News Archive
Transit workers: FTA seeking your comments!
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) is encouraging all transit members to submit their comments and ideas to the FTA to assist in their goal of preventing transit worker assault. “..the FTA is seeking public recommendations on how best to prevent and mitigate assa [...]Two crew members stop fire from spreading
Add this occurrence to thousands just like it – examples of why two crew members are absolutely necessary to safely operate a locomotive. In a recent news story from NBC Montana, both crew members worked to disengage cargo cars, effectively stopping the fire from sprea [...]
FTA issues final rule on safety program
The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) issued the final rule for the Public Transportation Safety Program that establishes procedural rules for FTA to administer a comprehensive safety program to improve the safety of federally-funded public transportation systems. The fina [...]
EEOC orders Amtrak to pay $112k for discrimination
Federal Agency Charged Railroad Company Refused to Hire Qualified Machinist Due to Epilepsy SEATTLE — The Washington, D.C.-based National Passenger Railroad Corporation, better known as Amtrak, will pay $112,000 and provide other relief to settle a federal disability di [...]
Duckworth Addresses SMART BA Conference
Congresswoman Tami Duckworth, currently running for U.S. Senate in Illinois, delivered a heartfelt and inspirational address on Tuesday at the SMART Sheet Metal Business Agents’ Conference in Chicago, IL. Her speech detailed not only the experience she faced when her he [...]
Label It Scan It Report It
The union labels are an essential tool for enforcing contracts and protecting jobs, wages, and benefits. Union officials work hard to negotiate the best contracts possible, and the labels are essential to protecting those contracts, union jobs, and wages. They play a central [...]MTA’s subway plan to create thousands of jobs
Railway Age reported that the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) released a request for proposals (RFP) for the upcoming purchase of 940 subway cars worth an estimated $3.2 billion. The MTA’s inclusion of the U.S. Employment Plan in this latest purchas [...]
Member Assistance Program Grows
For decades, when a member of the International Association of Sheet Metal Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, or SMART, had a personal problem, they would turn to a fellow member for help. For small issues, friends and mentors dispensed good advice just fine. However, for [...]