The Voice of Transportation Labor
By James Stem, National Legislative Director – As a new Congress begins its largely partisan struggles, which are sometimes difficult to understand and frequently disturbing, the job of the National Legislative Office is to convince lawmakers that the legislative agenda of SMART members is the ideal recipe. The education process itself can be brutal, as evidenced [...]
By SMART General President Joe Nigro – We are one! Not only as a result of our recent merger, but also by the pledge we make to one another as union brothers and sisters. The strength of organized labor lies in the hearts and minds of every union member who understands the meaning of allegiance. [...]
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has signed an accord with BNSF Railway Co. announcing BNSF’s voluntary revision of several personnel policies that OSHA alleged violated the whistleblower provisions of the Federal Railroad Safety Act and dissuaded workers from reporting on-the-job injuries. FRSA’s Section 20109 protects railroad workers from [...]
By John Previsich, UTU Assistant President/ GS&T – Discipline in the railroad industry is a curious business. I recall that when I first hired out, I was proud of my new employment. The railroad had selected me over other well-qualified applicants, and I was sent to school and provided extensive on-the-job training before being allowed to [...]
Previsich UTU Assistant President and International Vice President John Previsich has been named to the additional post of UTU general secretary and treasurer (GS&T) by the UTU Board of Directors. Previsich also will continue handling assignments as an International vice president, but those assignments will be pared down given his new duties. Previsich succeeds [...]
By UTU International President Mike Futhey – For many of our brothers and sisters in the Northeast, much was washed away by Hurricane Sandy – but not their hope, their pride or their sense of duty. Despite the flood devastation that stole irreplaceable possessions, homes and automobiles – as it also devastated rail track, tunnels, [...]
By Assistant President John Previsich We all know that drug and alcohol use can have a negative impact on users, fellow employees and the transportation industry. That said, it must be emphasized that SMART members are to be commended for setting a compliance standard that places our airline, bus and rail members as leaders, second [...]
Stem “Every Amtrak employee should be placed in a productive position that supports the needs of customer service and managed growth of operations,” UTU National Legislative Director James Stem told Congress Nov. 28. “Amtrak operating crews are among the most productive workers in that system and our members are ready and eager to work,” he [...]
UTU members covered by the Railroad Employees’ National Vision Plan will see improvements in the program effective Jan. 1 when benefits formerly provided by VSP will be administered by EyeMed Vision Care. Enhancements include: • A larger national network of providers, consisting of both independent and retail-affiliated providers; • Five of the top six eye-care providers [...]
One of labor’s strongest friends on Capitol Hill was Rep. Marty Frost, a centrist Democrat from Texas who served in the House of Representatives from 1979 to 2005, and who served two terms as chair of the House Democratic Caucus. Post Election Day, Frost wrote an opinion article published by The Hill, an independent newspaper [...]
Notified you are under investigation? Wish to file a grievance? Membership rights question? Click on the “Membership Toolbox” for your answer. … (Read more)
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The Federal Railroad Administration has issued a new report on the status of fatigue among railroad industry employees. In 2001, the FRA began examining the fatigue status of safety-critical railroad employees by using logbooks to collect work and … (Read More)
The dates and locations of the 2013 UTU regional meetings are: July 1-3: Boston, at the Westin Boston Waterfront July 29-31: Anaheim, Calif., at the Hilton Anaheim Members and attendees can now register online for a UTU regional meeting, as well … (Read More)
