Year: 2013

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MONTREAL — Nearly two decades ago, the fiery derailment of a Wisconsin train became a rallying point in a union fight to make the state the first in the United States to require two-person crews on locomotives.

The 1996 wreckage of the train, which sent fireballs exploding 90 meters in the air, was operated by Wisconsin Central Transportation Corp., then headed by Ed Burkhardt, the CEO of the railway now under scrutiny for a rail disaster early Saturday in Lac-Mégantic.

During the Wisconsin derailment, union leaders credited the actions of the conductor — who uncoupled the cars carrying chemicals and propane to prevent the fire from spreading further — at a time when several rail companies, including Burkhardt’s Wisconsin Central, were experimenting with the use of one-person crews.

Read the complete story at the Montreal Gazette.

 

In an early morning accident Tuesday, July 9, Local 794 member Kevin Beggs was trapped under a BNSF boxcar, causing him to lose his legs. Currently, Beggs is listed in critical condition at Via Christi on St. Francis Hospital in Wichita, Kan., where he was flown via helicopter. It has been reported that Beggs has internal injuries and doctors have been struggling to regulate his blood pressure.

Officials don’t yet know what happened at the scene, but it is believed that Beggs fell from the boxcar and was run over and trapped beneath it.

Wellington Fire Chief Tim Hay, who was on the scene, sai that Beggs was working at the BNSF switching station when he fell from the boxcar. Hay said that Beggs allegedly fell to the tracks and was run over and pinned by two of the wheels of the 1,000-plus pound rail car.

Hay contends that BNSF employee Blaine Zeka was very helpful in the rescue when he produced a jack for the rail cars that could simultaneously lift the axel and the wheels at the same time.

“He had the expertise to operate the jack,” Hay said. “He was instrumental in assisting with the 45-minute extrication.”

Beggs has a wife and a son, Eliot, currently serving in Afghanistan. He has been an active member of his Wellington community, having served as the Chamber of Commerce president, ran a bakery and owned the Regent Theater.

PACcontestflyerThe SMART Transportation Division’s Legislative Office in Washington has announced a contest for SMART TD members, with a three-day, two-night, all-expenses-paid trip to our nation’s capital as the grand prize.

The SMART TD member who raises and returns the largest amount of UTU PAC fund contributions between July 1 and Labor Day (Sept. 2) will receive the trip, which includes: two round-trip airline tickets to Washington D.C.; two night’s lodging; a special tour of the U.S. Capitol, the Supreme Court and Union Station; access to the Smithsonian and other museums; dinner with the National Legislative Office leadership; SmarTrip METRO passes, and a Congressional office visit with members of Congress.

Second prize is a SMART TD watch.

To enter, members must notify the National Legislative Office at (202) 543-7714 or at the PAC table at the SMART Transportation Division regional meetings that they want to participate in the UTU PAC contest. Members must be registered to win.

To win, participants must raise and return the largest amount of UTU PAC fund contributions by getting as many members as possible to join UTU PAC or to upgrade their current UTU PAC contribution level prior to Labor Day 2013.

The minimum individual contributions to count for a member’s UTU PAC tally is $10 per month. PAC forms must be returned to the International Offices in North Olmsted, Ohio, prior to Labor Day. Business reply return envelopes will be supplied to all participants. Winners will be contacted by the National Legislative Office.

State legislative directors and International officers are not eligible to win.

See this flyer for additional details.

auroraIn the works since the late 1990’s, the Veterans Affairs Hospital proposed for Aurora, Colorado is now $200 million over budget and unlikely to be open in the Spring of 2015 as hoped.  After endless changes to the plans, construction ground was broken in 2009, yet construction did not begin until 2012.  With progress again at a standstill, all parties involved are deflecting blame and shrugging off responsibility. . .  Read more at We Party Patriots.

Much attention concerning the Quebec rail disaster has focused on the danger of transporting oil by rail. But pipelines come with hazards, too.
For example, a natural gas pipeline exploded in southeast New Mexico in 2000, killing 12. Earlier this year, an Exxon Mobil pipeline carrying Canadian crude ruptured in Arkansas, causing major environmental damage.
Read Jon Talton’s complete blog report at The Seattle Times.

