Transportation News

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Obama: The choice for working families

By International President Mike Futhey Remember back in grade school, when we were given a page with four pictures on it — a dog, a cat, a horse and an apple — and told to identify which one of the four didn’t belong? Imagine, instead, a page with these four pictu [...]

Baffoni: Progress on members’ behalf

By Vic Baffoni Vice President, Bus Dept. Thank you to all who attended regional meeting workshops in Denver and Nashville, and those who made presentations. By the comments received, the workshops were a great success. Our bus workshops had the largest attendance in many year [...]

UTU finances solid & growing

Wall Street may be in a devastating financial free fall, but UTU finances are solid and growing. That’s the conclusion of the two UTU International officers responsible for UTU finances. “I asked for a thorough review of our finances after hearing that mischief ma [...]

Foremost rail safety expert to aid DLC

Attorney Larry Mann, named by his peers as the “nation’s foremost authority on railroad safety legislation and regulation,” has been appointed by UTU International President Mike Futhey as Rail Safety Coordinator to UTU Designated Legal Counsel (DLC). In thi [...]

FAQs on member medical coverage

The SMART-TD Membership Services Department has compiled a list of frequently asked questions from SMART-TD rail members regarding medical-benefits coverage and has supplied appropriate answers to these questions. These questions pertain to coverage when an employee is workin [...]

UTU protests extension of foreign vehicles in U.S.

By Vic Baffoni Vice President, Bus Dept. The Bush Administration did it again. Secretary of Transportation Mary E. Peters extended the right of foreign-operated trucking and transit companies to operate across the U.S. border without requiring them to even have a minimum of s [...]

November 2008 brings UTU local elections

Now is the time of year that UTU members and everyone else across the country are seeing and hearing messages regarding voter registration and upcoming elections. While many will be focused on the candidates running for the U.S. presidency, November 2008 also brings UTU membe [...]

President Futhey’s letter from Denver

Brothers & Sisters: I am writing this as I return from the Democratic National Convention in Denver. A high point of my week was an invitation-only luncheon with Michelle Obama and Jill and Joe Biden on Friday, Aug. 29. What a privilege it was to hear Michelle Obama speak [...]

Obama walks the walk with labor

By International President Mike Futhey The most successful military generals are those who care best for their troops, walk among their troops and listen intently to their ideas and concerns. This week in Denver, Barack Obama, who consistently expresses his support for workin [...]

New safety push aims at rail culture

WASHINGTON — Railroads, the Federal Railroad Administration, and labor organizations, including the UTU, launched on Aug. 12 a new and formal effort to improve workplace safety through an emphasis on cooperation and education and a de-emphasis on aggressive discipline. [...]