i previsich to subcommittee: fra has abdicated safety rolesmart transportation division president...

SMART TransportationDivision President JohnPrevisich appeared beforethe U.S. House Subcommit-tee on Railroads, Pipelines,and Hazardous Materials totestify on the state of therailroad workforce.

Rather than use preparedwritten testimony for hisopening statement, he deliv-ered a response to the testi-mony given earlier in thehearing by Federal RailroadAdministration AdministratorRon Batory. In his state-ment, President Previsichtold the representativesabout issues crucial to therail labor workforce, includ-ing what he described asFRA’s “abdication” of itssafety oversight duties in thewake of its withdrawal lastmonth of the Notice of Pro-posed Rulemaking regard-ing a minimum train crewsize.

“FRA’s decision to aban-don railroad workers and thesafety of the American pub-lic is devastating to me per-sonally and to the peoplethat I represent,” Previsichsaid. “This FRA went back

on all of the information, allof the studies, and all of thework of the prior administra-tion and rescinded its noticeof proposed rulemaking —rescinded the notice that

was going to guarantee acertain minimum level ofstaffing for trains carryinghazardous materials, threemiles long, technology notyet in place to diminish or

displace any of the crewstaffing people that arealready there.”

Previsich lent strong sup-

S H E E T M E T A L | A I R | R A I L | T R A N S P O R T A T I O N

Transportation Division NewsVolume 51 • Number 2 • June 2019 International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers

This issue’s centerspread onPages 6 and 7features imagesand facts aboutthe historicmoment whenthe first railroadcrossing the continent wasestablished onMay 10, 1869.

Previsich to subcommittee:FRA has abdicated safety role

Continued on Page 5

Testimonycomes in wakeof the agencypulling NPRMin late May

150TH ANNIVERSARY OF TRANSCONTINENTAL RR

SMART Transportation Division President John Previsich delivers testimony June 20 before the U.S. House of Representatives’ Subcommittee on Railroads,Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials in Washington, D.C.

Insidel FRA attempts to derail state

2PC laws, PAGE 3l GP Sellers: We need to get

momentum for SafeFreight Act, PAGE 4

On the TD websitel John Previsich’s testimony

on video and in text.

“FRA’s decision to abandon railroad workers and the safety of the Americanpublic is devastating to me personally and to the people that I represent.”

— Transportation Division President John Previsich

Around the SMART TD

www.smart-union.org/td • www.utuia.org

June 2019 SMART TD News

Sons of membersave child fromdrowning

Just after midnight onApril 11, BNSF RailwayLCA Secretary and LocalTrustee Carlos Barela sus-tained life-altering injurieswhile switching in the BelenYard in New Mexico.

Local 1168 Local Chair-person Tanner Griffitt andother local chairpersonshave organized aGoFundMe account onBarela’s behalf. The pagestates that due to theseverity of his injuries thatBrother Barela may never

be able towork orprovide forhimself orhis familyagain.

To donateto theonline

fundraiser that has beenestablished to help Barelaand his family, visithttps://www.gofundme.com/f/relief-and-aid-for-carlos-barela.

Sad news was reported out of Local1929 (East St. Louis, Ill.) with thepassing of Layla Lynn Thomas, the 2-year-old daughter of member CraigThomas, after a sudden illness.

Layla was rushed to the emergencyroom March 18 and diagnosed withInfluenza A. Her condition developedinto a rare condition called necrotizingencephalopathy.After more than amonth in intensivecare, she passedaway April 23 withfamily at her side.

Thomas, who justjoined SMARTTransportation Divi-sion in January, hasnot been with Kansas City Southernlong enough to qualify for vacation,FMLA or personal time. An onlinefundraiser at https://www.gofundme.com/f/u982sb-prayers-for-laylahas been established to assistThomas and his family in this time ofunimaginable grief. A donation of upto 30 personal leave days for mem-bers to help Thomas also has beenestablished by General ChairpersonSam Habjan in cooperation withKCS.

“This will take quite some time forCraig to be able to return to work,”said Adam Zink, 1929’s local chair-person. “It would be great to have rail-roaders help him in his time of need.”

Pictured, from left, Utah State Legislative Director Jay Seegmiller, former Local Chairperson Chris Barnes, Legislative Representativeand Local Chairperson Derek Barnes, retired State Legislative Board Chairperson Roger Barnes, Secretary & Treasurer Dustin Thomasand Local Chairperson Cache Merriam.