The train hauling millions of gallons of crude oil that slammed into a Canadian town got there with a crew of one – staffing permitted by law though opposed by labor leaders who’ve warned of the risks.

The union representing workers at Montreal Maine & Atlantic Railway Ltd. fought the company policy that allowed a solo operator to drive and park the train for the night and says the disaster points to the dangers of manpower cuts.

Read the complete story at Bloomberg News.

 

Amtrak LogoI just sat through a pretty boring hearing on rail financing. But I’m glad I stuck it out, because the fireworks came at the end, when Rep. John Mica picked a fight with the wrong man.

John Robert Smith is familiar face in transportation reform circles. The former Republican mayor of the town of Meridian, Miss., he now leads two of the most significant advocacy organizations in the field, Transportation for America and Reconnecting America. He also happens to be a former chair of Amtrak’s board of directors. All of those qualifications made him a natural choice to testify as a witness at this House Transportation Committee hearing.

Read Tanya Snyder’s complete blog report at DC.StreetsBlog.org.

Much attention concerning the Quebec rail disaster has focused on the danger of transporting oil by rail. But pipelines come with hazards, too.

For example, a natural gas pipeline exploded in southeast New Mexico in 2000, killing 12. Earlier this year, an Exxon Mobil pipeline carrying Canadian crude ruptured in Arkansas, causing major environmental damage.

Read Jon Talton’s complete blog report at The Seattle Times.

Railroad members covered under the provisions of the Sept. 16, 2011, national railroad agreement received a three percent general wage increase, effective July 1, 2013.

The links below show the national agreement pay rates for all classes of service and overtime tables for yard service employees.

These rate tables do not reflect adjustments to rates of pay applicable to individual assignments as a result of on-property agreements.

FMCSAWASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) July 3 announced almost $1 million in new grants to help train veterans and military families for jobs in the transportation industry. The grants were awarded to six colleges across the country as part of the Commercial Motor Vehicle Operator Safety Training (CMVOST) grant program.

“The least we can do for the men and women who put their lives on the line for our country is to help ensure they can find good jobs when they leave the service,” said U.S. Secretary of Transportation Anthony Foxx. “The transportation industry provides a unique opportunity for military families and veterans to utilize skills they developed in the service, and we hope these grants will lead to more veterans joining the ranks of our country’s commercial vehicle drivers.”

The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists commercial trucking as a high-demand job, with more than 300,000 additional positions expected by 2020.

“These grants represent one of the many steps the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has taken to help veterans as they move from military to civilian life,” said FMCSA Administrator Anne S. Ferro. “From allowing states to consider military experience in their licensing tests to supporting industry job fairs, we are committed to helping our veterans transition into quality jobs.”

FMCSA awarded the following CMVOST grants, which could provide training for as many as 300 new students across the six colleges:

  • Grays Harbor College in Aberdeen, Wash., $131,041
  • Long Beach Community College District, in Long Beach, Calif., $211,733
  • Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College in Orangeburg, S.C., $150,000
  • Lone Star College in Woodlands, Texas, $184,260
  • Century College in White Bear Lake, Minn., $120,000
  • Joliet Junior College in Joliet, Ill., $176,427

In May 2011, the FMCSA finalized its commercial learner’s permit rule, which gives state driver licensing agencies the authority to waive the skills test portion of the commercial driver’s license test if the applicant demonstrates two years of safe driving experience in military equivalents of commercial motor vehicles. Visit http://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/registration-licensing/cdl/Military-CDL-Waiver.aspx for more information.

To learn more about FMCSA’s commercial truck and bus safety grant programs and other safety initiatives, visit the FMCSA website at www.fmcsa.dot.gov.

To learn more about the U.S. Department of Transportation’s dedication to our nation’s veterans, visit http://www.dot.gov/veteranstransportationcareers.