Attention all SMART-TD and BLET members! Tonight at 7:00 p.m. central standard time (8:00 p.m. EST), SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson and BLET President Dennis Pierce will be airing a joint interview on the Rails Tails & Trails YouTube channel, which can be viewed at the following link: https://youtu.be/6N9r6QIGqA8.
Presidents Ferguson and Pierce will be providing updates on recent developments with BNSF’s HiViz attendance policy, commentary on our national rail contract negotiations, and discussion of other important issues affecting members of both Unions.
As additional information, beginning at 6:00 p.m. CST (7:00 p.m. EST), Rails Tails & Trails host Jon Chaffin will be doing a giveaway for supporters of his channel. All members are encouraged to tune in, subscribe to the channel, and leave your feedback in the comments section. We are looking forward to finding out if you think the interview is informational, and if you would like the presidents to join a future episode on the Rails Tails & Trails podcast. If so, please comment on which issues you would like to see them discuss.
We thank you for your continued support as we work diligently to keep all members informed!
The AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department, of which the SMART Transportation Division is a proud member, released the following statement on March 1 after President Joe Biden’s State of the Union address.
Greg Regan and Shari Semelsberger, president and secretary-treasurer of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issued the below statement in response to President Biden’s first State of the Union (SOTU) address to the nation.
“From the passage of the American Rescue Plan to the biggest investment in infrastructure in our nation’s history, the first year of the Biden Administration was a capstone year of legislative victories for transportation labor unions and working people.
“Chief among these legislative victories is the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law (BIL), a once-in-a-generation investment across every sector of our transportation network — and an unprecedented investment in workers.
“We proudly represent 36 labor unions whose members will be put to work during the implementation of this historic legislation, ushering in a new era of manufacturing, construction, and transportation job creation. We applaud President Biden for putting union job creation and worker empowerment at the center of his governing agenda.
“We welcome the progress of the White House Task Force on Worker Organizing and Empowerment, which recently released a report outlining 70 recommendations to empower workers, including an initiative to increase worker awareness of their federally protected rights to organize and establish a resource center for information on unions and collective bargaining.
“We urge Congress to heed the President’s call to pass the Richard L. Trumka Protecting the Right to Organize (PRO) Act, which would help workers collectively bargain for better wages, benefits, and working conditions.
“We look forward to continuing to work with President Biden and the Administration to create good union jobs, invest in America’s transportation infrastructure, and expand collective bargaining for every transportation worker in the nation.”
February 28, 2022 — By letter dated February 24, 2022, the rail bargaining coalition made up of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division of the Teamsters Rail Conference and the Mechanical Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers Union petitioned the National Mediation Board (NMB) for a proffer of arbitration, requesting to be released from further mediation sessions. If granted by the NMB, the proffer of arbitration is the next step in the process towards self-help and a potential Presidential Emergency Board to settle their contract dispute with the nation’s rail carriers.
The Coordinated Bargaining Coalition (CBC) unions, which are likewise in negotiations with the same rail carriers, support the BMWED/SMART Mechanical request to be released from mediation and agree that the parties are at an impasse and should be allowed to move the contract dispute to the next steps of the Railway Labor Act’s negotiation process. Although the CBC Unions are also in mediation with their next NMB-mediated bargaining session scheduled in March, the CBC made it clear to the NMB upon entering mediation that there is little, if any, hope of reaching a voluntary agreement in light of the rail carriers’ refusal to bargain in good faith with any of the rail unions. Therefore, the CBC fully expects to be making the same request for a release, and once all rail unions are released from mediation, the CBC will stand alongside the BMWED/SMART Mechanical Coalition through the final steps of the Railway Labor Act negotiation process to bring the bargaining round to a successful conclusion.
A copy of BMWED/SMART Mechanical’s February 23, 2022, letter to the National Mediation Board can be found by clicking here.
The unions comprising the Coordinated Bargaining Coalition are: the American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA); the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen / Teamsters Rail Conference (BLET); the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS); the International Association of Machinists (IAM); the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers (IBB); the National Conference of Firemen & Oilers/SEIU (NCFO); the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW); the Transport Workers Union of America (TWU); the Transportation Communications Union / IAM (TCU), including TCU’s Brotherhood Railway Carmen Division (BRC); and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD).
Collectively, the CBC unions represent more than 105,000 railroad workers covered by the various organizations’ national agreements, and comprise over 80% of the workforce who will be impacted by this round of negotiations.
