News - Page 393 of 645

Two-person crew bills introduced in Neb., Wyo.

February 10, 2015 Legislation requiring two-person railroad crews in the states of Nebraska and Wyoming have been introduced in the respective state legislatures. Nebraska State Legislative Director Bob Borgeson reports that state Legislative Bill 192, legislation requiring freight train crews [...]

Tags Bob Borgeson, Nebraska, Stan Blake, two-person rail crews, Wyoming

Response to SEPTA’s service hours waiver request

February 10, 2015 The Federal Railroad Administration Feb. 10 will hold a public hearing before ruling on a waiver request by Southeastern Pennsylvania Metropolitan Transportation Authority (SEPTA)?to extend its current waiver of hours of service provisions for on duty points. SEPTA has asked [...]

Tags John Risch, Keith English, Kyle Brightbill, Local 61, Michael Stevens, Pokrowka, SEPTA

Local 19’s Masino Joins SMART GEC

February 10, 2015 With the recommendation of General President Nigro, the General Executive Council has confirmed the appointment of Gary Masino, Business Manager/President of Local 19-Philadelphia, as the 11th General Vice President. Gary is filling the vacancy on the GEC created when Joe Pow [...]

Ill. governor acts to curb public sector unions

February 10, 2015 Gov. Bruce Rauner, the newly elected Republican who has often criticized public sector unions, took his first step toward curbing their power on Monday by announcing an executive order that would bar unions from requiring all state workers to pay the equivalent of dues. Mr. R [...]

Tags Illinois, unions

Obama to declare Pullman town national monument

February 10, 2015 President Barack Obama will visit Chicago next week to designate the historic Pullman neighborhood – one of the first “company towns” in the U.S. – as a national monument. Pullman was home to railroad baron George Pullman’s factory town in the 1880s, homes, shopping areas, ch [...]

Tags Pullman

Advisory Committee Opens Communication From Workers to Trustees

February 10, 2015 Even with the evolution of technology, sometimes the flow of communication from the workers on the front lines to the decision makers in the offices can move slowly. To make sure workers’ voices were heard, the International Training Institute (ITI) established an Advisory Co [...]

Railroads reap record profits despite decline in traffic

February 9, 2015 The nation’s four major railroads are still carrying less freight than they were before the recession. But the last decade has been an exhilarating ride for them nonetheless — an era of growing profits, soaring stock prices and ambitious investments. For Jacksonville-based CS [...]

Tags BNSF, CSX, freight, Norfolk Southern, rail renaissance, record profits, Union Pacific

Rail worker safety bills marked up in Wash. state

February 7, 2015 Members of the SMART Transportation Division’s Washington State Legislative Board have been quite busy in recent weeks. Working with the board members and state emergency management officials, state senators and representatives of the Washington State Legislature Jan. 29 intr [...]

Tags crew vans, two-person crews, Washington state, Washington State Legislative Board, yardmasters

A message regarding cyber attack impacting Anthem

February 6, 2015 As you may have heard, Anthem, Inc., the parent company of SMART’s voluntary short-term disability insurance provider Anthem Life Insurance Co., was the victim of a cyber-attack. Anthem has informed us that its member data was accessed, and that such access could possibly hav [...]

Tags Anthem, cyberattack, Inc., Voluntary Short-Term Disability Program

Foxx unveils Obama’s infrastructure investment plan

February 6, 2015 U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx Feb. 2 announced President Obama’s $94.7 billion Fiscal Year 2016 Budget for the U.S. Department of Transportation. The proposal makes critical investments in infrastructure needed to promote long-term economic growth, enhance safety [...]

Tags Amtrak, Department of Transportation, Fiscal Year 2016 Budget, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, nhtsa, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx