News - Page 344 of 663

Are school buses safer with seat belts?

December 29, 2015 In an article published Dec. 27, The Advocate speculates whether or not school buses would be safer with seat belts. Recently, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced that school buses could be safer with the addition of safety belts. The agency h [...]

Tags nhtsa, safety belts, school bus

Legislative, alt. legislative rep. elections complete

December 28, 2015 Reorganization planning underway As the SMART Transportation Division’s state and district legislative boards begin planning for their quadrennial reorganization meetings in 2016, members and local officers are reminded that elections for the positions of legislative represen [...]

Tags elections, local elections

Latest issue of SMART TD News available online

December 28, 2015 The latest issue of the SMART Transportation Division News is an online-only edition. To view, click here. To view earlier editions of SMART TD News, click here.

Tags November 2015 issue, SMART TD News

STB chairman releases details of STB Act of 2015

December 23, 2015 Last week, President Obama signed the Surface Transportation Board (STB) Reauthorization Act of 2015 into law, which realigned the STB an independent entity, autonomous of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Yesterday, STB Chairman Daniel Elliott III released a summary th [...]

Tags Reauthorization Act of 2015, STB, Surface Transportation Board

SMART TD members ratify agreement with NY MTA

December 22, 2015 On December 16, 2015, members of SMART Transportation Division’s Local 1440 (Staten Island, N.Y.) ratified a tentative agreement with the New York Metropolitan Transportation Authority (NY MTA). The ratified agreement includes a 15.88 percent pay increase with retroactive pay [...]

Obama delays tax on high-cost group health plans

December 22, 2015 The Portland Business Journal reported that President Obama has signed the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2016 into law. This officially delays the 40 percent excise tax on group health plans. Unions and other organizations that provide strong benefit packages for members w [...]

Tags Consolidated Appropriations Act, healthcare reform

2016 Omnibus Amtrak funding bill

December 22, 2015 Congress must do better for passenger rail and roadway safety By John Previsich, President, SMART Transportation Division While we look favorably on efforts made by members of congress to implement stronger and more wide-spread transportation policy upgrades – including incre [...]

Amtrak activates PTC, SEPTA not far behind

December 22, 2015 The Philadelphia Inquirer reports that Amtrak activated its Positive Train Control system (PTC) this past weekend from Philadelphia to Washington. SEPTA has reported they are not far behind and will have PTC online sometime in the new year. Since the Federal Railroad Administ [...]

Tags Amtrak, positive train control, PTC, SEPTA

SMART leads protest, sparks investigation in L.A.

December 21, 2015 On Tuesday, December 1, SMART members from sheet metal and transportation locals in Los Angeles joined their brothers and sisters in the Jobs to Move America coalition to lead the protest outside the headquarters of BYD Motors, Inc. – a Chinese-owned electric bus company that [...]

Tags BYD Motors, Jobs to Move America coalition

surveys

December 21, 2015 zz ww cc dd oh pa oh_kap nv ky_grimes nd truck mo wi tx ny il fl IA OH_1 OH_2 OH_3 NE IL_2014_Amtrak Omaha ND_2015 Two person crew report January 2015 IL two person crew March 2015 IL_Amtrak_2015 MN_April_2015 Amtrak Report — 2014 December IA survey Alabama Survey ̵ [...]

Tags DFM Research