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Airline passengers will soon be able to carry small knives, souvenir baseball bats, golf clubs and other sports equipment onto aircraft, and transportation workers represented by UTU-SMART and others are not happy about it.

The new Transportation Security Administration (TSA) policy permits folding knives with blades that are 2.36 inches or less in length and are less than a half-inch wide. The policy is aimed at allowing passengers to carry pen knives, corkscrews with small blades and other knives.

Passengers also will be allowed to bring onboard as part of their carry-on luggage novelty-sized baseball bats less than 24 inches long, toy plastic bats, billiard cues, ski poles, hockey sticks, lacrosse sticks and two golf clubs, the TSA said.

The policy goes into effect April 25.

The announcement drew an immediate outcry from UTU-SMART and other unions that represent flight attendants and other airline workers.

“UTU-SMART, along with all other airline unions and the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO have objected to this unilateral decision made independently by TSA,” SMART Transportation Division National Legislative Director James Stem said. “We are exploring all options to overturn this sudden decision.”

“The TSA’s recent decision to allow knives, sports bats, sticks, and pool cues into the aircraft cabin is both self-serving and ill advised,” Great Lakes Aviation Vice General Chairperson Diane King said. “It goes against the TSA’s own mission statement, which states: ‘TSA has established guiding principles to maintain the security of the traveling public and continuously set the standard for excellence in transportation security.’

“There is a widely held belief that all flight decks on commercial aircraft have had ballistic doors installed since 9/11. This is simply not true,” King said.

“The vast majority of our fleet is comprised of Beechcraft 1900s, which have nothing more than a curtain separating the pilots from the passengers. Furthermore, the FAA does not require a flight attendant for these aircraft. With the pilots’ attention necessarily focused forward on their instruments, radios, changing weather, the landscape, etc., they are unable to monitor passengers, especially during critical phases of flight.

“Without the benefit of a flight attendant to stand as a final defense between the passengers and the flight deck, these pilots are completely vulnerable to attack by an irate passenger, or a terrorist.

“We are unable to protect our passengers, the flight deck, or ourselves if a passenger wielding a golf club takes out our kneecaps, cuts our throats with a knife, punctures our eyeballs with a corkscrew, or inflicts a severe head injury with a baseball bat, pool cue, ski pole, or lacrosse stick,” King said.

“The admitted ‘convenience factor’ for TSA agents does not, and absolutely should not, outweigh the safety concerns of passengers and crewmembers onboard an aircraft. This latest TSA decision does nothing to maintain the security of the traveling public; on the contrary, it severely compromises both crew and passenger safety,” King said.

There’s no excuse for reversal on the policy to ban knives from the aircraft cabin. Multi-layered security, including prohibition of items that could pose a threat, ensures U.S. aviation is the safest in the world. The ban on dangerous objects is an integral layer in aviation security.

Flight Attendants serve as the last line of defense in aviation security – responsible for ensuring the safety, health and security of the passengers in our care. Join us in keeping our aircraft cabin safe. Tell the TSA to keep knives out of the cabin.

Visit www.NoKnivesOnPlanes.org to sign a petition.

UTU-SMART Transportation Division Alternate National Legislative Director John Risch, right,
joins with others on Capitol Hill to protest plans to allow knives on aircraft.

WASHINGTON – On Saturday, May 11, 2013, Amtrak will join communities across America to celebrate the importance of trains to their town at the sixth annual National Train Day.

More than 200 communities are expected to host events at local train stations, railroad museums and other locations commemorating this year’s theme “trains matter.”

“National Train Day invites communities big and small to share the importance of trains as a vital transportation option and engine of economic development and employment,” said Amtrak Chief Marketing & Sales Officer Matt Hardison.

In addition to events in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles, Amtrak is expanding its efforts to support events in many local markets across the country served by America’s Railroad®. Event offerings will vary to include train equipment displays, family-friendly activities and local dignitaries.