4th Quarter 2021 Net Earnings: Increased 13% to $1.7 billion from $1.5 billion Diluted Earnings Per Share:n/a – BNSF is not publicly traded Revenue:Increased 11% to $6.3 billion from $5.7 billion Operating Income:Increased 12% to $2.4 billion from $2.2 billion Operating Expenses:Increased 10% to $3.9 billion from $3.5 billion Operating Ratio:Improved to 60.0% from 60.3%
2021 Annual Earnings Net Earnings: Increased 16% to $6.0 billion from $5.2 billion Diluted Earnings Per Share: n/a – BNSF is not publicly traded Revenue: Increased 12% to $23.3 billion from $20.9 billion Operating Income: Increased 14% to $8.8 billion from $7.7 billion Operating Expenses: Increased 10% to $14.5 billion from $13.1 billion Operating Ratio: Improved to 60.9% from 61.6% Read BNSF’s full earnings report.
4th Quarter 2021 Net Earnings: Increased 17% to C$1.20 billion from C$1.02 billion Diluted Earnings Per Share: Increased 18% to $1.69 per share from $1.43 per share Revenue: Increased 3% to C$3.75 billion from C$3.66 billion Operating Income: Increased 11% to a record C$1.57 billion from C$1.41 billion Operating Expenses: Decreased 1% to C$2.19 billion from C$2.25 billion Operating Ratio: Improved 3.1 points to 58.3% from 61.4%
2021 Annual Earnings Net Earnings: Increased 37% to C$4.90 billion from C$3.60 billion Diluted Earnings Per Share: Increased 38% to $6.89 per share from $5.00 per share Revenue: Increased 5% to C$14.48 billion from C$13.82 billion Operating Income: Increased 18% to C$5.62 billion from C$4.78 billion Operating Expenses: Decreased 2% to C$8.86 billion from C$9.04 billion Operating Ratio: Improved 4.2 points to 61.2% from 65.4% Read CN’s full earnings report.
4th Quarter 2021 Net Earnings: Decreased 34% to C$532 million from C$802 million Diluted Earnings Per Share: Decreased 38% to $0.74 per share from $1.19 per share Revenue: Increased 1% to C$2.04 billion from C$2.01 billion Operating Income: Decreased 10% to C$832 million from C$928 million Operating Expenses: Increased 11% to C$1.21 billion from C$1.08 billion Operating Ratio: Worsened 530 basis points to 59.2% from 53.9%
2021 Annual Earnings Net Earnings: Increased 17% to C$2.9 billion from C$2.44 billion Diluted Earnings Per Share: Increased 16% to $4.18 per share from $3.59 per share Revenue: Increased 4% to C$8.0 billion from C$7.71 billion Operating Income: Decreased 3% to C$3.21 billion from C$3.31 billion Operating Expenses: Increased 9% to C$4.80 billion from C$4.40 billion Operating Ratio: Worsened 280 basis points to 59.9% from 57.1% Read CP’s full earnings report.
4th Quarter 2021 Net Earnings: Increased 23% to $934 million from $760 million Earnings Per Share: Increased 27% to $0.42 per share from $0.33 per share Revenue: Increased 21% to $3.43 billion from $2.83 billion Operating Income: Increased 12% to $1.37 billion from $1.22 billion Operating Expenses: Increased 28% to $2.1 billion from $1.6 billion Operating Ratio: Worsened to 60.1% from 57.0%
2021 Annual Earnings Net Earnings: Increased 37% to $3.8 billion from $2.8 billion Earnings Per Share: Increased 40% to $1.68 per share from $1.20 per share Revenue: Increased 18% to $12.52 billion from $10.58 billion Operating Income: Increased 28% to $5.6 billion from $4.4 billion Operating Expenses: Increased 11% to $6.9 billion from $6.2 billion Operating Ratio: Improved to 55.3% from 58.8% Read CSX’s full earnings report.
4th Quarter 2021 Net Earnings: Increased 258% to $595.1 million from $166.3 million Earnings Per Share:On December 14, 2021, Canadian Pacific Railway acquired the outstanding common and preferred stock of KCS. Therefore, earnings per share data is not presented because the company does not have any outstanding or issued publicly traded stock. Revenue: Increased 8% to $747.8 million from $693.4 million Operating Income: Increased 209% to $810.6 million from $262.3 million Operating Expenses: Decreased 115% to a negative $62.8 million from $431.1 million due to the merger Operating Ratio: Improved 70.6 points to –8.4% from 62.2%
2021 Annual Earnings Net Earnings: Decreased 15% to $527 million from $619 million Earnings Per Share:On December 14, 2021, Canadian Pacific Railway acquired the outstanding common and preferred stock of KCS. Therefore, earnings per share data is not presented because the company does not have any outstanding or issued publicly traded stock. Revenue: Increased 12% to $2.95 billion from $2.63 billion Operating Income: Decreased 12% to $884 million from $1.00 billion Operating Expenses: Increased 27% to $2.06 billion from $1.63 billion Operating Ratio: Worsened 8.1 points to 70.0% from 61.9% Read KCS’s full earnings report.
