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MADISON, Wis. – A Madison judge on Monday found Wisconsin labor relations officials in contempt for enforcing parts of Gov. Scott Walker’s contentious bargaining restrictions despite a ruling that they’re unconstitutional, clearing the way for hundreds of school district and municipal worker unions to negotiate with their employers again.

Dane County Circuit Judge Juan Colas ruled last year the provisions were unconstitutional as they applied to two unions representing Madison teachers and Milwaukee public workers, creating confusion about whether the ruling applied to all school and municipal workers across the state.

Read the complete story at the Associated Press.

 

Two years probably wasn’t going to be enough time for railroads to install crash-avoidance technology on 23,000 locomotives and 60,000 miles of tracks, in the biggest rail-safety project in U.S. history.

Then they encountered the Choctaw Nation, Muscogee and Navajo.

In May, the railroads and their regulators learned 565 American Indian tribes had the right to review, one by one, whether 22,000 antennae required for the system to work might be built on sacred ground. That’s as many wireless tower applications as the U.S. Federal Communications Commission approves in two years.

Read the complete story at Bloomberg Businessweek.

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The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers Oct. 21 rejected a proffer of arbitration from the National Mediation Board to SMART Transportation Division’s General Committee of Adjustment GO 505, which represents a variety of crafts on the Long Island Rail Road in New York.

“After three years of difficult negotiations, the two sides are far apart on the major issues of wages, health and welfare and pension contributions,” said GO 505 General Chairperson Anthony Simon. “This release is a major step in getting us on the right path to obtaining a fair deal.”

Simon thanked Transportation Division President John Previsich for his continued assistance throughout the negotiations and SMART General President Joe Nigro for his ongoing support.

“Our organization has been working closely with SMART Sheet Metal Division General Chairperson John McCloskey and the leadership of the Transportation Communications Union and the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers in obtaining a positive outcome for LIRR workers,” Simon said. “Together in solidarity, our organization will continue to work at obtaining a fair contract for our members. I ask for the continued support of our membership as we go through these very challenging times.”

GO 505 represents conductors, car inspectors, car repairmen, car appearance maintainers, track workers, track supervisors and special service attendants employed by LIRR.

Railroad employees covered under National Railway Carriers/UTU Health and Welfare Plan or the Railroad Employees’ National Health and Welfare Plan will begin receiving notification of the online open enrollment period that began Oct. 1, 2013, and ends Nov. 2, 2013. The information should be specific to the current enrollment for you and your eligible dependents.

This new online enrollment capability provides the ability to view your personal information, add, delete and update dependent information, view enrollment materials, enroll in benefits for next year, and receive an immediate confirmation statement. There is no need to mail in a paper enrollment form. However, if you need assistance, have question or require a paper enrollment kit, call Railroad Enrollment Services at (800) 753-2692.

You are encouraged to visit the online enrollment site and review all the information available. Use the log-in instructions at end of this article to access and review your personal information and spend some time learning about the benefits resources available on the site.

You may have choices to make or information to provide.

  • It is required that covered dependent Social Security numbers (SSN) be provided to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Please supply the missing SSN on the Dependent Information screen.
  • If you currently have the Opt-Out Option 1 Plan and want to continue this plan for next year, you must select Opt-Out Option 1 on the Medical Screen.

If you are currently enrolled in the Health Flexible Spending Account, the election and yearly contribution will not rollover to the new plan year. If you want to continue with this program for the coming year, you must enter your annual contribution amount for these programs in the box provided on the Health Flexible Spending Account Screen.

To enroll in available benefit programs or make changes, access the Railroad Enrollment Services online enrollment for 2014 at www.yourtracktohealth.com (formerly known as the Railroad Information Depot).

  • Click “Login” located in the upper right corner of the screen.
  • If you have already registered, enter your username and password.
  • If you have not yet registered, select “New User?” at the bottom of the screen to complete your registration.

Once logged in, select the option to “Enroll Now for 2014,” located in the upper left corner of the screen.

Some people lie on the tracks in the path of an oncoming train. Some walk defiantly in the direction of a train as it hurtles toward them, or stand in place until they can look directly into the eyes of the terrified engineer.

