SMART Transportation Division’s Alternate National Legislative Director John Risch appeared on America’s Work Force daily labor radio program Dec. 23 to discuss the country’s support for Amtrak and other issues.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor-radio program in America and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports.
Through the support and participation of the labor community, America’s Work Force radio program features regional, national and international labor leaders and advocates, as well as politicians, civic leaders and industry professionals discussing issues important to the labor movement.
To listen to Risch’s interview, visit http://awfradio.com/blog.
To learn more about John Risch, view his biography here.
Year: 2013
SMART Transportation Division’s Alternate National Legislative Director John Risch appeared on America’s Work Force daily labor radio program Dec. 23 to discuss the country’s support for Amtrak and other issues.
America’s Work Force is the only daily labor-radio program in America and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports.
Through the support and participation of the labor community, America’s Work Force radio program features regional, national and international labor leaders and advocates, as well as politicians, civic leaders and industry professionals discussing issues important to the labor movement.
To listen to Risch’s interview, visit http://awfradio.com/blog.
To learn more about John Risch, view his biography here.
The offices of the SMART Transportation Division and UTU Insurance Association will be closed Dec. 24 and Dec. 25 for the Christmas Eve and Christmas Day holidays.
The officers and staff of the SMART Transportation Division wish the membership of the SMART Transportation Division a joyful holiday season and a prosperous and safe New Year.
The shipment of SMART Transportation Division rail timebooks is expected at the SMART Transportation Division office Monday, Dec. 23.
As soon as the timebooks are received, delivery to rail locals will be expedited.
The SMART transportation division apologizes for the delay.
Georgetown University Law Professor and Arbitrator Michael H. Gottesman has issued a second ruling in the arbitration proceedings between two divisions of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers as they work to create a single constitution.
Earlier this year, the two divisions entered into arbitration proceedings regarding reconciliation of differences between the two constitutions. The arbitrator issued his findings on Nov. 4, 2013, and the parties have been meeting to incorporate those findings into a final document that would be published along with the award. The consolidation discussions are continuing, but due to a high level of interest, it has been decided to release the award before the conclusion of those talks.
To view Gottesman’s decision, click here.
On November 4, 2013, Arbitrator Michael Gottesman issued a second decision related to several questions concerning implementation of the merger and establishment of a single union, SMART. The Transportation Division requested that General President Nigro hold off posting the Gottesman decision until after November 19th, and that the parties would publicize the decision simultaneously. He agreed. This agreement was not meant to withhold the information, but to allow the parties to utilize the time to finalize language in the few unresolved sections of the SMART Constitution.
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Unfortunately, it has come to my attention that selected pieces of this decision have been distributed to various parties and when viewed individually, or more importantly not within the full context of the decision, the reader may form a false or misleading impression of the Arbitrator’s intent. Therefore, I believe it is important to release the full Arbitrator Decision at this time for all to read and so those who have received only specific sections of the document have the ability to view those items within the intended context.
General President Joseph J. Nigro
Arbitrator Gottesman’s Decision of November 4, 2013
The Union Sportsmen’s Alliance kicks off the 6th season of its award-winning TV series, Brotherhood Outdoors, with an elk hunt that is as challenging as it is inspiring. The show, winner of “Best Combination Show” in the 2011 Sportsman Choice Awards and a contestant for “Best Educational/Instructional” show in 2013, launches its exciting new season on Jan. 5 at 11 a.m. ET on the Sportsman Channel.
The new season begins with an elk hunt featuring union machinist Gene Barnes who sets his sights on helping his 74-year-old father, Harlyn Barnes, harvest a bull elk in memory of his late son and the cherished hunting trips the three of them shared together. Follow the group as they confront Idaho’s steep terrain and high altitude, hiking to 7,500 feet in elevation to a lookout point to glass for elk.
As the series continues, viewers will join an operating engineer on his quest for Boca Grande tarpon, chase coons through moonlit woods with a laborer, head to California with a machinist for some quick action wingshooting and his first hog, outwit or outwait a 150+ Kansas buck with a roofer and much more!
Brotherhood Outdoors awards union sportsmen and women who are committed to preserving North America’s outdoor heritage with a guided trip or the opportunity to show off their guiding skills and local hunting or fishing destinations on national TV.
