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Congress facing jobless benefits deadline

November 29, 2010 WASHINGTON – When the lame-duck Congress returns to the House and Senate floors Monday, Nov. 29, they will have until midnight Tuesday to prevent a lapse in federal long-term unemployment benefits. If lawmakers in the House and Senate do not extend those federal unemployment [...]

Outgoing T&I chair fears political polarization

November 29, 2010 WASHINGTON — The outgoing chairman of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee – Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), who was defeated in the Nov. 2 elections – fears increased polarization along party lines when the new Congress is seated in January. In an interview [...]

Tags bipartisan, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Jim Oberstar, John Mica, Nick Rahall, T&I, T&I committee

DOT secretary: ‘HSR America’s jobs engine’

November 15, 2010 Comparing embryo high-speed rail projects with the birth of the Interstate Highway system more than half-a-century ago, Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said last week that the competition America is facing is not between Democrats and Republicans, but “between the U [...]

Lawmakers change; our mission does not

November 11, 2010 By James Stem,UTU National Legislative Director With the election over, change has come to Washington. Since 2001, the congressional political majority has shifted three times. New majorities are nothing new to our UTU legislative team. While most UTU-endorsed candidates were [...]

Tags benefits, change, issues, job security, lawmakers, PAC, safety, Stem

Rahall to be ranking Dem. on T&I Committee

November 10, 2010 WASHINGTON — Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), a long-time friend of the UTU, will be the ranking Democrat on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee when the new Congress is seated in 2011. With the defeat Nov. 2 of Rep. Jim Oberstar (D-Minn.), who had been c [...]

Tags committee, democrat, House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee, Rahall, T&I

Conductor certification coming Jan. 1, 2012

November 10, 2010 WASHINGTON — In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) published in the Nov. 10 Federal Register, the Federal Railroad Administration proposes to make Jan. 1, 2012, the effective date for implementation of conductor certification. The rulemaking on principles, elements [...]

Congress 2011: How will HSR, rail transit fare?

November 9, 2010 WASHINGTON — One of first transportation challenges for federal rail transportation-project advocates — Democrats and Republicans — in the new Congress in 2011 will be how to preserve and allocate seed money for rail transit and high-speed rail projects. Bil [...]

What election results mean to UTU members

November 3, 2010 By International President Mike Futhey What do the Nov. 2 congressional election results mean for UTU members and their families? Consider these facts that are not always obvious: While it is true that organized labor has more friends among Democrats, many of the Republicans [...]

Tags bipartisan, congressional races, election, election results, Federal Aviation Administration, Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, FRA, get-out-the-vote, National Labor Relations Board, NMB, UTU PAC, vote

FRA moving to require crew respirators

November 3, 2010 WASHINGTON — Railroads will be required by the Federal Railroad Administration to provide respirators for train and engine workers hauling hazardous materials. The Rail Safety Improvement Act mandated that the FRA impose such a requirement through a rulemaking, which is [...]

Federal HSR aid now tops $10 billion

November 1, 2010 A new round of federal funding will aid development of 54 separate high-speed rail lines in 23 states, says the Department of Transportation. Those projects will share $2.4 billion in newly approved federal funding announced last week by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. T [...]