOW THE PATTERN AND WATCH FOR ANOMALIES

Conductors Nathan Hatton and Dallas Jeffs collaborated to stop a potentially dangerous situation aboard an Amtrak train.

As the local chairperson for LCA-769A, Hatton attended SMART-TD’s 2024 National Training Seminar in July. His training included a session on de-escalation techniques for transit workers. Such training is part of the union’s ongoing effort to confront the rising epidemic of violent assaults involving bus and passenger rail workers across the United States.

“In the training we were taught to watch for things that stuck out to us as not normal. He was checking a lot of the boxes on the list. Things our instructor, John Bostain, told us to be aware of and not to blow off,” Hatton said.

Bostain, an instructor for Command Presence Training, modeled his course on techniques used by the U.S. Marine Corps to anticipate and, if possible, defuse tragic events.

“When anomalies start to pile up, it’s an indication something is potentially wrong,” Bostain taught. “That’s when the transit worker must decide what to do to protect the safety of themselves and their passengers.”

Hatton quietly shared his observations with Jeffs, and they agreed to keep an eye on their unusual passenger.

LESSON 2: WATCH FOR SIGNS OF A PERSON IS IN CRISIS

Early in the journey, the passenger stood from his seat near the front of the car, removed his case, and moved it to an easily accessible luggage rack behind all the other passengers. He returned to his seat for a time, then moved to the cafe car. Hatton observed as the man ordered three shots of gin.

“The single most important technique for dealing with people in crisis is not escalating,” Bostain wrote. It is easy to accidentally make a situation more intense through confrontation, when a tense situation calls for a delicate touch.

While the passenger was occupied in the bar, the conductors decided it was time to see what was in that case. Hatton kept watch while Jeffs opened the case and discovered multiple loaded firearms. Amtrak police were contacted and discreetly boarded the train in Jackson, an hour out from Battle Creek. Jeffs moved the case to a vestibule, out of sight of other passengers, where the officer could discreetly inspect it.

LESSON 3: STAY CALM, CREATE SPACE AND GET BACKUP

With 15 minutes left in the journey, the Amtrak police proceeded cautiously. By this time the passenger seemed intoxicated, and he may have been armed. While they kept watch, Hatton also contacted the Battle Creek Police Department. The man was detained as he stepped off the train.

REMEMBER YOUR TRAINING

While there is no way for Hatton and Jeffs to know the plan or intentions of the man, his behavior was erratic and, improperly handled, had the potential of being catastrophic.  

By staying calm and working strategically, brothers Jeffs and Hatton may have saved their own lives, as well as several others.

For information on upcoming SMART-TD training opportunities, please visit our website and watch for announcements in our daily SMART-TD NewsWire emails.

The SMART Education Department held its Organizing I class in Dallas, Texas, during the week of February 12th. The three-day class covered topics including the history of organizing, basic labor and labour law, top-down and bottom-up organizing, pressure tactics, digital organizing, implicit bias and SWOT and GAP analysis. Each of the 40 organizers and business representatives who attended the class developed organizing pitches, identified unfair labor practices, role played contractor interactions and prepared SWOT and GAP analysis for their goals as an organizer.

The SMART Transportation Division is pleased to announce the first joint SMART Union Annual Leadership Conference. The event will replace the former TD Regional Meetings, which have had a two-year pandemic disruption. Please pay close attention to the following details as several changes have been made.

The 2022 Annual Leadership Conference is scheduled to take place Aug. 8-11 at the San Francisco Hilton Union Square, 333 O’Farrell St., San Francisco, CA 94102. The conference will be reserved for state board and general committee officers and the event includes the Sheet Metal Business Agents’ meeting.

Details regarding costs, registration and schedule for the 2022 Annual Leadership Conference will be communicated as finalized and will be posted in the Member Portal on the union website.

