The INVEST in America Act (H.R. 3684) passed out of the U.S. House of Representatives, 221-201, on July 1 with two-person crew and other transportation safety provisions important to SMART Transportation Division members remaining intact.
THE INVEST IN AMERICA ACT AND HOW IT PROTECTS TD MEMBERS
A surface transportation reauthorization bill introduced June 4 by chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.) has a wide-reaching positive impact for members of the SMART Transportation Division.
Mostly mirroring the identically named INVEST in America Act that passed the U.S. House of Representatives last summer but died in the Republican-held Senate, the 2021 version known as H.R. 3684 is a $547 billion five-year surface transportation bill with a two-person freight crew provision and encompasses other issues important to all TD members.
Vacation Form 2021
The Vacation form for 2021 is now available at smart528.org/vacations-2021 or under the members/vacations-2021. You can still download the pdf form and fill it out as always, but we would prefer that you use the online option at the bottom of the smart528.org/vacations-2021 page. This option submits the form online and sends you an email confirmation of the form as submitted.
There is a new option for furloughed employees to ask for their vacation As Soon As Possible (ASAP) based on seniority order.
The last week of December is not locked in yet. We are still fighting for it. Please keep this in mind when bidding.
Furloughed/AWTS Members that are not sure if they are eligible for a vacation this year should check their miles. We will be posting some instructions on the website on how to check CMTS for your miles.
TD President Jeremy R. Ferguson sets record straight on anti-labor article
It’s time to set the record straight. I am certain many of you have seen the recent anti-labor articles that have been published regarding our recent win in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit. That win has apparently struck a raw nerve with the carriers and the minions who eagerly await their master’s call. Make no mistake, that decision struck a fatal blow to the carriers’ plans to put you on the unemployment line. Rather than accept defeat, their apologists are trying to spin this loss into something that it is not. The long history of crew consist cannot be denied. For decades, we have battled with the carriers over their fevered attempts to cut costs and put your life at risk by down-sizing crews. This current round of negotiations is no different. They sought to eliminate your job and operate trains in perhaps the most dangerous way possible. Standing up for you, that’s what this case was about.
A victory: District judge's ruling against crew consist vacated
This decision is a long-awaited victory for the Union. The appellate court vacated the injunction that forced SMART-TD General Committees to bargain over crew consist, despite the existence of moratoria which bar such negotiation.
Chicago Complex Service Unit Disregard to Safety
JOSEPH F. SZABO, FATHER OF FORMER FRA ADMINISTRATOR, PASSES AWAY
FACTS ABOUT THE INVEST IN AMERICA ACT’S 2PC PROVISION
To help combat the spread of misinformation concerning the Investing in a New Vision for the Environment and Surface Transportation (INVEST) in America Act, Alternate National Legislative Director Jared Cassity has provided the following facts regarding the two-person crew provision in the bill.
FRA GRANTS UNIONS’ REQUEST FOR ANOTHER EXTENSION TO FILE CERTIFICATION PETITIONS
CLEVELAND, Ohio (June 5) — Following a second joint petition by the SMART Transportation Division (SMART-TD) and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on June 3 granted another 60-day extension to time limits in which certain petitions for review must be filed with the Locomotive Engineer Review Board (LERB) and the Operating Crew Review Board (OCRB). Originally, the SMART-TD and BLET requested an extension on March 30, which the FRA granted on April 7.
VSTD COVID-19 Elimination Period Waiver is Extended
As many of you may recall, the SMART Voluntary Short Term Disability Plan temporarily suspended the Elimination Period for COVID-19 (Coronavirus) disabilities. In an announcement to you dated April 15, 2020, we communicated that the Elimination Period was being waived for any COVID-19 (Coronavirus) disabilities beginning in the months of March, April and May 2020.