DENVER – Gov. John Hickenlooper May 6 announced that he plans to sign H.B. 1161 on May 14 at the Pueblo Union Depot. The bill establishes a commission and fund to preserve the current Amtrak passenger train service in southern Colorado and potentially expand that service to i [...]
The (New York) Senate has passed a bill that would prohibit registered sex offenders from working as bus drivers. The bill (S.1519) would stop the Department of Motor Vehicles from issuing or renewing a commercial driver’s license to operate a passenger or school bus to [...]
Retirees, and those planning retirement, should be aware of the railroad retirement laws governing benefit payments to annuitants who work after retirement. The following questions and answers describe these railroad retirement work restrictions and earnings limitations on po [...]
WASHINGTON – A great friend of organized labor and a leader of transportation infrastructure reformation, former U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar, died Saturday, May 3. Oberstar, 79, was the former chairperson of the House of Representatives’ Transportation and Infrastructure Committee [...]
WASHINGTON – Amtrak invites America to celebrate the many benefits trains bring to the nation at the seventh annual National Train Day on May 10, 2014. Trains are an integral part of daily American life and connect communities, provide jobs and economic development, support l [...]
The head of the MTA Wednesday abruptly fired Long Island Rail Road president Helena Williams and named her successor in the midst of intense labor negotiations. Williams, the first woman to run the nation’s busiest commuter railroad, said that after a board meeting, she [...]
Swift and crucial response offered by a SMART Transportation Division member to a woman in distress on a passenger platform in South Florida Feb. 15 likely resulted in life-saving action by the Tri-Rail conductor. Thomas E. Baker, a member of Local 30 at Jacksonville, Fla., a [...]
By Joe Nigro, SMART General President – The SMART General Executive Council met in Maryland the week of March 31 to April 4 to identify opportunities and challenges in developing a five-year plan to move SMART forward. Representatives from the Sheet Metal and Transportation [...]
Non-union employees at a commuter rail operation in the state of New Mexico expressed interest in union representation and now they have it. Engineers, conductors and ticket agents working for New Mexico Rail Runner Express voted April 28-29 for representation by the SMART Tr [...]
WASHINGTON – The National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) presented U.S. Rep. Kevin Cramer (R) of North Dakota with the prestigious Golden Spike Award yesterday (April 30) for his strong support of passenger trains and transit, both locally and across the U.S. Altho [...]