SMART Union
WASHINGTON — The nation’s largest haulers of crude oil by rail on Tuesday appeared to abandon their insistence that information about such shipments could not be shared publicly for security reasons.
Meanwhile, states, including some that had previously signed nondisclosure agreements, also reversed course and made the information public with no protest from the railroads.
Read the complete story at the Merced Sun-Star.
By Joe Nigro,
SMART General President –
Recently, SMART Sheet Metal Division Local 9 and Transportation Division Local 202 came together to honor the memory of the victims of a massacre that occurred 100 years ago.
On April 20, 1914, the Colorado National Guard joined with security guards hired by a local mining company to launch a bloody and devastating assault on 1,200 striking coal miners and their families camped at a tent city set up in Ludlow, Colo.
The event, known today as the Ludlow Massacre, saw one of the most egregious acts of violence committed by company guards and mine owners against their workers in a time when acts of violence against workers were commonplace. More than two dozen people, including 11 children and the four women shielding them from harm, were killed in the assault when a tent they were hiding in was lit on fire by company guards.
The man who led the attack on the miners, Gen. John Chase of the Colorado National Guard, had no love for the men and women who made up the labor movement, nor their families. According to historian Howard Zinn, in his book Three Strikes, Chase led a cavalry charge right into a group of protesting women a week earlier who had been supporting the striking miners. His troops tore banners and flags from the women’s hands while slashing bystanders with their sabers. Chase later went on to call this an effective means of mob control.
This massacre was a watershed moment in American history. The outcry was so fierce and loud that workers across the country struck as a result to demand justice for the women and children that were murdered in cold blood. A hostile Senate was forced to convene hearings looking into labor conditions and actually made incremental changes that began to form the foundation of the New Deal reforms two decades later. The incident continued to serve as a rallying cry for working families on through the following decades as the memory of those women and children was not left to die.
The Ludlow families helped bring our local unions closer together today just as they did a century ago when the labor movement demanded an end to this brutal violence in one loud voice.
This is the power of unity on display – a force for change and for progress that is as strong today as it was strong in those dark, early days where workers lost their lives fighting to improve their working conditions.
SMART members are already taking advantage of this unity. In New Mexico, Sheet Metal Division Local 49 was involved in assisting the Transportation Division in organizing 40 new members at Herzog Transit Services – a subcontractor responsible for running New Mexico Rail Runner Express commuter rail service. In New York, Sheet Metal Division locals are standing shoulder to shoulder with their brothers and sisters on the Long Island Rail Road against a difficult management at the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority.
This is the kind of unity and strength envisioned by our predecessors when this merger was voted on and passed seven years ago. We are now gradually starting to see the fruition of that vision.
I look forward to standing with you in securing a better future for ourselves and for our families and ask that you join us in commemorating the victims of this heinous massacre. Their memory lives on in our actions and in our work to strengthen the solidarity and bonds of the labor movement we are all a part of.
Arch “Tom” Otto, 91, former national president of the Railroad Yardmasters of America from 1971 to 1985, passed away Feb. 23, 2014.
Otto was born Aug. 24, 1922, in Wheeling, W.Va., graduated from Wheeling High School and attended Bethany College.
A member of SMART Transportation Division Local 1951 at Albany, N.Y., Otto began his 45-year railway career as a clerk, quickly advancing to yardmaster for the Pennsylvania Railroad in Weirton, W.Va. He served as a local chairperson and a general chairperson for Pennsylvania Central yardmasters before being elected national president of the Railroad Yardmasters of America in 1971. He served in that role until his retirement – and the RYA’s merger with UTU – in 1985.
As national president, he negotiated 12 national agreements on behalf of RYA employees and their families, including wage increases, creation of a new dental plan and improved health benefits.
After his retirement, he and his wife relocated from Mt. Prospect, Ill., to Palm Beach Leisureville in Boynton Beach, Fla., where he served on many committees and was elected president of the community’s board of directors.
Otto is survived by his wife of 67 years, Kay, daughters Alison and Heather, son-in-law Mike Liddicoat and granddaughter, Kathleen Liddicoat. He was pre-deceased by his son, Alan Thomas (“Tim”) Otto of Chicago, who was also a yardmaster.
A celebration of his life was held Feb. 28 in Leisureville, with a burial in Wheeling.
U.S. railroad regulators have ordered BNSF Railway and Canadian Pacific Railway to hasten shipments of grain from a backlog that has frustrated farmers and people who run grain elevators.
