Ohio State Senators Kenny Yuko (D) and Michael Skindell (D) are leading the effort to make Ohio railroads safer for crews and communities. The following three railroad legislative initiatives are scheduled for a first hearing Thursday, May 4 at 9:00 am at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus. Hearings are open to the public.
Click on the following three senate bills to support the legislative efforts introduced by Sens. Yuko and Skindell:
Ohio Senate Bill 74 – Two Person Crews on all Freight Trains: A minimum of two crew members on all freight trains operating in Ohio.
Ohio Senate Bill 89 – Rail Yard Lighting: To establish standard for lighting in a rail yard; and to establish penalties for railroad companies that are in violation of those standards.
Ohio Senate Bill 90 – Use of Walkway Stone in Rail Yards: Establish standards for walkways in rail yards; and to establish penalties for railroad companies that are in violation of those standards.
Take another minute to ask your federal representatives to support H.R. 233, the Safe Freight Act, which would mandate a minimum of two-person crews on all freight trains operating anywhere in the U.S.
Click here in support of H.R. 233.
Click here for more information on H.R. 233, the Safe Freight Act.
Author: amyr
Washington – Philip A. Miscimarra has been named chairman of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) by President Donald J. Trump.
“It is a great honor to be named NLRB Chairman by the President,” Miscimarra said. “The Board has the important responsibility of applying the National Labor Relations Act in an even-handed manner that serves the interests of employees, employers and unions throughout the country. I remain committed to these efforts.”
President Trump designated Miscimarra NLRB chairman, April 24, 2017, after the White House announced the President’s intent to name Miscimarra Chairman April 21. Miscimarra had been previously designated Acting Chairman by President Trump January 23, 2017, and served as a Board Member since August 7, 2013. Miscimarra was nominated April 9, 2013, to serve on the Board, and was approved unanimously by the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions May 22, 2013. He was confirmed by the Senate July 30, 2013, and his current term expires December 16, 2017.
The NLRB also consists of NLRB Member Mark Gaston Pearce (previously NLRB Chairman), whose term expires August 27, 2018; and NLRB Member Lauren McFerran, whose term expires December 16, 2019. Two Board member seats are currently vacant.
Before joining the Board, Chairman Miscimarra was a Senior Fellow at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business School in the Wharton Center for Human Resources, and a labor and employment law partner with Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP in Chicago. He also previously worked as a labor and employment attorney with Seyfarth Shaw LLP; Murphy Smith & Polk PC (now the Chicago office of Ogletree, Deakins, Nash, Smoak & Stewart, PC); and Reed Smith Shaw & McClay (now Reed Smith LLP).
Miscimarra received his Juris Doctor from the University of Pennsylvania Law School; a Master of Business Administration from the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton Business School; and a Bachelor of Arts, summa cum laude, from Duquesne University.
The Associated Press reported that deaths by railroad track selfies/photo shoots is on the rise, and transportation officials and railroad carrier reps. are stepping up efforts to warn the public of this growing, deadly trend. The concern is greater this time of year, during prom and graduation season, when teens, young adults and even some professional photographers, think it’s okay to get a few shots on railroad tracks. Aside from the fact that walking on or standing near active tracks is illegal – it is extremely dangerous. Read the complete story here.
In an interview with Trains.com, E. Hunter Harrison, the new CEO of CSX, recently stated that he is not a fan of one-person crews. Translation: he supports two-person crews. Read the entire interview.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported that with the help of a $20 million dollar state grant, Norfolk Southern (NS) will develop a second freight route through Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, that has the capability of supporting double-stack freight cars. The project has been in the works since last June, when a landslide from Mount Washington closed NS’s double-stack line for nearly two weeks. The second, alternative line will now exist as a backup line. A portion of the funds will be utilized for railroad bridge repair in the area.
Click here to read more.
North Dakota locals will be holding informational meetings for their members the last week in April. These meetings provide an opportunity to learn about your benefits and visit with international officers, general chairmen, and representatives from the Railroad Retirement Board, UTUIA, healthcare and other insurance plans, the Auxiliary of the UTU and Designated Legal Counsel.
