Transportation News

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Veterans transition into civilian jobs as bus drivers

WASHINGTON – More than 10,000 veterans and active duty personnel have now taken advantage of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Military Skills Test Waiver Program. In the first three years of the Military Skills Test W [...]

Three new mediators join the NMB

Washington, D.C. – The National Mediation Board (NMB) is pleased to announce that in June 2015 three new mediators have joined the NMB: Jane Allen joins the NMB with 22 years of experience in the airline industry. She also practiced law for five years. Ms. Allen worked for fi [...]

TTD statement on Senate Amtrak Reauthorization bill

Washington, DC — Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issues this statement on the consideration of the Amtrak Reauthorization bill: “We applaud Senators Roger Wicker and Cory Booker for working in a bipartisan fashion to craft a s [...]

Will bill fix Amtrak problems that delay commuters?

NJ Transit commuters could see benefits from a bill proposed by U.S. Sens. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) to pump $6.6 billion over four years into Amtrak’s aging infrastructure, which could repair or replace some of the signals, overhead wire and track [...]

Senate confirms new TSA administrator

WASHINGTON –  The Senate voted on Monday, June 22, to confirm a new leader for the Transportation Security Administration in the wake of reports of startling security gaps at U.S. airports. Coast Guard Vice Adm. Peter Neffenger was confirmed as the agency’s new administ [...]

Keep train safety system on deadline

When a passenger boards a Metro-North train, there is every expectation to arrive at the destination safely. Yet Congress is considering easing a year-end deadline for railroads to install a technology — called Positive Train Control — that will prevent accidents like those d [...]

Flight attendants seek training to spot human trafficking

Flight attendants in the United States are calling for the government to step up action against human trafficking by funding mandatory training to help them spot victims in the air. The Association of Flight Attendants-CWA (AFA), the world’s largest flight attendant uni [...]

General Chairperson Dale McClain passes away

Dale W. McClain, 59, of Buffalo, N.Y. died of cancer June 11 at a nursing home in Buffalo, N.Y. McClain hired out with First Student Inc., and was a member of Local 1908 (Buffalo, N.Y.) since 1990. McClain served her union in various positions since 2011 when she was voted in [...]

PTC, two-person crews necessary after Amtrak tragedy

By John Previsich, SMART Transportation Division President We are all aware of the recent incident that occurred on Amtrak Train 188 in Philadelphia. Three of our conductor Brothers and Sisters from Local 1370 in New York City and the engineer operating the locomotive have ha [...]

NTSB issues second update on Amtrak derailment

WASHINGTON – As part of its ongoing investigation into the May 12, 2015, derailment of Amtrak Train 188 in Philadelphia, the NTSB today provides this update on the analysis of the engineer’s cell phone and related records. The NTSB is conducting a detailed examination of the [...]