Presented by Bank of Labor, Brotherhood Outdoors is also sponsored by the following unions, contractors and corporate partners: Buck Knives, Carhartt, Employee Benefit Systems, International
Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, National Electrical Contractors Association, ULLICO and United Association/International Training Fund.
For more information about Brotherhood Outdoors, the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance or Sportsman Channel, visit www.BrotherhoodOutdoors.tv and www.facebook.com/brotherhoodoutdoorstv.
About Sportsman Channel: Launched in 2003, Sportsman Channel, and Sportsman HD, is the only television and digital media company fully devoted to sportsmen in the United States, delivering entertaining and educational programming focused exclusively on hunting, shooting and fishing activities. Sportsman Channel reaches more than 32 million U.S. television households and is available in HD. Visit www.thesportsmanchannel.com, follow on Twitter, @SPORTSMANchnl (twitter.com/SPORTSMANchnl) and Like on Facebook, facebook.com/sportsmanchannel
JACKSON, Miss. – A whistleblower investigation by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration determined that Illinois Central Railroad Co., by conducting a disciplinary hearing, retaliated against a worker for reporting a work-related injury, which is in violation of the whistleblower protection provisions of the Federal Railroad Safety Act.
“Railroad workers have the legal right to report work-related injuries without fear of retaliation,” said Teresa A. Harrison, OSHA’s acting regional administrator in Atlanta. “Railroads that take such retaliatory actions against their workers for exercising basic rights will be held fully accountable and prosecuted.”
In this case, the conductor sustained injuries to the head, neck and back when falling into the bulkhead after the emergency brake was applied unexpectedly on a moving locomotive. The incident and injuries were reported immediately to the trainmaster. The complainant was taken by ambulance to the hospital, admitted and diagnosed with a closed-head injury.
As a result of its findings, OSHA has ordered Illinois Central Railroad Co. to pay $1,000 in punitive damages and to take corrective action, including expunging disciplinary actions and its references to them from various records. OSHA also ordered the railroad to compensate the worker for reasonable attorney’s fees. The railroad must also post and provide FRSA whistleblower rights to its workers.
Illinois Central and the complainant have 30 days from receipt of the findings to file an appeal with the department’s Office of Administrative Law Judges. Under FRSA, employees of a railroad carrier and its contractors and subcontractors are protected against retaliation for reporting on-the-job injuries, certain safety and security violations and for cooperating with investigations by OSHA and other regulatory agencies.
OSHA enforces the whistleblower provisions of the FRSA and 21 other statutes protecting employees who report violations of various securities, financial services, trucking, airline, nuclear power, pipeline, environmental, rail, maritime, health care, food safety, motor vehicle safety, workplace safety and health regulations and consumer product safety laws.
Under the various whistleblower provisions enacted by Congress, employers are prohibited from retaliating against employees who raise various protected concerns or who provide protected information to the employer or to the government. Employees who believe that they have been retaliated against for engaging in protected conduct may file a complaint with the secretary of labor for an investigation by OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Programs. More information is available at http://www.whistleblowers.gov.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.
WOLF POINT, Mont. – It’s tough to miss the trains hauling crude oil out of the Northern Plains. They are growing more frequent by the day, mile-long processions of black tank cars that rumble through wheat fields and towns, along rivers and national parks.
As common as they have become across the U.S. and Canada, officials in dozens of towns and cities where the oil trains travel say they are concerned with the possibility of a major derailment, spill or explosion, while their level of preparation varies widely.
Read the complete story at www.ngnews.ca.
This comprehensive class is designed for the beginning service technician. The concentrated training program consists of 96 hours of intense classroom and hands on training within a 12-day schedule. The objective is to enable participants to acquire a complete understanding of the HVAC systems and its components in order to perform HVAC service work with confidence.
Course work includes electric theory, refrigeration theory, and heating theory (gas). All three components cover extensive troubleshooting and hands-on experience with active equipment.
This course will be held at St. Louis Local 36, January 26 – February 9, 2014.
Application deadline is January 13, 2014.
To register, please contact your coordinator or go to www.sheetmetal-iti.org.