TWENTY-TWO PEOPLE were hospitalized yesterday after a violent crash sent a SEPTA bus careening into a building in Chinatown, authorities said.
The collision happened just before 5 p.m. yesterday at the intersection of 11th and Vine streets, SEPTA spokesman Andrew Busch said.
A Mazda sedan blew through a red light on Vine Street and slammed into the side of a Route 23 bus, forcing the bus onto the sidewalk, where it smashed into a traffic light, three parked cars and the side of the Chinese Christian Church & Center before coming to a stop, SEPTA Transit Police Chief Thomas J. Nestel said at the scene.
The Federal Railroad Administration announced a Final Rule (FR) amending its existing Passenger Train Emergency Preparedness regulations.
The revisions make explicit that existing requirements for initial and periodic training, operational efficiency tests and inspections of certain railroad personnel apply not only to on-board crew members and control center personnel, but also to the railroad’s emergency response communications center personnel, who communicate or coordinate with first responders during an emergency situation involving a passenger train.
The final rule also clarifies that railroads must develop procedures that specifically address the safety of passengers with disabilities during actual and simulated emergency situations and also limits the need for FRA to formally approve certain purely administrative changes to approved emergency preparedness plans.
Local Secretary & Treasurer Dale Biggs of SMART Transportation Division Local 240 at Los Angeles reports that the local’s next monthly meeting will be held Wednesday, April 9, at 7 p.m. at Ozzie’s Diner, upstairs. Biggs is compiling an email list to send out notices of meetings. Please contact Biggs with your email address if you would like to be on the list. He said that the list will only be used for union business. Biggs can be reached at rrcond55@aol.com.
The National Transportation Safety Board will announce this week that the Metro-North Railroad engineer at the controls last year during a fatal derailment in the Bronx had an undiagnosed sleep disorder, according to a person with knowledge of the planned announcement.
The engineer, William Rockefeller, suffered from severe sleep apnea, which appeared to be aggravated by a recent change to an early-morning shift shortly before the crash, the person said of the safety board’s findings.
In the days after the derailment, which killed four people and injured more than 70, representatives for Mr. Rockefeller said he appeared to have nodded off as the train raced toward a sharp curve near the Spuyten Duyvil station around 7:20 a.m. on Dec. 1.
In the March issue of the SMART Transportation Division News, we celebrate the 100th birthday of former President Al Chesser, the very first elected president of the United Transportation Union. This is a remarkable achievement for a remarkable man! Brother Chesser’s history of commitment and dedication to this organization and all of organized labor is legendary and serves as an inspiration to all who are involved in today’s labor movement.
It was a pleasure to be able to attend this event in person and to extend my congratulations. We wish Al a very happy birthday, with many more to follow.
In prior columns, I have touched on the upcoming conventions for both the SMART Transportation Division and the SMART International. In order to keep our membership updated, I am summarizing here the information recently communicated to our SMART Transportation Division delegates.
All delegates to the SMART Transportation Division Convention from June 30 – July 2 in San Diego have been advised of the importance of attending both of this summer’s conventions and have been informed to also make arrangements to attend the SMART General Convention in Las Vegas from Aug. 11-15.
Any decisions or actions taken by delegates at the Transportation Division Convention with regard to proposed amendments to Article 21B of the SMART Constitution must be properly referred to the delegates at the SMART General Convention for handling before any proposed amendments can become effective. Additionally, all delegates attending the SMART General Convention will be acting upon all proposed constitutional changes properly submitted to the full SMART Constitution, including Article 21B.
Pursuant to Article 33, Sec. 1 (e), lines 19-20, a two-thirds majority of the delegates present at the SMART General Convention is required to enact such amendments.
All delegates properly seated at the Transportation Division Convention will also be seated as delegates at the SMART General Convention, and as such, it is absolutely imperative that they attend the SMART General Convention in order to properly cast their votes on any and all proposed SMART Constitution amendments.
If, for any reason, a local delegate is not able to attend the SMART General Convention in August, it is respectfully requested that measures be taken to allow for the alternate delegate to attend. If neither the delegate nor alternate delegate is able to attend both conventions, it may be necessary to elect a new delegate who will be able to attend both conventions. This will allow for consistent handling of all proposed amendments to Article 21B at the SMART General Convention, as well as making a local’s voice – and votes – count in the handling of all matters before the delegation.
