The takeaway from a Washington Examiner article published Nov. 16 regarding recent supply-chain snarls is that rail labor’s desire to maintain the current standard level of personnel — a certified conductor and a certified engineer — aboard the monster freight trains brought [...]
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has announced that the standard monthly Part B premium will be $170.10 in 2022, an increase of $21.60 from $148.50 in 2021. Some Medicare beneficiaries may pay less than this amount because, by law, Part B premiums for cu [...]
On Wednesday, U.S. District Court Judge John Lee consolidated multiple lawsuits that had been filed in the Illinois federal court, including ones by SMART Transportation Division and two other railroad unions challenging two Class I carriers’ implementation of coronavirus vac [...]
Washington, DC—Today the House passed the Build Back Better Act. In response, SMART issued the following statement. “We commend the House for passing the Build Back Better Act. This legislation is a monumental investment in American families, will revitalize our economy and c [...]
The lifetime maximum benefit for the Railroad Employees National Early Retirement Major Medical Benefit (ERMA or GA-46000) Plan will increase from $175,700 to $182,700 beginning Jan. 1, 2022. At the end of 2001, labor and management had agreed on various procedures to adminis [...]
Greg Regan, president of the AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department, of which the SMART Transportation Division is a member, testified on behalf of labor before the U.S. House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee at the Nov. 17 hearing regarding “Industry and L [...]
In anticipation of today’s House hearing on the U.S. supply chain, an “exclusive” pro-carrier piece in the Washington Examiner on freight crew size says that keeping two people on freight crews is making the problem worse, neglecting to mention the massive c [...]
In response to an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) to protect workers from coronavirus that was issued earlier this month by OSHA, National Labor Relations Board General Counsel Jennifer Abruzzo issued a memo to all field offices concerning COVID vaccine mandates and collec [...]
Today, President Joe Biden signed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act into law. SMART General President Joseph Sellers and rank-and-file union members joined him at the signing ceremony. SMART issued the following statement after the ceremony: WASHINGTON, DC — “ [...]
This year, as every year, I wanted to take a moment to give my thanks and to show appreciation to our SMART Transportation Division members who are also veterans of the United State military. Our veterans are a source of patriotism and pride for what they have done and what t [...]