Retiree Roger Barnes was recognized for his decades of service to the members of the UnitedTransportation Union and SMART TD as a legislative representative and local chairperson for Local1294 and as the longtime chairman of the Utah State Legislative Board.

Local 1294, Milford, Utah

General Chairperson Brian Fat-tore (GO-329) reported the ratifica-tion of a new contract for yardmas-ters with the Wisconsin Central Ltd.(former Elgin, Joliet and EasternRailway Company).

The agreement secures back payincreases of 2% in 2016, 2% in 2017and 2.5% in 2018 and a payincrease of 3%, effective July 1 ofthis year.

The sons of member Byron Watson havebeen labeled as heroes after saving a 4-year-old girl from drowning while at a birth-day party March 24 at the Santa MariaBeach in Santa Cruz, California.

The boys’ mother, Nicole, who was watch-ing over her boys while they were swimmingin the ocean, recounted the story.

“I was watching my boys, but I lookedaway for a second and missed the boysseeing her drown. Rhys – he’s 7 – said ‘Ithink that girl is drowning’ to Bryce, who isnow 11, and Bryce said, ‘No she’s just play-ing.’ And Rhys said, ‘No, I saw her head gounderwater.’ And that’s when Bryce jumpedin the water. I saw him holding this girlabove his head in the water and I saw thisman, the girl’s father, running, and he pattedher on the back and water started comingout of her mouth.”

Both Byron and Nicole are really proud ofthe action their boys took.

“I’m very proud of my boys. We try toinstill in them the ability to care for others,and that’s what determined the actions thatthey took. They live that out daily,” Byronsaid.

“I’m super proud. I’m really proud of themand they’re really proud of each other. I’mreally proud that they were able to remaincalm — they get that from their father —and save the girl,” Nicole said. “Bryce has anew-found confidence in himself, so that’sreally cool.”

The 4-year-old girl (her name has notbeen released) was expected to make a fullrecovery thanks to both boys.

Byron reports that both boys learned toswim when they were about 6 months old.Byron is a bus operator for the Santa CruzMetropolitan Transit District and a memberof Santa Cruz Local 23 since 2006.

Local 1929, E. St. Louis, Ill.

Layla

Barela

Local 1687, Belen, N.M.

In this photo courtesy of Nicole Watson, the Watson family,from left, Byron, a member of Local 23 in Santa Cruz,Calif.; Kesia, 7; Bryce, 11; Rhys, 7; and Nicole, enjoy sometime in a pool.

GO-329 (Wisconsin Central)

Local 7, North Platte, Neb.

Local President Calvin Songster reports that members ofhis local purchased and donated a bicycle for the annualGuardians of the Children bike giveaway this spring. ViceLocal Chairperson James Courtney, left, and Local Chair-person Jaide Sutton gave the bike away at the event.

Local 23, Santa Cruz, Calif.Members of the localshowed solidarityalongsidestriking University ofCalifornia —Santa Cruzemployeesin mid-April.



FRA tries to negate our 2PC victory in NevadaOn May 15, it had looked as if the

advocacy and hard work of SMARTTransportation Division membersand retirees, the Nevada State Leg-islative Board and a coalition thatincluded Sheet Metal brothers andsisters, other rail unions and safety-conscious members of the publichad paid off.

Then, in a notice officially pub-lished in the Federal Register onMay 29, the Federal RailroadAdministration (FRA) acted in anattempt to nullify all state legislationcovering two-person crew require-ments.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak’s sign-ing of A.B. 337 required that Class Iand II freight trains being operatedin the state have two crew membersor the carriers would face steepfines.

The signing capped a massiveeffort by SMART TD members thatspanned years in the face of carrieropposition.

“This law didn’t pass by accident.It was the hard work of Jason Doer-ing, our Nevada state legislative

director, and others that made ithappen,” SMART TD National Leg-islative Director John Risch said.“We all owe Jason and others whoworked on this our thanks for keep-ing train operations safe in Nevada,for not just those who operate trainsbut for the public as well.”

But FRA Administrator Ron Batory,in his agency’s withdrawal of anotice of proposed rulemaking on

freight crew size, said, “this notice ofwithdrawal provides FRA's determi-nation that no regulation of traincrew staffing is appropriate and thatFRA intends to negatively preemptany state laws concerning that sub-ject matter.”