I thank all local officers for their dedication to the organization and all delegates for taking the time to serve our membership at both the Transportation Division Convention and the SMART General Convention.
It is important to remember that the outcome of these conventions will be a constitution that will govern the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers for years to come. The responsibility of preserving the principles on which the organization was founded rests with the officers and delegates and depends on our full participation at both conventions.
As I travel around the country working on grievances, arbitrations, negotiations and labor agreements, as well as the health and well-being of our locals and our members, one underlying issue is always present: wages.
Our wages are not keeping up with what our lives and our families’ livesare costing us. Food prices are up, the cost of milk is up, and gasoline and energy prices continue to rise.
But why are we losing our standard of living? Why am I shopping for food in Target? What happened to fresh food from our local grocery store? Why do I turn my heater down and wear a jacket in the house now? Why are energy companies seeing the highest profits that they have ever seen? Why is it costing so much more to do less than what I was doing 10 years ago?
Since 1997, according to the Economic Policy Institute, 100 percent of the wage growth in the American economy has gone to the top 10 percent of the income structure. The bottom 90 percent has seen income decline, adjusted for inflation. As the rich get richer, the working class continues to struggle. Economic inequality did not just happen accidentally or by an act of God.
At the AFL-CIO Executive Council meeting in Houston, I was told it is the predictable result of decisions made by people with power over the past generation. The key decision, the AFL-CIO says, was to use the power of government to help corporate America push down wages by destroying workers’ collective bargaining power. Those decisions can be reversed.
In Houston, I was told working people have the opportunity to shape the national conversation on this issue in ways that would really help workers win real economic improvements and build a true working class movement.
The AFL-CIO says the purpose of the labor movement is to give voice to working people, so we can improve our lives. All too often, people do not realize that they are voting against their own best interests. It is important that we work together, now, to spread the word. Support the union movement by joining together with a strong message to all our politicians: “Improve our wages!”
SMART Transportation Division Pennsylvania State Legislative Director Paul Pokrowka is calling on all members to help stop legislation introduced here that bans Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority employees from striking.
H.B. 2109, introduced by State Rep. Kate Harper (R), would add SEPTA workers to the list of public employees prohibited from striking in the state, including “employees directly involved with and necessary to the functioning of the courts of this Commonwealth,” her website reads.
The bill would amend Section 1001 of P.L.563, No.195, stating that “strikes by employees of the Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA), guards at prisons or mental hospitals, or employees directly involved with and necessary to the functioning of the courts of this Commonwealth are prohibited at any time. If a strike occurs the public employer shall forthwith initiate in the court of common pleas of the jurisdiction where the strike occurs, an action for appropriate equitable relief including but not limited to injunctions.”
Pokrowka is requesting all members and their family members to contact their representatives in the Pennsylvania General Assembly and ask them to vote “no” on H.B. 2109.
“This legislation tramples on the rights of workers. If this bill is passed, what group of workers will be targeted next?” Pokrowka asked.
To find information regarding your state representative, click here.
Harper originally introduced this legislation in 2009 following a six-day strike by various SEPTA employees, including members of the SMART Transportation Division (UTU). The legislation did not get out of committee at that time.
On February 1, 2014, Local 293 Financial Secretary-Treasurer and Business Manager Arthur Tolentino and Local 73 President and Business Manager Rocco Terranova were sworn in as SMART’s Tenth and Eleventh General Vice Presidents, respectively.
