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William “Bill” Laver

SMART Local 556 (Tacoma, Wash.) recognized a moment of silence for their fallen brother this week.

BNSF Brakeman William “Bill” Laver, 51, of Grapeview, Wash., had his life of dedicated service cut short Friday, Sept. 16 by an alleged drunken driver while he was on his way to work.

Laver had answered his call to work and was riding his motorcycle to the yard when police said a driver going the wrong way on Route 16 struck him head on Sept. 16. The driver then allegedly fled the scene of the accident and has since been arrested by police. He is now facing charges of fleeing the scene and driving while under the influence in relation to the accident.

Brother Laver hired on with BNSF in 2011 and prior to that served our country honorably, retiring with 20 years of service in the United States Navy. At the time of his retirement, he was a Senior Chief.

Bill Price, local chairperson of Local 556, said, “I worked with Bill many times, and he was a great guy. He’s going to be missed by all of us.”

Price said Laver left behind his wife, six children, and two grandchildren along with both his mother and father.

There will be a celebration of life Sunday, October 2 at 1 p.m. at the Shelton Civic Center, 525 W. Cota St., Shelton, WA 98584. This opportunity to pay respects to the Laver family is open to the public.

Follow this link to donate to Brother Laver’s GoFundMe page.

SMART-TD extends our deepest condolences to the Laver family, Local 556 and to all who knew Brother Laver.

Our union is in mourning after losing two of its active members this week: one in a work-related fatality and one in a traffic accident.
Ryan Sandy, 37, a member of Local 662 (Richmond, Va.) and a former local chairperson of LCA-201C, was killed in an on-the-job accident at 2:45 a.m., Monday, Oct. 12 in the Acca Yard in Henrico County, Va.
Sandy had been a member of SMART Transportation Division since February 2009 and worked as a conductor for CSX.

Sandy
An online fundraiser has been established for his family at www.GoFundMe.com. Brother Sandy leaves behind his wife and best friend, Kate; and his children, Jayden, Shannon, Kasen, Jasper and Henry.
“We are all shocked and saddened by his passing,” fundraiser organizer Michael Carter posted. “It’s now our turn to give back and help his wife and their children as they deal with the loss of their loving husband and father.”
The National Transportation Safety Board has launched an investigation into Brother Sandy’s death, marking a change brought about by the insistence of SMART-TD safety leaders.
A number of worker fatalities over the past two years involving union workers went without an NTSB-led investigation, a situation that SMART-TD leadership made clear needed to be changed.
Across the country, Local 556 (Tacoma, Wash.) is mourning the loss of one of its officers.
Clayton Hoffman III, general chairperson of GCA-TMB (Tacoma Municipal Beltline) and local chairperson of LCA-TMB1, died in a fatal traffic accident Oct. 9. He was 43 years old.
Hoffman

The circumstances of GC Hoffman’s death are being investigated. He had been a member of the union since April 2004. He became GC on Oct. 1, 2012, and immediately set to work, said current Local 556 President Bill Price.
“During his time, Clayton negotiated one of the best contacts in shortline history for his members and brought those members to a livable wage,” Price said.
Price said that Hoffman served as a fierce representative of his fellow members and will be missed.
Local 556 brother Kody Henderson, local chairperson of LCA-001a, had this to say about his fallen brother:
“He was union leadership powerhouse and a union leader I looked up to. He was there when I initially took office in 2015 and helped guide me through this local chairman position. We would speak often, and as time went on we would reconnect to share stories and discharge stresses of dealing with management to one another.”
Brother Hoffman is survived by his brother, his sister and his mother.
“Clayton will be missed by all here at Local 556,” Price said.
The SMART Transportation Division offers its condolences to the relatives, friends and the brothers and sisters of Locals 662 and 556 on the passing of Brothers Sandy and Hoffman.

Tacoma Rail logo_FotorSMART Transportation Division-represented trainmen (Local 556 of Tacoma, Wash.) employed by Tacoma Rail have ratified a new six and one-half (6.5) year agreement by an overwhelming majority.

The agreement provides for true parity for all trainmen, with the elimination of entry rates and the consolidation of all rates into a single rate of pay for conductor positions with all arbitrary and short crew allowances rolled into the daily rate, resulting in an hourly rate of pay increase effective July 1, 2017. The agreement establishes a standard crew consist of two (2) trainmen on all assignments, a guaranteed extra board with a pass provision, and double time for working holidays.

The agreement also provides for a three percent deferred compensation match, a ratification incentive, improved meal periods, and boot allowance provisions.

SMART Transportation Division Vice President Dave Wier, who assisted with the mediated negotiations, congratulated TMB General Chairperson Clayton Hoffman, Vice Chairperson Shawn Merrill and former Vice Chairperson John Pace for “the exceptional effort put forth in bringing the members’ concerns to the bargaining table and negotiating an agreement with significant improvements in wages and working conditions. This is an agreement that our members can be proud of.”