Transportation News
TD President Ferguson, others to appear with senators to demand paid sick time for rail workers
WASHINGTON, Feb. 7 – SMART Transportation Division leadership as well as officers from the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes and the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department will join U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), chairman of the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, […]
Assistance for East Palestine, Ohio, derailment evacuees
Those wishing to contribute donations to the community of East Palestine, Ohio, due to the major Norfolk Southern derailment Friday are urged to pitch in to assist evacuees of the village near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border. The NTSB will be the lead agency for providing updates on the incident. They’ve established a Family Assistance Center to […]
Local 1715 members ratify contract with CATS
Bus operators of SMART Local 1715 in Charlotte, N.C., on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023, ratified a new collective bargaining agreement with a vote margin of 20 to 1. The new contract for the operators for the Charlotte Area Transit System (CATS) calls for a significant wage increase, double-time for holidays and the additional holiday of […]
Fiery derailment causes evacuation in Ohio
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has been launched to investigate a 50-car Norfolk Southern derailment that caused an inferno in East Palestine, Ohio, the night of Feb. 3. According to WKBN, a state of emergency was declared by the mayor of the village with a population of just over 4,700 people on the Ohio-Pennsylvania […]
BNSF asks the FRA for permission to run trains with 120 CFM of flow in the name of safety
It’s difficult to imagine trying to pass off reducing the braking power of a freight train as a safety precaution, but that is exactly what BNSF attempted to do recently in a request to the FRA for a variance to increase the allowable amount of flow from 90 CFM to 120 CFM. In their request, […]
TTD’s Regan testifies at new T&I committee’s first hearing
Labor had a lone representative Feb. 1 at the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee discussion of transportation infrastructure and supply chain challenges as it convened under new chairman U.S. Rep. Sam Graves of Missouri. Greg Regan, of the Transportation Trades Department (TTD), AFL-CIO, a coalition that represents 37 transportation labor unions in air, maritime, railroads […]Local 1470 member included on Railway Age’s ‘Fast Trackers’ list
On February 2, Railway Age magazine released its annual list of young people creating waves within the rail industry known as “Fast Trackers, 25 Under 40.” SMART Transportation Division is proud to say that one of our own has made the list! Member Phil Martin of Local 1470 (Edmonston, Md.) works as an Amtrak conductor […]
Hudson Tunnel project to create more than 70,000 jobs in New York and New Jersey
The Bipartisan Infrastructure Law is infusing $292 million into the completion of the Hudson Tunnel modernization project, which will rehabilitate the old North River Tunnel connecting New York and New Jersey, build a new tunnel and improve reliability for the 200,000 passengers who traverse the tunnel each weekday.