Category: Washington
Update on Amtrak negotiations
UTU Amtrak conductors and yardmasters are currently in mediation with regard to an amended wage, benefits and working conditions agreement. The UTU and Amtrak are far apart on a few difficult issues. At this time, the parties are exploring alternative methods of interest-base [...]
New OSHA standards may affect flight attendants
The Federal Aviation Administration has issued a proposed policy statement to establish the extent to which OSHA regulations may apply to flight attendants onboard an aircraft in operation. An FAA-OSHA memorandum of understanding (MOU) previously established a team to identif [...]Amtrak Chair Carper gains boost from Senate leader
Amtrak Board Chairman Tom Carper has won endorsement from Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) for renomination by President Obama. That nomination would require Senate confirmation. Carper, a former mayor of McComb, Ill., has served on the Amtrak board since March 200 [...]
Amtrak’s future crucial to Rail Retirement financing
Stem “Every Amtrak employee should be placed in a productive position that supports the needs of customer service and managed growth of operations,” UTU National Legislative Director James Stem told Congress Nov. 28. “Amtrak operating crews are among the most productive [...]
Distractions kill, maim and end careers
Distractions occur everywhere in our daily lives, but when those in safety sensitive positions are distracted on the job, the results too often result in death or career-ending injuries. A collaborative effort among the Federal Railroad Administration, rail labor and carriers [...]Former Dem leader urges cooperation, compromise
One of labor’s strongest friends on Capitol Hill was Rep. Marty Frost, a centrist Democrat from Texas who served in the House of Representatives from 1979 to 2005, and who served two terms as chair of the House Democratic Caucus. Post Election Day, Frost wrote an opinion arti [...]
Why Obama-Biden deserve your vote Nov. 6
By James Stem – UTU National Legislative Director – UTU endorsements for President of the United States and election to Congress are undertaken with considerable thought, responsibility and accountability. Prior to issuing these endorsements, we did an exhaustive job evaluat [...]Beware this backdoor effort to silence labor’s voice
By National Legislative Director James Stem – You remember Humpty Dumpty, the character created by children’s author Lewis Carroll. Most famously, Humpty Dumpty said, ‘When I use a word, it means just what I choose it to mean.” Humpty Dumpty may well have wr [...]