Transportation News

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Opinion leaders agree: It’s union busting

Rallies in support of public-employee collective bargaining are being held in scores of cities across America to protest legislative efforts in Indiana, Ohio and Wisconsin to revoke that right. A new attack on public-employee collective bargaining was launched Feb. 23 in Idah [...]

Obama taps BNSF CEO, AFL-CIO president

WASHINGTON — President Obama Feb. 23 named BNSF CEO Matt Rose, AFL-CIO President Rich Trumka and United Food and Commercial Workers’ Secretary-Treasurer Joseph Hansen to the White House Council on Jobs and Competitiveness. The three join a long list of mostly busi [...]

Fighting for collective bargaining in 3 states

A senior Ohio Democrat promises that if Republicans there are successful in passing legislation to revoke collective bargaining rights for public employees, a ballot initiative would be drafted to repeal the law in the next general election, reports the Columbus Dispatch news [...]

Another organizing win for UTU

Employees of Western Rail Road in Braunfels, Texas, a wholly owned subsidiary of Cemex USA, have voted to be represented by the UTU. The railroad moves crushed rock, cement and other aggregates for interchange with Union Pacific at Dittlinger and Stonetown, Texas. UTU Interna [...]

Ohio labor rally Tuesday to draw thousands

COLUMBUS, Ohio — As the legislative standoff continues in Wisconsin, Ohio takes center stage Tuesday, Feb. 22, in the battle to preserve collective-bargaining rights for state workers. The Columbus Dispatch newspaper reports that as many as 20,000 pro collective-bargain [...]

We stand in solidarity with public employees

By UTU International President Mike Futhey The right of workers to join a labor union and bargain collectively with employers over wages, benefits and working conditions is the foundation of workplace democracy. Brave and dedicated trade unionists before us risked their lives [...]

Riverside. Calif., school drivers return to UTU

RIVERSIDE, Calif. — School bus-driver members employed by First Student here have voted to return to the UTU, and an agreement negotiated prior to their departure has been implemented. First Student also agreed to provide retroactive pay in addition to wage increases, a [...]

Help preserve collective bargaining in Ohio

Collective bargaining rights of Ohio state employees is under attack, and a state senate committee is considering legislation to halt this cornerstone of American and union workplace democracy. UTU Ohio State Legislative Director Glenn Newsom reports that many members of the [...]

UTU, MBCR in tentative conductor agreement

BOSTON — Some 450 UTU-represented conductors and assistant conductors on Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad (MBCR) have a tentative new agreement covering wages, benefits and working conditions.A ratification vote is currently underway, with ballots to be counted March [...]

Florida is third state to reject high-speed rail funding

Florida has become the third state to reject federal stimulus funds to help create a high-speed rail system. Florida Gov. Rick Scott Feb. 16 joined Republican governors in Wisconsin and Ohio in saying “no” to the federal funds — all saying state finances are [...]