Transportation News

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What are my rights if I’m injured in a hired van?

By Mark Allen Coordinator of UTU Designated Legal Counsel Railroad workers sometimes jokingly say they spend more time in vans than trains as railroads transport their workers using contract limousine services. As agents of the railroad, these companies may be held to the sam [...]

Fatigue killing railroad crews

LOS ANGELES — When a Union Pacific freight train thundered into tiny Macdona, Texas, just before dawn June 28, the engineer and conductor had clocked more than 60 hours in the previous week, working the long, erratic shifts that are common in the railroad industry, acco [...]

A sleep disorder does not mean disqualification

A sleep disorder is a dangerous medical condition; but, in most cases, treatment can be effective. For this reason, a labor-management joint task force has agreed, in writing, that an employee with a treatable sleep disorder who is receiving proper treatment and is otherwise [...]

Jump-start your retirement NOW!

With a little luck, and after a lifetime of hard work, most UTU members, whether employed by the rail, bus or airline industry, should be able to look forward with optimism to their retirement. Healthy and secure in the knowledge that their savings, benefits and investments w [...]

NTSB’s Hersman favors adequate rest

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Debbie Hersman is the first member of the 37-year-old National Transportation Safety Board to bring to the job a detailed knowledge of railroads, reports Railway Age magazine. Hersman was confirmed by the Senate in June following five years as a senio [...]

Recognize a stroke’s warning signs

By Dr. Norman K. BrownUTU Medical Consultant Most of us would agree that we should do all we can to preserve and protect the working of our brains, the part of us that makes us who we are and different from each other. Aside from head injuries, the most common damage to our b [...]

Early detection of colon cancer can save lives

Mammograms and Pap tests have saved many lives by detecting early, curable cancers at a reasonable cost and minimal inconvenience. Many more lives could be saved if there were more testing for colon cancer, which is a fairly common disease, but one which can be cured with a h [...]

SMART TD Designated Legal Counsel Rules of Conduct

All Designated Legal Counsel (DLC) shall agree as a condition of becoming or remaining a DLC that he or she will be subject to and fully comply with the Rules of Conduct. Each DLC shall, as a condition of becoming or remaining a DLC, shall specifically in writing waive any an [...]