SMART retirees are critical to helping our Union grow and in providing the strength behind our political and community action.
Since retired members are an essential part of the union, our site has been developed carefully to provide a wide range of information important to both current and future retirees. These issues include the preservation of retirement security through the Railroad Retirement Board, Social Security and Medicare; and information for members that help them keep their strong ties to their union once they retire.
We will help you defend your rights and obtain the best benefits available to you as a union member. Take a few minutes to browse through our site and the list of resources below to find what your union has to offer. Listed below are also links to find a local SM Retirement Club or to join the TD Alumni Association.
- Your retirement lifestyle and what it will cost
- US Railroad Retirement Board: Administers retirement/survivor and unemployment/sickness benefit programs for railroad workers and their families.
- Sheet Metal Workers National Pension Fund: This provides in-depth information about the fund for participants.
- SMART TD Alumni Association: Retired SMART-TD (formerly UTU) members in the U.S. and Canada, as well as those individuals nearing retirement or interested in pension and other issues affecting transportation-labor families, are invited to participate in this voluntary program designed especially for them.
- National Association of Retired and Veteran Railway Employees Inc. (NARVRE): NARVRE was organized in 1937 with the sole purpose to protect, promote and preserve railroad retirement benefits.
- Pension Rights Center: The Pension Rights Center is the country’s only consumer organization dedicated solely to protecting and promoting the retirement security of American workers, retirees and their families.
- Alliance for Retired Americans: The Alliance for Retired Americans is a nationwide organization, founded in May 2001 with three million members working together to make their voices heard in the laws, policies, politics, and institutions that shape our lives. Over the past 10 years, it has grown to four million members with a primary objective to enroll and mobilize retired union members and other seniors and community activists into a nationwide grassroots movement advocating a progressive political and social agenda that respects work and strengthens families.
- Most rail members eligible for death benefit: If you retired from railroad service on or after April 1, 1967, you may be eligible for a $2,000 retiree life insurance benefit.
What you need to know as you prepare to retire
Whether you are about to pull the pin or drop off your final passenger, here is a brief guide to assist you in applying for and transitioning into retirement.
Those nearing retirement age might also wish to review the articles below especially with regard to financial planning. Preparing for retirement can seem like a second full-time job.
For sure, gaining an understanding of and properly applying for Medicare, Railroad Retirement or Social Security is no minor task. Understanding your financial needs in retirement is also of crucial importance.
And staying in touch with your industry and former co-workers made possible by the SMART TD Alumni Association or SM Retirement Club surely has mental health advantages. The articles below are merely guides.
Ultimately, each retiree is personally responsible for applying properly for retirement benefits and managing their post-retirement assets.
- Continuing income a concern for retirees
- Update to 2022 GA-46000/ERMA
- Important insurance information for retiring yardmasters
- Begin your document search early
- Most rail members eligible for death benefit
- UTUIA helps provide secure retirements for Transportation Division members
- What is Medicare? How do I get started?
- Do not become a victim of fraud
Below are phone numbers and URLs for websites that can help you secure your plans for retirement.
| SMART Headquarters (Washington, D.C.) | Address: 1750 New York Ave., 6th Fl., Washington, D.C. 20006 Phone: 202-662-0800 or 1-800-457-7694 |
| SMART Transportation Division (Cleveland, Ohio) | Address: 6060 Rockside Woods Blvd., N., Ste. 325, Independence, OH 44131-2378 Phone: 216-228-9400 |
| SMART TD National Legislative Office | Address: 1750 New York Ave., 6th Fl., Washington, D.C. 20006 Phone: 202-543-7714 |
| SMART Journal | Email: ppimentel@smart-union.org |
| SMART TD News | Email: news_td@smart-union.org |
| SMART TD Auxiliary (TD members only) | Address: 80011 Sweet Valley Dr., Ste. 15, Valley View, OH 44125-1209 Phone: 216-521-2522 Email: auxiliaryintpres_td@smart-union.org Website: www.smarttdauxiliary.org |
| UTUIA insurance (TD members only) | Address: 6060 Rockside Woods Blvd., Ste. 220, Independence, OH 44131- Phone: 216-228-9400 or 800-558-8842 Email: info@utuia.org Website: www.utuia.org |
| United Healthcare GA-23111 Plan F (Transportation – Medicare Supplement) | Phone: 800-809-0453 Website: https://www.myuhc.com |
| United Healthcare GA-46000/Plan E (Transportation – Early retirement health insurance) | Phone: 800-842-5252 Website: https://www.myuhc.com |
| U.S. Railroad Retirement Board | Phone: 877-772-5772 Website: www.rrb.gov |
| Social Security Administration | Phone: 800-772-1213 Website: www.socialsecurity.gov |
| Medicare | Phone: 800-633-4227 Website: www.medicare.gov |
| Palmetto GBA – Railroad Medicare (Palmetto GBA is the Railroad Specialty Medicare Administrative Contractor (RRB SMAC) and processes Part B claims for Railroad Retirement beneficiaries nationwide. Palmetto GBA is contracted by the independent federal agency Railroad Retirement Board.) | Phone: 800-833-4455 Website: www.palmettoGBA.com/rr/me |
| CalPERS (For public employees of California) | Phone: 888-225-7377 Website: www.calpers.ca.gov |
| Department of Veterans Affairs | Phone: 800-827-1000 Website: www.va.gov |
| YourTracktoHealth (railroad members – excluding Amtrak) (A website collaboratively developed by rail labor and rail managers to provide information about all the National Rail Health and Welfare Plans and Wellness benefits for employees, dependents and retirees.) | Website: https://www.yourtracktohealth.com/ |
| The Eldercare Locator (The Eldercare Locator is a nationwide service that connects older Americans and their caregivers with trustworthy local support resources. The Eldercare Locator links those who need assistance with state and local agencies on aging, as well as community-based organizations that serve older adults and their caregivers.) | Phone: 1-800-677-1116 Email: eldercarelocator@n4a.org Website: https://eldercare.acl.gov/ |
Below are printable documents (pdfs) available to retirees
Member Voices
Hear about the Union directly from SMART Union members themselves.
Longtime Amtrak conductor Carol Jones — who is also a local chairperson with SMART-TD Local 1361 out of New Haven, Conn. — shares her story of coming up in the transportation industry and working as a pioneering woman in the passenger rail sector.