4th Quarter 2021 Net Earnings: Increased 13% to $760 million from $671 million Diluted Earnings Per Share: Increased 18% to $3.12 per share from $2.64 per share Revenue: Increased 11% to $2.9 billion from $2.6 billion Operating Income: Increased 15% to a 4th quarter record of $1.1 billion from $1.0 billion Operating Expenses: Increased 8% to $1.7 billion from $1.59 billion Operating Ratio: Improved 2% to a 4th quarter record 60.4% from 61.8%
2021 Annual Earnings Net Earnings: Increased 27% to $3 billion from $2 billion Diluted Earnings Per Share: Increased 31% to $12.11 per share from $7.84 per share Revenue: Increased 14% to $11.1 billion from $9.8 billion Operating Income: Increased 28% to a record $4.4 billion from $3.0 billion Operating Expenses: Decreased 1% to $6.7 billion from $6.8 billion Operating Ratio: Improved 7% to an all-time record of 60.1% from 69.3% Read NS’s full earnings report.
4th Quarter 2021 Net Earnings: Increased 24% to $1.7 billion from $1.4 billion Earnings Per Share: Increased 30% to $2.67 per share from $2.05 per share Revenue: Increased 12% to $5.7 billion from $5.1 billion Operating Income: Increased 22% to $2.4 billion from $2.0 billion Operating Expenses: Increased 5% to $3.3 billion from $3.1 billion Operating Ratio: Improved 3.6 points to 57.4% from 61.0%
2021 Annual Earnings Net Earnings: Increased 22% to $6.5 billion from $5.3 billion Earnings Per Share: Increased 26% to $9.98 per share from $7.90 per share Revenue: Increased 12% to $21.8 billion from $19.5 billion Operating Income: Increased 19% to $9.3 billion from $7.8 billion Operating Expenses: Increased 7% to $12.5 billion from $11.7 billion Operating Ratio: Improved 2.7 points to 57.2% from 59.9%
“The Union Pacific team concluded its most profitable year ever in 2021. We produced double-digit fourth-quarter revenue growth by leveraging our great rail franchise to generate positive business mix and core pricing gains,” UP CEO Lance Fritz said. Read UP’s full earnings report.
Notes:
Operating ratio is a railroad’s operating expenses expressed as a percentage of operating revenue, and is considered by economists to be the basic measure of carrier profitability. The lower the operating ratio, the more efficient the railroad.
All comparisons are made to 2020’s fourth-quarter and 2020 year-end results respectively for each railroad.
All figures for CN & CP are in Canadian currency, except for earnings per share.
On Feb. 28, SMART is launching its new website. This site offers SMART TD and its members a greater level of security and utility compared with the older design. Important union information will now be secured behind a login and the news and resources that matter most to you as a SMART TD member will be easier to find and access.
With this change, it is now necessary for SMART TD members to sign up for a members’ portal account to access these resources.
To set up an account, go to https://www.smart-union.org/members/login and click on “New to SMART portal? Create an account.” and then click on “I’m a Transportation Division member.”
To sign up for an account, you will need an email address, your name, your local number and the last four digits of your Social Security number. Please note that if the last four digits of your Social Security number are not on file or if the data the union has on file is mismatched with what is entered to create the account (for instance “Bill” for the first name instead of “William”), you will be unable to log in to access Member Portal resources.
If you find yourself having difficulty establishing your new web account, please call the TD Public Relations Department at 216-227-5283 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Eastern or fill out this web form, and we will work to resolve the issue.
Once you have established this account, an email will be sent to the address you’ve provided. After clicking the link in that email, your login will be established, and you will be able to browse and add favorite resources for ready access, then be able to easily retrieve them every time you log in to the Member Portal.
For website support issues or suggestions about resources to add, you can also contact the Transportation Division PR Department at 216-227-5283 or email websupport@smart-union.org. Since this is a general email address for all users, please include that you are a TD member in your message along with your name and local number (if known).
A pair of bills limiting train length have been introduced in the Iowa House and Senate and have gained some traction. House File 2339 and Senate File 2286 both contain language that would limit the length of any freight train to 8,500 feet.
House File 278 (now renumbered as HF 2339) was introduced January 28, 2021, by David Maxwell (R – Dist. 76). The Senate companion bill, Senate File 2051 (now renumbered as 2286) was introduced by Sen. Jesse Green (R – Dist. 24) on January 18, 2022. SF 2051 originally had two-person crew language in it, but that was taken out so that the bill would match the House version of the bill.
As mentioned above, the bills, if passed, would limit train length to 8,500 feet and provide for a penalty of not less than $500, nor more than $5,000 per violation.
Currently, both the House and the Senate versions of the bills have passed out of committee and they await floor votes in each chamber.
“We’ve had good support at the committee level to get the bill to where it is now, but it only takes one to tank the whole thing,” Iowa State Legislative Director Chris Smith said. “I’m hopeful and I’m happy that we got it this far.”
