UPDATE: Arrangements Announced for Brother Dan Bonawitz’s Celebration of Life

UPDATE: Arrangements announced for the Celebration of Life for 2023 SMART-TD Man of the Year, Dan Bonawitz (Local 1409 Kansas City, Kansas). We mourn the loss of Dan Bonawitz, a dedicated union brother who spent nearly two decades fighting for workers' rights, safety, and equality. His tireless advocacy has left an impactful legacy within the SMART-TD community.

Hotel Registration Deadline for Dallas Regional Training Extended One Week

If you haven't booked your hotel room yet for the 2025 Dallas Regional Training Seminar, the deadline has now been extended until the end of the week. Attendees have until February 14 to reserve a room at the discounted SMART rate. Registration for the Dallas RTS closes on March 3, and onsite registration will NOT be available. Take action and finalize your plans today!

Making history and breaking barriers: The women of White Pass 

Over the past 125 years, very few women have worked in train and engine service on the White Pass & Yukon Route Railway in Skagway, Alaska. Five female members of Local 1626 are making history and redefining what it means to work on the railroad. Read on to discover what spurred their individual journeys to working for White Pass, how they’re charting new territory in a mostly male-dominated field, and what message they hope to send not only to other women but the entire community.

Assault law ignores Keolis operators, new bill to close that loophole

The law in Massachusetts is clear: assault a public transit worker, and you go to jail. Except, in many cases, public transit is operated by private companies. Boston's Keolis, which employs 426 SMART-TD members, is one such company. Read on to learn what SMART-TD is doing about this.

FRA Permits Self-Driving Freight Test Despite Warnings from SMART-TD 

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has approved 22 waivers allowing Genesee and Wyoming Railroad subsidiaries to test autonomous freight rail cars, despite warnings from the SMART-TD union about the safety risks. Read on to see several critical flaws in the tech that make it obvious to us that railroading is better left to real railroaders.

The East Palestine Disaster Turns Two: SMART-TD Demands Action

Two years after the Norfolk Southern train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, laws meant to fix the situation remain stalled in Congress despite strong bipartisan support and urgent safety needs. With railroads prioritizing profits over safety, the call for federal action grows louder as communities and workers continue to suffer. Read on to see what’s being done to push for change.

Riders resist driverless technologies in Chicagoland

While Metra and its workers received high praise from Chicagoans in a recent survey, the opposite is true for the use of automated or driverless technology on various modes of transportation. Read on to learn just how much the public prefers a human to an AI behind the wheel.