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On June 30, 2025, Brother Greg Hynes, director of the SMART-TD National Safety and Legislative Department, officially retired. While his departure left large shoes to fill, the legacy he leaves behind is one that will guide and inspire our mission for generations to come.

Brother Hynes’s decades-long commitment to SMART-TD was not just a job, it was a calling. That calling not only changed the lives of TD members, it reshaped the landscape of labor advocacy across the country.

“It’s one thing to be a railroader and complain about the conditions. It’s another thing to stand up and do something about it. That’s what I did, and it’s been the greatest honor of my life,” Hynes said.

A lifelong unionist

Greg Hynes’ journey in railroading began not just with a job but with a legacy. A fifth-generation railroader born in Winslow, Arizona, Brother Hynes hired out with Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway in Los Angeles in 1995 before transferring to Phoenix in 1997. It didn’t take long for Greg to make his mark in union leadership. By 2003, he was elected legislative representative for Local 1081 in Glendale. One year later, he became Arizona’s assistant state legislative director and ascended to state director by 2009, a position he held with distinction until he was called to serve on a national scale.

Building a national legacy: from the locomotive cab to the nation’s capital

Hynes’s contributions to SMART-TD and rail labor are monumental. After chairing the UTU Rail Safety Task Force in 2009, he was elected alternate national legislative director in 2014 and took over as national legislative director in 2019, a role to which he was re-elected in 2024. Under his leadership, the Safety and Legislative Department transformed into one of the most effective engines for labor advocacy in the nation.

He wasn’t just present in Washington, DC; he wore out the steps of the Capitol. Whether walking the halls of Congress or visiting statehouses across the country, Brother Hynes made it his mission to ensure that the voices of SMART-TD members (rail and bus alike) were heard, respected, and protected.

Perhaps no achievement shines brighter than his role in the landmark 2024 federal rulemaking mandating two-person freight crews across the United States. While many claimed credit, those who know the story understand that Greg Hynes was the unstoppable force behind that victory.

His fingerprints are also all over the push for paid sick leave for rail workers, a victory realized for 90% of the industry in no small part because of Greg’s tenacity. He was instrumental in championing the 2024 REEF Act, guaranteeing equitable treatment for railroaders receiving Railroad Retirement Board benefits.

These were not just policy wins. They were quality-of-life wins for his brothers and sisters.

Forging new traditions in labor advocacy

Hynes didn’t follow tradition; he created new ones. He redefined Railroad Day on the Hill from an industry event into the most powerful lobbying effort for rail labor, giving members direct access and influence in shaping policy. He also pioneered Bus and Transit Safety Day on the Hill, which immediately bore fruit in the form of stronger assault prevention regulations out of the FTA. The next event is already scheduled for this fall, a testament to the momentum Greg built.

From the Federal Railroad Administration’s RSAC to the SOFA Working Group and the Department of Transportation’s Advisory Committee on Human Trafficking, Greg’s influence radiated throughout the national transportation policy landscape.

Part of Greg’s lasting impact on this union will undoubtedly be the example he set for those brothers and sisters that will take up the mantle. Brother Jared Cassity, who served as Greg’s Deputy Director starting in 2019, said: “It has been an absolute honor and privilege to work alongside Greg for the past five years. I am grateful to him for his willingness to accept me into the office, to pass along his knowledge, and for being a good friend. There is no one I would have rather learned the intricacies of DC with than him. He has been a warrior for SMART-TD and for all working families, leaving a legacy that is sure to live on. His presence will be missed, but I congratulate him on a retirement well earned. Hopefully, there are many stages in his future.”

Cassity took over Hynes’s position as director on July 1, with former SMART-TD Michigan Safety and Legislative Director Don Roach moving into the deputy director position. More about Cassity and Roach will appear in the next issue of the Members’ Journal.

Beyond the tracks and the Hill: a renaissance man

Greg Hynes is more than a labor leader; he’s a renaissance man. A talented actor and musician, Greg has been featured in multiple plays, working as an actor in productions all across Arizona. As an actor, Brother Hynes saw the same kind of success we witnessed him have as a Safety and Legislative director. Hynes starred in off-Broadway productions of Steven Sondheim’s Into the Woods and Assassins, along with many other plays. He once took the stage as Colonel Jessup in A Few Good Men, channeling Jack Nicholson with grit and charisma. It wasn’t just the railroads that couldn’t handle the truth Hynes was bringing to that production. In his theater career, he was nominated for Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor multiple times, and won awards for Best Production as well as Best Director.

