SMART Transportation Division member Jeff Jones of Local 202 (Denver, Colo.) passed away on Feb. 9, 2022, after a switching accident in Globeville rail yard in Denver. Brother Jones, of Northglenn, Colo., was a member of our union for more than a decade, joining in August 201 [...]
A member of Local 1715 (Charlotte, N.C.) lost his life over the weekend in a senseless act of gun violence after he was shot Friday while operating his bus in Charlotte, N.C. Ethan Rivera, 41, a member of our union since May 2021, died Saturday while being treated at a Charlo [...]
The Federal Railroad Administration is asking T&E rail members of the SMART Transportation Division to participate in a wide-reaching survey of T&E personnel on the topic of fatigue. Participants working in T&E roles in either passenger or freight service are high [...]
CLEVELAND, Ohio, (February 8, 2022) — Yesterday, SMART-TD and the BLET filed their oppositions to BNSF’s request for the court to convert the January 25, 2022, Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) into a preliminary injunction. The unions each filed for their own preliminary inj [...]
Amtrak conductor and Local 1470 (Edmonston, Md.) member James E. Blue III, 43, was shot multiple times Jan. 25 outside a home he was in the process of remodeling while talking on a cellphone to his son, who is away at college. He was taken to an area hospital where he was pro [...]
The Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program is offering new virtual courses in February and March. 10-hour OSHA General Industry Course — This course is intended to increase workers’ knowledge on hazards they may encounter on a job site and their rights. Train [...]
Kansas State Legislative Director Ty Dragoo (Local 1503, Marysville, Kan.) accepted an invitation from the federal Department of Transportation to introduce DOT Secretary Pete Buttigieg and U.S. Rep. Sharice Davids at a Jan. 28 event discussing the Infrastructure Investment a [...]
CLEVELAND, Ohio, (February 1, 2022) — By letter dated January 31, 2022, SMART-TD and the BLET are seeking review by both the Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Transportation of all Class I attendance policies. In a joint letter to Labor Secretary Martin Walsh and [...]
Vice Chairperson Debria L. Bradford (GCA-STU), 56, a longtime officer of SMART Transportation Division Local 1704 (Kansas City, Mo.), passed away Jan. 26, 2022. “She served numerous positions in our local — sergeant of arms, trustee,” said General Chairperson Sharon Harris (G [...]
CLEVELAND, Ohio, (January 28, 2022) — SMART-TD and BLET members employed by BNSF Railway continue to labor under a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued by the United States District Court for the Northern District of Texas, which was issued on Tuesday, January 25, 2022. I [...]