Details on National Train Day events and information on how to host a National Train Day event is available at NationalTrainDay.com. Additional events and information will be added to the website frequently. In addition, rail passengers and enthusiasts are invited to share why trains matter to them via Facebook or @natltrainday.

A few weeks shy of their respective first quarter earnings announcements East Coast-based Class I railroads Norfolk Southern and CSX are feeling pretty good about their businesses.

Norfolk Southern CEO Wick Moorman stated in the company’s 2012 annual report that the future is promising for the rail carrier, which saw 2012 come in as its second best year ever in its history in terms of revenue at $11 billion, operating income at $3.1 billion, net income at $413 million, and earnings per share at $5.37.

Read the complete article at Logistics Management.

 

The negotiating team representing SMART Transportation Division members on the Kyle Railroad has reached agreement with the carrier on a proposed contract for all crafts under its jurisdiction. The Transportation Division represents engineers, conductors, brakemen, maintenance of way employees, signal employees, mechanics, helpers and apprentices, carmen and welders.

General Chairperson Brent Leonard, who was assisted by Local 44 President and Chairperson William Strickland, Local Secretary & Treasurer Dustin Meiller and Vice Local Chairperson Jacob Dougherty, led the negotiating team.

Assistant President John Previsich, who participated in the negotiations, praised the team for its efforts. “This round of negotiations was made more difficult by the sale of RailAmerica to Genesee and Wyoming partway through the process. The sale introduced a number of new concerns regarding preservation of benefits and pay that weren’t present at the start of the negotiations.

“The team did an excellent job of securing the current benefit levels while obtaining new provisions that guarantee pay and time off, along with excellent improvements to wages and working conditions.”

“The proposed agreement contains new working conditions that provide for a quality of life unseen on Class I railroads,” said Leonard. “For the first time on the Kyle Railroad, our members can secure a guaranteed level of benefit and a cost-sharing cap on their health insurance plan.”

The tentative agreement and ballots have been mailed to affected members and ballots must be returned no later than April 22, 2013.

The Kyle Railroad is a short line railroad operating from north central Kansas into eastern Colorado, with 625 miles of track. It interchanges with BNSF Railway, Nebraska, Kansas & Colorado Railway and Union Pacific. 


Commodities moved on Kyle include wheat, soybeans, milo maize, alcohols, siding asphalt and roofing granules.

Phillips

Former Maine-New Hampshire State Legislative Director Ernest “Ernie” A. Phillips, 77, died March 27.
Phillips was born Jan. 4, 1936, in Milford, Maine. In February 1956, he went to work for Bangor and Aroostook Railroad as a trainman. In July 1962, he was employed by Maine Central Railroad as a trainman and conductor. He was a member of Local 663 at Bangor, Maine.
In 1980, he was elected as general chairperson for UTU General Committee of Adjustment GO 529 representing Maine Central, Portland Terminal, Grand Trunk Railroad CN, CP Railroad, Lamoine Valley Railroad and Central Vermont. He also went on to be elected UTU International alternate vice president.
Phillips was a 33-year member of Portland Elks Lodge No. 188, a member of the Air National Guard and a member of American Legion Post No. 24.
He is survived by his wife, Donna; children Dawn, Michael, Randy and Patrick, and seven grandchildren.
A funeral service was held April 2 at Brookings-Smith, 133 Center St., in Bangor, Maine. Interment will be at Lakeview Cemetery in Glenburn at a later date. Condolences to the family may be expressed at www.Brookings-Smith.com.

