SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson wrote an op-ed in response to recent anti-merger comments from Teamsters President Sean O’Brien and Former Labor Secretary Lori Chavez-DeRemer.
https://www.smart-union.org/beltway-politics-dont-equal-job-protections-for-rail-workers/
The electronic election system will not be ready for the coming local elections. Paper ballots will be mailed out per the usual process and self-addressed envelopes will be included to return your ballot. Ballots must be mailed using the included envelope and ballot slip. To be able to vote, you will need to have a valid mailing address on file. Your return ballot envelope must have your mailing address on the return address portion on the front in order to be counted. We encourage all members to double check that the information they have on file with SMART-TD is correct.
The website has a new claim generator that may be useful in submitting some of the more common, boiler-plate type claims. It has been tested in Chrome and Firefox, but if there are any technical issues or other feedback comments, please direct them to josh.gardner@smartlocal329.com.
Both parties submitted opposition briefs to each other’s motions for summary judgment. To see previous submissions on the court docket, click here.
It’s come to our attention that management has been suggesting that the rules and FRA regulations allow for crews to go beyond their territory qualification provided that they proceed at restricted speed. The FRA has confirmed that this is incorrect. If you are not qualified where you are told to go, inform them that you are not qualified and require a pilot. If told to go without a pilot, do not be insubordinate or argumentative. Instead, document:
- The name of the manager/dispatcher that told you to go and at what time
- Times and mileposts of the start and end of where you were not qualified.
- The signal indications of all signals you pass between those mileposts.
- Keep a copy of your TCS/bulletins
Use this form to report violations and/or contact your LR reps directly. Try to do this as soon as possible so that we can secure evidence to further substantiate the violation.
After investigating 16 shoving incidents since Oct 2020 where 14 trainmen were killed and 2 seriously injured, the NTSB released a recommendation report on Sept 17th. They are recommending a prohibition of railroad workers riding equipment to protect shoving moves.
This remains only a recommendation and does not change any FRA regs or UP operating rules.