The Surface Transportation Board, in a decision late Friday, required the two railroads to publicly disclose every week plans to address the delays, which have forced some in the upper Midwest to heap grain on the ground after running out of storage space because of autumn’s massive harvests. Others just can’t get grain moved out of elevators or are doing so at higher prices.
Read the complete story at the Journal Star.
The Supreme Court said June 23 it will consider whether Amtrak can partner with a government agency to create rules that other private railroads must follow.
The justices agreed to hear the Obama administration’s appeal of a lower court ruling that said Congress unconstitutionally gave regulatory power to the passenger railroad company.
Read the complete story at ABC News.
A new benefit year under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act begins July 1, 2014. The maximum daily benefit rate payable for claims under this Act increases to $70 in the new benefit year. Benefits are normally paid for the number of days of unemployment or sickness over four in 14-day registration periods, so maximum benefits for biweekly claims would total $700.
However, as a result of a sequestration order under the Budget Control Act of 2011, the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) will reduce unemployment and sickness benefits by 7.2 percent through Sept. 30, 2014. Future reductions, should they occur, will be calculated based on applicable law.
For this reason, at the start of the new benefit year the maximum amount of benefits payable in a two-week period will be $649.60. In addition, sickness benefits paid for other than on-the-job injuries are reduced for regular Tier I payroll taxes of 7.65 percent. Coupled with the 7.2-percent reduction, the maximum amount payable on these sickness benefits will be $599.91 over two weeks.
During the first 14-day claim period in a benefit year, benefits are payable for each day of unemployment or sickness in excess of seven, rather than four, which, in effect, provides a one-week waiting period. Initial sickness claims must also begin with four consecutive days of sickness. However, only one waiting period is required during any period of continuing unemployment or sickness, even if that period continues into a subsequent benefit year. Claimants already on the rolls will, therefore, normally not be required to serve another waiting period because of the onset of the new benefit year.
To qualify for normal railroad unemployment or sickness benefits in the benefit year beginning July 1, 2014, an employee must have had railroad earnings of at least $3,512.50 in calendar year 2013, counting no more than $1,405 for any month. Those who were first employed in the rail industry in 2013 must also have at least five months of creditable railroad service in that year.
Under certain conditions, employees with at least 10 years of service who do not qualify in the new benefit year on the basis of their 2013 earnings may still be able to receive benefits after June 30, 2014. For example, such employees who received normal benefits in the benefit year ending June 30, 2014, might still be eligible for extended benefits. In addition, 10-year employees may be eligible for accelerated benefits if they have rail earnings of at least $3,600 in 2014, not counting earnings of more than $1,440 a month.
Application forms for unemployment and sickness benefits may be obtained from railroad employers, railroad labor organizations, any RRB office, or the agency’s website at www.rrb.gov. Also, as an alternative to applying for unemployment benefits through the mail, rail workers can file applications and subsequent claims for unemployment benefits online. Similarly, they can file claims for sickness benefits online, although the original application must still be submitted by mail. Employees can also access information about their individual railroad unemployment insurance account statements online. These account statements provide a summary of the unemployment and sickness benefits paid under the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act to rail employees.
To access these online services, employees must first establish an RRB Internet Services account. Instructions for establishing an online account can be found in the “Benefit Online Services Login” section on the www.rrb.gov home page. For security purposes, first-time users must apply for a Password Request Code (PRC). The agency automatically mails a PRC to any employee who files a paper application for unemployment or sickness benefits. If an individual has not received a PRC, they can request one by clicking the appropriate box on the home page. They will then receive the PRC by mail at their home address in about 10 days.
Claimants with questions about unemployment or sickness benefits should contact an RRB office by calling toll free at (877) 772-5772. Claimants can also find the address of the RRB office servicing their area and get information about their claims and benefit payments by calling this toll-free number. Most RRB offices are open to the public from 9:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, except on federal holidays. Field office locations can also be found online at www.rrb.gov.
RICHMOND, Va. – Federal Railroad Administrator Joseph C. Szabo today called on elected officials and transportation planners in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia to develop a shared vision of rail service along the Southeast High-Speed Rail Corridor (SEHSR) between Washington, D.C., and Atlanta. Administrator Szabo’s challenge came as he addressed members and supporters of Virginians for High-Speed Rail during their 20th anniversary luncheon in Richmond.
