Category: Amtrak
Rail workers died fighting for basic human rights: Anniversary of Railroad Strike of 1877
John Risch, SMART TD’s national legislative director, spoke with Jaisal Noor of realnews.com on the significance of the 140th anniversary of the first national railroad strike that began July 14, 1877, also known as the Great Railroad Strike and Great Upheaval. More tha [...]
AFL-CIO alert: Trump nominates anti-labor lawyers to National Labor Relations Board
On June 17, 2017, the AFL-CIO issued a legislative alert to U.S. Senators regarding Trump’s nomination of Marvin Kaplan and William Emanuel to fill the vacant seats on the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). In the alert, Emanuel is noted for representing the “ [...]House Appropriations Committee releases details of 2018 transportation funding bill
On July 10, the House Appropriations Committee released the fiscal year 2018 Transportation, Housing and Urban Development funding bill, which includes funding for the Department of Transportation (DOT), the Department of Housing and Urban Development and other related agenci [...]
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 [...]