Transportation News

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York Railway agreement gains 100% ratification

YORK, Pa. — UTU-represented trainmen, engineers and carmen employed by York Railway have ratified new collective bargaining agreements, with 100 percent of the membership voting in favor of contracts retroactive to Jan. 1, 2010 and extending through Dec. 31, 2014. The a [...]

Mother of UTU International president dies

MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Coy Marie Bradshaw Futhey, age 89, mother of UTU International President Mike Futhey, died April 3 in a nursing home here. She was active in the Auxiliary of the UTU and its predecessor, Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, and served as president and legi [...]

House agrees to anti-union measure

WASHINGTON — Although 16 Republicans refused to be cowed by their conservative leadership, the House of Representatives last week succeeded in another attack on collective bargaining by voting to nullify a National Mediation Board ruling making representation elections [...]

Safety alert: Electronic device ban

The Federal Railroad Administration’s permanent ban on use of electronic devices, including cellphones, became effective March 28, 2011. Please make careful note of the following: In the event of a collision, derailment or fatality, one of the first actions taken by Nat [...]

Funds created for victims of Kelso collision

A memorial fund has been established for the three killed in a collision between a shuttle-van and freight train in Kelso, Wash., March 23. A second fund was established to assist a UTU-member and conductor critically injured in the accident. Killed in the collision at a priv [...]

The shameful state of bus-safety advances

WASHINGTON — Observing that her five-year-old soccer-mom van contains safety technology more advanced than is integrated into many motor coaches, National Transportation Safety Board Chairperson Deborah Hersman March 30 chided Congress and the Federal Motor Carrier Safe [...]

Ohio lawmakers smash bargaining rights

COLUMBUS, Ohio — It’s official. The Ohio House and Senate have passed anti-union legislation that limits public-employee collective bargaining. Gov. John Kasich intends to sign the bill into law. The legislation bars strikes by public employees and limits collective bar [...]

NMB officials join national labor talks

In an effort to facilitate a new national rail agreement between the UTU and most of the nation’s railroads, two members of the National Mediation Board attended the ninth negotiating session between the UTU and the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC) i [...]

Labor foes now attacking freedom of speech

The attack on organized labor by right-wing extremists seems to have no boundaries. The latest outrage is an attempt by a conservative research group in Michigan to intimidate college professors it considers sympathetic to organized labor. News organizations report the Mackin [...]

Mother of UTU Wisconsin SLD dies

Helen Deneen, 88, mother of UTU Wisconsin Legislative Director Tim Deneen died March 28. Tim’s son, Brandan, had been caring for her at her home. A service will be held March 31 at St. Bernard’s Catholic Church, 2015 Parmenter St., Middleton, Wis., and internment [...]