Just ask UTU District of Columbia Legislative Director Willie Bates about safety standards for rail-transit systems. Unlike freight and passenger railroads, rail-transit systems are not bound by federal construction standards, nor are their workers in safety senstive positions governed by federal hours-of-service limitations, says Bates. As a member of the Obama administration’s 20-person Transit Rail Advisory Committee for Safety, Bates [...]
Never underestimate the impact of your communications to Congress. Combined with the tens of thousands of messages from others, the House Republican leadership has pulled back a planned vote Feb. 17 on a draconian transportation bill that would cost jobs, menace transportation safety and threaten the future of Railroad Retirement. As phone call, email and [...]
There are occasions when something so horrible is pending in Congress that we ask your immediate help in taking to the phones and email to alert your lawmaker to the concerns. In this case, it is especially important if you are represented in the House of Representatives by a Republican, because the Republican leadership is [...]
WASHINGTON – Federal spending on transportation projects, including aviation, highway, conventional and high-speed passenger rail and transit, would increase by 2 percent under a proposed fiscal year 2013 budget presented Congress Feb. 13 by President Obama. Transit spending would increase by 105 percent. The president’s budget request is the first step toward crafting a budget [...]
WASHINGTON – Responding to petitions for reconsideration to its Nov. 9, 2011, final rule on conductor certification, the FRA has delayed for six months the testing implementation dates and clarified other mandates affecting territorial qualifications and the definition of hostlers. The FRA, in a Feb. 8 Federal Register notice, said that because its final rule [...]
WASHINGTON – New minimum training and qualification standards are being proposed by the Federal Railroad Administration for rail workers in safety sensitive positions. In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking published Feb. 7 in the Federal Register, the FRA said affected employees would have to be trained and qualified in federal rail safety laws, regulations and [...]
WASHINGTON – The House and Senate agreed Feb. 6 on legislation authorizing increased future funding for new air traffic control technology and the Essential Air Service subsidy program to rural airports as part of a reauthorization of the Federal Aviation Administration. Lawmakers voted to scrap an attempt by House Republicans to overturn a 2011 National Mediation [...]
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 the Railway Labor Act have been jointly agreed to by labor and management – a primary [...]
The Federal Railroad Administration’s new associate administrator for administration is Michael Logue, a 29-year employee of the agency. Logue has served as a railroad safety inspector trainee and in various positions within the Office of Safety and the Office of the Administrator. In 1999 he was named deputy associate administrator for safety compliance and program [...]
In 2008, California voters authorized a $9.95 billion bond measure as a down-payment for a high-speed rail project linking the Sacramento (in northern California), the San Francisco Bay area and Los Angeles. The projected $98 billion route subsequently won $3.3 billion in federal grants. But with California in the midst of a severe budget shortfall, [...]
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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As most railroaders can attest, there are times that procedures and operating rules set by the FRA or imposed by carriers can be difficult to understand. The language may seem vague, and the ballast-level application often is left up to … (Read More)
The dates and locations of UTU regional meetings in 2012 are: 2012 UTU Western Regional MeetingHilton Portland Hotel, Portland, Ore.June 18-20 2012 UTU Eastern Regional MeetingMemphis Peabody Hotel, Memphis, Tenn.July 23-25 Online registration for … (Read More)
