Year: 2014

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oil-train-railThree independent companies that transport North Dakota crude oil by train have not been properly labeling the oil as it goes en route from cargo tanks to the actual train, investigators for the U.S. Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) said Tuesday.

PHMSA has proposed a total of $93,000 in combined fines for Hess Corporation, Whiting Oil and Gas Corporation, and Marathon Oil Company for not using proper “hazard classes” to label crude oil. PHMSA said the offense “could result in material being shipped in containers that are not designed to safely store it.”

Read the complete story at Think Progress.

CN_red_logoTORONTO – Canadian National Railway Co said on Wednesday that the union representing roughly 3,000 of its train conductors and yard operation workers in Canada has given the company notice of its intention to strike as early as Saturday.

The strike notice comes just days after the tentative labor contract reached last year with CN, Canada’s largest rail operator, was rejected by union members.

Read the complete story at InForum.

BNSF_Color_LogoFORT WORTH, Texas – BNSF Railway Company Feb. 5 announced a new single-year record capital commitment plan of approximately $5 billion for 2014, approximately a $1 billion increase over its 2013 capital spend.

The largest component of the capital plan is spending $2.3 billion on BNSF’s core network and related assets. BNSF also plans to spend approximately $1.6 billion on locomotive, freight car and other equipment acquisitions. In addition, the program includes about $200 million for continued installation of positive train control (PTC) and approximately $900 million for terminal, line and intermodal expansion and efficiency projects.

BNSF handled more than 50 percent of the volume increases for the rail industry in 2013. The growth was led by an eight percent increase in domestic intermodal units, an 11 percent increase in Industrial Products volumes led by crude-by-rail related traffic, a three percent increase in coal volumes and a fourth quarter surge in agricultural products. This growth is on top of a 2012 BNSF total volume base of more than 9.6 million units. Much of the capacity expansion in the 2014 capital plan is for infrastructure investment on BNSF’s Northern Corridor to put the company in position to meet all customer service expectations, including Amtrak.

BNSF’s expansion and efficiency projects will be primarily focused on line capacity improvements to accommodate growth in agricultural products, intermodal, automotive, and industrial products volumes related to crude oil production, and other terminal improvements to enhance productivity and velocity. More than $900 million of the capital plan is for expansion and maintenance in the Northern Corridor.

“Our capital plan continues to focus on improving our ability to meet our customers’ service expectations, increasing our capacity where there is growth, and strengthening our railroad to help ensure it remains the safest means of ground transportation for freight,” said Carl Ice, president and chief executive officer of BNSF Railway. “BNSF’s capital investments are an integral part of making sure our network is well prepared for the demand for freight rail service in the U.S. and helps ensure the continued integrity and reliability of our network.”

conference brochure1a (1)-1This conference brings together tradeswomen and union leaders to develop skills and strategies to recruit, retain and promote leadership of women on the jobsite and in their unions.
To register on-line click one of the links that follow:
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If you want to make a contribution click here.
Click here for a copy of the event brochure
You can also email sistersinsmart@gmail.com for further information.
 
To register for a room on-line at the conference hotel, click the link below.
SHERATON GRAND SACRAMENTO HOTEL
916-447-1700 (Mention “Women Building” Conference)
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Sacramento, CA 95814
CLICK now to reserve your room on line at the Sheraton

A Volkswagen AG (VOW) plant in Tennessee is poised to become the first foreign-owned car factory in the U.S. with a union after the company agreed to let employees vote on whether to be represented by the United Auto Workers.

Volkswagen has agreed for workers at a Chattanooga assembly plant to vote next week on whether to join the UAW. The U.S. National Labor Relations Board will supervise the Feb. 12-14 vote after a majority of employees there signed authorization cards, the union said yesterday in a statement.

Read the complete story at Bloomberg Businessweek.

oil-train-railStates from California to Maine are hiring rail inspectors and oil-spill experts as they draw up emergency plans after trains carrying crude derailed and burst into fireballs, including a crash in Quebec that killed 47.

In California, Governor Jerry Brown is proposing a 15 percent funding boost for his response agency. New York Governor Andrew Cuomo last week ordered five departments to create spill disaster plans and wants to double the number of train inspectors. The July derailment in the Canadian town of Lac-Megantic was followed in December by BNSF Railway Co.’s 400,000-gallon explosion in North Dakota.

