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Want a raise? Join a union

February 24, 2015 Union membership still pays…at least in terms of higher wages. The typical union worker made $970 a week in 2014, compared to $763 for non-union workers, according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data. That 27 percent spread has remained relatively constant at [...]

Tags unions, wages

Oil trains are taking high-stakes risks with lives

February 23, 2015 Five hundred and ninety one days have passed since a train carrying crude oil derailed and incinerated the town of Lac Megantic in Quebec. In that time, the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) has still not finalized new safety rules on tank car standards and operational [...]

Tags crude oil, tank cars

Massive Rallies Planned Across Wisconsin

February 23, 2015 Rallies against Right to Work for less and the repeal of the prevailing wage are currently being planned across Wisconsin. On Monday, February 23rd, a rally is scheduled in Milwaukee at 5pm in Zeidler Park while two more are scheduled for the State Capitol in Madison on Tues [...]

FRA’s investigation into W. Va. derailment begins

February 23, 2015 On Feb. 22 the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced that is now able to move forward with its full-scale forensic investigation into the derailment outside of Montgomery, W. Va., followed by a slower start earlier this week [...]

Tags crude oil, CSX, derailment, Federal Railroad Administration, FRA, West Virginia

Fuel-hauling trains could derail at 10 per year

February 23, 2015 The federal government predicts that trains hauling crude oil or ethanol will derail an average of 10 times a year over the next two decades, causing more than $4 billion in damage and possibly killing hundreds of people if an accident happens in a densely populated part of t [...]

Tags crude oil, tank cars

“Extraordinary” Session in WI Legislature Will Take Up Right To Work for less Bill

February 20, 2015 Republican leaders in Wisconsin are fast-tracking right-to-work for less legislation and Gov. Scott Walker’s spokeswoman said Friday he would sign the measure, despite refusing to say whether he would do so in his re-election campaign last year. Senate Majority Leader S [...]

Disability benefit to increase for rail members

February 20, 2015 The trustees of the SMART Group Voluntary Short Term Disability program are pleased to announce that, effective March 1, 2015, the $346 per week maximum short-term disability benefit will increase to a maximum of $400 per week for 34 weeks, with no change in premium. This inc [...]

Tags Voluntary Short-Term Disability Program, vstd

KCS announces Patrick J. Ottensmeyer as president

February 20, 2015 Kansas City Southern announced Feb. 20 that as part of its succession planning process, Patrick J. Ottensmeyer has been appointed president, effective March 1, 2015. He will continue to report to David L. Starling, who remains chief executive officer. Ottensmeyer is currently [...]

Tags Kansas City Southern, KCS, Patrick J. Ottensmeyer

W. Va. oil-train fireball adding pressure for safety rule

February 19, 2015 Video images of a fireball billowing from the wreckage of a derailed train hauling Bakken crude are adding to pressure on federal regulators to act on new safety standards for oil shipments. While there were no fatalities in the CSX Corp. accident in rural West Virginia on Fe [...]

Tags crude oil by rail, CSX, tank cars, West Virginia

America needs to invest in railroad tracks

February 18, 2015 Two major train derailments, one in West Virginia and one in Northern Ontario, have once again put oil transport by rail in the national spotlight in the United States. The derailment of the train hauling crude oil in West Virginia resulted in at least 14 cars bursting into f [...]

Tags crude oil by rail, derailment, Federal Railroad Administration, FRA, West Virginia