SMART Transportation Division President Jeremy R. Ferguson and Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) President Dennis Pierce sought clarification today from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) after the agency granted 60-day emergency waiver requests t [...]
On March 27, Congress passed and President Donald Trump signed into law a bill that provides provisions favorable to SMART Transportation Division members as the nation continues to combat the coronavirus pandemic. The bill provides a $2 trillion relief package to the nation [...]
A few months ago, I had the opportunity to move a lite engine from customer to customer. I like moves like this because they are different from the normal everyday work of a local road switcher. This move was no different from normal railroading, other than this yard bird cau [...]
Due to the ongoing disruptions caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19), the Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) updates its March 17, 2020, advisory concerning Title II of the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act of 1959 (LMRDA). Unio [...]
State Resources and Benefits The following are online links to U.S. states and some local municipal resources for workers that have been impacted by COVID-19. Within these links are resources for Unemployment Insurance as well as other support services. ALABAMA General infor [...]
This guidance document provides clarity to DOT-regulated employers, employees, and service agents on conducting DOT drug-and-alcohol testing given concerns about the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). We, as a nation, are facing an unprecedented public health emergency that [...]
The following article by Dan Zukowski has been reproduced from Trains Magazine’s website with permission. Labor unions representing rail and transit workers have asked the Federal Railroad Administration for two emergency orders to address the dangers in their work envi [...]
The purpose of this notice is to update you on how COVID-19 is impacting operations at the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB). Be assured, while it is not business as usual, the agency remains open for business. Listed below are some of the more notable changes. Last week, my of [...]
Dear Leader McConnell, Speaker Pelosi, Leader Schumer, and Leader McCarthy: On behalf of America’s public transportation industry and its frontline employees who operate and maintain public transit and commuter rail systems across the country every day, we urge you to provide [...]
March 20, 2020 All Members — SMART Transportation Division Dear Brothers and Sisters: I would like to begin by recognizing those of you who, in the face of this global COVID-19 pandemic, are continuing to serve the millions of Americans who depend on us and the services [...]
