Category: Washington
Rail workers’ right to choose medical network upheld
In early July 2020, just over eight months after the current round of national bargaining had begun, the carriers’ representative — the National Railway Labor Conference (NRLC) — proposed reconfiguring the National Plan’s network structure in a way that would forc [...]
Bose’s FRA nomination advances; he also meets with TD SLDs
Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) Deputy Administrator Amit Bose’s nomination by President Joe Biden to become administrator of FRA was advanced Oct. 20 by the U.S. Senate’s Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee. Along with Bose, the nomination of Meera Joshi to [...]
Passengers, crew safe after fatal shootout aboard Amtrak’s Sunset Limited
A DEA officer was killed, as was a suspect, and two other law enforcement officers were wounded when gunfire erupted inside Amtrak’s Sunset Limited train the morning of Oct. 4 while it was stopped at the Southern Arizona Transportation Museum in Tucson. One suspect was [...]
Carrier groups’ waiver extension request denied by FRA
The Federal Railroad Administration on Sept. 21 sided with a SMART Transportation Division request to reject the extension of COVID-related regulatory waiver requests by the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and the American Public Transportation Association (APTA). The [...]
FTA publishes bus and rail safety reports
Last last week, FTA published new bus and rail safety data reports to provide a snapshot of transit industry safety performance from 2007–2018 for rail and 2008–2018 for bus, and focus on patterns and trends in events, fatalities and injuries. Report summaries and full report [...]
N.J. SLD Sabol meets with DOT Secretary Buttigieg
After years of working on railroads, Ron rose within his union’s leadership because he wanted to help passengers and workers feel safe and supported. pic.twitter.com/zuTX5haZNh — Secretary Pete Buttigieg (@SecretaryPete) September 6, 2021 New Jersey State Legisla [...]
SMART-TD joins #EssentialAlways campaign to honor transportation workers
WASHINGTON, D.C. – This Labor Day, the SMART Transportation Division is proudly joining the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department, (TTD), to recognize and thank frontline transportation workers for their service and sacrifice, and remind Americans that our transportation w [...]
Senate bill benefits Amtrak, bus, transit members
WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Senate today passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, its $1.2 trillion bipartisan legislation, by a 69-30 vote, sending the bill to the U.S. House of Representatives for consideration and taking a step to end a substantial period of larg [...]