Transportation News

Visit the digital archive of the SMART-TD News (PDFs)

Federal funding announced for transit modernizing

WASHINGTON – More than $826 million will become available to transit systems in the U.S. this year for modernizing and repairing vehicles, the Department of Transportation announced Feb. 6. “An American economy that’s built to last must be built on a solid foundation, and whe [...]

Working together to make SMART a reality

The following is a joint letter from UTU International President Mike Futhey and Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association General President Joe Nigro on the merger of the two organizations to become the Sheet Metal, Air, Rail & Transportation Workers (SMART). [...]

UTU member killed in Ind. rail accident

GARY, Ind. – Michael M. Shoemaker, 55, a conductor and member of UTU Local 1383, was killed Jan. 30 in a switching accident on at U.S. Steel’s Gary Works here. Reports are that he was wedged between two freight cars. Shoemaker, of Hobart, Ind., was an 10-year employee, of Gar [...]

UTU General Counsel Clint Miller to retire

UTU General Counsel Clint Miller will retire Nov. 1 at age 65. Until then, he will relinquish his daily office duties and serve as a consultant, on an as-needed basis, to International President Mike Futhey and the law department staff. Miller has been a fixture in the UTU la [...]

House committee kills killer truck effort

WASHINGTON – UTU members can make a difference in Congress, and your emails and phone calls — as requested by the UTU International — helped derail an attempt by House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) to permit longer and h [...]

View ‘UTU: Stronger Than Ever’ video

A short video explaining the benefits of UTU membership, which was presented at the 2011 UTU regional meetings and the 2011 quadrennial convention, is now available online at www.utu.org. The video notes the history of labor unions in the United States, which originated in th [...]

Repeal referendum likely in Indiana

INDIANAPOLIS – Gov. Mitch Daniels has signed into law right-to-work (for less) legislation in Indiana that prohibits union-shop agreements and prohibits union contracts that require those who decline to join a union from paying any fees for representation – essentially encour [...]

Union Plus Scholarship program deadline extended

The Union Plus Scholarship online application system was unable to handle the high volume of applicants prior to the Jan. 31 deadline, the Union Plus program reports. Union Plus is currently working to identify all applicants who experienced problems accessing or submitting t [...]

Members on ISA ratify first CBA

Tibbit UTU-represented members employed by Intermodal Services of America (ISA), which does contract switching for Union Pacific at Joliet, Ill., and Chicago, have ratified their first collective bargaining agreement (CBA). ISA voluntarily recognized the UTU as its transporta [...]

Transport labor urges ‘no tinkering’ with RLA

WASHINGTON — The UTU and 17 other transportation labor organizations urged Congress Jan. 30 to pass a Federal Aviation Administration reauthorization without making what they called “drastic and unnecessary changes to the Railway Labor Act.” Historically, any changes to [...]