Category: Bus

Congress facing jobless benefits deadline

November 29, 2010 WASHINGTON – When the lame-duck Congress returns to the House and Senate floors Monday, Nov. 29, they will have until midnight Tuesday to prevent a lapse in federal long-term unemployment benefits. If lawmakers in the House and Senate do not extend those federal unemployment [...]

Outgoing T&I chair fears political polarization

November 29, 2010 WASHINGTON — The outgoing chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee – Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), who was defeated in the Nov. 2 elections – fears increased polarization along party lines when the new Congress is seated in January. In an interview [...]

Tags bipartisan, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Jim Oberstar, John Mica, Nick Rahall, T&I, T&I committee

Last chance to enroll dependent children

November 29, 2010 An agreement was reached with the carriers’ National Railway Labor Conference to extend until Dec. 31, 2010, the deadline for enrolling eligible dependent children for coverage under the National Railway Carriers and UTU Health and Welfare Plan (NRC/UTU) or the Railroad [...]

Update on 2011 Medicare premiums

November 16, 2010 The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says that while the standard monthly Part B premium will rise to $115.40 in 2011, most Medicare beneficiaries will not see an increase in their monthly Part B premiums. This is because of a hold-harmless provision in current la [...]

Tags increase, Medicare, medicare premiums

Lawmakers change; our mission does not

November 11, 2010 By James Stem,UTU National Legislative Director With the election over, change has come to Washington. Since 2001, the congressional political majority has shifted three times. New majorities are nothing new to our UTU legislative team. While most UTU-endorsed candidates were [...]

Tags benefits, change, issues, job security, lawmakers, PAC, safety, Stem

Continuing income a concern for retirees

November 10, 2010 After a lifetime of hard work, SMART TD rail, bus and airline members look forward to a secure retirement. In an ideal world, it would be that simple. In the real world, careful planning and attention to detail are essential. Topping the list of retirement concerns are money [...]

Begin your document search early

November 10, 2010 To apply for Railroad Retirement or Social Security benefits, you must provide certain information, and it is suggested you begin the process at least three months prior to your anticipated retirement date. You will need the following information to register successfully for [...]

UTUIA helps provide secure retirements

November 10, 2010 How long will you live after you retire, and will you have enough money to live on comfortably? Good question. That’s why – before you retire – you should think about post-retirement economic security, because few things could be worse than money running out [...]

Tags 401K, CalPERS, equity, IRAs, pension, portfolio, retire, retirement, retirement portfolio, Social Security, Tier I Railroad Retirement, Tier II Railroad Retirement, UTUIA

What election results mean to UTU members

November 3, 2010 By International President Mike Futhey What do the Nov. 2 congressional election results mean for UTU members and their families? Consider these facts that are not always obvious: While it is true that organized labor has more friends among Democrats, many of the Republicans [...]

Tags bipartisan, congressional races, election, election results, Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, FRA, get-out-the-vote, National Labor Relations Board, NMB, UTU PAC, vote

Diabetes: A rampant and devastating disease

November 3, 2010 Diabetes is a lifelong disease marked by high levels of sugar in the blood. It can affect your heart, kidneys and eyes, and is the number one cause for amputation and blindness. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that one in every 10 Americans now suffe [...]