Category: Transportation
FRA crew-size rule came from our collective power
Railroad history was made the first week of April 2024. The U.S. Department of Transportation issued a final rule stating that freight trains in this country cannot be safely run with fewer than two certified railroaders in a locomotive cab. History could not have been made w [...]
SMART-TD, FRA announce federal regulation requiring two-person freight crews
Phone: (216) 228-9400 Fax: (216) 228-0411 Department Email: news_td@smart-union.org “I would like to start off by saying that this decision by President Biden’s administration is historic for SMART-TD members and all rail labor. Today’s ruling codifying the two-person freight [...]
TD to transit agencies: Let’s try “every single thing” to protect our operators
SMART-TD members who work in public transit need protection. We saw what happened in L.A. How many more headlines need to be written before something’s done? TD says “none.” We should act now.
SMART-TD Union Demands Action in Wake of Los Angeles Bus Hijacking
Independence, Ohio (March 25, 2024) — The union representing the transit operator involved in the Los Angeles bus hijacking demands immediate measures to protect their men and women, and the people they transport, from violence. The LACMTA incident, which hospitalized a union [...]
Former Alt. VP, GC ‘Pate’ King passes away
Luther Peyton “Pate” King Jr., who served the SMART Transportation Division on the local, state and national levels for more than three decades, passed away Friday, March 22, 2024, at age 80. Brother King joined our union as a member of the Brotherhood of Railroad [...]
We say: ‘No crew, no engine, NO WAY that’s safe!’
SMART-TD voiced concerns about Parallel Systems' automated cars to the FRA. The nation's largest freight rail union encourages members to comment on this attempt to run fully automated containers.
New report blows the whistle on railroads who cover up injuries and death
Investigative journalist Topher Sanders released a report on ProPublica today where he reveals how multiple injuries and fatalities were swept under the rug by Class I carriers BNSF, Union Pacific, CSX and Norfolk Southern.
Youngkin vetos Virginia two-person freight crew bill
As the clock was running out for him to act Friday night, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin decided he was against public safety, common sense and protecting Virginia railroad workers’ jobs and pensions. He vetoed a bill backed by our union that required a minimum two-person crew on Virginia’s freight trains.