News Archive
VICE article explains the dangers of PSR
Members and leaders of the SMART Transportation Division as well as the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department, spelled out why U.S. freight railroads’ obsession with Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) increases the danger to the public and railroad workers alike. Journa [...]
Hazardous Materials Training Program to offer online courses in April
In April, the Hazardous Materials Training Program is planning to host three courses virtually: Disaster Recovery/Response Course (2 hours) COVID-19 and Infectious Disease Response Awareness Training Course (90 minutes) DOT Hazardous Materials Awareness Course (8 hours over t [...]
William Doak, an officer of predecessor union BRT, served as U.S. labor secretary
The confirmation by the U.S. Senate of Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, a member of the Laborers’ Union, to be President Joe Biden’s labor secretary ends a nearly 45-year absence of having a union member serve as the head of the U.S. Department of Labor. The last unionist to s [...]
Local 934 mourns as member dies in accident involving crew transport vehicle
SMART Transportation Division Local 934 member Curtis A. Deines, 52, a member of our union for more than 20 years, died before dawn on the morning of March 19 after the SUV he was being transported in was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle on U.S. Highway 2 [...]
Local 1361’s Carol Jones featured in video as part of SMART Women’s Week
Your browser does not support the video tag. Longtime Amtrak conductor Carol Jones, a local chairperson with SMART-TD Local 1361 out of New Haven, Conn., and a member of our union for 23 years, was featured in a “Sister Stories” video during SMART Women’s We [...]
Local 759 president steers bus to transport troops during inauguration
SMART Transportation Division Local 759 President Rafael Becerra and about seven of his local brothers and sisters departed their Coach USA garage in Paramus, N.J., on Jan. 10, and traveled to Joint Base Andrews in Prince George’s County, Md., to transport our nation’s troops [...]
Palmetto GBA: A reminder on annual wellness visits for retirees
Medicare pays for an Annual Wellness Visit (AWV). It’s an awesome free preventive service that so many Medicare patients have not been taking advantage of. Since the onset of COVID-19, the number of AWVs being performed has fallen drastically, as many people have chosen to pu [...]
VSTD waiver of elimination period extended through June 2021
Dear Member: As many of you may recall, the SMART Voluntary Short Term Disability Plan temporarily suspended the Elimination Period for COVID-19 (Coronavirus) disabilities. In an announcement to you dated April 15, 2020, we communicated that the Elimination Period was being w [...]