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BREWSTER, Ohio – The more than 100 locomotive engineers and trainmen who went on strike Friday have been ordered by a federal judge to return to work.

U.S. District Court Judge John R. Adams issued a temporary restraining order late Friday afternoon that ended the daylong strike by the members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, which included pickets in front of the terminal on Wabash Avenue. The workers had cited safety violations as the reason for the protest against the Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway.

Read the complete story at the Canton Repository.

Tags BLET, strike, Wheeling & Lake Erie Railway

SMART Transportation Division Colorado State Legislative Director Carl Smith invites all SMART members in the Trinidad area to a memorial service at 11:00 a.m. on Sept. 22 commemorating the Ludlow Massacre of April 20, 1914.
The United Mine Workers of America service will honor the miners who struck on Sept. 23, 1913, and the miners and their family members who were massacred seven months later.
Smith will be in attendance.
For complete information and driving directions, see the notice below.

This story was adapted from the original by Tom Campbell, which appeared May 19, 2013, in Western New York Labor Today.

This spring, five Local 71 retirees received the distinguished 2013 Preservation Award from Preservation Buffalo Niagara (PBN) during its 5th Annual Preservation Awards Ceremony and Luncheon in Buffalo, NY. They were honored for donating their time to help restore Buffalo’s Central Terminal by building replicas of Art Deco-style light sconces from scratch.

Local 71 Business Manager John Helak, who was on hand for the ceremony, noted that “this is a high honor for them, but it was never about them or the union—it was just a project that they were asked for their help on.”
10,000 passengers passed through Buffalo’s once-bustling Central Terminal every day during its peak in the mid twentieth century. The building was in service from 1929 to its closing in 1979. Though it was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984, the Central Terminal fell victim to decay and became a haven for vandals. Shattered windows, cracked concrete, and broken pieces of marble scarred the once-graceful interior and its surroundings. Enduring several harsh Buffalo winters, the building further deteriorated to the point where its shops, restaurants, soda fountains, and concourse were hardly recognizable anymore.
Local 71 Business Manager John Helak approached the retirees after PBN called him for help. According to Helak, “I was told they had some photos and dimensions and was asked, ‘Can you make them?’ I said I couldn’t, but had a couple of fellas I could ask. They come in here to the hall and on their own time and expense are hand-crafting the sconces.”

The task was not a simple job. Retirees Larry Fuchs, a 40-year union member from Buffalo who retired in 2000; Roger Korsh, a 50-year member from Buffalo who retired in 2002; Andy Adams, who retired in 1994; Henry Forman, who retired in 1998; and Robert Stetzko, a 30-year member who retired in 2008, met each Wednesday at the union hall and training facility on Liberty Avenue to build—from scratch—the sconce lamps that once helped light up the Terminal’s Passenger Concourse.

The ornate 27-inch tall, 22-inch wide, eight-sided octagon sconces were constructed without the benefit of original plans or materials. They relied on photos and the dimensions of the original lanterns, now displayed in a Hong Kong restaurant that purchased the sconces when a salvage company sold them in the 1980s.

According to Central Terminal Restoration Corporation President Mark Lewandowski, the photos were taken by a Western New Yorker on vacation in Hong Kong. This vacationing New Yorker not only snapped the pictures, but was allowed to take and write down the dimensions of the sconces, information that was eventually used to help guide the construction of the new lanterns.
Roger Korsh stipulated that “we have not ‘duplicated’ the originals.” Those were constructed out of brass, and the new ones are constructed out of galvanized steel.
Stetzko told Western NY Labor Today that “each sconce project [was] broken down into pieces by the three so a reconstruction procedure could be put into place. Each piece of the eight-sided octagon sconce is clamped down before it’s eventually soldered and/or spot-welded.”

The crew is initially making six sconces as they continue to “get the bugs out,” Stetzko said.

“It’s a challenge,” adds Fuchs. “But it’s about quality control. If it fits, it’s a go, but it’s the kind of project that as it gets looking better, expectations get higher.”
Robert Stetzko made it a point to note that sheet metal workers “do more than just make ductwork.” “We can do anything. The impossible only takes a bit longer. It’s a challenge, but we enjoy doing it. It’s a good feeling to give something back. I’ve lived here all my life and I’m doing my bit to help support [the community].”