Before he ever wore the blue collar of the rails, he was known as Mr. Wonderful, pounding out rhythms on his drums, belting out vocals, and filling clubs with the raw energy of punk rock. He was a fixture in bands such as the Teds, Jodie Foster’s Army, the Skeletones, and the legendary Mighty Sphincter.

Greg found success with all of his bands in the thriving punk scene of Phoenix in the 80’s and 90’s, but with the Mighty Sphincters, he hit it big. They opened shows for Social Distortion and The Dead Kennedys and have influenced the likes of Alice Cooper, Marilyn Manson, White Zombie and GWAR.

To many outside our union, Greg is known as the guy who stole the show with hard-hitting, relentless rhythms at a concert or a scene-stealing performance on the theater stage. To us at SMART-TD, he’s known simply as the best damn Safety and Legislative Director in rail labor history.

To those who worked closely with him, Greg’s greatest legacy is one of professionalism and humble leadership, an idea that Safety & Legislative Department Chief of Staff Jenny Miller emphasized to SMART News.

“Greg’s humility and kindness stood out in Washington. Even as one of the most influential lobbyists on the Hill, he never considered himself to be above anyone else,” explained Miller, who served in her role during Brother Hynes’ tenure and beyond. “Whether interacting with the lowest member of the office staff or a sitting U.S. Senator, Greg treated both with the same level of respect. That’s a special quality of his that I personally admire and one that will be missed by everyone who’s had the honor of working with him. Even though Greg accomplished more in this role than anyone in the history of SMART-TD, I’ll always think of him first and foremost as my friend.”

An icon in work boots and windbreakers

Brother Hynes’ unconventional approach has made him unforgettable. Take, for example, the October 2024 TD Board of Directors meeting in Houston, Texas. Officers were asked to wear sports coats in a rare dress code moment for SMART-TD. Hynes, a proud son of Arizona, walked in confidently wearing a Phoenix Suns windbreaker. When questioned on it, his answer was as classic as it was logical: “I don’t understand the problem. This is a jacket, and basketball is a sport.”

That’s Greg in a nutshell: clever, principled and impossible to pigeonhole.

A legacy that will echo for generations

As he stepped into retirement, SMART-TD saluted Greg Hynes for a career of relentless advocacy, fearless leadership and boundless originality. He reimagined what this union could be and then worked hard enough to make it real. His humor, drive and sincerity made him not only a powerful advocate but a beloved brother to us all.

As President Jeremy Ferguson put it, “Greg Hynes accomplished what few have done in our union’s history. He secured landmark legislative victories and set a new standard for rail and transit safety. His work has directly improved the lives of our members and their families for generations to come. Two things are certain. Greg will absolutely be missed around here, and he will never be forgotten in this union or anywhere else he goes.”

Tags Greg Hynes, Members Journal, National Safety and Legislative Department, railroad, transportation

OLYMPIA, Wash. (AP) – Gov. Jay Inslee signed into law Thursday a measure that attempts to improve the safety of oil transportation as a sharp increase in trains carrying volatile crude oil poses new safety and environmental risks in the state.

A compromise reached on the last day of the regular legislative session resolved differences between competing bills in the Senate and House.

“Even with the passage of this bill I remain very concerned about the safety of Washingtonians,” Inslee said.

Read more from The Washington Times.

Tags oil, transportation

The Republican-led House Appropriations Committee released its fiscal-year 2016 budget proposals for transportation, housing and urban development, which call for cuts to the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) discretionary spending, as well as reductions in the Federal Railroad Administration’s (FRA) and Federal Transit Administration’s (FTA) budgets.

The bill proposes $17.2 billion in discretionary appropriations for the USDOT, which is $1 billion less than the fiscal-year 2015 level and $6.8 billion below President Obama’s request for the department.

Read the complete story at Progressive Railroading.

Tags Federal Railroad Administration, FRA, House Appropriations Committee, transportation

BOSTON – Led by Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, U.S. Conference of Mayors (USCM) Vice President Baltimore Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Seattle Mayor Ed Murray, mayors pledged March 23 to work together to urge Congress to move past partisanship, including through local action and lobbying Washington, at a press conference during a meeting of The U.S. Conference of Mayors Cities of Opportunity Task Force.

Specifically, the mayors are calling for increased resources to the program, with more locally-directed funding to address the growing needs in cities where populations are steadily rising.

