New Bills Pass Thanks to Teamwork and Communication

SMART-TD’s Safety & Legislative Directors are chosen by their peers to lead on legislative issues in their respective states, but together they have an impact on the entire country. 
 
Through creativity and collaboration, including the use of new technology-based tools, they field successful ideas and legislative victories that increase our union’s solidarity and strength and protect our collective backs throughout the country.

Building on one another’s victories 

Case in point: the ideas for two pieces of SMART-TD backed legislation that passed the Arkansas State Legislature earlier this year weren’t born in Little Rock.

Instead, they originated in other states and were adapted to fit the legislative environment and our local members’ needs.  
 
The first, House Bill 1757 (Act 528), elevates serious vandalism on rail property (such as throwing a switch or cutting an airline on a train) and assault of transportation workers to a Class D felony, which carries a penalty of up to six years in prison or a fine of up to $10,000.

SMART-TD brought about the legislation, which passed the House with overwhelming support in a 90-6-4 vote and cleared the Senate with unanimous support.  
 
The Arkansas bill actually started in Nebraska, with Safety & Legislative Director Andy Foust.

A nearly identical proposal was introduced at the State Capitol in Lincoln. It didn’t pass, but it generated a large amount of interest.

Foust worked with Arkansas Safety & Legislative Director Gerald Sale on adjustments to make the bill more relevant in Arkansas. This kind of collaboration is common. 
 
“There’s quite a few of us that get together and talk legislation,” said SLD Foust. “There’s a ton of legislation out there that we’ve been sharing.” 
 
Ideas and strategies are discussed during monthly calls. In addition to legislation, the group also shares tips and tricks to solve other problems, like how to lobby lawmakers in states that may not be labor-friendly, for example. 
 
“Instead of emphasizing labor, we emphasize safety,” Foust explained. When it comes to the legislature “I don’t want you involved in my collective bargaining, but I want you involved in my safety.” 

Another team-built bill protects crew member anonymity 

The second piece of legislation that passed in Arkansas, Senate Bill 397 (Act 931), redacts crew names from reports on railroad fatalities.  
 
Crew confidentiality is very important because it’s common for Critical Incidents to end up on police reports, which could increase members’ insurance rates or even make them uninsurable.  
 
The idea for this bill came from Illinois Safety and Legislative Director Bob Guy, who successfully lobbied for a similar bill in his home state. Because crew confidentiality is a bipartisan issue it was easy to collaborate with all stakeholders. That collaboration and communication extends to our union’s SLD network, too. 
 
“It’s what we do, lobbying is networking,” SLD Guy pointed out. “You take that a step further and network with our brothers and sisters. We have to communicate well in our State Capitols and with one another. It helps all of us.” 

Illinois to Arkansas to Wisconsin 

Now, Wisconsin Safety & Legislative Director Andy Hauk is preparing to run the same bill in Madison. 
 
“We don’t worry about state lines,” said Hauk, who also emphasized the importance of simply knowing what needs to be done over traditional networking. “We’re all on the same team. If it benefits anybody, it benefits everybody.”  

Solidarity Works

Every state and every legislature are unique.

Ideas that work well on the East Coast may not see the same enthusiasm in the South or in the Midwest. But rather than sitting on the sidelines SMART-TD’s Safety and Legislative Directors find a way to make it work.  

They take chances and write legislation directly tailored to their members. With a track record of success, their collaboration and powerful network proves SMART-TD leads the way in the legislature.