Discounted SMART room rate is now available until February 14, RTS Registration open until March 3
Location: DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Dallas, Near the Galleria
Dates: March 10-13, 2025 (S&T: March 10-14)
Room Rate: $141/night (deadline to reserve a room is February 14)
Registration Fee: $75
If you still haven’t reserved your room for the upcoming Dallas Regional Training Seminar, you now have until Friday, February 14 to do so.
Please note that only limited rooms are available, so don’t delay!
Registration for the Dallas RTS closes on March 3, which is only three weeks away.
NO ONSITE REGISTRATION IS AVAILABLE, so you must complete this in advance!
The Dallas RTS will begin on Monday, March 10, 2025, with an evening Welcome Reception. The training will cover topics such as local governance, the roles and responsibilities of local presidents, secretaries, treasurers, legislative representatives, and local chairpersons in member advocacy, an overview of the SMART Constitution, and other key subjects.
For a detailed meeting agenda, please visit the Meetings page via the SMART Union mobile app.
We look forward to seeing you in Dallas!
Space in some of the training tracks is limited and will be filled on a first-come first-served basis.
Zowe Gardner is used to seeing tourists take lots of pictures on the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway in Skagway, Alaska.
One day, she noticed that a man was taking pictures of her every time the train stopped.
She was surprised to find that he was waiting for her on the dock at the end of the day.
“He just wanted to take a picture with me and was super excited because his granddaughter loved trains and he’d never seen a young female as an engineer before,” Gardner remembered. “That really just made me feel validated and happy.”
As a brakeman, conductor, and recently promoted engineer, Gardner is one of the only women who has ever worked in train and engine service throughout White Pass’ 125-year history.
SMART-TD News recently sat down with Gardner and four of her co-workers and union sisters from Local 1626 to discuss what spurred their individual journeys to working for White Pass, how they’re charting new territory in a mostly male-dominated field, and what message they hope to send not only to other women but the entire community.
Five Unique Journeys to White Pass
Engineer Lindsay Breen moved to Skagway nearly 25 years ago but didn’t start working at White Pass until 2012.
Tired of her desk job and wanting to dive into the Skagway tourism industry, she talked with her good friend who was a train agent, put in an application, and got hired.
The rest is literally history.
In addition to being a brakeman and conductor like Gardner, Breen has the distinction of being White Pass’ first female engineer.
“That took a very, very long time for that to happen,” Breen noted. “I was just moving up in seniority, going through the motions as every man or woman would do in our company. It wasn’t a goal of mine growing to even work with trains or become an engineer, but it’s really just been an awesome path for me…and being part of that first female crew ever last October was awesome.”
From left to right: Stephanie Zubel, Eileen O’Keefe, Zowe Gardner, Lindsay Breen, and Eliza Myers
Joining her on that history-making trip last year were Conductor Eliza Myers and Brakeman Eileen O’Keefe.
A Skagway native, Myers worked at an ice cream shop in town when she was a teenager and then decided to move over to White Pass after a couple of years and was promoted to conductor last year.
“As a child I never thought that I would have this job,” Myers said. “It’s very inspiring because you don’t see a lot of people doing it. It opens the door of ‘Okay, what else can I do? Could I do something else that’s a male-dominated field?’”
At the suggestion of her best friend from college who is from Skagway, O’Keefe spent her first year with White Pass as a tour guide, which happened to be Gardner’s first year as a brakeman.
“When I saw her being a brakeman, I was pretty inspired and I kind of wanted to follow in her footsteps,” O’Keefe said.
Before joining White Pass in 2022, Brakeman Stephanie Zubel had never moved away from home before but immediately fell in love with the community. She spent two years as a tour guide before becoming a brakeman last year.
“When I came to Skagway, Zowe and Lindsay were both in the train and engine service and I looked at it and I was like ‘I want to do that. There’s nothing that’s gonna stop me from doing that.’ Everyone that I’ve worked with has also helped me get to where I am today,” Zubel said.
