Transportation News

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LIRR UTU member killed on job

Long Island Rail Road car inspector Russell DeCeck, 48, a member of Local 722, Babylon, N.Y., was killed Sunday, Aug. 14, when he reportedly came in contact with the third rail while working at the carrier’s Babylon yard in West Islip, N.Y. DeCeck, of Coram, N.Y., had 2 [...]

FRA’s final HOS rules for passenger, commuter service

WASHINGTON – Passenger and commuter train conductors and engineers face new hours-of-service rules effective Oct. 15 under a final rule published Aug. 12 by the Federal Railroad Administration. The new rules differ in certain areas from hours-of-service regulations imposed on [...]

Against odds, labor sends loud message in Wisconsin

A coalition of labor unions and community groups didn’t take back the Wisconsin state senate from anti-union extremists Tuesday night, Aug. 9, but voters enraged over the extremists’ political agenda did unseat two of the six senators targeted for recall. “Seeing that we were [...]

Futhey re-elected UTU International president

HOLLYWOOD, Fla. – Mike Futhey was elected to his second four-year term as president of the United Transportation Union Aug. 8 during the UTU’s 11th quadrennial convention here. Futhey was re-elected by a vote of 453-34 against challenger Scott Cole, delegate from UTU Local 27 [...]

UTU member dies in BNSF Tulsa yard accident

TULSA, Okla. — A BNSF employee and UTU member was killed in a yard accident here Aug. 4 when a vehicle in which she was riding was struck by a flatcar during a hump operation, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol and reported by the Tulsa World newspaper. Deborah An [...]

T&E headcount up on most railroads

Total train and engine employment on Class I railroads increased by 7.49 percent in June 2011 versus June 2010, although not all major railroads increased hiring. T&E headcounts on CSX and Canadian National (U.S. operations) declined in June 2011 versus June 2010, but all [...]

UTU to congressional audience: ‘HSR is jobs machine’

Risch WASHINGTON — New jobs building and operating high-speed rail “are American jobs that can’t be shipped overseas and would be a Godsend in this economic downturn,” UTU Alternate National Legislative Director John Risch told a congressionally sponsored forum here Aug [...]

DOL reports on criminal actions

The Department of Labor’s Office of Labor-Management Standards (OLMS) reports the following criminal actions involving officers of various locals, divisions and general committees within the BLET, BMWE, BRS and UTU since Jan. 1, 2011: * On July 13, 2011, in the United States [...]

Familiar name to lead American Public Transp. Assn.

WASHINGTON – A former official with three bus operators employing UTU members has been elected president and CEO of the American Public Transportation Association (APTA), which represents bus and transit operators before Congress and regulatory agencies. The appointment is ef [...]

August sun carries skin cancer risk

The August sun can be dangerous, and protecting your skin should be a high priority. Although this is a year-round issue, overexposure to sun and its dangers occurs most during the summer. When skin is exposed to ultra-violet (UV) rays, it responds by producing melanin, a pig [...]