Category: News
SMART leaders urge full initiation of Defense Production Act
The Defense Production Act (DPA) was invoked April 2 by President Donald Trump to expedite the manufacture and eventual distribution of supplies, especially ventilators, necessary to fight the COVID-19 pandemic. The first step in getting the products — including surgical mask [...]
DOL warns employers against retaliation for workers who report unsafe conditions during pandemic
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is reminding employers that it is illegal to retaliate against workers because they report unsafe and unhealthful working conditions during the coronavirus pandemic. Acts of [...]
First TD member fatality from COVID-19 reported
Joseph Hansen, a conductor out of Local 60 (Newark, N.J.) who worked for New Jersey Transit (NJT), passed away recently to become the first reported active SMART Transportation Division member to succumb to COVID-19, the novel coronavirus. Hansen was 62 years old and had been [...]
Louisiana latest state to introduce two-person crew bill
Louisiana State Legislative Director Chris Christianson reports that legislators in his state have introduced a two-person crew bill – HB-776 – March 31 in the state House of Representatives. The bill, as currently written, requires two persons on all freight trains with the [...]
Suggestion to our members: Keep track of who you’ve come in contact with
As more people are being diagnosed with COVID-19 or coronavirus, it is important to know who you have come into contact with on a daily basis. State health departments, employers and the infected themselves have been having a difficult time in determining and/or remembering w [...]
Members’ efforts help to cope with COVID-19
As COVID-19 has spread across the country, some carriers and businesses have been caught flat-footed in dealing with the pandemic as indicated by field reports we’ve received from members. The same cannot be said for front-line SMART Transportation Division members who have s [...]
RRB: Coronavirus Relief Act impacts railroad workers
The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, or CARES Act, signed into law March 27, boosts unemployment and sickness benefits for railroad workers impacted by the pandemic. Under the CARES Act, the 1-week waiting period required before railroad workers can receive [...]
Victory in Washington as governor signs bill
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law H.B. 1841, a two-person crew bill that was championed in various forms for seven years by SMART-TD Washington State Legislative Director Herb Krohn and the other members of the state’s legislative board. Affectionately known as [...]