The National Mediation Board (NMB) announced Monday that Linda A. Puchala has been named chair of the board, effective July 1. Gerald Fauth III and Kyle Fortson remain as board members. Puchala was confirmed as an NMB member by the United States Senate on May 21, 2009. She ha [...]
WASHINGTON (June 26, 2019) — U.S. Senators Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.) and Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) today introduced the Safe Freight Act, (S.1979) legislation that would promote rail safety by mandating at least two-person crews on all freight trains in the United States. The bill [...]
The U.S. House of Representatives on Monday, June 24, passed an amendment that would block President Donald Trump’s Executive Order in April to the Department of Transportation to fast-track the allowance of liquid natural gas (LNG) to be transported by rail. “In its ne [...]
A Florida judge has dismissed a lawsuit that three CSX shareholders had filed last summer against the carrier regarding the 2017 hiring of late CEO E. Hunter Harrison. The matter was settled by Virginia state law, which required that the suit be dismissed after a committee of [...]
SMART Transportation Division President John Previsich testifies Thursday afternoon before the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials. SMART Transportation Division President John Previsich appeared before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Railroads, [...]
Rights to benefits under the Railroad Retirement Act also carry responsibilities for reporting events that may affect the payment of these benefits to the employee or to members of the employee’s family. If these events are not reported, benefit overpayments can occur that ha [...]
Ohio State Legislative Director Stu Gardner requests that members from his state show their support for H.B. 186, a comprehensive rail safety bill that is receiving its first hearing in the Ohio Legislature on Tuesday, June 18. Ohio Reps. Brent Hillyer and Michael Sheehy, who [...]
Here’s a quick update on where legislation important to SMART Transportation Division members stands on a national level: The Safe Freight Act in the U.S. House (H.R. 1748), national two-person crew legislation introduced by U.S. Rep. Don Young in March, has 60 co-spons [...]
Open enrollment has begun for SMART Transportation Division bus and rail members in the union’s new Voluntary Disability Plan (VDP). The plan, now underwritten by Amalgamated Life Insurance Company, is available for long-term protection against a sudden loss of income due to [...]
Due to increased demand, additional discounted rooms have been secured at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel for SMART Transportation Division’s Regional Meeting from June 30 to July 3, 2019, in San Diego. Members now can reserve rooms at a discounted rate until June 11. At the [...]