Local 71 has also been involved in other ways with the Central Terminal Restoration Project. Business Manager Helak and Business Agents Paul Crist and Joe DeCarlo have dedicated their time to recreating ornate metal railings that have been installed within the Central Terminal’s Passenger Concourse. “We tried to replicate [the railings] as they were, but it wasn’t doable,” Helak said.

All the materials being used to construct the Central Terminal Passenger Concourse Sconces—as well as the railings—have been donated.

Korsh noted, “We’d like to make the public aware of where these sconces are coming from so they think twice about saying anything negative or putting down union people or our union.”

Every two years, Local 265 in Carol Stream, IL, offers the Building Inspector Program, a day-long course that teaches building inspectors how to better inspect HVAC systems. This year, the demand was so great that Local 265 offered the eight-hour course four days in a row, educating about 100 building inspectors in HVAC basics. “The turn-out was phenomenal,” said Dennis Moran, Local 265 Director of Training. “It’s amazing. We were getting party crashers, people from other counties” outside of Local 265’s area.
The main goal of the course is to teach building inspectors how to properly evaluate HVAC systems for structural integrity. The program was started in 1994 in order to help inspectors do their jobs better and was in part a community-oriented initiative. After all, building inspectors help ensure that homes and neighborhoods maintain their value.
However, due to the demands of the job, the average building inspector is often, as Moran put it, “a jack of all trades and master of none.” The inspectors in the Local 265 area might be electricians, plumbers, or fire fighters. Typically, they are not sheet metal workers, so they are largely unfamiliar with duct design principles. Consequently, inspectors jump at the chance to address this gap in their knowledge: “All these building inspectors are dying for training,” Moran emphasized. As an added incentive, the Building Inspector Program also counts as continuing education units (CEUs), a requirement for many building inspectors to maintain their certification.
As for the course itself, Moran summed up its focus this way: “We’re not teaching them code. They know the code. We don’t. But we know heating and air conditioning.” Moran and his fellow Local 265 instructors Joseph Carone, Tim Donovan, and David St. Peter have taken the base Building Inspector Program (BIP) offered by iTi and adapted it to the needs of their course. What they have produced is a hands-on learning experience that provides participants with a primer on HVAC basics and gives them a chance to get their hands a little dirty. Participants find out about duct design, airflow, proper fittings, and load calculations—and they get to experience a duct blaster and a door blower test. Furthermore, they learn how to identify good and bad sheet metal construction through a physical comparison of different duct elements, like corners.
The team spends time educating participants about “good, better, and best” duct design, especially when it comes to energy consumption. Uninformed building inspectors can overlook duct design as a source of energy efficiency, so taking the time to inform them is crucial. Local 265’s training emphasizes that “better and best” duct design is ideal.
The training team also invites outside speakers to come in and discuss different elements of the sheet metal industry. This year, Jack Lagershausen from the Air Diffusion Council, which promotes the use of flex duct, presented on flex duct and duct connectors. Wally Kurzeja from Air Products Equipment Company, a local sheet metal supplier, discussed elements of Fire Life Safety systems, such as fire damper installation and inspection, as well as new designs and installation techniques. At the end of the course, participants get a complimentary handbook and a certificate of achievement. What Local 265 gets in return for its efforts are building inspectors who become walking, talking advertisements for SMART training and union expertise. “This is excellent PR for [the union],” said Moran. “We show them what we train our people with, and they love it.”
Indeed, comments from course participants demonstrate how impressed they are with the training. “Excellent presentation, learned something from every speaker “ and “very informative and worthwhile, great job!” are just a selection of the extremely positive feedback that the Local 265 training team receives. Some participants even call the course “better than the ICC” (the International Code Council) and praise the practical application aspect of the course: “Finally some practical knowledge about the codes. The demonstrations were very helpful.”
However, what really pleases Moran and his fellow instructors the most is when building inspectors contact them for guidance on the codes. “Usually, for four months [following the course], building inspectors, when they’re not sure of something, they’ll call us. They know we’re well-trained and knowledgeable,” Moran said. This is a tremendous validation of SMART expertise. The building inspectors are often the Authority Having Jurisdiction (AHJ) on a site, and they choose to contact Local 265 when they have questions. As Moran says, “These building officials know where they should go for the best opinion when they’re out in the field.”
For more information on the Building Inspector Program, please contact Dennis Moran at Dennis@smw265.org

laptop The UTU International is conducting a local treasurers’ workshop at its headquarters in North Olmsted, Ohio, Oct. 8-10.