Defying Stereotypes
When it comes to working on the railroad, most people don’t picture women in those positions.
None of the women let the perceived idea of a boys’ club deter them from their career goals.
“I just broke into the boys’ club,” Zubel said laughing. “Now we’re all a really good, happy, unified family.”
“Our roles show that brotherhood is also a sisterhood,” O’Keefe pointed out. “Being part of a collective that supports you in the workplace is a really amazing thing, and I think that can be very beneficial for women across many different sectors.”
Gardner agrees.
“Seeing women in our roles kind of just encourages people and kids in general to just go after whatever they want, regardless of what society tells people is a social norm. It just takes hard work. If you’re willing to work toward your goals, you’d probably be surprised at what you can achieve, regardless of gender.”
Zubel, O’Keefe, Myers, Breen, and Gardner with Local 1626 General Chairperson Jason Guiler
For a few years, Breen was the only female on the roster before Gardner was hired.
“I love the fact that we’re hiring more women,” Breen emphasized. “Now it’s wonderful that we have five women in our union. It’s really cool just to be a part of that, and I hope we hire more women and get more into this field.”
The public’s typical reaction to a female engineer amuses Breen but also makes her proud.
“It’s so fun to see the look on their face to say ‘Oh wow, there’s a five-foot-four blonde girl driving the train.’ They get this look…it’s just hilarious, but it’s also heartwarming.”
All five women take immense pride in the job that they perform.
“I feel very lucky to be able to work with them, because they’re all very strong, capable, smart individuals,” Myers stressed. “It feels almost like ‘What’s the next boundary or thing that we’re going to break?’”
Role Models for the Skagway Community
As the father of three little girls, Local 1626 General Chairperson Jason Guiler is quick to describe what these five women mean to the roughly 3,000 Skagway residents.
“These women are setting an example to this community in ways that they don’t even understand,” Guiler said.
Because White Pass & Yukon is a historic railroad, conductors and brakeman wear three-piece suits, regardless of their sex.
The company is still trying to figure out how to modernize that requirement, but Guiler is proud of how the women have handled the situation.
“Even a simple challenge like the clothing that they wear is something that these women are dealing with on a daily basis without complaint and their heads held high,” Guiler said.
“They started in roles that worked their way into a job that no one else has, so it’s incredibly impressive to not only recognize their experience in the train and engine service but the background that they have been able to bring to the table to benefit our group as a union and as a whole.”
It took 125 years to make history but for these women, it’s only the beginning.
“It’s finally happening,” Breen said. “What took so long for it to happen? But it’s here and we’re making some breakthroughs, and it’s just really cool to be a part of.”
The law in Massachusetts is clear: assault a public transit worker, and you go to jail — up to 120 days or a maximum $5000 fine. Except, in many cases, public transit is operated by private companies.
Boston’s Keolis, which employs 426 SMART-TD members, is one such company. This means that our members endure the regular threat of assault without relief.
Cole Czub, Vice Chairman of SMART-TD’s Bus and Transit Assault Prevention and Safety (BTAPS) Committee, explains that a new bill is in the works to fix that.
“We see nationwide assaults are on the rise for all transportation workers,” Czub explained. “Every one of our people deserves to be able to go home at the end of the day the same way they showed up. This will, at the very least, put some repercussions on the people that would prevent this from happening. It’s not okay to lay your hands on or assault anybody who works anywhere, but especially in transit.”
SMART-TD’s New England Safety and Legislative Director Dave Stevenson described how a major, unintended loophole in the current law could allow some offenders to walk free.
“We’re technically not public employees,” Stevenson noted. “When a lot of guys get assaulted, they still charge the assailant with assault on a public employee. If you have a half-decent lawyer, you could easily get that thrown out in court.”
As a real-world example, Czub recalled an incident from last year when a worker ended up in the hospital, but the offender is still allowed to ride the train.
“Unless an officer sees it happen, it’s considered simple assault, and they get a summons to court. This [the legislation] will fix that.”