A graduate of Ohio State University, Brother Arthur Tolentino commenced his career in the sheet metal industry as an apprentice with Au’s Plumbing in 1986. From 1992 through 1997, he served as an instructor for the Hawaii Joint Apprenticeship Committee for the Sheet Metal Industry. He was appointed shop steward in 1994 and served through 2002, when he became a Local 293 organizer.He served as a Labor Representative on the Hawaii Joint Apprenticeship Committee beginning in March 2000 and became Local 293 Business Representative/President in January 2003, along with becoming a Labor Trustee for the Hawaii Sheet Metal Workers’ Trust Fund. Currently, he presides as the Fund Chairman.A member of the Hawaii Building & Construction Trades Council since his election as Local 293 Business Manager in 2007, Tolentino became Building and Construction Trades Treasurer in 2009. In 2010 he began serving as a commissioner on the city and county of Honolulu’s Planning Commission.Prior to his appointment as SMART’s Tenth General Vice President, he served as a Trustee on the National Energy Management Institute Committee (NEMIC) since January 2013. Besides his involvement in numerous community outreach programs, Brother Tolentino involves himself with fishing, hunting, cooking, off-road driving, coin and stamp collecting. A member of Sheet Metal Local 73 for 36 years, Brother Rocco Terranova started his career in sheet metal as an apprentice from 1978 to 1982 with Dessent Sheet Metal. His working experience in the trade spans many roles, having worked as journeyman, foreman, and superintendent. Prior to being elected as President and Business Manager of his home local, he was elected Union Trustee from 1997 to 2000 and served as an organizer from 2000 through 2004, and as a delegate to the Chicago Federation of Labor. Then in July 2004 he was elected Business Agent and served through July 2009, when he was elected Local 73 President and Business Manager. Terranova currently serves on the Executive Boards of the Chicago Building Trades, Chicago Federation of Labor, and Italian American Labor Council. Rocco is also Chairman of the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 73 Executive Board, Chairman of the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 73 Retiree’s Committee, Veteran’s Committee, Joint Arbitration Board, and Legislative PAC Committee. He Co-Chairs the Sheet Metal Workers’ Local 73 Pension & Welfare Board and the Annuity Board. Rocco is also a Trustee to the Sign & Production Council, a committee member of the Amalgamated Bank Labor Council, and the Vice President of Greater Chicago and Vicinity Board Council Maritime Trades Dept., AFL-CIO. He has been a member of the Board of Trustees for The National Energy Management Institute Committee (NEMIC) since 2009. Having been a Patrol Officer, Youth Commissioner, and Schaumburg Township Democratic Committeeman, Brother Terranova understands the meaning of public service and the needs of the working middle class. He values these positions and the experiences they have brought to him. Married to his wife Sue for 38 years, he has three children and five grandchildren. Taking their devotion to public service from their father, his children serve in the military (Marines and Green Berets), work in law enforcement, and serve the public through social work.
THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT You don’t need to be told how complex healthcare has become, especially with the changes involving the implementation of the Affordable Care Act (ACA). This legislation has afforded millions of Americans a chance at securing health insurance that covers pre-existing conditions. Its effect on multi-employer plans such as ours has forced us to anticipate and preemptively adapt to the changing realities it will bring to the health care marketplace and multi-employer plans. For decades, this union and our employers have provided affordable, high-quality health care coverage for members through our multiemployer health plans. This was accomplished jointly by labor and management through the collective bargaining process, and has enabled us to offer good living wages and benefits to members and their families throughout the United States. So far, we have recognized the potential harm the ACA will have on the viability of our multi-employer plans through the high employee threshold of the employer mandate, its definition of a qualified health plan, and the reinsurance fee. The ACA’s high threshold mandate does not penalize small businesses with fewer than 50 employees for failing to offer them health care coverage. This means almost all non-union construction industry employers (93% of whom have fewer than 20 employees), are not required to provide health care coverage for their workforce. The high threshold for coverage gives these employers a cost advantage in bidding for work, and that has the potential to undermine the quality health care, wages, and retirement we have achieved. As currently worded, the ACA does not include multi-employer health plans in the definition of a qualified health plan. This is because plan participants already have health care coverage, and the intent of the law is to expand access to the uninsured through tax credits, not provide tax credits to those already with insurance coverage. Since many non-union employers employ workers without health care coverage, this allows those employers to have their substandard health care offerings subsidized through government tax credits. Additionally, the Department of Health and Human Services and individual states will begin charging $63 for each and every individual (member, spouse, dependents) enrolled in a plan outside of the exchanges, starting at the end of this year. For self-insured health plans, which include the majority of multi-employer plans, the administrator is responsible for paying the assessment. In our industry, the plan