Regional Training Seminar model to continue

For SMART-TD local officers, we are excited to continue our training strategy established during the COVID-19 pandemic of true “regional meetings.” The Regional Training Seminar (RTS) model was established to provide training close to the local in efforts to reduce the sometimes-prohibitive financial expense related to sending officers to these educational events. By providing training at multiple geographic locations and dates throughout the year, it will greatly assist in removing some of the logistical obstacles for local officers who want to attend.

During 2021, SMART-TD held four RTS in strategic locations that provided thorough and practical training for local officers. All were very well attended and received. General Chairpersons and SLDs will identify locations where there’s a demand for training and assist with organizing the event. We encourage locals and their officers to reach out if they would like an RTS. Once host locations are identified and chosen, information will be shared on our website and social media platforms about how to attend. 

In addition, online SMART University training for members and officers will be made available in the very near future. In-person local secretary & treasurer workshops also will continue to be offered by SMART-TD and promoted on the TD Local Toolbox page when details are finalized.

Training is the backbone of our organization and SMART Transportation Division leadership is committed to bringing access to educational materials to all members and officers.

A more detailed article with additional information about the new structure of SMART-TD’s educational efforts will be released very soon.

Attendees participate in an educational session in Topeka, Kan., on June 23. (Photo courtesy Zach Nagy)

The leadership of GCA-953 (Union Pacific) have kicked off a slate of educational sessions for local officers and members.
The first of six sessions took place June 22 and 23 in Topeka, Kan., with General Chairperson Luke Edington, Associate GC Ian Reynolds and Sr. Vice GC Zach Nagy hosting and teaching the classes.
The curriculum included training on serving as a union officer, an overview of officer duties, website training, filing a proper time claim, writing a discipline appeal and a mock arbitration session.
Transportation Division President Jeremy Ferguson made a guest appearance through Zoom, Vice President Brent Leonard spoke in person and Larry Romine from Reliable Retirement spoke through Zoom.
“We had attendees including local presidents, local chairpersons, vice local chairpersons and secretary/treasurers from four states in attendance,” Nagy said.
The GCA  has plans for five more sessions in Omaha, Cheyenne, Salt Lake City, Portland and Waukesha, Wis., as the summer progresses.
For more information about time and locations, email Nagy at znagy@utu953.org.

Union Plus logo; Union Plus; Union Plus BenefitsMembers and their families are eligible to apply for Union Plus scholarships ranging from $500 to $4,000, but the deadline to be considered is quickly approaching with all applications due by noon EST on January 31, 2019.
Applicants are evaluated according to academic ability, social awareness, financial need and appreciation of labor. A GPA of 3.0 or higher is recommended, and the required essays account for up to half of your total score. Applications are judged by a committee of impartial post-secondary educators.

Isaiah’s Award Introduced

This year Union Plus has also introduced Isaiah’s Award for students who have a connection with the foster care system. Those applying will be asked to describe their personal, employment, volunteer experiences or career goals related to the foster care system.
Scholarship award recipients will be chosen by no later than May 31 and winners will be notified by mail during the first week of June.
The Union Plus Education Foundation has awarded more than $4.3 million in scholarships to students of union families and over 2,900 families have benefited.
For other eligibility requirements, click here and scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on the “Eligibility” tab, located next to the “How it Works” tab.
Click here to apply.

“You’re going to be a high school senior this fall. Any thoughts on a career? College?”

“Well, Dad, I think I might like to work for a railroad. It’s a pretty important business, and I hear that the pay and benefits are really good. And I’ve always been interested in trains.”

Read the complete story at Railway Age.

Almost a year has passed since Mike Futhey, Arty Martin and Kim Thompson took office.

They ran on a platform of specific promises, including full disclosure. Following are Futhey administration promises and results, so far:

Promise #1: Restructure the International by reducing the number of International officers in Cleveland,and providing the most possible assistance to general committees, state boards and local officers.

Results: The vice president-administration duties were consolidated with those of the general secretary and treasurer (GS&T), and that vice president position was reassigned to the field. All full-time officers are assigned on a full-time basis and are required to make detailed and timely reports of their activities.

Communication with local officers was expanded, especially through visits to locals and general committees by the International president, assistant president, GS&T and International vice presidents.

