News Archive
DeFazio on PSR: ‘Wall Street’s goal is to get wealthier — no matter the impact’
U.S. Rep. Peter DeFazio of Oregon, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, responded to a recent Fortune Magazine column by a pair of economists who defended the rail industry’s Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) scheme and accused unions o [...]
Local 1261 chairperson dies after auto accident
Local 1261 in Atlanta is mourning the loss of a longtime local chairperson. Joshua Allen Morstad, 39, passed away Sunday, July 11, 2021, three days after he was injured in an automobile accident while traveling home from work. Brother Morstad was a loyal member of our union f [...]
Palmetto GBA: Let’s talk about mental health during the pandemic
Mental health is one of those things that we don’t want to talk about too much. With so much still unknown about the coronavirus, many people are still depressed, anxious, scared and stressed. We’ve watched how the world has changed during the pandemic, with millions of peopl [...]
I Got Your Back: Be the Difference
The 2019 Convention was a momentous one in SMART’s history. For the first time, we looked at the way we treat our fellow brothers and sisters and the impact it has on our industries’ growth. We changed the language of our Constitution to make it more inclusive. Both our procl [...]
I Got Your Back: We Support and Look Out for Each Other
At our last convention in 2019, SMART took a hard look at how our fellow brothers and sisters are treated at the worksite and the impact that treatment has on all of us and the industries we work in. We changed the language of our Constitution to make it more inclusive of all [...]
Growing Support for Unions Offers New Opportunities to Grow Our Movement
Now is the time to capitalize on growth in the union sector. For the first time in my lifetime, we have a true champion in the White House who is pushing for the labor movement. In only his first 100 days in office, President Biden mentioned unions in his speeches 62 times. T [...]
National Contract Negotiations Ongoing
2017 Agreement Remains in Effect IIn recent months, some have asked, “Why am I working without a contract?” The simple answer is: “You are not working without a contract.” Under the Railway Labor Act (RLA), a contract never expires, it is only amended or changed. This means a [...]
SMART Army Builds Vietnam Wall in Indiana
With 1,534 of the 58,320 names inscribed on its black anodized aluminum surface representing fallen heroes from Indiana, the new Vietnam Veterans’ Healing Wall at the Veterans National Memorial Shrine and Museum in Fort Wayne, Ind., has a special meaning for veterans in that [...]