New bill to protect Boston’s SMART-TD bus and transit members
House Docket No. 2682 will broaden the definition of “public employee” to cover transit workers employed by private companies, a group that wasn’t included in the original legislation.
The measure also adds “bodily fluids” to the definition of an assault, which imposes strong incentives for passengers to avoid getting their spit or urine on our members. It wouldn’t be in the bill if this didn’t happen often enough to be a real problem.
Czub pointed out that other labor organizations have been trying to pass this legislation for several years, but it always seems to get pushed aside. He’s confident that SMART-TD’s involvement will be the extra momentum that’s needed to get this over the finish line.
“It’s just been an oversight that’s been allowed to exist for far too long, and it’s definitely time to put a fix to it,” Czub said. “I think we have the support and the support in the Massachusetts government to get it done.”
A Hopeful Path to Passage
Once committees are formed within the next couple of weeks, supporters will have a better sense of the legislation’s path to becoming Massachusetts law.
After that, Stevenson is preparing for an all-hands-on-deck effort.
“We’re going to use every tool we have to get this passed,” Stevenson promised. “We’ll let our members know to reach out to their legislators to support the bill. Testify in person. Testify in writing. We’re going to get our members mobilized and hopefully push this bill in the right direction.”
The message to lawmakers is simple but powerful.
“I just want to make sure that they hear us loud and clear that this has to get done now,” Czub said.
The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has granted 22 waivers to Genesee and Wyoming Railroad subsidiaries, including the Heart Of Georgia Railroad (HOG) and Georgia Central Railway, to begin testing autonomous freight rail cars. These waivers will allow the companies to move forward with seven stages of testing on prototypes developed by Parallel Systems.
While supporters of this technology hail it as the future of rail transportation, SMART-TD has made our stance clear to the FRA about the potential dangers these autonomous vehicles pose to our members, the public, and the rail industry as a whole.
SMART-TD Raises Alarm Over Safety Risks
Union representatives have been attending demonstrations of Parallel Systems’ self-driving rail vehicles for years, and their findings have been alarming. These vehicles, which the manufacturer insists are “not rail cars,” consistently fall short of the basic safety standards necessary to protect both rail workers and the communities they serve. The prototypes have failed several critical safety tests, leading to mounting concerns.
One of the most significant safety flaws observed during testing was the vehicles’ failure to adequately warn oncoming traffic at road crossings. The horns and bells on these autonomous vehicles have been found to be insufficiently loud, creating a dangerous situation for workers, drivers, and pedestrians.
Somebody Please RedBlock The Robot
In one demonstration, a self-driving rail vehicle ran through a misaligned switch, highlighting a serious flaw in the technology that could lead to catastrophic accidents. Even with no crew onboard, the potential consequences are severe; whatever the vehicle might hit could endanger the lives of rail workers, especially SMART-TD members who may be operating nearby equipment. This reality is simply unacceptable.
Perhaps most concerning are the vehicles’ braking performance and stopping distances. Even at low speeds, these autonomous vehicles require unreasonably long distances to come to a stop. In a test involving a single stack intermodal car, the prototype failed to meet basic stopping standards. This raises serious questions about how the vehicles would respond in emergency situations or navigate challenging track conditions, which is an everyday reality on the rails.
These “not rail cars” are self-powered by large-scale lithium batteries, which means that under current safety regulations they would be classified as hazardous loads even when empty.
Without a crew member in direct control means that there would be no engineer or conductor on hand to share crucial information to first responders, including documentation about the hazardous materials onboard. The risk of sending these dangerous self-driving vehicles into public spaces without proper safeguards is deeply troubling.
Despite these concerns, the FRA has granted each of the 22 safety regulation waivers that were requested. They are allowing testing to proceed. These waivers include exceptions for essential safety features such as grab irons (since there will be no crew aboard), the ability to skip brake tests, and the absence of hand brakes. These are basic components necessary to ensure safe rail operations and the protection of workers.