FRA’s action flies in the face ofpopular opinion in Nevada and thefive other states whose residentsfavor safety over the will and wallets

of the carriers.The Nevada law established fines

of $5,000 for a first offense, $10,000for a second offense within threeyears and $25,000 for a third and allother offenses for Class I and II car-riers that operate freight locomo-tives without at least two people inthe cab. Hostling and helper servic-es were not covered by the law,scheduled to take effect Oct. 1.

The FRA’s attempts to negate thestate laws and regulations wouldalso include those in effect in Ari-zona, California, West Virginia, Wis-consin and in Colorado, which madea two-person crew requirement intolaw earlier this year.

FRA’s action has not stopped oursafety efforts in Illinois, where a lawwas on the governor’s desk, and inOhio, where a comprehensive railsafety bill that includes a two-personcrew provision has been introducedin the state’s House of Representa-tives with state Rep. Michael Shee-hy, a SMART TD Alumni Associa-tion member, as a co-sponsor.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak signs A.B. 337, which fined carriers for operating freight trains with fewerthan two crew members, into law May 15.

Local 1701, Montebello, Calif.

TD Vice President John England (second from left), Local Chairperson Cecilia Lopez and broth-ers and sisters from Local 1701 (Montebello, Calif.) gather outside the Montebello City Council’schambers during a meeting in March. About 31 members in total attended this meeting andspoke with city officials as the local was in the process of negotiating a new contract.

Local Chairperson Beatriz Vasquez (Montebello bus mechanics), atleft in photo below, and Cecilia Lopez (Montebello bus operators) posewith SMART Trans-portation DivisionPresident John Pre-visich at the “QuadQuad” meeting held inLas Vegas in March.Vasquez and Lopezwere among the threebus local chairpersonswho attended thequadrennial meeting ofGO-020. (Local Chair-person Tim Parada isnot pictured).

Tom Pate, generalchairperson of GO-020said that Lopez andVasquez impressedPresident Previsichwith their hard work in helping to promote SMART TD in Montebello,including gathering a group from their local to attend a City Councilmeeting (top photo) as Local 1701 negotiated a new agreement withMontebello that received approval in mid-April.

For more from the “Quad Quad” meeting, see Page 9.

Local 61, Philadelphia, Pa.

Terry Tasker, Sr., a 27-year member of the union and the chairman ofChapter 18 SMART Alumni Association of Delaware, attended Local 61’sApril meeting. Representing both State Legislative Directors Jimmy Mallonof Delaware and Paul Pokrowka of Pennsylvania, Tasker provided up-dates on state legislation as well as on the potential establishment of aSMART TD Alumni Association chapter in Pennsylvania.

Front row, from left, Ray Boyer, Anwar Bright and Mike Stevens, and, back row, from left, NelsonPagon, Almeada Parham, Terry Tasker Sr., Christopher Williams, Bernard Norwood, Elliott Cintronand Martin Strom attend a meeting on April 16.

Local 600, Cumberland, Md.Tasker (see related item above)also met with Local ChairpersonDanny Strang (LCA-049A) andrailroad retiree Paul Reckley dur-ing his travels. This meeting in-cluded a discussion on the union’slegislative efforts and starting aSMART Transportation DivisionAlumni Association chapter inMaryland.

From left, Paul Reckley, a railroad retiree;Local Chairperson Danny Strang (LCA-049A),and Terry Tasker, Sr.

In March, Coloradobecame the fifth state tohave two-person crew legis-lation passed by its upperand lower houses andsigned by its governor. InMay, Nevada followed suitand became the sixth stateto do so.

This year, Illinois, Min-nesota and Maryland alsosaw houses in their legisla-tures pass similar bills –then Maryland’s governoragain vetoed the legislation,for a second time, while theIllinois bill was on the cuspof action from their gover-nor. The Federal RailroadAdministration (FRA) decid-ed to try to put an end to allthe momentum generatedby our actions in late May.

There’s a reason we talkabout two-person crew leg-islation at length in print,online and face to face atour workplace and confer-ences. It is vital in safe-

guarding rail workers andthe communities we trans-port material and passen-gers through 24 hours aday, seven days a week.This legislation addressescritical safety issues suchas fatigue and access forfirst responders at railcrossing accidents andderailments that occur on aregular basis and threatenour foremost goal of ensur-ing every member comeshome safe and sound totheir families.

