Brothers and Sisters: The membership of our union spoke through their delegates last August and chose a new team to lead us forward in these challenging times for labor unions. We accept that challenge and pledge today — as we pledged in August — to move the United Transportation Union forward with the sole objective […]
By Dr. Norman BrownUTU Medical Consultant Baseball legend Mickey Mantle once joked, “If I had known I was going to live this long, I would have taken better care of myself.” I wish more of us, including myself, would look into their crystal balls of the future and find themselves saying this old half joke […]
FELA Update By Mark Allen Coordinator of UTU Designated Legal Counsel The Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) was enacted by Congress in 1908 to give railroad employees the right, under federal law, to recover damages from their employers for injuries occurring at work. However, generally, there must be proof of negligence on the part of […]
FELA Update By Mark Allen Coordinator of UTU Designated Legal Counsel I frequently hear about injured railroad workers who are confused by statements made to them by railroad claims department persons or supervisors that if they don’t see doctors chosen by the railroad, their medical bills won’t be paid. Let’s be clear. You have the […]
By Mark Allen Coordinator of UTU Designated Legal Counsel Railroad workers sometimes jokingly say they spend more time in vans than trains as railroads transport their workers using contract limousine services. As agents of the railroad, these companies may be held to the same legal standard as the railroad if their negligence causes injuries. It […]
LOS ANGELES — When a Union Pacific freight train thundered into tiny Macdona, Texas, just before dawn June 28, the engineer and conductor had clocked more than 60 hours in the previous week, working the long, erratic shifts that are common in the railroad industry, according to this report by Dan Weikel published by the […]
A sleep disorder is a dangerous medical condition; but, in most cases, treatment can be effective. For this reason, a labor-management joint task force has agreed, in writing, that an employee with a treatable sleep disorder who is receiving proper treatment and is otherwise complying with the safety and operating requirements of the job, should […]
With a little luck, and after a lifetime of hard work, most UTU members, whether employed by the rail, bus or airline industry, should be able to look forward with optimism to their retirement. Healthy and secure in the knowledge that their savings, benefits and investments will allow for a comfortable lifestyle, they should be […]
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Debbie Hersman is the first member of the 37-year-old National Transportation Safety Board to bring to the job a detailed knowledge of railroads, reports Railway Age magazine. Hersman was confirmed by the Senate in June following five years as a senior staff member of the Senate Commerce Committee, where she advised Democrats […]
By Dr. Norman K. BrownUTU Medical Consultant Most of us would agree that we should do all we can to preserve and protect the working of our brains, the part of us that makes us who we are and different from each other. Aside from head injuries, the most common damage to our brain comes […]
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