Others walk along the tracks listening to music through earbuds, purposefully oblivious to the approaching train that will end their life.

However they do it, suicides by train are on the upswing in New Jersey, leading NJ Transit and the state Department of Human Services to work together with a sense of urgency on new programs aimed at stemming the tragic trend.

Click here to read more. 

WASHINGTON – The Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO joins the rest of the nation this week in thanking the men and women dedicated to transporting children to and from school during National School Bus Safety Week. In recognition of the challenges faced by school bus drivers, today TTD is announcing it will host a School Bus Summit on Dec. 2, 2013, in Washington, D.C., with its member unions.

“It is time to both thank school bus drivers for the indispensable role they play in making sure our kids are safe and secure, and also to address their everyday challenges,” said TTD President Edward Wytkind.

School buses remain the safest form of transportation for school children, carrying 25 million students to and from school every day on approximately 500,000 buses. TTD honors the drivers for their unyielding commitment to safety and dedication to their communities.

“The untold story is that school bus drivers are expected to fulfill their enormous responsibilities while too often driving overcrowded buses and without adequate support and training,” Wytkind said. “Meanwhile, unscrupulous private entities seek to outsource their jobs on the cheap and force them to work under often difficult conditions.”

To address many of these challenges, TTD will bring together union activists and drivers and federal regulators in the December summit. Participants will share ideas and strategies to address pressing concerns, including privatization of bus service, unmet training needs, overcrowded buses and burdensome employment requirements.

“The TTD School Bus Summit will focus on the men and women who work in this sector,” Wytkind added. “We cannot expect our nation’s school bus drivers to work in substandard conditions due to flawed policies and employers who cut all the wrong corners.”

More details on the summit will follow in November.

The unions representing most of the Long Island Rail Road’s workforce have reached a critical impasse in contract negotiations that could lead to a strike, the LIRR’s top union official said Friday.

Anthony Simon, general chairman of the United Transportation Union, said that after three years of failed negotiations since their last contract expired, eight of the LIRR’s 10 main unions were released from mediation Friday.

Read the complete story at Newsday.

 

FRESNO, Calif. – Trucks loaded with tomatoes, milk and almonds clog the two main highways that bisect California’s farm heartland, carrying goods to millions along the Pacific Coast and beyond.

This dusty stretch of land is the starting point for one of the most expensive U.S. public infrastructure projects: a $68 billion high-speed rail system that would span the state, linking the people of America’s salad bowl to more jobs, opportunity and buyers.

Read the complete story at the Associated Press.

 

CN_red_logoEDMONTON, Alberta – A Canadian National Railway train carrying liquefied petroleum gas and crude oil has derailed and exploded about 80 kilometres west of Edmonton, prompting an evacuation in the tiny community of Gainford.

Parkland County Emergency Services says it received a call about the accident involving a westbound train around 1 a.m. MT Saturday.

Read the complete story at Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.

With the SMART Transportation Division (formerly UTU) beginning preparations for its June 2014 convention, all transportation division locals are reminded of the need to have a duly elected delegate and alternate delegate, as well as a working local seal, prior to the convention.

The three-day convention will be held June 30-July 2 at the Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel in San Diego, Calif.

Locals with vacancies in either position must conduct elections as soon as possible, and advise the SMART TD office of the results.

Guidance on holding such elections can be downloaded from our website at www.utu.org by clicking on the “S&T Tools” link, then scrolling down to the bottom of the “Forms and Documents” column and clicking on “More forms….” to get to the following page: http://utu.org/secretary-treasurer-forms.

Documents on that page include “How to Hold Elections for Delegates, LCAs 2010,” as well as “Special Circular No. 28 – August 2010,” both of which offer guidance on conducting delegate and alternate delegate elections. Those with additional questions should contact the SMART TD office.

In addition, locals will need to have a working local seal to authenticate and certify delegate and alternate delegate credentials, which will be mailed out to each local in 2014. Those with no seals or with seals needing repair are advised to contact this office as soon as possible to make the necessary arrangements.