Transportation News

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Canadian Class I executives foresee crude-by-rail growth come springtime

Executives from both Canadian National (CN) and Canadian Pacific (CP) said that they anticipate a boost in crude-by-rail traffic come springtime, Trains Magazine reports. Both CN Chief Financial Officer Ghislain Houle and CP Chief Marketing Officer John Brooks presented Nov. [...]

ERMA lifetime maximum benefit to increase in 2019

The lifetime maximum benefit for the Railroad Employees National Early Retirement Major Medical Benefit (ERMA or GA-46000) Plan will increase from $162,500 to $166,400 beginning Jan. 1, 2019. At the end of 2001, labor and management had agreed on various procedures to adminis [...]

RRB: Buyouts and Railroad Retirement Benefits

Railroad employees frequently ask the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) how the acceptance of a buyout from a railroad employer affects their future eligibility for benefits under the Railroad Retirement and Railroad Unemployment Insurance Acts. The following questions and answ [...]

Time to mobilize against Ohio Right to Work for Less bill

Ohio Assistant State Legislative Director Ralph Leichliter sent along a notice that the Ohio House of Representatives is going to begin discussions Tuesday, Nov. 13 in Columbus about H.B. 53 — yet another attempt in the Buckeye State to get Right to Work for Less legisl [...]

Honoring our Veterans

World War I – known at the time as “The Great War” – officially ended when the Treaty of Versailles was signed on June 28, 1919, in the Palace of Versailles outside the town of Versailles, France. However, fighting ceased seven months earlier when an armistice, or tempo [...]

Election Day 2018

This is an important year for the direction of our country, and as we do on the roads and on the rails of these great United States, SMART Transportation Division will lead the way. With your vote comes the chance to shape where the future of the transportation industry will [...]

Former Vice General Chairperson Tom Baker has died

Local 911 (Minneapolis) Local Chairperson Tom “TJ” Baker, 32, died Tuesday, Oct. 27. A 12-year member, Baker had served his union as local chairperson and 3rd vice general chairperson of GO 261 – Canadian Pacific (SOO Line) since 2015. Brother Baker is the son of former GO 26 [...]

NTSB identifies causes of 2017 ethanol train derailment in Iowa

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) on Oct. 30 ruled that flaws in Union Pacific’s approach to inspecting, maintaining and repairing defects on the Estherville Subdivision helped to cause a March 2017 derailment that resulted in multiple tank cars spilling undenat [...]