News Archive
Fundraiser established for injured Local 1545 member
An online fundraiser has been established for Eddie Dotson, a member of SMART-TD Local 1545 (Monroe, La.), who was injured June 23, 2021, while on duty in Tioga, La. Brother Dotson, 52, a trustee for his local and a member of our union for 17 years, lost limbs in the accident [...]
Biden-Harris administration offers two paths to the Rule of 2
The paths to the Rule of 2 are open. Path 1: The INVEST ACT (H.R. 3684, the House Infrastructure Bill) and Path 2: a regulatory priority of the Department of Transportation (DOT) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) to revisit freight crew size. U.S House Transportat [...]
RRB: Unemployment and sickness benefits for railroad employees
The Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) administers the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA), which provides two kinds of benefits for qualified railroaders: unemployment benefits for those who become unemployed but are ready, willing and able to work; and sickness benefits [...]SMART Statement on Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework
Washington, DC—Today, the White House announced its support for the Bipartisan Infrastructure Framework, a $1.2 trillion investment in physical infrastructure. In response, SMART issued the following statement. “Today’s announcement is an important breakthrough towards tackl [...]
THE ACADEMY OF RAIL LABOR ATTORNEYS: Protecting the FELA Through Experienced Legal Counsel
Over the past few years, some law firms who handle mass torts and advertise on a national scale through television and social media have focused their mass marketing on active and retired railroaders who have been afflicted with various forms of cancer and repetitive trauma o [...]DIPP offering new daily benefit level beginning in September!
SMART Transportation Division and the Trustees of the Discipline Income Protection Program (DIPP) are pleased to announce a new maximum daily benefit level for program participants beginning Sept. 1, 2021. Participants will now have the option to elect a $250 daily benefit at [...]
‘End of an era’ at RRB: Geri Clark retires
Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) Labor Member John Bragg announced June 17 that Assistant to the Labor Member Geraldine “Geri” Clark will be retiring July 2 after 51 years with the agency. “Geri’s retirement is a great loss to my office and the RRB. Her 51 ye [...]
Helmets to Hardhats Helped More Than 2300 Veterans Enter Building Trades in 2020
Despite a rise in economic insecurity during the COVID-19 pandemic, Helmets to Hardhats assisted its construction industry affiliates in placing 2,324 military service members and veterans into building trades registered apprenticeship programs in 2020, according to new data [...]