Whether on the rails or on the road, the trend is clear: Workers are continuing to see the value of joining SMART-TD.
As the gold standard in representing rail, bus and transit workers across the country, we remain as committed as ever to fighting for our brothers and sisters under the SMART-TD umbrella.
We’re also focused on the future, including welcoming our newest members and celebrating the more than a half-dozen tentative agreements that have been ratified so far this year.
This impressive list speaks for itself.
Building off last year’s wins, such as the Louisville & Indiana (L&I) Railroad joining our union, we’ve had three short-line railroads choose SMART-TD by unanimous or overwhelmingly large margins since January.
The first was Wilmington Terminal Railroad, which is a subsidiary of Genesee and Wyoming. After being without representation since coming under G&W ownership in 2005, the workers voted unanimously to join SMART-TD in January.
That was followed less than two weeks later by another G&W property, Connecticut Southern Railroad, joining our union in a nearly unanimous vote. Connecticut Southern workers were previously under an umbrella agreement with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE), which benefits some (but not necessarily all) properties that it covers. Tired of feeling like they weren’t being heard, our new brothers reached out to SMART-TD. That speaks volumes about our union and our reputation.
The most recent addition to our SMART-TD family came in June, when workers from both the Transportation and Engine crafts and the Maintenance of Way crafts with the Arkansas and Missouri Railroad voted to organize in a landslide.
Our organizers are focused on having meaningful conversations about how union membership improves workers’ quality of life, and what SMART-TD can deliver that other unions just can’t.
This is just a snapshot of what our Organizing Department has accomplished at the halfway point of the year, and we have no plans to slow down.
These organizing victories are important, but our union’s ability to nail down strong agreements for new and established members alike is what makes SMART-TD stand out in the labor community.
Our union is committed to standing with our members every step of the way, ensuring their voices are heard, their needs are met and the bar is raised for both their quality of life and the level of respect they receive on the job.
Whether it’s new hires at Zum Transportation (Local 1706) getting a front-row seat to SMART-TD’s Bus Department’s negotiations with their new employer or ratifying a TA for Local 1732 at TransitAmerica Services Inc. (TASI) in California that sets a precedent for other commuter railroads across the country, our union is committed to fighting like hell for our members.
When it comes to negotiating new agreements, we’re always aiming to set the bar higher than before and ensure that pay and benefits reflect the professionalism, knowledge and dedication that TD members bring to the job.
We saw this firsthand with several tentative agreements that were overwhelmingly or unanimously ratified during the first half of the year, including SMART-TD-represented conductors and assistant conductors with Keolis Commuter Services, bus operators in Local 1687 working for Red Apple Transit in New Mexico, and our Local 1887 members who work for Birmingham Terminal Railway putting collective action into practice to secure meaningful change.
The common denominator between all three agreements is significant wage increases that redefine what’s possible for rail, bus and transit workers across the country.
We didn’t stop there. Within the last two months, agreements have been reached between SMART-TD Local 598 and the Alabama Port Authority, California Local 1741’s Local Committee of Adjustment (LCA) and San Carlos Schools, and SMART-TD Local 1701 and Montebello Transit.
This isn’t a laundry list of accomplishments. It’s a reflection of the SMART-TD difference. Workers see the value that we bring to the table because we let our actions speak louder than words. We don’t just talk about what we can offer members: We make it happen.
Together, our union is creating a movement, and these victories are proof. As I said before, momentum is with us. We will carry this momentum through the rest of 2025 and into the National Negotiations with the Class I freight railroads.
Workers are stronger, safer and more secure with SMART-TD at their side.
In solidarity,
Jeremy R. Ferguson
President, Transportation Division