Hundreds of motorcycle enthusiasts who entered custom bikes in the Easyriders® 2013 Bike Show in Anaheim, Calif., were apparently barking up the wrong tree. When it was all said and done, Howard “Tree” Slayton’s replica 1947 Knucklehead Harley-Davidson Radical Chopper was the cream of the crop.
Tree is Los Angeles Metro bus operator Howard Slayton, a 13-year member of UTU Local 1607 at Los Angeles. He was also proud to mention that he’s approaching nine years of safe operation without a chargeable offense.
His bike was selected as “best of show” by the Easyriders® panel of judges. Easyriders® bills itself as the world’s best-selling motorcycle magazine for men.
“I chose to be judged by the judges, instead of the people’s choice,” Tree said. “With all of the engineering and all of the little trick stuff I’ve done, they understand that and see that.”
“Tree is my nickname from when I was playing football and basketball in high school and college, and it carried over. They know me in the bike world by that name.” It is also stylishly emblazoned on the gas tank of his bike.
Slayton became interested in motorcycles when he was discharged from the Army. “When I came back, a lot of my buddies were into motorcycles, so that’s when I got interested,” he said.
Slayton said his motorcycle is his creation. “I have a partner who is a welder and helps me, but the bike, I designed it. All of the parts were purchased by catalog. The motor is a knucklehead replica. It’s made to look like the original.”
The bike isn’t just a showpiece. It is street-legal and Slayton said he rides it all the time.
This wasn’t Slayton’s first competition, and it won’t be his last. He took first place in the Los Angeles Metro Roadeo’s car and motorcycle show in 2009 and 2010 and, after two years off, plans to enter again this year. His bike will also be featured in an upcoming issue of Cycle Source magazine.
As for his “best of show” award, “I got a trophy. Easyriders® invited me to their regional winners competition in Columbus, Ohio, but the expense of getting my bike transported there is too much.”
“I was surprised, I was really surprised,” he said of the award. “It’s like a top honor, and the fact that it was Easyriders®, well I was amazed.”

 

Los Angeles Metro bus operator Howard “Tree” Slayton proudly displays his
award-winning motorcycle on the outskirts of downtown Los Angeles.

The following article was written by Railway Age columnist and former UTU Director of Public Relations Frank N. Wilner.

Conservative columnist and American Enterprise scholar Michael Barone, with degrees from Harvard and Yale, is a smart fellow. But a recent column about Amtrak suggests his research consisted of wandering into the posh Capitol Grill in Washington, D.C., and sitting at Amtrak baiter-in-chief Rep. John Mica’s luncheon table, absorbing Mica’s jihad against publicly funded intercity rail passenger service.

Mica’s endless blistering attacks against Amtrak for failing to earn a profit hang as a sword of Damocles, diverting scarce managerial resources from effectively improving efficiency and customer service to explaining, without respite, why Amtrak should exist at all.

Read the complete story at Railway Age.

The following rebuttal from the National Association of Railroad Passengers is in response to a CNN report by Anderson Cooper critical of Amtrak and high speed rail funding:

“So is Anderson Cooper still a real journalist? He headlines a daily talk show, and was swimming with crocodiles on last Sunday’s 60 Minutes. Perhaps Cooper has completely transitioned into the role of “television personality.”

“Honestly, that’s the most generous conclusion we can come up with. Because after the fact-light, context-free piece showcased on Anderson Cooper 360 last week, we have to say: if Cooper still considers himself a reporter, he is doing a very bad job of it.

“On Cooper’s show, reporter Drew Griffin attacked the High Speed & Intercity Passenger Rail (HSIPR) Program as a boondoggle, contrasting the expectation of 220 mph trains that run in Europe and Asia with the projects funded in the U.S. by HSIPR.

“Griffin points to the federally funded improvements to the Pacific Northwest’s Cascades service (Portland, Oregon – Seattle, Washington – Vancouver, British Columbia) as an example of everything that’s wrong with the HSIPR program. In his “analysis,” Griffin states that $800 million was spent to bring about a ten-minute reduction in trip time.

“But that’s not true.

“Yes, there was a ten-minute reduction in trip time. However, the $800 million also paid for infrastructure upgrades that push on time performance above 88 percent and added two additional daily round trips between Portland and Seattle. While Paula Hammond, former head of the Washington State Department of Transportation, briefly mentions more roundtrips on camera, it’s never even acknowledged by Griffin. That’s right: the money will go to purchasing a new train set and new locomotives, increasing daily roundtrips from four to six, and Anderson Cooper didn’t even mention it! (Not incidentally, these train sets are being built in the U.S. by American workers. This investment is leading to a revival in U.S. manufacturing of rail equipment.)

