Category: Washington
Ryan shows why he is the right choice for workers and Ohio
The SMART Transportation Division already has made public its full support of U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan if he decides to run for the U.S. Senate for his home state of Ohio in 2022. He’s already proven himself to us by showing up to support Amtrak workers during demonstrations [...]
RRB reports performance under customer service plan
The Railroad Retirement Board’s Customer Service Plan promotes the following principles of quality public service: openness, accessibility, accountability, feedback and timeliness standards. An important part of the Customer Service Plan is its pledge to inform beneficiaries [...]
Ninth Circuit Ruling Favors Unions and States, Rejects FRA’s Attempt to Preempt State Crew Law
CLEVELAND, Ohio (Feb. 23, 2021) — Two of the country’s largest freight railroad unions achieved a favorable decision in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals on Tuesday regarding an attempt by the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to preempt legislation passed by a number of [...]
Questions about TD Safety Condition Report answered
Shortly after the launch of SMART Transportation Division’s online Safety Condition Report, numerous reports have been successfully submitted and passed along to union leadership for handling. This information will help to make our properties safer and bring any conditions th [...]
SMART-TD supports potential run by Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan for Rob Portman’s Senate seat
WASHINGTON, D.C. (Feb. 3, 2021) — The nation’s largest freight railroad worker union pledges its full support to U.S. Rep. Tim Ryan of Ohio as he considers a potential bid for the United States Senate. “Rep. Ryan, throughout his 10 terms as a representative of Ohio’s 17th and [...]
Keystone XL would have cost rail jobs
Misinformation has been circulating regarding an executive order signed by President Joe Biden that revoked the permit of the Keystone XL pipeline and supposedly “eliminated 11,000 union jobs.” The 11,000-job number came from a press release issued in October 2019 by TC Energ [...]
CDC order requires masks on all public transportation to slow COVID’s spread
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued an order Jan. 29 imposing a mask requirement applicable to public transportation systems, rail, and van, bus and motorcoach service providers to mitigate the risk of the spread of COVID-19. The order implements Presi [...]
SMART, 18 other unions endorse two for NMB
SMART and 18 other unions sent a letter to President Joe Biden and Democratic U.S. Senate leaders Chuck Schumer and Patty Murray reminding the president that appointing new members to the National Mediation Board (NMB) should be prioritized and endorsed the appointment of Dei [...]