Attendance is limited to 24 registrants.

Those interested in attending the workshop should contact the office of the UTU director of updating/auditing department. Call (216) 228-9400, or email Karen Cashin at kcashin@smart-union.org. The deadline to register is Sept. 23.

While all local treasurers will likely benefit from this workshop, newly elected treasurers are strongly encouraged to attend.

The three-day session will include all training and materials at no cost to local treasurers. However, the local is responsible for all other costs associated with the treasurer’s attendance at the workshop. Lost time or salary, travel, hotel and meal expenses connected with attendance may be reimbursed if pre-approved at a local meeting as an allowable expense of the local.

The workshop will provide local treasurers with hands-on training on the responsibilities and reporting duties pertaining to their office, including direct receipts and Winstabs. It will also focus on completion of mandatory filings for LM reports and Form 990 and DOL requirements.

The workshop will be held at the UTU International Headquarters at 24950 Country Club Blvd., Ste. 340 in North Olmsted. UTU corporate room rates of $78 per night, plus tax, are available at the Radisson Hotel Cleveland Airport, 25070 Country Club Blvd. in North Olmsted, which is conveniently located adjacent to the parking lot of the UTU headquarters. The deadline for room reservations is Sept. 23.

Reservations can be made by calling the Radisson directly at (440) 734-5060. Provide the code “UTU” when making reservations. The Radisson hotel provides complimentary shuttle service to and from Cleveland Hopkins Airport and a complimentary breakfast buffet.

Training sessions will be conducted by UTU International Auditors Stephen Noyes, Bobby Brantley and Mike Araujo.

Space is limited and attendees will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. It is recommended that those attending make their hotel reservations at the time of registration.

Attendees should bring a notebook computer and a USB flash drive.

Tags workshop

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) awarded a research grant for the city of Brunswick, Maine, the Northern New England Passenger Authority (NNEPRA) and the Maine Department of Transportation, among other partners, to participate in a field research program to develop and test new trespass detection and deterrent technologies.

The research will consist of designing, operating and evaluating a large-scale trespass detection and deterrent system to mitigate trespassing along several high-risk areas along the Pan Am Railway and Amtrak’s Downeaster rail line in the Brunswick area.

Read the complete story at Railway Track and Structures.

Tags FRA, trespassing

The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) made public its report on positive train control (PTC) implementation and issued a trio of recommendations including extending the deadline, approving alternative safety technologies and granting provisional certification of PTC systems.

The report said three out of four freight railroads included in its review will not meet the Dec. 31, 2015, deadline and won’t have PTC implemented until 2017 or later. GAO interviewed representatives from Amtrak, the four largest freight railroads and seven commuter railroads, selected to represent a mix of locations, ridership levels and PTC implementation status. GAO also interviewed PTC experts and suppliers and reviewed FRA’s PTC regulatory impact analyses.

Read the complete story at Railway Track & Structures.

Tags PTC

By Bonnie Morr, Vice President, Bus –

I was recently informed of the passing of one of our best bus vice presidents. Kenny Moore was the vice president that helped us at Local 23 to become part of this great organization. Kenny Moore was my mentor. He was active in Washington, D.C., and on the state and local levels on all issues pertaining to the Bus and Transit Departments. He was what every vice president should be. I am honored that I had the opportunity to know him. He will be missed, and I will never forget what he stood for. Rest in peace, Kenny Moore. Our condolences to his family.

I would like to thank all the people that attended the 2013 regional meetings. For those that were unable to attend, the Bus Department had a very unique set of presentations regarding the health and well-being of operator and transit workers.

