By Vic Baffoni Vice President, Bus Dept. It’s a new year. We have a new administration in Washington and a larger labor-friendly majority in the House and Senate. It is a time of new hope. It will not be easy. The deteriorating economic conditions in this country are serious and will take time to solve. […]
By UTU International President Mike Futhey When my grandchildren ask about the most memorable day of my life — other than my marriage to my lovely wife April, the birth of my children and being elected your International president — I suspect my answer will be, “It was sitting as a special guest of President […]
By Vice Baffoni Vice President, Bus Dept. Congratulations to Community Transit General Chairperson Calvin Studivant in Newark, N.J., whose members in Local 759 ratified a new contract providing an across-the-board wage increase, an extra holiday with pay, an increase in vacation pay and pension benefits, and no givebacks. Assisting in the bargaining were Local 759 […]
Almost a year has passed since Mike Futhey, Arty Martin and Kim Thompson took office. They ran on a platform of specific promises, including full disclosure. Following are Futhey administration promises and results, so far: Promise #1: Restructure the International by reducing the number of International officers in Cleveland,and providing the most possible assistance to […]
The UTU and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen filed on Nov. 14 a joint petition for review by the Federal Railroad Administration of the FRA’s so-called emergency cell phone order, requesting that the FRA make additional exceptions to the order in the name of safety. The ban, effective Oct. 27, applies to any […]
By International President Mike Futhey Barack Obama is the first presidential candidate to promise in writing that he stands behind the objectives of the United Transportation Union. We look forward to working closely with President Obama. He is a leader who has put the well-being of working men and women at the heart of his […]
By International President Mike Futhey Remember back in grade school, when we were given a page with four pictures on it — a dog, a cat, a horse and an apple — and told to identify which one of the four didn’t belong? Imagine, instead, a page with these four pictures: a paycheck, a health-care […]
By Vic Baffoni Vice President, Bus Dept. Thank you to all who attended regional meeting workshops in Denver and Nashville, and those who made presentations. By the comments received, the workshops were a great success. Our bus workshops had the largest attendance in many years, and we are working on improving them even more for […]
Wall Street may be in a devastating financial free fall, but UTU finances are solid and growing. That’s the conclusion of the two UTU International officers responsible for UTU finances. “I asked for a thorough review of our finances after hearing that mischief makers are deceiving some UTU members that the UTU is in financial […]
Attorney Larry Mann, named by his peers as the “nation’s foremost authority on railroad safety legislation and regulation,” has been appointed by UTU International President Mike Futhey as Rail Safety Coordinator to UTU Designated Legal Counsel (DLC). In this newly created post, Mann will provide expert assistance on rail safety matters to UTU Designated Legal […]