On Monday, June 12th, TCU/IAM National President Bob Scardelletti filed comments with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on their proposal to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). President Scardelletti urged the Trump Administration not to change laws and regulations to allow brake inspections and maintenance to take place in Mexico,
In their continuing effort to expand the resources available, on June 10 the U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) launched a redesigned, more easily navigated website. While website visitors will experience more streamlined access to essential information, all relevant content and functionality will remain the same. Members may view the updated website features at www.rrb.gov. The
The National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) launched a new campaign – Towns Without Trains – in an effort to organize against President Trump’s plans to eliminate Amtrak’s long-distance service. On the weekend of June 23rd, the campaign aims to spur local rallies all across the country to tell Congress to keep and support Amtrak’s long-distance service. Over 220
President Trump released his budget proposal for FY18, and it’s devastating for TCU members. Some highlights include: Eliminates Amtrak Long-Distance service – Trump’s budget cuts Amtrak’s overall funding in half, from $1.404 billion annually to $774 million. Trump’s budget states that “long distance trains do not serve a vital transportation purpose, and are a
Last week (May 8-10), TCU/IAM leaders from across the country came to Washington, DC, to attend the 2017 Machinists Legislative Conference. Attendees heard from various congressional speakers including Senators Angus King (I – ME), Maria Cantwell (D-WA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), and Jeff Merkley (D-OR). They also heard from Congressmen Anthony Brown and Jamie Raskin
BNSF and the other large U.S. railroads began the latest bargaining round with three labor union coalitions (representing about 145,000 railroad employees) in early 2015. Now in the third year of labor negotiations, the parties have been in mediation since at least the beginning of this year. Click here to read the full release from
In a release on Medium website, Ed Wytkind, President of the Transportation Trades Department AFL-CIO (TTD) of which TCU is a member stated: While public transit continues to be a lifeline for millions of Americans, too many transit agencies nationwide are failing with upkeep and modernization efforts and thus experiencing system failures. That isn’t just
Monthly benefits may be payable under the Railroad Retirement Act to the surviving widow(er), children, and certain other dependents of a railroad employee if the employee was “insured” under that Act at the time of death. Lump-sum death benefits may also be payable to qualified survivors in some cases. Click here to view the questions
On Sunday, Ed Wytkind, the President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, wrote a letter-to-the-editor of the Wall Street Journal in response to their previous editorial that largely bashed Amtrak. The article is behind a paywall so we’ve pasted the text of the letter below. Give Amtrak the Resources It Needs to Be Great We need
The House Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials Subcommittee held a hearing today on safety regulations throughout the railroad industry. Testifying on behalf of rail labor was John Tolman of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET). The debate was – at times – fierce between proponents of safety regulations and those that want