More than twenty mayors from cities large and small convened in Boston for the second meeting of the conference task force, hosted by Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh, who serves as Vice Chair alongside New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio who serves as chair to discuss municipal best practices in the areas of transportation and housing, and ways that federal policy can help close the wage gap and lift individuals and families out of poverty by providing reliable transportation options, access to affordable housing and expanded employment opportunities.

The mayors also heard from U.S. Department of Transportation Deputy Secretary Victor Mendez who discussed reauthorization of the surface transportation bill, as well as Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren on income inequality.

“Inequality is a national crisis. It’s holding down wages, it’s holding back our economy, it’s undermining the American Dream,” said Mayor Walsh. “Here in Boston we are innovating, and growing opportunity to lift individuals and families out of poverty. But we need our partners in the Commonwealth, and in the federal government to act and make the critical funding and policy decisions that invest in and strengthen municipalities, the building blocks of this nation.”

“Mayors are on the frontlines of combating inequality – and we know firsthand that transportation is central to that fight as the backbone of economic growth,” said Mayor de Blasio. “Transit serves as a lifeline for so many, connecting those who need it most to jobs, school, and real mobility, while transportation infrastructure creates the good-paying jobs so many need. The status quo is simply unacceptable. It’s time for Congress to truly invest in the future of our cities and our nation by passing a bill that increases federal transportation funding. And we’ll be making that clear with direct action in our cities and in Washington.”

“Mayors know that transportation systems and services can be an effective tool to address inequality and understand how locally-directed transportation solutions can create more economic opportunity and better serve our nation’s working poor,” said Conference Vice President Mayor Rawlings-Blake. “As we look to Congress, we renew our call for stronger federal resource commitments, with more emphasis on locally-directed funding, to improve our transit and street systems to better serve our growing metropolitan areas and confront income inequality. We cannot let the federal government off the hook in supporting us in meeting these critical challenges.”

Mayor Murray said, “Over the last two days, we’ve heard from Mayors across the country about how our cities are laboratories for innovation, making a difference in people’s lives. In Seattle, we’ve led the way on raising the minimum wage, expanding local transit and access to pre-k. While cities are acting now, we can’t do it alone. It’s time for a national urban agenda, one that will repair our country’s aging transportation infrastructure, expand access to affordable housing and address income inequality. We must have a re-energized federal government that is acting as an equal partner to support the great work happening at the local level.”

Established at the Conference’s Annual Meeting last June by Conference President Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson, this Task Force aims to bring mayors from across the country together to leverage the power of local governments to advance a national common equity agenda with policies and best-practices that will help expand opportunity for all. The inaugural meeting of the group was held in New York City in August 2014 to examine issues around improving early childhood education, expanding broadband access and addressing income inequality.

During that first meeting, The Conference released a report that documents the gradual, but dramatic shift over the past 40 years of income distribution in the U.S. in favor of upper-income households as recent reports have also shown. Overall, the USCM report projected a further drift toward inequality in the coming years, making income inequality a structural feature of the 21st century economy unless specific policy measures are taken to address the growing wage gap.

Commenting on the ongoing work of the Conference’s Task Force, USCM CEO and Executive Director Tom Cochran said, “The nation’s mayors cannot stand idly by when Washington does not act. We have an obligation to do what we can from where we sit to address issues of inequality and grow economic opportunities for the people living in cities and their metropolitan areas all across the country.”

Tags transit, transportation, U.S. Conference of Mayors

In late June, 21 high school girls convened in Washington, D.C. to participate in WTS International and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s (USDOT) annual D.C. Youth Summit. Participants met with senior federal transportation officials and toured some of the capitol’s transportation facilities. The event is offered as part of Transportation YOU, a mentorship program created by WTS and USDOT that aims to build awareness of transportation-related careers to girls between the ages of 13 and 18.

Launched in 2011, Transportation YOU involves connecting women who have successful careers in transportation fields with girls who have an interest in obtaining engineering- or transportation-related degrees. WTS members recruit Transportation YOU participants by using their connections with school districts officials, teachers, Girl Scouts and local Boys and Girls Club chapters.

Read the complete story at Progressive Railroading.

Tags jobs, transportation, women

Think hybrids that go 60 miles on a gallon are efficient? Trains can go eight times as far with 2,000 pounds in their backseat. And they’re only getting smarter.

Trains are no longer the lumbering hunks of metal of the 20th century. Today’s locomotives are computers on wheels, and they’re beginning to take business from fuel-guzzling semi-trucks.

“From a longtime standpoint, the continued conversion from truck to rail will continue,” said GE Transportation CEO Russell Stokes Thursday at the Forbes Reinventing America conference.