RRB releases statement on 2015 tax rates

The amounts of compensation subject to railroad retirement Tier I and Tier II payroll taxes will increase in 2015, with the Tier I tax rates remaining the same while Tier II tax rates will increase for both railroad employers and employees. Also, railroad unemployment insuran [...]

Walker Aims At Building Trades, Private Sector Unions

A Wisconsin State Representative has announced that he will introduce a Right-to-Work for less bill in the upcoming legislative session.  The move comes just days after a former Americans for Prosperity associate, Lorri Pickens, announced a new tea party group called “Wiscons [...]

Opinion: Metra engineers, conductors do a great job

The following letter to the editor of the Chicago Sun-Times by Martin Oberman, chairman of the Metra Board of Directors, was published by the newspaper Nov. 23. It was in response to an article previously published by the newspaper that implied that Metra conductors and engin [...]

NJT to train crews: Next stop, charm school

Some NJ Transit rail employees who deal with commuters will find themselves back in the classroom next year for a customer relations refresher. The program was prompted by issues brought up by commuters on social media and shared with NJ Transit. The two day training classes [...]

Opinion: Nice things happen on trains

Imagine you’re in charge of a company that serves the public good; imagine your company, unlike others in the same business, has to ask for money every year to keep itself, an arterial of the country’s transportation system, running. Imagine that fracking, another part of Ame [...]

Sleep apnea should not cost operators jobs or pay

Operators employed in the transit industry continue to experience difficult times in relation to obstructive sleep apnea, a potentially serious sleep disorder in which breathing repeatedly stops and starts during sleep. Several types of sleep apnea exist, but the most common [...]

Thank you for your support, I am here to assist you

To each and every delegate of the SMART Transportation Division, I would like to thank you for electing me to the position of vice president of SMART’s bus department. My request to all SMART members is to please work with all of your newly elected officers at all levels of t [...]