Category: Amtrak/Commuter
RRB: Unemployment and sickness benefits for railroad employees
The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) administers the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act, which provides two kinds of benefits for qualified railroaders: unemployment benefits for those who become unemployed but are ready, willing and able to work; and sickness benefits for th [...]
N.Y. Reps. Suozzi and King address SMART TD
On Monday, July 10, 2017, U.S. Congressmen from the State of New York, Rep. Tom Suozzi (D) and Rep. Peter King (R), addressed SMART TD members and officers at the Eastern Regional Meeting in New York City, Suozzi at the morning opening session and King at the lunch reception. [...]
Trump persists in ending long-distance Amtrak train service
Instead of working to upgrade long-distance transportation services, and ignoring his promise to invest in American infrastructure, Trump is working to end long-distance train travel. According to an article posted on July 3, 2017, in the San Francisco Chronicle, if TrumpR [...]
SMART TD voices concerns about accuracy of FRA’s proposed locomotive simulation studies
On June 30, SMART TD’s legislative office submitted comments to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Information Collection Request regarding two FRA research studies on locomotive technology and automation. SMART TD urged the FRA to consider the critical factors o [...]
SMART TD’s Jeff Duris passes away; family and friends express thanks for support
Jeff Duris, a member of Local 322 in Milwaukee, died on Saturday evening, July 1, 2017, surrounded by family, reported Local Chairperson Bob Alba. Jeff was diagnosed with Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease on June 19, 2017. Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease is an incurable and fatal neurolog [...]
Obituaries posted for CSX conductors, LaFave & Deal
CSX conductors and Local 600 members Jake LaFave and Stephen Deal lost their lives June 27 when they stepped off a CSX locomotive to check an alert and were hit by an Amtrak train. Jake J. LaFave LaFave, 25, enjoyed spending time with loved ones, working on electronics, playi [...]
Former Gen. Chairperson Carlton Graves dies
Retired General Chairperson Carlton Leon Graves, 87, died Tuesday, June 27 at the Franklin County Rehab Center in St. Albans, Vt. Before hiring out on the railroad, Graves served in the Vermont National Guard. He also owned and operated his own dairy farm while employed by th [...]Statement on Rail Accident that Claimed Two Brothers
On the night of June 27, our Union tragically lost two Brothers when CSX Conductor Jake Lafave and Conductor Trainee Stephen Deal (both of Local 600) died after being struck by an Amtrak passenger train just north of Union Station in Washington D.C. On behalf of our entire me [...]