Transportation News

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Sen. Schumer implores feds to screen transit employees

U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is asking the Dept. of Homeland Security to “immediately step in to enforce a recommendation” made years ago to screen mass transit employees against federal terror watch lists.  Read the complete article from abcnews.go.com.

STB signs Memorandum of Understanding with Canadian Government

Chairman Daniel R. Elliott III of the Surface Transportation Board (STB) visited the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA) in Ottawa, Canada, and signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to facilitate information sharing between the agencies. The CTA is the economic regulato [...]

Trump slams union leader for speaking the truth

President-elect Trump wasted no time in slamming a union leader for speaking the truth. Chuck Jones, president of United Steelworkers Local 1999 at the Carrier plant in Indiana, stated that the actual number of jobs that will remain at the Indiana plant is near 800, not the n [...]

LACMTA increases security after bomb threat

The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA) increased security after having received a bomb threat Monday, Dec. 5. The threat warned of a possible attack at the Red Line subway’s Universal Station in Studio City, Calif. LACMTA is working with t [...]

Rail labor seeks federal mediation in national negotiations

On December 5, 2016, Rail Labor’s Coordinated Bargaining Group (CBG) released the following statement, requesting that a federal mediator assist in negotiations: “Despite our best efforts, collective bargaining with the major U.S. Class 1 railroads completely stalled la [...]

Railroad Retirement and Unemployment Insurance Taxes in 2017

The amounts of compensation subject to railroad retirement tier I and tier II payroll taxes will increase in 2017, while the tax rates on employers and employees will stay the same. In addition, unemployment insurance contribution rates paid by railroad employers will continu [...]

FMCSA establishes national drug and alcohol testing clearinghouse

The U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) announced a final rule, Friday, Dec. 2, that establishes a national drug and alcohol clearinghouse for commercial truck and bus drivers. The clearinghouse database will serve as [...]

RRB: Medicare Part B premiums for 2017

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services has announced that the standard monthly Part B premium will be $134.00 in 2017. However, most Medicare beneficiaries will not pay this amount. By law, Part B premiums for current enrollees cannot increase by more than the amoun [...]