As local and state politicalleaders hear about theimportance of rail safety,they begin to respond tothese common-sense pro-

posals. We have madeimportant progress in two-person crew legislation in anumber of states, there isstill much that needs to bedone.

But the stark reality, espe-cially after the FRA’sattempt to quash the lawsestablished in six states, isthat this rail safety legisla-tion will not prevail acrossthe land unless we all jointhe cause, make it our fightand not leave it to someoneelse. That includes eachone of us communicatingwith our elected representa-tives and making them rec-ognize the importance ofthis legislation to our safetyand well-being. It alsoincludes reaching out to ourneighbors, family and com-munity so they can under-stand this issue and theeffect it has on their ownsafety.

We have made it easier to

act on this vital issue. Onthe federal level, H.R. 1748was introduced to safeguardeach and every state, coun-ty and local community. Textthe words RAIL SAFETY to21333 (message and datarates may apply). This willthen prompt you with aseries of talking points toreview. Next, reply with theword NOW and you will bepatched through to yourcongressperson’s office sothey can hear from youdirectly over the phoneabout this important issue.After you are done, you willbe sent a link to an onlineversion of this action whereyou can send in your ownletter, with pre-built writingpoints to start you off. For-ward these to your friends,family and fellow workers.The more of us who takepart, the stronger our effortsbecome, and the greater animpact we can make. For

those who may not know,each phone call a congres-sional office receives isweighed to be the equiva-lent of 25 emails about aparticular issue. So, makecertain you utilize everyavenue of communicationwhen contacting Congress.

I want to commend everylocal and member involvedin Colorado and in Nevadaon the passage, as well theother state-wide efforts tosafeguard workers, passen-gers and our communities.

Despite the FRA setback,we can continue our charge.We will focus on the futureby safeguarding the presentfor us and our families.

Fraternally,


Joseph Sellers Jr.SMART General President

[email protected]

Richard L. McCleesSMART General Secretary-Treasurer

[email protected]

Contact us: [email protected]: 216-228-9400 Fax: 216-228-5755

S H E E T M E T A L | A I R | R A I L | T R A N S P O R T A T I O N

T R A N S P O R T A T I O N D I V I S I O N

John PrevisichSMART Transportation Division President

[email protected] Risch

SMART Transportation Division National Legislative Director

[email protected]

SMART GENERAL PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Please recycle

JUNE 2019ISSN 2470-0304

SMART Transportation Division News (ISSN 2470-0304) is published seven times per year in the months of February, September, October andNovember with combined issues in the months of April/May, June/July and December/January by SMART Transportation Division, 24950 CountryClub Blvd., Suite 340, North Olmsted, OH 44070-5333. Periodicals postage paid at Cleveland, Ohio, and additional mailing office. POSTMASTER:Send address changes to: SMART Transportation Division News, 24950 COUNTRY CLUB BLVD., SUITE 340, NORTH OLMSTED, OH 44077-5333 • John Previsich, SMART Transportation Division President.

®


Joseph Sellers, Jr.SMART General President

By JosephSellers Jr.

By reaching out, we can get momentum on 2PC billSMART GENERAL PRESIDENT’S COLUMN

Dear Brothers and Sisters,As you know we will be having

our annual regional meeting inSan Diego, Calif., July 1-3. We inthe Bus Department look forwardto seeing you in our ever-evolvingbus workshops. We want to makesure that our local leaders aregetting the training needed to bet-ter care for their members.

The workshops will providetraining that we believe is vital inhandling labor management strife.We’ll discuss preparing cases formediations and, of course, the lat-est bus legislation that affectsyour job on a daily basis. Some ofthat legislation will focus onwhat’s before Congress and newregulations coming from DOT andFMCSA.

We are continuing our push toget everything in place to endoperator assault once and for all.Making sure that our membersget home safely is of the utmostimportance for this organization,

and we will continue topush our lawmakers andour legislative leaders tosee this through. We havealso continued to monitorthe autonomous vehiclelegislation to ensure thatthere will be no job loss toour members and to keepthe industry moving ahead withperson-to-person interactions.

