Transportation News

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There is no ‘me’ in ‘union’

By Assistant President Arty Martin As I travel the nation attending local and regional meetings, I am often asked, “What has the union done for me?” Brothers and sisters, there is no “me” in “union.” Your union cannot make agreements for on [...]

A ‘ring, ring’ may cost you your job

The Federal Railroad Administration has a stark message for rail workers with safety-related duties: Only use your cell phone when allowed or you could lose your job. Emergency Order No. 26, which went into effect in October 2008, restricts the use by train crews and others i [...]

RRB adjusts withholding for 140,000 annuitants

The Railroad Retirement Board reports it has adjusted benefits — effective with February benefits checks — for more than 140,000 beneficiaries to reflect new federal income tax withholding rates. The new rates comply with provisions of the congressionally passed T [...]

BLET member dead; UTU member critical

A BLET member working a conductor assignment on Norfolk Southern was killed in a conventional shoving movement accident in Kankakee, Ill., Feb. 8; and a UTU member conductor is hospitalized in critical condition following a fall from a bridge into a frigid river in Covington, [...]

Senate bill would cut track miles for PTC

WASHINGTON — The senior Republican on the Senate Commerce Committee, Kay Bailey Hutchison of Texas, introduced legislation Feb. 8 to reduce the rail route miles over which positive train control (PTC) must be implemented before January 2016. Senate co-sponsors include J [...]

Obama set to square off with GOP on HSR

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is pushing for a six-year, $53 billion investment in high-speed, higher-speed and expanded passenger rail service, but a fight is brewing with congressional Republicans. An initial $8 billion in funding for these rail projects is ex [...]

Worker input crucial to reducing rail risks

If a congressionally ordered railroad risk reduction program is to be effective, the Federal Railroad Administration must include railroad employees and their labor unions in the process of evaluating and managing the program. That is the message seven rail labor organization [...]

Amtrak proposes new Hudson River tunnels

Amtrak has proposed a plan to build two new tunnels under the Hudson River linking New Jersey and New York City. The tunnel project would also include replacement and expansion of the 100-year-old Portal Bridge over the Hackensack River in New Jersey between Kearny and Secauc [...]

Lawyer charged in BLET bribery allegation

The following statement was released Jan. 7 by United States Attorney for the Northern District of Ohio Steven M. Dettelbach: “An information has been filed charging Robert L. (Pete) McKinney, age 59, of Houston, Texas, with one count of conspiracy to commit bribery in [...]

UTU members approve Nebraska Central pact

UTU Local 367 represented employees of Nebraska Central Railroad, which includes all crafts, have ratified a wage, rules and working conditions agreement with an 80 percent plurality. The five-year agreement provides for a signing bonus, wage increases, a minimum-hours guaran [...]