Transportation News

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After 44 years, John Dunn of Local 756 in Texas pulls the pin

After 44 years with Union Pacific and Missouri Pacific, John Dunn of Local 756, a great advocate for members in the great state of Texas in which he lives, has called it a career. Dunn joined our union back in November 1977 after hiring on with Missouri Pacific in July 1977. [...]

SMART-TD National Safety Team gets new director

As the SMART-TD restructures to better serve our membership, the National Safety Team (NST) now has a new director. SMART-TD Alternate National Legislative Director Jared Cassity (Local 1377 in Russell, Ky.) has taken over as director for SMART-TD Chief of Staff Jerry Gibson [...]

Memorial Day message from TD President Ferguson

Brothers and sisters: As we mark a second Memorial Day in what we hope are the waning days of the coronavirus pandemic, let us all take the time to offer a measure of respect to the men and women who sacrificed their lives to defend the freedoms we enjoy in the United States [...]

STB chair to Class Is: You have cut the workforce too deep

On May 27, the chair of the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) Martin J. Oberman reached out to all Class I CEOs asking them whether the carriers are prepared to reverse the workforce cuts they have made in anticipation of handling an economic rebound as the coronavir [...]

RRB: Railroad Retirement survivor benefits

Monthly benefits may be payable under the Railroad Retirement Act to the surviving widow(er), children, and certain other dependents of a railroad employee if the employee was “insured” under that Act at the time of death. Lump-sum death benefits may also be payable to qualif [...]

Local 17 vice president passes away from injuries

Brother John Pohle, vice president of Local 17 (Marshalltown, Iowa), passed away in the hospital on May 25, 2021, nearly a month after he suffered a critical injury while working April 30 in Union Pacific’s Marshalltown Yard. Brother Pohle, a member of the union for mor [...]

Switching Operations Fatality Analysis (SOFA) Working Group issues alert

The Switching Operations Fatality Analysis (SOFA) Working Group issued an alert late last week in response to three rail fatalities that have occurred since early March. Two of those incidents resulted in the loss of life of SMART-TD members — Taj Ellis and Buddy L. Strieker [...]

RRB reminds that 2020 service statements will be released in June

Notice from John Bragg, the RRB labor member Brothers and Sisters, It is hard to believe that 2020 is in the rearview mirror and we are already approaching the mid-point of 2021. The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) is still operating in a remote capacity with field offices cl [...]