Smith said that he also got House File 210 introduced by Rep. Ray Sorensen (R – Dist. 20) on Feb. 10. This bill would double the fines for motorists who traverse railroad grade crossings against a gate or signal at quiet zones. If passed, the fine would double to $520. If facing financial hardship, motorists would have the option to take a DOT class instead. HF 210 has passed out of committee and will be renumbered for the full House to vote on.
Smith says that he’s not sure when any of the three bills mentioned will come to a vote, but he’s hopeful that they’ll pass.
James E. Blue IIIPhoto credit: Baltimore Police Department
Amtrak conductor and Local 1470 (Edmonston, Md.) member James E. Blue III, 43, was shot multiple times Jan. 25 outside a home he was in the process of remodeling while talking on a cellphone to his son, who is away at college. He was taken to an area hospital where he was pronounced dead shortly thereafter.
Although he is married to Baltimore City Police Lt. Keisha Blue, the shooting is not thought to be related to his wife’s position as a police officer, Baltimore media has reported. A Baltimore television station reported Feb. 2 that a teenage suspect was taken into police custody and has been charged with first-degree murder.
A member since 2002, Blue followed in his mom’s footsteps when he became an Amtrak conductor. Now retired, Mrs. Shelley Forbes-Eford was also a member of Local 1470.
Local 1470 brother Anthony Mobley and four others have set up a GoFundMe account on behalf of the family to help with funeral expenses.
“With all sincerity I’m torn in my heart. His life ended abruptly on January 25, 2022,” Mobley wrote on the page. “Many of you know his wonderful loving mother who retired from Amtrak…Therefore I’m asking for your financial support to help his wife and kids with funeral expenses and other financial obligations.”
Blue leaves behind his wife Keisha, three children – Jadan (23), Landan (14) and Peyton (9), and his mother, according to the online fundraiser.
The Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program is offering new virtual courses in February and March.
10-hour OSHA General Industry Course — This course is intended to increase workers’ knowledge on hazards they may encounter on a job site and their rights. Training emphasizes hazard identification, avoidance, control, and prevention. (An incentive of $175 is available to participants who take this course.)
February 7 & 14, 2022 – 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. EST (five hours per day, must attend both days)
8-hour DOT Hazardous Materials Awareness Course – This course provides the safety awareness, security awareness and in-depth security training required by DOT for hazmat transportation workers. This course also provides OSHA first responder – awareness level training. (An incentive of $175 is available to participants who take this course.)
February 24 & March 3, 2022 – 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. EST (four hours per day, must attend both days)
For more information on either course, contact the Rail Workers Hazmat Training Program by calling 202-624-6963 (9 a.m. – 5 p.m. EST, Monday – Friday). Click here to register. (Note only classes listed as provided by The Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program are available to SMART-TD members.)
The goal of this training initiative is to provide rail workers with the skills and knowledge necessary to protect themselves, the community, and the environment in a hazardous materials transportation emergency. To achieve this goal, the Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program provides rail workers, through quality hazardous materials training courses, the confidence in their knowledge and problem-solving skills to enable them to make changes for safer work conditions.
Much of the training is provided by peer instructors who are full-time rail workers — members and/or local officers of affiliated rail unions.
U.S. DOT’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced that registration is open for National Transit Institute (NTI) and Transportation Safety Institute (TSI) safety training courses for transit personnel.
See the table below for some of the courses being offered by NTI.
TSI supports FTA’s mission by providing economical, timely, state-of-the-art training and educational opportunities to the transit industry. TSI assists FTA in meeting its federal training mandate by developing, managing and delivering innovative instruction through instructor-led course offerings and e-learning technologies. All training is designed specifically to meet the needs of today’s changing transit industry, its regulations and safety best practices.
On January 9, 2022, tragedy struck in the form of a fire for Alaska Railroad conductor and SMART-TD Local 1626 (Anchorage, Alaska) member Danielle Gallagher. Gallagher and her two children lost their home near Palmer, Alaska, that night, reports Local 1626 Secretary & Treasurer Justin Voss.
“Danielle is a conductor for the Alaska Railroad and a very dedicated employee. She loves her job! Not only is Danielle a great coworker, she is also [a] great friend. She is always willing to reach out and lend a hand and helps anyone in need. No matter the situation,” Toppin said on the GoFundMe page. “This is now our chance to help her and her awesome kids and say, thank you for always having our backs.”
In addition to the loss of their home, some of the family dogs were lost in the fire. The farm animals, including horses and cattle and other livestock, were not harmed.
The Rail Workers Hazardous Materials Training Program is offering new virtual courses in February and March.
U.S. DOT’s Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has announced that registration is open for National Transit Institute (NTI) and Transportation Safety Institute (TSI) safety training courses for transit personnel.