Also, the UTU Alumni Association was restructured to provide greater interaction between the UTU International and retirees.

Promise #2: Automate more functions.

Results: The Information Technology Department has accelerated the conversion of critical data from an antiquated mainframe computer to modern operating systems.

Direct deposit of dues, DIPP and UTUIA insurance premiums was implemented on CSX and portions of UP, with other national- agreement carriers to be added in 2009.

Automation of billing and auditing is underway.

Also, the iLink platform was expanded for use by general committees and state boards, allowing improved and more rapid access. iLink will be directly accessible from the UTU Web site by Dec. 1.

Promise #3: Expand education opportunities.

Results: The computer-based UTU University was created, providing structured, self-teaching programs through iLink. Group instruction, to assist officers in getting started, is underway.

The awards database search engine is being improved.

Regional meeting workshops are being fine tuned to better meet member needs, especially for officers administering the National Labor Relations Act.

Promise #4: Grow and protect the International’s finances.

Results: UTU International funds have increased by $3.4 million — some 45 percent — to $11 million since Jan. 1. They are managed for the most effective return consistent with a conservative investment approach.

Also, organizing of unorganized airline, bus and rail properties has been accelerated.

Promise #5: Expand the Bus Department.

Results: More aggressive organizing is underway of bus properties in the Northeast and on the West Coast.

Also, regional meeting workshops were beefed up to provide greater understanding of labor laws affecting bus members.

Promise #6: Yardmaster commitment.

Results: While there no longer is a vice president of the Yardmaster Department, a yardmaster vice president position remains within the International headquarters to provide assistance as requested.

Promise #7: Airline commitment.

Results: In spite of the demise of Big Sky Airlines, the assistant president is assigned to search out the unorganized in the aviation industry. Discussions are underway on two airline properties, where employee interest in the UTU, based on the quality of representation at Big Sky, is strong.

Promise #8: Improve the ability and ease of researching controlling awards.

Results: iLink now provides better access to controlling awards, plus secure chat rooms for various levels of elected officers to exchange information and ideas.

Promise #9: Grow the UTU through the right merger with the right organization, and provide full transparency in the process.

Results: The UTU International is aggressively defending attempts by the SMWIA to force a merger in the face of a federal court decision that members were not provided information on conflicts between the two constitutions prior to casting ballots in 2007.

Promise #10: Improve member services.

Results: Leadership reports are posted to the UTU Web site for member inspection.

Meetings have been held regularly by senior International officers with general chairpersons and state legislative directors in an open-forum format.

A monthly UTU News feature introduces members to UTU employees, and explains what they do.

Promise #11: Engage in successful contract negotiations.

Results: A new national rail agreement bettered the pattern was negotiated in January, and was overwhelmingly ratified by the membership.

Arbitration on training and service-scale is scheduled to commence in early December.

Also, UTU International officers are available to assist general chairpersons, as requested, including providing assistance in negotiating individualized agreements to satisfy the new rail-safety bill’s changes to hours of service and limbo time.

Advice on complying with the FRA’s emergency ban on use of electronic devices in the cab has been posted on the UTU Web site.

Advice on how hours-of-service changes in the safety bill will affect members will be posted by Dec. 1. Those changes are not effective until July 2009.

Promise #12: Expand the legislative agenda and deliver on those promises.

Results: The UTU provided leadership in passage of the Rail Safety Improvement Act — the most sweeping safety reform in 30 years. Included is a provision permitting general chairpersons to sit down with carrier labor relations officers and negotiate a better balance between time off and earnings, while preserving guaranteed time off.

UTU efforts to elect Barack Obama and labor friendly lawmakers exceeded any effort ever mounted by a labor union.

The UTU will continue efforts to fix the commercial driver’s license problem, and will work with the AFL-CIO to identify qualified nominees for regulatory agency positions in the Obama administration.

“We have achieved solid gains in pursuing platform objectives,” said UTU International President Mike Futhey. “We are committed to building on the accomplishments of the first year, and identifying new objectives to serve the membership.”