Read the complete story at Bloomberg Businessweek.

A combination of bad weather and a large number of oil shipments has been severely delaying Amtrak riders in northern Plains states – and a rail passenger advocacy group is trying to do something about it.

It hasn’t been easy to be a rail passenger lately – especially if you’re traveling on Amtrak’s Empire Builder.

That’s according to the National Association of Railroad Passengers, which says the delays on the route – which runs from Chicago to Seattle and Portland, Oregon – have become unbearable for passengers.

The cause? Heavy freight volumes from the northern Plains states, largely oil shipments.

Read the complete story at Associations Now.

20654_SMART-1The new copy of the SMART The Members’ Journal is now available online.
Included in this issue:

  • – New message from the General President about the SMART Constitution
  • – Improvements at the National Pension Fund
  • – SMART Living
  • – Profile of Local 17 member Paul Lesickza
  • – New program for members’ assistance. . .
  • and much more.

The head of New Jersey’s transit agency Feb. 3 defended the response to delays for thousands of fans leaving the Super Bowl by train, as officials sought to understand how ridership estimates could have been so far off base.
About 33,000 people took the 7-mile ride between MetLife Stadium and the Secaucus rail transfer station, more than double the highest estimates made by organizers and transportation experts before the game. The overcrowding on the platform grew so severe immediately following the game that the stadium scoreboard flashed a sign asking fans to remain inside.
The Super Bowl was held Sunday, Feb. 2, at Met-Life Stadium in New Jersey. It was billed as the first outdoor/mass transit Super Bowl.
“I received an email this morning from New Jersey Transit Vice President and General Manager Kevin O’Connor, thanking our UTU/SMART members for a job well done,” said New Jersey Transit General Chairperson Michael J. Reilly. “Our members of Local 60 in Newark, N.J., came out in force, as there were more than 70 extra assignments to be filled on both Saturday and Sunday. Not only did they come out, our crews were exceptional in their duties and professional in very demanding situations.”
In a message to Reilly and Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen General Chairperson Dave Decker, O’Conner wrote: “Just wanted to express my thanks to both of you, as well as to your members. We filled virtually every job on Saturday and Sunday and on Sunday carried an unprecedented 28,000 people to the Meadowlands and took out over 32,000. I spoke to many employees as I saw them on Saturday and Sunday and thanked them for their efforts, but of course that was only a fraction of the work force,  so please pass this on to everyone.
Great job by all and greatly appreciated. Thank you.
Kevin”

SB Conductor at train
A New Jersey Transit conductor greets travelers outside a train after the Super Bowl.

SB Crowd on platform
Television camera crew records New Jersey Transit travelers at the Super Bowl.

 

Following the examples of Local 33 and others, Local 66 contractors and members have been busily preparing to make the facilities within their jurisdiction verifiably safe.
Local 66 has delivered Fire Life Safety Level 1 Technician training for the last few years through the Western Washington Sheet Metal (WWSM) JATC. Now, with increased awareness of the importance of fire life safety, Local 66, SMACNA Western Washington, and the WWSM JATC are increasing their efforts to provide Level 2 Supervisor training and to get contractors registered to perform the work as certified entities.Local 66 Business Manager Eric Martinson has designated Organizer Brad Stephens to take the lead on networking with the public officials who are by law required to perform periodic building fire life safety inspections. Brad has been busy connecting the dots to get the right training to the right people, to make Local 66 members and contractors the go-to resource for these valuable safety inspections. As with all of these endeavors, the primary goals are safety and increased work hours.
This past summer the WWSM JATC hosted a five-day training session that provided 15 members and contractor representatives with both the Level 1 Technician and Level 2 Supervisor training required to begin to chase this work. Additionally, the WWSM JATC has begun installation of two complete fire life safety labs that will allow them to demonstrate directly to building officials how fire life safety systems work and how they should be inspected. Modeled after labs used in Local 33, the two Local 66 labs will be located in the Everett and DuPont JATC training centers, making it easier to prepare as many Local 66 members as possible to do this work.
Both SMACNA Western Washington and SMART Sheet Metal Local 66 are encouraged by the level of training participation and the attention members and contractors alike are showing in fire life safety as a viable work opportunity.