The Bus Department is focusedon getting you the ever-changingrules in our profession as quicklyas possible so we are prepared tohandle them quickly and efficient-ly. For our school bus operators,we are now addressing unrulystudents on your buses. We knowthis is a problem because, for alot of you, school districts and thecarriers really have no protocol fordealing with this issue. Drivers areat the mercy of kids who disre-spect them, fail to follow the rulesand simply behave in a way thatis unacceptable. There may be

some who don’t experi-ence this problem, but formany of our school busmembers this is welcomenews. We are pushing dis-tricts to remove unruly stu-dents from the buses,meaning that parents nowhave to drive their kids to

school. We will not stop until thisreaches every school district andschool bus carrier that our mem-bers are employed by. We can’teliminate all the stress from yourdaily routines, but we aim to makeit as stress free as possible.

Again, I look forward to seeingyou at the regional meeting andremember to always keep your-self safe so you return home toyour loved ones.

As always, I remain, Fraternally,

Calvin StudivantVP Bus Department

SMART-TD216-630-0963

Bus Department NewsA message from your Bus Department leadership

NEWS IN BRIEFCoach USA is acquired by a private equity firm

Studivant

A private equity firm has completedits acquisition of Coach USA and itssubsidiaries, it was announced onApril 15.

Both the bus carrier’s U.S. andCanadian operations were purchasedfor $271.4 million by Variant Equityfrom prior owner Stagecoach Groupplc.

DOT ordered to make rulecovering LNG rail transport

An executive order signed by Presi-dent Donald Trump on April 10 tasksthe federal Department of Transporta-tion with creating a new rule in a littlemore than three months’ time that per-mits super-cooled liquid natural gas(LNG) to be transported by rail.

Natural gas trade and rail carriergroups have lobbied for years for theability to supply LNG to the northeast-ern U.S. via rail. Current Federal Rail-road Administration (FRA) safety rulesdo not allow the transport of LNG inrail tanker cars.

port to Brotherhood of Loco-motive Engineers and Train-men President DennisPierce, who delivered testi-mony against Kansas CitySouthern’s incursion of for-eign train crews across theU.S. border into Laredo,Texas, a practice that isbeing challenged in court.

“Despite what you willhear from any industry rep-resentative, those crews arenot certified to the Americanstandard. The oversight thatgoes to certification of con-ductors and locomotiveengineers in this countrycannot be extended to thosepeople,” Previsich said.“What we have done here isthe FRA has acceptedindustry comments of ‘Don’tworry about it. We’re doing

the same there that we dohere.’ FRA has no opportu-nity for oversight, they canonly take the word of therailroads, and the railroadshave proved historically thatthey cannot self-regulate inthe safety arena withoutoversight from the federalgovernment.”

President Previsich alsotargeted the current trend ofClass I carriers implement-ing the so-called PrecisionScheduled Railroading(PSR) strategy started bythe late railroad CEO E.Hunter Harrison.

“It has nothing to do withprecision anything,” he said.“What it is, is hedge fundinvestors moving into anindustry that was well-oper-ated, well-funded, and well-maintained and harvesting

money that should be goingto future operations, capitalimprovements, investing inthe industry and instead put-ting it into this month’s bot-

tom line, lowering their oper-ating ratios by reducingstaffing and operations tothe point that customer serv-ice is impacted, railroad

worker safety is impacted. “We are now doing more

with less.”He also addressed ques-

tions posed by subcommit-tee members on subjectsincluding Congress’s role inhelping to ensure a safeworking environment, thenational Safe Freight Acttwo-person crew legislationand the role of technology,including the future effectsof automation on the rail-road industry.

Video of President Pre-visich’s testimony is avail-able on the online version ofthis article on the SMARTTransportation Division web-site (www.smart-union.org/td) as is a link to videoof the full hearing that con-tains the testimony of all wit-nesses.


State Watch News from SMART TD State Legislative Boards

Georgia


Colorado

Colorado State Legislative DirectorCarl Smith attended a labor eventwith U.S. Rep. Dianna Degette andpresented a SMART TD PACcheck to her. Degette has been aco-sponsor of past versions of theSafe Freight Act, our national two-person crew legislation, and plansto sign on as a co-sponsor of thelatest bill, H.R.1748.