“Griffin also repeatedly states that there’s nothing to show for the $12 billion spent on high speed rail. In addition to being disrespectful to communities that have directly benefited from the many improvements to conventional speed train service (such as: Illinois, Vermont, Michigan, the entire Northeast Corridor, and so on), it’s also flat out wrong, because only 15 percent of the $12 billion has been spent so far.

“There are many reasons for this. As a result of the U.S. investing so little in passenger rail over the past 50 years, a lot of the HSIPR program had to be built from the ground up, a process that has taken time. The projects have also been the victim of political squabbling, with Republican governors killing rail expansion projects – conventional and high speed – in Wisconsin, Ohio, and Florida. (In a twist of fate, Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker reversed course and applied for a HSIPR rail grant in the next round of applications, and Florida Gov. Rick Scott is supporting All Aboard Florida’s Miami-Orlando train, a service which would have benefited immensely from the Orlando-Tampa rail corridor Scott killed).

“California’s San Francisco-Los Angeles high speed train – which will travel at speeds of more than 200 mph – is facing many of these political hurdles. But it is moving forward in spite of the political opposition, with construction scheduled to start this very summer. Construction will also ramp up on HSIPR projects in the Midwest and Northeast, creating good jobs for the U.S. construction workers, an industry which is still lagging behind in the recovery. New orders for train equipment will continue to benefit the U.S. manufacturing sector.

“Griffin and Cooper’s main objection seems to be the gulf between what they imagined when President Obama talked about high speed trains, and the reality of what $12 billion can buy. Their main failing, then, is understanding that infrastructure – whether it be rails or roads, bridges or sewers – is expensive. Unfortunately, with an estimated $3.6 trillion in investment needed in the U.S. between now and 2020, there are no $12 billion silver bullets.

“This country is still pursuing the 200 mph train service President Obama spoke of – in the Northeast Corridor and in California. But unless we start investing on levels commensurate with what the Chinese have spent on their high speed rail network – $451 billion to $602 billion between 2011 and 2015 alone – the rest of the country will progress in increments of 10 minute reductions here, and an additional frequency there.

“But if you ask a potential Cascades passenger, someone who drives on Interstate 5, where bumper-to-bumper traffic can often stretch 60 miles south of Seattle, past Tacoma to the state capital of Olympia, 10 minutes and another frequency would be enough.”

SMART Transportation Division-represented train and engine workers employed by Appalachian and Ohio Railroad have ratified a new five-year agreement by a unanimous vote.

SMART Transportation Division International Vice President Dave Wier said the agreement provides for substantial wage increases with full back-pay, provides certification pay for both conductors and engineers, freezes health and welfare contributions for the life of the contract, improves working conditions and seniority moves and provides for extra board regulation.

Wier, who assisted with the negotiations, congratulated Alternate Vice President and GO 433 General Chairperson R.W. “Red” Dare, Vice General Chairperson Danny Kautzman and Local 504 Chairperson David Currence for their efforts throughout the negotiating process.

“I laud the exceptional effort put forth by these officers in negotiating an agreement with dramatic improvements in wages and working conditions. The wage increases, coupled with the certification pay, provide these members with outstanding increases in their daily rates of pay,” Wier said.

The Appalachian and Ohio Railroad, owned by P&L Transportation, Inc., operates 158 miles of rail line between Grafton and Cowen, W. Va.

Its primary commodity is coal, transported from several mines that the railroad serves. It also moves logs, lumber and chemicals.

Amtrak, the U.S. intercity passenger railroad supported by taxpayers, asked Congress to more than double its capital budget so it can buy more trains and improve infrastructure.

Amtrak, in a letter today to Vice President Joe Biden and House Speaker John Boehner, asked for $2.1 billion in U.S. funds for its capital budget and $212 million for debt service for the 2014 fiscal year. In the 2013 fiscal year, Amtrak is receiving $905 million for those expenses.

Read the complete story at Bloomberg News.