All members, retirees, and spouses/significant others are welcome to attend any of the meetings. There is no registration; just come if you can. For further information, call North Dakota State Legislative Director Jim Chase at 701-223-0061 or send an email to utu4nd@gmail.com.
- Local 1344: BNSF
Tuesday, April 25, 1:00 p.m.
Baymont Hotel, 2611 Old Red Trail NW, Mandan - Locals 887 & 980: CP Rail
Wednesday, April 26, 1:00 p.m.
West Fargo VFW, 308 Sheyenne St., West Fargo - Locals 525 & 1137: BNSF & RRVW
Thursday, April 27, 1:00 p.m.
Country Inn & Suites, 3316 13th Avenue S., Fargo - Local 1059: BNSF
Friday, April 28, 1:00 p.m.
The Vegas Motel, 2315 N. Broadway, Minot
Local 1059 will follow up their Spring Swing meeting with a social at 6:00 p.m. and annual retirement banquet at 7:00 p.m. All events will be held at The Vegas Motel.
Nevada Senate Bill 427 (S.B. 427), sponsored by Nevada State Senator Mark Manendo (D – Dist. 21), seeks to restore a requirement in Nevada’s laws regarding the minimum number of persons operating freight trains in the state.
The bill comes in response to interest expressed by freight railroad carriers nationwide in reducing the current crew size for most cross-country freight trains from two persons to a single operator. Railroad workers oppose such action, citing what they see as a compromise in safety with regard to further crew size reductions.
“In an incident such as a derailment resulting in the release of hazardous materials, the elimination of a crew member from freight trains would cause delay in notification to emergency responders. That creates an unacceptable risk to the public,” said SMART TD Nevada State Legislative Director Jason Doering.
“The desire to pursue single-person operations of freight trains clearly represents placing cost reduction and profits ahead of responsibility for ensuring that movement of freight by rail through the communities of Nevada takes place in the safest possible manner,” added Matt Parker, chairman of the Nevada state legislative board of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET).
Nevada law previously specified a minimum crew size for freight trains in the state. The crew size requirement in that law was repealed in 1985 to accommodate changes to collective bargaining agreements negotiated between rail carriers and the labor unions representing their transportation craft employees.
“Had we foreseen the day that rail carriers would seek single-operator crews, we most certainly would not have supported repeal of Nevada’s previous crew consist requirements, instead insisting upon a modification to the law,” said retired UTU Nevada State Legislative Director Rodney Nelms, who participated in the 1985 legislative action.
S.B. 427 passed the Senate Committee on Transportation with a 3-2 vote. You can find the bill here: https://www.leg.state.nv.us/App/NELIS/REL/79th2017/Bill/5505/Overview
A special thanks goes out from Doering to Sen. Manendo for sponsoring S.B. 427. Doering asks that members contact their Nevada state senators and ask them to support S.B. 427. Members can contact their state senators directly by visiting the Nevada State Senate website.
Trains.com recently reported that an attorney in Roanoke, Virginia is on a one-man mission to rally CSX shareholders to vote down CEO E. Hunter Harrison’s bid to line his pockets with an extra 84 million dollars as compensation for voluntarily leaving the helm at Canadian Pacific earlier than planned. Read the complete article here.
The BismarckTribune.com reported that if the Trump budget passes, the effect on commuter rail will be serious, as Amtrak services could cease in numerous states, including North Dakota and Minnesota.
‘“It’s ironic that President Trump’s first budget proposal undermines the very communities whose economic hardship and sense of isolation from the rest of the country helped propel him into office,” NARP (National Association of Railroad Passengers) President Jim Mathews said in a statement.’
Read the complete article here.
Read the complete article here.
On March 23, 2011, SMART TD member Dwight Hauck nearly died in a horrific crew transport van-train collision in a Kelso, Washington, rail yard that killed two other passengers and the driver. Hauck suffered permanent, debilitating injuries as a result of the crash. The incident spurred SMART TD State Legislative Director Herb Krohn and other union leaders in the state of Washington to lobby reps to apply oversight protections regarding rail crew shuttle companies.
A legislative mandate that includes accident tracking, driver drug testing and regular vehicle inspections is expected to become state law in Washington within the next few weeks.
Click here to read the article and to view the video interview with Mr. Mr. Hauck, posted on Northwest Public Radio.org.