Fund

General

Education and Training

Maintenance of Membership

Public Relations

Strike

Convention

Total funds

Jan. 1, 2019

$6,694,843

-

-

-

7,155,348

4,915,244

$18,765,435

Receipts and Other Additions

$19,160,935

756,000

666,000

166,500

499,500

1,332,000

$22,580,935

Disbursements and Other Deductions

$(18,621,981)

(733,430)

(1,326,429)

(340,400)

-

(4,787,497)

$(25,809,737)

Negative Funds Adjustment

$(834,329)

-

660,429

173,900

-

-

-

Dec. 31, 2019(Projected)

$6,399,468

22,570

-

-

7,654,848

1,459,747

$15,536,633

SMART Transportation Division 2019 budgetPursuant to Article 21B, Section 16, of the SMART Constitution, below is the 2019 budget for the SMART Transportation Division

Members appeared at the Georgia Capitol Building in Augusta in April to showtheir support for H.B. 190, the state two-person crew/locomotive cab defibrillatorlegislation. Georgia Legislative Director Matt Campbell was recognized for hisleadership and work on the bill by the state’s AFL-CIO earlier this year. From left are Patrick Folsom of Local 1263; Dustin Little of Local 1910; Georgia State Legislative Director MattCampbell; Jake Gohagen of Local 1031; Bernard Gray of Local 1033; and Matthew Wells, also of Local 1031wait to meet with Gov. Brian Kemp.

New JerseyLegislation that would

require railroad operatorsto remove obstructivevegetation near railroadcrossings is making itsway through the New Jer-sey Legislature.

S. 3425 passed thestate Senate by a unani-mous 35-0 vote on May15 and was under consid-eration in the stateAssembly at press time.

“The safety of our work-ers and train engineers isof the utmost importance,”said New Jersey StateLegislative Director RonSabol. “Our economyruns more smoothly whenwe prevent problemsbefore they can happen.Trimming back vegetationfrom railroad crossingswill improve safety anddecrease the number ofpotential accidents.”

Continued from Page 1

President John Previsich delivers testimony before U.S. House of Representatives’ rail subcommitee

Those in attendance at the House subcommittee hearing June 20 in Washing-ton, D.C., on the State of the Railroad Workforce included, from left: TD Alter-nate National Legislative Director Greg Hynes; TD National Legislative DirectorJohn Risch; BLET President Dennis Pierce; TD President John Previsich andBrotherhood of Railroad Signalmen President Jerry Boles. Photo courtesy of theBLET’s Bob Hagan.

This painting was ordered by Central Pacific President Leland Stanford who was displeased with the GoldenSpike photographs because his face was blurred by movement and he did not occupy the prime centerspot. He had himself centered in a full front position in the prime spot here with other dignitaries at a slightlylower level and workmen kneeling at his feet.

As the nation nears the ... anniversary of the completion of the firsttranscontinental railroad connection, it is an appropriate time for all of us topause and reflect upon the feats of the more than 20,000 laborers who madethe giant project possible.Looking back ... it is clear that the real accomplishment was the back-breakingwork of the men who graded and laid 690 miles of Central Pacific line and 1,086miles of the Union Pacific road with hardly more than hand tools.Through blistering summer heat and sub-zero cold, these men – many of themChinese ... imported for the job and immigrant Irish – moved mountains,blasted solid rock, spanned mammoth gorges and set construction recordsthat still stand. These heroic crews struggled across windswept plains anddesolate alkali deserts, fighting Indians as well as nature, for a few dollars aday.Let’s remember these men now. Their individual names are lost to history andmany died on the job. Truly, they were the “unknown soldiers” of the war toopen the West by rail.

—Charles Luna, First UTU President (This article originally appeared in the “Golden Spike Centennial Issue” of the UTU News, Vol. 1,No. 17, Apr. 26, 1969)

Transcontinental Railroad timeline1862: In the midst of the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln signed thePacific Railway Act of 1862, which authorized the construction of a new railroadline (the transcontinental railroad) extending from Council Bluffs, Iowa, toSacramento, Calif., in an effort to unite the nation from east to west. Under thelegislation, the Central Pacific Railroad (CPRR) of California was authorizedto build a rail line east from Sacramento and the Union Pacific RailroadCompany (UP) was authorized to begin building a rail line west from CouncilBluffs.1863: UP and CP broke ground on the transcontinental railroad.1865: UP laid its first rails, a year and a half after groundbreaking.1869: On May 10, 1869, the first transcontinental railroad was completed atPromontory Summit, Utah, after navigating more than 2,000 miles of landscape.The Central Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad were joinedtogether just six years after construction began. In a ceremony that wasbroadcast live via telegraph, a final golden spike was driven into the groundto mark the completion of the project. Following the completion of thetranscontinental railroad, travel times between the east and west coasts werereduced from months to less than a week. (The golden spike wascommissioned by David Hewes for the Last Spike ceremony. After theceremony in which Leland Stanford tapped it into the ties, the spike was givenback to Hewes since he privately owned it. Hewes donated the spike toStanford University in 1892 and it is displayed at the Cantor Arts Center.)

