Members Helped Raise $200K for Brothers and Sisters in Need

It’s a hallmark of SMART-TD: when one of our own needs help, we step up — especially during some of life’s most vulnerable and difficult moments.

Our commitment to look out for one another when no one else will is our foundation; this solidarity is as old as our union itself.

By Organizing Together, Railroaders Learned to Protect Themselves

More than 140 years ago, a small group of railroaders gathered in a caboose, talking about how they could do more for one another than simply passing a hat or placing an envelope on a breakroom table for a coworker in need.

In 1883, eight brakemen working for the Delaware and Hudson Railway met in Caboose No. 10 in Oneonta, New York, determined to create something better.

At the time, railroad work was even more dangerous and unforgiving. Wages barely topped a dollar a day, and more than one-third of brakemen were injured each year. No one would insure them. They had no government safety net, no insurance, no guarantees, and no real protection for their families should tragedy strike.

SMART-TD’s forefathers organized what became the Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen (later renamed to the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen) for their own survival. The brotherhood was one of the first systems of mutual aid in the industry, including death benefits that were often the only insurance a railroader could obtain.

Their commitment to taking care of one another continues in the union we proudly call our own today, SMART-TD, as well as through our union-run insurance organization, American Journey Financial Life, formerly the UTUIA. 

Union Generosity in 2025 

In 2025, SMART-TD members helped raise roughly $200,000 to support union brothers and sisters in need, along with their families.

Typically done through contributions to GoFundMe accounts, members eased the blow of some truly heartbreaking situations, including… 

• Brother John Hedgepeth (Local 490, Princeton, IN), who suffered significant third-degree burns over most of his body after saving his engineer during a catastrophic July derailment.  
• Brother Robert Allen “Robbie” Gardner (Local 524, Palestine, TX), who passed away while working a local out of Union Pacific’s yard in Lufkin, Texas in June.  
• Brother David Garringer (Local 1393, Buffalo), who lost his leg after an on-the-job injury.  
• Brother Brian McLucas (Local 1190, Ludlow, KY) and his family, who lost their home in a devastating fire at the beginning of the holiday season in November.  

Generosity is a Testament to Our Members

While our jobs are safer than they were in 1883, everyone who works on the rails knows they are still at risk. There were more than a dozen incidents this year where SMART-TD members acted without hesitation to care for our own, or to step in to help when a brother or sister didn’t make it home from their run.

It doesn’t take long for a new hire to realize that when tragedy strikes one of us, it affects all of us.  The next GoFundMe or request for help could be for any one of us, which is why so many didn’t hesitate to pitch in when a fellow brother or sister was in needs us.

If you know of a fellow member who needs help, please reach out to us. Spreading the word matters just as much as a financial contribution.

“Solidary” isn’t just a word, it’s the living spirit of those men in Old #10, who stepped in to help when no one else would. Thank you for your choice to come together in 2025, to help when you could, and to carry our fight for just treatment and safe workplaces into 2026 and beyond.