Transportation News

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NOTICE: SMART-TD locals may cancel meetings for March and April 2020

March 17, 2020 In line with White House recommendations that gatherings of more than 10 people be avoided to counter the transmission of the COVID-19 virus, SMART Transportation Division Locals are advised they may cancel monthly meetings in March and April 2020. During this [...]

When two made a difference …

The incident last month in East St. Paul, Minn., where a two-person crew alertly stopped their train and rescued a 5-year-old girl who was wandering in the snow is just a single instance where having two on the crew has made a difference to the public. There are more instance [...]

UPDATED: RRB field offices closed until further notice

On behalf of Labor Member of the Board John Bragg, the following release was issued: On March 13, the President declared the COVID-19 virus outbreak a national emergency. While the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) employees continue to work both on-site and remotely, out of an [...]

TD President’s statement regarding COVID-19

MEMORANDUM Officers and Staff SMART Transportation Division Dear Brothers and Sisters: As the COVID-19 continues to impact our country and its day-to-day operations, I have received a number of inquiries concerning travel and day-to-day business for union officers and staff. [...]

Two TD members lose children in tragic incidents

Two SMART Transportation Division members and their local union brothers and sisters are in mourning after two sudden and untimely deaths. Local 1565 member Laura Corley lost her son, Joey Trianders Allen, 43, of Lancaster, Calif., after police said a wrong-way driver slammed [...]

Washington State Senate passes two-person crew bill

SMART Transportation Division Washington State Legislative Director Herb Krohn reports that, despite a last-ditch effort by Senate Minority Leader Mark Schoesler to quash it, the two-person freight crew legislation bill passed through the state Senate by a 34-15 vote. Schoesl [...]

Rail unions urge FRA to act regarding spread of coronavirus

CLEVELAND, Ohio (March 6) — SMART Transportation Division (SMART-TD) and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) jointly petitioned the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on March 6 to take action in responding to the rapidly spreading COVID-19 (coronav [...]

Disaster relief contributions needed after killer storm

The SMART Transportation Division is primed to assist members in their time of need when disaster strikes. The deadly tornadoes this week in Tennessee affected a number of families and TD members may be among those whose lives have been devastated by the killer storms that cl [...]

Registration is open for southwestern hazmat training

The Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program has opened registration for a hazmat/chemical emergency response training program in April for rail workers in Arizona, western New Mexico, southeastern California and the Navajo Nation. This training addresses OSHA- and D [...]