News Archive
FRA admin: Train length a factor in considering crew-size rule
Federal Railroad Administrator Amit Bose last week addressed a shippers’ conference and said that part of his agency’s rationale in approaching a minimum crew size rulemaking will be taking into consideration the carriers’ use of longer trains, Trains Magazine reported April [...]
Calendar for national contract mediation sessions
The negotiating team is scheduled to engage in mediation for the latest national railroad contract on the following days: March 31, 2022 April 6, 2022 April 11, 2022 April 20, 2022 May 4, 2022 May 5, 2022 We were released from mediation by the NMB on June 15. A proffer of arb [...]
Bill’s passage would place Santa Cruz Metro under PERB
A bill under consideration in the California Legislature would place employees of the Santa Cruz Metro under the umbrella of the state’s Public Employment Relations Board (PERB) to foster improved relations between public employees and management. S.B. 957 was introduced in t [...]
STB announces hearing regarding rail service
Class I railroad officials have a two-day-long hearing before the federal Surface Transportation Board (STB) to prepare for later this month. Reports from shippers to STB regarding poor service — the latest being a letter directly from the National Grain and Feed Association, [...]
SMART Celebrates New Supreme Court Justice
Americans of every background, color and gender believe in the sacred promise of equal justice under the law. For generations, Black women have been locked out of the opportunity to serve on the Supreme Court. With the nomination and confirmation of Judge Ketanji Brown Jackso [...]
SMART-TD announces 2022 Leadership Conference
The SMART Transportation Division is pleased to announce the first joint SMART Union Annual Leadership Conference. The event will replace the former TD Regional Meetings, which have had a two-year pandemic disruption. Please pay close attention to the following details as sev [...]
House Transportation leaders urge FRA to act on fatigue, attendance policies
CLEVELAND (April 6) — Leaders of the U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure are asking the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to take action on a 2008 Congressional mandate to address rail worker fatigue at Class I carriers, with a spe [...]
SMART-TD, BLET gather allies at TTD Executive Committee meeting
CLEVELAND, Ohio (April 6, 2022) — The nation’s two largest railroad unions continue to gather allies and momentum as they oppose the imposition of precision scheduled railroading (PSR) tactics by Class I carriers that put safety and the health and lives of working people at r [...]