A Departure From Industry Safety Standards
Don Roach, SMART-TD’s State Safety and Legislative Director in Michigan was present for a Parallel Systems test/demonstration in Pueblo, Colorado, on March 6, 2024. “After reading the FRA’s letter allowing this to go forward, I’m still stuck on FRA saying it is ‘in the public interest and consistent with railroad safety.’ How can they claim it’s consistent with safety when they’re allowing the testing of something with so many unknown risks?”
Brother Roach emphasized his belief that the FRA’s participation in the testing process is supposed to focus on safety. Instead, he feels the FRA’s decision letter worries more about “effectiveness” than it does about fully assessing the risks of this new, untested technology. “I thought the FRA’s mission was about safety, not testing the limits of the capabilities of a self-propelled, zero-emission rail vehicle with known flaws that put every man and woman near the ballast in danger,” he added.
Despite repeated warnings from union representatives, including written public comments submitted to the FRA, the agency granted the 22 waivers.
According to SMART-TD’s National Safety and Legislative Department, this move is part of an ongoing trend to replace human workers with automation technology, putting both human safety and the integrity of the rail system at risk.
SMART-TD will continue to fight to protect its members, uphold safety standards, and ensure that the railroads of tomorrow remain safe, reliable, and operated by skilled professionals committed to putting safety first.
To review the 22 waivers granted for this testing, please visit the following link:
East Palestine, OH – Two years have passed since the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio unleashed a hazmat-fueled fireball that redefined the lives of the residents and railroad workers alike. Despite the overwhelming support for stronger safety measures, little has been done. Unfortunate and inexplicable political roadblocks have kept meaningful railroad safety legislation from becoming law. Two acts, each designed to protect the lives, limbs, and livelihoods of rail workers and those living along the tracks, have been left out to dry as the railroads continue to profit. The irony could not be more apparent.
The United States deserves better.
The Railroad Safety Act of 2023 Trapped in Committee
The bipartisan Railroad Safety Act of 2023 (RSA) is a bill co-authored by then-freshman Senator and current Vice President J.D. Vance and former Ohio Senator Sherrod Brown. The RSA contains common-sense rail safety regulations that will prevent disasters like the one in East Palestine from happening again. Despite widespread backing from labor unions, including SMART-TD, and the public at large, the bill has been stalled in the U.S. Senate, a victim of Washington’s dysfunction and partisan gridlock.
Meanwhile, a companion piece of legislation appeared in the U.S. House of Representatives called the Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2024 (RSEA). RSEA addresses the same critical safety issues exposed by the East Palestine derailment. Introduced by Congressman Troy Nehls (R-Texas), the bill was crafted with the same bipartisan framework as the RSA.
Rep. Nehls, alongside Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Massachusetts), worked in unison on the bill. It arguably represents an even stronger approach to addressing the current challenges facing rail safety than the RSA.
In any reasonable legislature the bill would have easily passed. The RSEA failed to clear the same bureaucratic hurdles as the RSA — it never even received a vote in the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.
RSEA’s failure to even be considered marks yet another example of how meaningful reform continues to be stifled by entrenched political forces.
Both bills, in their respective chambers, shared a bipartisan spirit. Senators Vance and Brown, like Reps. Nehls and Moulton, built a coalition of support on both sides of the aisle. This is the kind of government we all want as U.S. citizens, and it should have been celebrated. While these bills had the necessary support to pass, they never made it out of the starting gates.
Two Years, Too Little Action
Two years after the derailment, the tragedy still echoes in the lives of East Palestine residents and railroad workers. They were abandoned by a system that claims to protect them. A federal solution is still possible, but time is running out.
“East Palestine and every rail worker continue to get ‘railroaded,’” said one SMART-TD union member who asked to remain anonymous. “It’s been two years, and we’re still in the same dangerous position as before the derailment. Our lives, and the lives of those who live along these tracks, are still at risk. We can’t afford to wait any longer for politicians to do the right thing.”