“The metropolitan regions of the South and the Southeast in particular, are growing faster than other metropolitan regions across the country,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “In order to meet the mobility needs of a growing population and to move the products they will need to market, rail must play an enhanced role in the transportation delivery network there.”
Across the country, regions are banding together to forge collective long-term visions for passenger rail. Along the Northeast Corridor (NEC), eight states and the District of Columbia are working on a 40-year plan for rail service between Boston and Washington, D.C. In the Midwest, nine states and 40 cities have already developed the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative, a planning guide for long-term rail investments.
“Good planning is the cornerstone of service delivery and a plan reflecting the collective vision for a region helps the region compete effectively for future rail funds as money becomes available,” said Joseph C. Szabo, Federal Railroad Administrator. “In order for the region to achieve optimum growth, it will be necessary for them to work together more closely and plan for their transportation future.”
Administrator Szabo said regional planning between Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia could effectively yield seamless passenger rail travel all along the East Coast from Boston to Atlanta.
During his address, Administrator Szabo also highlighted the importance of the Grow America Act , the Obama Administration’s four-year $302 billion surface transportation reauthorization bill now before Congress. The bill includes $19 billion for rail, and for the first time, would provide railroads with a predictable, dedicated funding source. The Act will invest $600 million in existing state corridors like the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor and provide an additional $6.4 billion for rail service improvements along existing, expanding and new passenger corridors over the next four years.
Passenger ridership has been setting record highs in the Southeast. In Virginia, passenger ridership is up 100 percent since 2009 and in North Carolina Amtrak’s Piedmont service between Charlotte and Raleigh continues to set ridership records carrying about 100,000 more people in 2013 than it did in 2009. Since 2007, passenger ridership in Georgia increased by 15 percent and by 14 percent in South Carolina.
Similarly, freight rail traffic in the Southeast has been increasing since 2009 an average of 10 percent annually. Georgia has seen an increase of nearly 13 percent with a more than 883,000 carloads of freight annually.
The Federal Railroad Administration, along with its 32 state partners and the District of Columbia, is laying the foundation for a higher performance rail network. Sixty-five projects worth $4.1 billion in High-Speed Intercity Passenger Rail Program funding are currently completed, under construction, or will soon start construction in 20 states and the District of Columbia. Today, about $736 million in federal funding supports a dozen projects along the Southeast High Speed Rail Corridor.
The International Association of Sheet, Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers and its allied unions on the Long Island Rail Road invite members of organized labor and their family, friends and supporters to a “LIRR Labor Rally” on Saturday, June 21, at 11 a.m. at the Massapequa Train Station.
SMART Transportation Division GO 505 General Chairperson Anthony Simon said the purpose of the rally is to demonstrate the resolve of affected LIRR employees in achieving the recommendations of Presidential Emergency Board 245.
In a ruling delivered May 20, PEB 245 found decisively in favor of the unions in their ongoing dispute with New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority over wages, work rules and pension reforms.
In its report, the board notes that “the lack of notice and bargaining on substantial issues in the Carrier’s final offer is of significant concern … The Unions’ final offer, on the other hand, represents a reasonable balance addressing the priorities of both parties … It is noteworthy that the Unions’ assertion that real wage increases for LIRR employees, absent inflation, have not increased at all since 1991, was not challenged by the Carrier.”
The PEB report set in motion a final 60-day cooling off period. If no agreement is reached during that time, SMART and the other unions are legally allowed to strike July 19 under provisions of the Railway Labor Act.
However, Simon told New York’s Newsday May 27 that SMART would be willing to extend by 60 days, or until mid-September, any strike on the railroad.
“Our members care about Long Island and its economy,” said Simon, adding that a strike could harm summer tourism-based businesses. “All we would need is the MTA to mutually agree on the extension.”
SMART’s coalition partners include the Transportation Communications Union, International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, and the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers-Service Employees International Union.
To print a rally flyer, click here.
Show your support here: http://www.keeplongislandmoving.net
See also: LIRR workers urge management, Cuomo to help delay strike deadline
Prosecutors accuse Gov. Scott Walker of personally overseeing a sweeping “criminal scheme” to illegally coordinate fundraising and campaign activity among conservative groups in a broad effort to help him – and Republican senators – fend off recalls in 2011 and 2012, court documents made public June 19 show.
In the documents, unsealed by a federal appeals judge, prosecutors described what they called a “criminal scheme” to circumvent state campaign finance and election laws.
Read the complete story at the Wisconsin State Journal.