In Boston, the presenters were from both the medical field and the Transportation Learning Center. They presented information on how our health is impacted by our work. Both Dr. June Fisher, M.D., and Robin Gillespie talked about the health issues so many of us are dealing with on a day-to-day basis: long hours sitting, the lack of restroom breaks, and the inability to access good food on the road. The discussions hit home for many of us.

In Anaheim, Dr. Fisher discussed health issues in transit and transportation, both here and around the world. Dr. Peter Schnall, along with Marnie Dobson, led an interactive workshop on stress in transit and its impact on our health. Amy Calvin and John Tatman from the Los Angeles MTA presented a wellness program that they created and discussed results of the program they have seen at the MTA in Los Angeles. These workshops had some of the best attendance by our brothers and sisters that I have seen in a long time. We had between 30 and 60 participants at workshops in Anaheim and about 25 in Boston.

President Mike Futhey came to our open bus workshop in Anaheim. He spoke with the bus members, answered their questions and spoke about the involvement of SMART in our Bus Department. It was an honor. We received updates from our members on what is happening on their properties and spoke about how we could get stronger. If anyone wants information from the workshops, please contact me and I will be more than happy to provide it. My email address is bmorr@smart-union.org.

Tags bus, Morr

Vice Local Chairperson and Legislative Rep. Glen E. Johnson has been elevated to the position of director of the SMART Transportation Division’s Human Rights Committee following the retirement of former director Frank Hickman Aug. 31.

A member of Local 937 at Mart, Texas, Johnson hired out with Union Pacific in September 1978 and holds seniority as a conductor and brakeman.

Johnson was originally appointed as a coordinator to the Human Rights Committee by Transportation Division President Mike Futhey in 2010. He has already worked to save dozens of members’ jobs since taking on that position.

Aside from his current local office positions, Johnson also serves as local delegate and legislative chairperson of the Texas State Legislative Board. He has also served his local in the past as secretary & treasurer and chairperson. He brings more than three decades of working railroad experience to his newest position.

The UTU established the position of human rights coordinator in February 2000 as part of a broad-based effort to educate UTU members and employers and to promote awareness of the advantages of diversity in the UTU and in society.

A team of UTU members and UTU International employees was chosen to make up the UTU’s Human Rights Committee to ensure that every voice within the organization is heard and respected.

The other members of the committee are Robert Gonzalez (1563), Billy Moye (1971), David Stinsman (1594), Samantha Taylor (1933), Jesse Turner (1290) and Transportation Division employee Barbara Bankston.

Tags Glen Johnson, Human Rights Committee

As solar continues to be a “hot” growth industry in the United States and other parts of the world, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) is feeling especially buoyant about the new job opportunities that will result from increased use of solar air heating. To lend support to the industry, SMART has become a member of the Solar Air Heating World Industries Association (SAHWIA) and will provide assistance to help promote the use of solar air heating, which will create new installation work for members.

Solar air heating systems are typically integrated onto a building’s wall or roof. They heat the ventilation air required in institutional, commercial, industrial and residential buildings. Solar air heating systems have a rapid ROI compared to other renewable energy technologies and have been used around the world for cold climate air heating or warm climate process heat (such as crop drying). Solar air heating systems have been widely used in the USA and Canada for over 20 years by manufacturing plants, military, agriculture, schools, multi-residential, municipal buildings, and commercial operations. They can displace up to 50% of a building’s heating load and thereby be a significant contributor to global climate change goals.

Solar air heating systems are typically installed by sheet metal contractors. This means that increased deployment in this particular solar technology directly creates employment for sheet metal workers and other similar construction trades. Increased employment has always been a positive economic objective for solar, and now SMART sheet metal members will be ready to participate in this growth by “solarizing” America’s walls and roofs.

According to General President Nigro, “SMART looks forward to the partnership with SAHWIA in expanding alternative energy solutions to improve environmental conditions and increase job opportunities for our skilled members.” SAHWIA is the industry association representing the companies engaged in the manufacturing, marketing, installation and sales of solar air heating technologies across Europe and in North America. Its mandate is to promote public awareness on the benefits, applications, and necessity of solar air heating, as well as to help develop the government policies and programs required to support and accelerate the widespread use of solar air heating throughout the world.