Resolve to Keep Your Timebook Current in 2026

With 2026 just days away, many of us are thinking about resolutions. These can be small habits that make a big difference over time. SMART-TD encourages every railroad and bus/transit member to adopt (or recommit to) one resolution that has been proven to protect livelihoods, careers, and families: 

Keep a complete, accurate, and consistent timebook. 

This is not busy work. Keeping accurate records is one of the most powerful tools you can have if you need to defend yourself from an employer.

When the Company’s Records Disappear

What if a claim was filed, a discipline case moved forward, or an injury was investigated, and management was suddenly missing certain records? 

• “The recording was lost.” 
• “We don’t have documentation of that assignment.” 
• “There’s no proof that train was even there.” 

Our members know this story all too well.  

Are you going to rely on management to provide the records necessary to support your case? This is exactly why your own records matter. 

Consistent Records Win Cases 

Recently, a railroad told a court that it had no record showing a train should have even been in the yard where one of our members was permanently disabled after sustaining a serious injury. 

The company’s position could have delayed justice for years or denied it altogether. 

Fortunately, the member kept a detailed timebook. 

He recorded the train ID, the work performed, and the details of that shift, just like he had done for every train he worked throughout the year. That consistency mattered. His timebook held up in court, because it was part of a disciplined habit, not a one-off note written after the fact.

He won the case. 

His timebook was the difference between compensation for future earnings and healthcare or being starved out while corporate attorneys dragged the case on for years.  

Make Tracking Your Work Part of the Job 

Think of your timebook the same way you think about other essential Personal Protective Equipment: 

• You wouldn’t report for duty with a dead radio battery. 
• You wouldn’t work without a lantern in good order. 
• Don’t start work without an updated timebook. 

Recording your work needs to be part of your daily routine. To work, you need to use it every shift. Every assignment. Every time. 

Consistency is what makes your record credible in a hearing, an investigation, or a court of law. 

SMART-TD Timebooks are Free for All Members

SMART-TD provides timebooks, because they are time-tested tools that protect you. 

A properly kept timebook puts the facts back where they belong: in your hands. 

Contact your local secretary for a free timebook. 

A Resolution Worth Keeping 

As we start the new year, make this resolution and keep it: 

Write it down. Every day. Accurately. Consistently. 

Protect yourself. Protect your future. Use the tools your union provides. And keep your timebook!