The federal Medicare program provides hospital and medical insurance protection for Railroad Retirement annuitants and their families, just as it does for Social Security beneficiaries. Medicare has the following parts: Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) helps pay for inpat [...]
SMART Transportation Division Minnesota State Legislative Director Phillip Qualy reports that two-person crew legislation has passed in his state’s House of Representatives as part of H.F. 1555, an omnibus transportation bill, and that a push by members and retirees ali [...]
Sad news was reported out of Local 1929 (East St. Louis, Ill.) with the passing of Layla Lynn Thomas, the 2-year-old daughter of member Craig Thomas, after a sudden illness. Layla was rushed to the emergency room March 18 and diagnosed with Influenza A. Her condition develope [...]
Registration is open for the 2019 SMART Transportation Division regional meeting to take place July 1 to 3 in San Diego, Calif., at the Hilton Bayfront Hotel. Members can expect a full slate of informative workshops and many chances to build camaraderie with your fellow union [...]
Disability Fund Shows Strong Improvement—Twenty Years The Social Security Board of Trustees released its annual report on the long-term financial status of the Social Security trust funds. The combined asset reserves of the Old-Age and Survivors Insurance and Disability Insur [...]
With Workers’ Memorial Day (April 28) almost upon us, the AFL-CIO today released their annual report on deaths on the job. This year’s focus of the report was workplace violence. According to the AFL-CIO, “Workplace violence is the third-leading cause of death on the job, res [...]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced that there will be a public meeting to solicit comments on its Whistleblower Protection Program from 1 – 4 p.m. EST May 14, 2019. OSHA invites employers, employees of businesses affecting interstate commer [...]
A bill requiring a two-person crew on Class I and Class II railroads in the state of Nevada passed one house of the state’s Legislature on April 23. By a 29-12 vote, A.B. 337 was approved by the Nevada State Assembly. The bill’s primary sponsors were Assemblywomen [...]
In the carrier’s quarterly earnings call April 18, Union Pacific Chief Operating Officer Jim Vena said that more cuts are being weighed as UP quests for a 61% operating ratio and continues its move toward Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR). During the call, the carri [...]
At a meeting last week involving Metra and suburban Chicago city leaders, U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski, chairman of the U.S. House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials, told the carrier that it needed to step up its performance. “Too often, Metra riders are [...]