“Every day that goes by without solutions to the loss felt by the community and without enhanced safeguards for our workers is a failure,” said SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson. “It’s a failure not only to address the problems at hand but also a failure on the part of national legislators to honor the promises made while the cameras were running, and this town and our issues were the fastest way to score a soundbite on the news.”
“We have watched as the promises made in the wake of the East Palestine disaster have not materialized into real change,” said Clyde Whitaker, SMART-TD’s State Safety and Legislative Director for Ohio. “We’ve seen the political machinery fail to act and in doing so, they’ve allowed corporate interests to continue to prioritize investors’ profits over workers’ safety.”
The two years that have passed since the derailment provided ample opportunity for Congress to rise above partisanship and do what was right for the people of East Palestine, rail workers, and all those who live along the tracks. Former Majority Leader, Senator Chuck Schumer (D-New York) could have acted on the RSA. Instead, he was unable to bring it to the floor for a vote for nearly two years.
Railroad Tactics Undermine State Lawmakers
On the state level, Whitaker and other advocates have succeeded in securing important legislation to protect Ohio’s rail workers.
A new state law preserves the vital two-person crew requirement, ensuring that a sufficient workforce is on hand to respond to emergencies. Additionally, the law mandates that wayside defect detectors, which help identify mechanical issues before they lead to accidents, provide audible alerts in the cab of the locomotive, making it possible for crews to monitor train health.
While these are important steps forward, Whitaker acknowledges that the victory is bittersweet.
Railroads like Norfolk Southern and CSX have already begun to undermine the new safety measures. They took the State of Ohio to federal court to challenge the 2-PC law, and SMART-TD has received reports that these companies are lowering the volume of the defect detectors, so they are inaudible to the crew.
“Though the state law has been a win for our members, it’s clear that pushing for improvements state by state will never be enough,” Whitaker continued. “The industry continues to find ways around these regulations. A strong, enforceable federal law is what is needed. It’s time for Congress to step up and do the work with the same level of seriousness as Ohio’s legislature.”
John Thune Expected to Stymie Safety Legislation
Here’s the reality: despite widespread support for the bill, having the necessary votes only matters if the Senate President puts the bill on the floor for a vote. Senator Chuck Schumer failed us, and our prospects of current Senate President John Thune (R-South Dakota) supporting the bill are incredibly slim.
Prior to becoming a U.S. Senator, Thune was a lobbyist for the railroad industry. Not surprisingly, as a member of the Senate’s Committee on Commerce, Science, & Transportation, Thune voted against the Rail Safety Act when it stood for a vote at the committee level. Fortunately, Thune was in the minority that day—following the testimony of then-Senator Vance and SMART-TD’s Whitaker, the bill did pass that hurdle with a bipartisan show of support.
Between Senator Schumer’s inaction and Thune’s conflict of interest, this bill has fallen on deaf ears in Washington.
Despite this, SMART-TD remains hopeful that with continued support from Vice President Vance and labor-friendly legislators cut from the same cloth as Sherrod Brown, the Railroad Safety Act will make its way through the politically-charged halls of Washington and become law.
Looking to the Future: Workers are Done Waiting
This union and all of rail labor continues to push for the passage of the Railroad Safety Act along with the Railroad Safety Enhancement Act. This year’s Congress features many new faces, and our National Legislative Department is working to meet with them as quickly as possible. SMART-TD will continue to advocate for the safety of its members and the communities they serve, demanding that the promises made after the East Palestine derailment be turned into concrete action. The lives of rail workers and their families depend on it.
As this union looks to the future, we feel compelled to issue a call to action to elected leaders across the country. “It’s time to stop letting politics dictate our safety,” Whitaker concluded. “We need a federal law that ensures the safety of every rail worker and every community that shares the tracks with us. The people of East Palestine, and every rail worker across this country, deserve better.”
On this, the two-year anniversary of the derailment that rocked the world of rail safety, SMART-TD calls upon our legislators to remember what is at stake and keep the promises that they made.
