In a letter to SMART-TD members, Marty Oberman, retired chair of the Surface Transportation Board, details the progress and policies at risk in this election. “The protections of rail workers … depends a lot on whether these important offices are filled by a worker-oriented administration. We will need an Administration that will appoint officials who care about rail workers and continue the aggressive oversight [provided] by the current Democratic-led STB and FRA.”
Like other federal agencies, the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) has been operating under a continuing resolution since October 1, 2024, the start of fiscal year (FY) 2025.
In fall 2024, CSX Railroad announced plans to change how the carrier moves freight between Chicago and the East Coast; a plan that would have forced more than 120 SMART-TD members to choose between relocation to either Buffalo, N.Y., or Willard, Ohio — or be laid off. SMART-TD officers and Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown took action in response. And with the senator’s help, union railroad jobs stayed in Cleveland where they belong.
Great news for railroad workers! Starting in 2025, monthly health and wellness contributions will drop by 10.2% because of fewer claims filed in 2024. This landmark achievement is a testament to the hard work and responsible choices of our members!
A team of SMART-TD transit officers engaged with the top safety and technology innovators in the world during the 2024 InnoTrans conference in Berlin, Germany. “Knowing what's out there will help us to propose engineering and procedural safeguards for our members.” General Chair John Ellis, GC 857.
A Federal bill known as the Railroad Yardmaster Protection Act was introduced today, following our recent success protecting yardmasters in Minnesota. The SMART-TD railroad union is gathering additional co-sponsors for the bill, which would bring Yardmaster hours in line with those of other critical railroad employees across the nation.
No one deserves to wake up in the morning and wonder, is today going to be the day that I'm verbally assaulted while I'm doing my job? Is someone going to lay hands on me, spit on me, stab me, shoot me? No one deserves to wake up and wonder “is today the day that I lose limbs? That I suffer a career or life altering injury? Is today the day that I don't make it home?”
That's not Republican. That's not Democrat. That is union. And we should stand united when we talk about these issues. Do not let someone else drive a wedge between you. We must move forward together.
In the wake of Hurricane Helene, our union has once again demonstrated its unwavering commitment to supporting one another in times of crisis. Thanks to your generous contributions, SMART and our general president, Michael Coleman, have established three distribution centers in North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia. These centers provide immediate assistance to our members.
The SMART Transportation Division would like to congratulate our Mechanical Division peers for ratifying their new collective bargaining agreements. Their agreements with BNSF, CSXT and Norfolk Southern guarantee wage increases, improvements in paid vacation, stronger health and welfare benefits, and maintain a consistent employee monthly cost-share contribution.
