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Category: Transportation
Elimination period waiver for VSTD extended into November
Dear Member: As many of you may recall, the SMART Voluntary Short Term Disability Plan temporarily suspended the Elimination Period for COVID-19 (Coronavirus) disabilities. In an announcement to you dated April 15, 2020, we communicated that the Elimination Period was being w [...]
Gov. signs bill protecting N.J. SMART-TD bus members during pandemic
On Sept. 14, New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy signed into law S-2380, which retroactively protects the state’s essential workers, including SMART Transportation Division bus members, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Essential employees’ workers compensation claims are routinely rejec [...]
Retired UTU vice presidents Patsouras, Easley and Pearl pass away
The union has received notification in recent weeks of the deaths of three former vice presidents of the United Transportation Union. Five-term UTU Vice President Peter Patsouras passed away on Thursday, Sept. 10. He was 76 years old. Joining the union in August 1965, he was [...]
Disaster relief donations sought in Hurricane Laura aftermath
The SMART Transportation Division is primed to assist members in their time of need when disaster strikes. Hurricane Laura hit Louisiana, Texas and Arkansas in late August. According to reports from the ground, the storm has inflicted extensive damage to many homes — particul [...]
A Labor Day message from President Ferguson
Brothers and Sisters, It may not be common knowledge to many Americans who have the opportunity to kick back and relax on Labor Day what the true genesis of the holiday is. In the early 1880s, Labor Day was initiated by strong local union leadership in the New York-New Jersey [...]President Ferguson: Setting record straight on anti-labor articles
Brothers and Sisters, It’s time to set the record straight. I am certain many of you have seen the recent anti-labor articles that have been published regarding our recent win in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. That win has apparently struck a raw nerve with th [...]
Amtrak furloughs could be avoided with proper action in Congress
Amtrak, despite having been given $1 billion in funding under the CARES Act to prevent furloughs as a result of COVID-19, has announced that more than 500 – 509 to be exact – SMART members are targeted to be furloughed, effective Oct. 1. Carrier leadership announced Sept. 1 t [...]
Palmetto GBA: Medicare telehealth coverage expands
Telehealth is a Medicare-approved healthcare service between a provider and a patient via a telecommunication system (such as by phone or video chat). It’s been a covered service for more than a decade, focusing on rural areas where appropriate care may be hard to come by. Pa [...]