MARRERO, La. – CSX conductor Jonathan Batieste, 29, with a wife and four young daughters between the ages of three and 12, died unexpectedly Aug. 22 following a motorcycle accident. Batieste, a member of UTU Local 1066 in New Orleans, signed on with CSX just 13 months ago. He [...]
If you retired from railroad service on or after April 1, 1967, you may be eligible for a $2,000 retiree life insurance benefit. Benefits are administered by MetLife for all retirees from railroads participating in the National Railway Carriers’ / UTU Health & Welfare Pla [...]
WASHINGTON – Federal Transit Administration bus-project and other transit funding – in danger owing to political squabbling — will remain in place at least through March 31, 2012, following House and Senate action to extend temporarily, for the eighth time since 2009, h [...]
The sister of UTU General Chairperson Anthony Simon (Long Island Rail Road, GO 505) died Sept. 15 following a long-struggle with cancer. Cards of condolence may be sent to Simon at his general committee office at Suite 3, 200-B West Main St., Babylon, N.Y. 11702.
By General Secretary & Treasurer Kim Thompson As a young railroad employee, I wondered why we had the wages and benefits that we had, why we had rules for assignments and for the work we performed. I wondered what could be done to make things right when things didn’t seem [...]
The new national rail contract and its increased rates of pay become effective Sept. 16. Sept. 16 is also the trigger date from which the carriers are pledged to make retroactive wage payments within 60 days. Health care changes will be implemented after Jan. 1. New rate tabl [...]
In Florida last week, the people prevailed as a federal district court ruled Florida voters have every right to restrict the state legislature’s ability to redraw the election map willy-nilly to favor incumbent members of Congress and the state legislature. UTU Florida State [...]
BOTKINS, Ohio – CSX conductor Dennis A. Hemme, 59, became the ninth UTU member to die in an on-the-job accident in 2011 when he reportedly was crushed to death here Sept. 8 during a mainline shove of a stalled train. Botkins is some 110 miles north of Cincinnati. Hemme, with [...]
WASHINGTON – House Republicans are supporting a budget plan that Amtrak says will eliminate all state-supported Amtrak service nationwide beginning Oct. 1 — the start of a new federal fiscal year. Fifteen states currently provide Amtrak with subsidies in exchange for Am [...]
A joint rail-security project involving the United Transportation Union and Terminal Railroad Association of St. Louis (TRRA) has received more than $176,000 in funding from the Department of Homeland Security’s Freight Rail Security Grant Program. TRRA has pledged a 25 perce [...]