administrators are the trust funds. This will have the effect of shifting an additional expense onto our participants. MAPD and SMW+ In order to protect our members from the adverse effects of these changes, we took steps to enhance our health care offerings to provide the best possible benefits to members and retirees. After a careful and extensive process, we first extended our SMW+ offering to members of all local unions. We also studied various Medicare eligible programs, which resulted in an arrangement with Humana, a nationally recognized and respected firm, to offer retirees a Medicare Advantage Plan. Commonly referred to as a MAPD, this plan includes a broad and costeffective prescription drug program. While this same plan is available to individuals through private markets, SMART has been able to negotiate a much lower discounted rate for the same products and services for the benefit of members and their families. We did this by utilizing our regional healthcare model that capitalizes on larger groups of participants and puts us in better position to negotiate lower rates that would be advantageous for our members. Instead of each fund negotiating separate agreements with providers, we negotiated one agreement with the leverage provided by the sheer number of our members. Many plans and locals already have MAPDs or offer Medicare supplement plans and Rx coverage through other avenues, like selffunding or some other combination. We want to offer, however, a way to reduce costs through our collective numbers, especially in the face of rising health care expenses which are being realized by health care consumers nationwide. Retirees are now taking advantage of SMW+ and SMART MAPD plans, and we expect that number to increase throughout the year. We are also looking at ways to improve upon and expand the MAPD in 2015 so we can meet the needs of more members. Traditionally, we have offered the SMW+ product, and participants are pleased with its results. However, the marketplace has put retired members in a position where they are inundated with offers for products from every avenue of the health care market. That is why it is important to know what is already available from your union without the need to purchase redundant or possibly more costly and substandard coverage from an outside commercial provider. The Excise Tax Due to the battery of questions on the Affordable Care Act I have been asked, and the high interest revolving around its effects, I want to mention the excise tax, also known by detractors as the so-called “Cadillac tax.” By the sound of it, you might think these plans cover extravagances such as annual trips to Swiss medical spas, cosmetic surgery, and weekly massages. That is nowhere near reality. While there are CEOs who do enjoy the luxuries of their own expensive health care plans, union members utilize plans that are more expensive due to the hazards associated with their occupations. These plans are not some luxury or perk, they are hard-fought benefits negotiated and fully paid for by you, for you and your family. Remember that the next time you hear an attack on your so-called “Cadillac” health care plan. This excise tax will apply to health plans where major medical benefits provided to employees are valued at more than $10,200 for single coverage and $27,500 for family coverage. The amount of the excise tax is 40% of amounts over the threshold, which will be subject to an annual adjustment for health costs, age, gender, and cost-of-living. We are monitoring developments as they pertain to the anticipated rollout of this tax in 2018, and I assure you that we are working to adjust accordingly to minimize the damage it will have on coverage for plan participants and their families. As the Affordable Care Act continues to roll out, each of us needs to be prepared to face the challenges to our health care coverage and make sure we are fully informed. From time to time, we will distribute news and notices on actions taken to fix the Affordable Care Act so that it does not deteriorate your health care coverage. You can stay up to date on news regarding this important issue by visiting our homepage at smart-union.org and signing up at smartaction.org to assist us in fighting for your rights as a member and consumer. Joseph Sellers, Jr. SMART General Secretary-Treasurer
The cost of college tuition rose at an alarming rate over the past three decades causing students, organizations and politicians to speak out against sky-rocketing rates while offering plans to stem the rise in higher education costs. Cost regulation and debt forgiveness are not all that should be discussed. In a Pittsburgh suburb, leaders from SMART Local 12, the ironworkers, carpenters, bricklayers, and cement masons fielded questions from parents and students. With job opportunities in the trades growing in the region, guidance counselors from Bethel Park, PA looked to provide information about traditional college alternatives. Nationally, the Labor Department predicts more than 218,000 carpentry jobs by 2022, a 24 percent increase above the current estimate of 901,000 jobs. The job projections note the up-and-down nature of the profession, because work peaks and dips with new construction and lulls in the economy. Major infrastructure projects in the area, and around the country, will all be built by union members in the upcoming years.
TWENTY-TWO PEOPLE were hospitalized yesterday after a violent crash sent a SEPTA bus careening into a building in Chinatown, authorities said.
The Federal Railroad Administration announced a Final Rule (FR) amending its existing Passenger Train Emergency Preparedness regulations.
SMART Transportation Division Pennsylvania State Legislative Director Paul Pokrowka is calling on all members to help stop legislation introduced here that bans Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority employees from striking.
THE AFFORDABLE CARE ACT