Chicagoans have good things to say about Metra’s frontline employees, but the same can’t be said for the use of automated or driverless technology.
The results of a recent survey conducted in the Greater Chicago area by an independent third party found that 83% of people have a favorable opinion of Metra (44% “excellent” and 39% “good”). This is due in large part to the work that’s done by SMART-TD transit union members: Metra’s conductors, ticket collectors, and other frontline workers.
Of this same surveyed group, 67% oppose (with strong opposition clocking in at 51%) the use of automated or driverless technology on freight trains. This is the same level of strong opposition against the use of the driverless Uber services and slightly higher than private vehicles, which sits at 49%.
When it comes to driverless freight trucks, the opposition is even higher.
75% of people are somewhat or strongly against driverless freight trucks on highways, and 81% of people are somewhat or strongly against having them on city streets.
The robots aren’t coming for drivers’ jobs (yet)
Headlines may tout the popularity of driverless technology, but the numbers don’t lie—opposition to driverless technology is high.
55% of people have a “somewhat” or “very” unfavorable view of driverless technology.
In addition to eliminating jobs (some of which are done by SMART-TD members), safety risks also increase without a driver present to operate the vehicle.
It’s clear that riders feel safer and more secure when trains and other modes of mass transit are manned by a person rather than under the sole control of a computer or other mode of technology.
SMART-TD will continue protecting our members’ essential jobs from being eliminated by automated technology and ensuring that the riding public is safe while using these critical services.
Under the agreement, UP will relinquish control of rail operations in Eugene, Oregon’s yard, the largest between Seattle and San Francisco, as well as 29 miles of main line that supports regional businesses and industries.
The lease to CORP, a short-line railroad, will result in the loss of 30-40 highly qualified, FRA-certified Class I railroad jobs. If allowed to proceed, they will be replaced with about 15 new CORP employees, who will possess far less territorial knowledge and experience.
This is a recipe for disaster: replacing a unionized workforce with the skills and knowledge to safely operate these trains with less-qualified counterparts will have devastating consequences for the local community and its economy.
SMART-TD organizes defense of Eugene Yard crews and community
Oregon State Safety & Legislative Director Dan Garrison emphasized that the change boils down to the railroad’s focus on cutting cost, while shifting responsibility for safety and accountability to a smaller railroad.
Brother Garrison has been organizing an appeal to the U.S. Surface Transportation Board (STB). With the assistance of SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson, Jared Cassity in our National Safety and Legislative Department, and our legal team, they plan to stop UP in its tracks.
The power of public comments
The STB has the authority to approve or reject the sale or lease of rail lines throughout the U.S. While reviewing these deals they review input from interested parties and the public at-large.
Brother Garrison and President Ferguson are leveraging this opportunity to the fullest extent possible! This is SMART-TD’s opportunity to educate the STB on exactly what the ramifications will be if UP’s hedge fund parlor trick is allowed to go through as planned.
SMART-TD is steadfast
UP’s lawyers may not appreciate the blue-collar logic or the amount of effort our brothers are putting into blocking their plan, but they should expect it.
This is personal for Garrison, who works as a UP conductor out of the Eugene Yard. He knows and stands behind every man and woman UP puts at risk with this plan.
It is a problem when our brothers and sisters lose their jobs. It is not acceptable to force an experienced, professional workforce to crisscross a state the size of Oregon to chase work. UP’s profit comes at our members’ expense.
When railroaders are faced with what appears to be an insurmountable problem, we grab our hammer, duct tape, wrench, and zip ties and figure out how to get the job done.
The deadline for submissions to the STB is this Friday Jan 31. We’ll make sure our voices are heard, and if Garrison and his team are up against it, UP can be sure that these guys and President Ferguson will stand strong and fight with every tool they have available.
Our mission does not waiver: SMART-TD is committed to fighting for the protection of American rail workers, the safety of the public, and the long-term stability of the U.S. freight rail network.