Background and front page of the newspaper: The iconic photograph taken by Andrew J. Russell just after the Golden Spike was driven and the engines nosed together. Chief engineers Grenville Dodge of the Union Pacific and Sam Montague of the Central Pacific shake hands while behindthem workmen stand on the front of the engines and celebrate.

An unsophisticated, but effective, crane grasps rock while stone finishers and masons wait below to laythe grout and put the stone into place.

Men using a steam shovel also known as a “steam Paddy” at HangingRock, Echo Canyon, Utah. It’s speculated that photographer AndrewRussell must have made this photo after the initial job was done. Therails were first laid in January 1869, but this photo is taken in summerof 1869.

In 1868, the art of laying rails depended on strong backs andgood arm muscles.

This bridge-building scene at Green River, Wyo., taken in 1868, is one of photographer Andrew J. Russell’sgrandest photographs. Temporary and permanent bridge structures over the Green River are shown in theforeground while the magnificent Citadel Rock rises high in the background. A work train is on thetemporary wooden bridge at the right unloading stone for use on the permanent bridge supports rising onthe left. The hazardous work was made even more dangerous by snow and ice as the Union Pacific crewsworked right through the winter in their rush to beat the Central Pacific to Salt Lake City. The advance raillayers had moved westward toward the Wasatch Mountains and this photo shows the follow-up crewsworking on installing more permanent structures.

June 2019 SMART TD News June 2019 SMART TD News Page 7


News and information for our retirees andmembers of the SMART TD Alumni Association

Are you getting close to retirement? You can get the TD News & other benefits for just $9 a year!Call 216-228-9400, email [email protected] or visit www.smart-union.org/td/alumni

Page 8 June 2019 SMART TD News

T H E F I N A L C A L L

Following are the names of recently deceased members who were active TD members or maintained annual membership in the SMART TD Alumni Association, according to reportsreceived at SMART TD Headquarters. These brothers and sisters will be missed by their many friends and by fellow SMART TD Alumni Association members.

Local Name City/State Local Name City/State Local Name City/State

SMART TD members, Savannah Railroaders and the family of late member Eddie “Dobber” Davis heldtheir annual memorial fish fry in Clyo, Ga. Davis was a member of Local 1031, hiring with CSX railroad in1977. George Keeran , an Alumni Association member from Local 1031, cooked while Local 1031 PresidentJake Gohagen, Georgia State Legislative Director Matt Campbell and the Savannah Railroaders group alsotook part in the event.

Memorial fish fry for Eddie ‘Dobber’ Davis TD Alumni member receivesFrench medal for WWII service

Retired Local 1823 (St. Louis, Mo.)trainman/brakeman Eugene J. Har-mack, who recently turned 99,received the French Legion of Honormedal, along with two other World WarII veterans earlier this year. The othertwo veterans honored were Glenn A.Harrison and Alfred C. Villagran.

France has been giving the medal toveterans for their service in liberatingFrance from German occupation dur-ing the war. Harmack, Harrison andVillagran join the ranks of PresidentDwight D. Eisenhower, General Dou-glas MacArthur and Charles Lindberghas recipients of this medal.

“Without these three gentlemen heretoday, the French flag that was flyingin St. Louis in the early 19th centurywould not be flying here today,” saidGuillaume Lacroix, consul general ofFrance for the Midwest, at the ceremo-ny, which was attended by more than

Continued on Page 9

2 Fisher Jr., Harold Ft. Wayne, Ind.2 Guss, Robert S. Sandusky, Ohio9 Copeland, Donald R. Lubbock, Texas60 McMearty, Daniel Harrisburg, N.C.94 Wagner, Allen T. Olathe, Kan.117 Stockert, Larry J. Vaughn, Mont.145 Thomason, Gene Columbus, Ohio194 Rowe, Larry D. Springport, Ind.202 Luciano, Stephen C. Denver, Colo.206 Daly, Martin G. Peru, Ind.281 Jacobs, Wayne W. Caledonia, Minn.298 Bloom, Rick L. Columbia City, Ind.298 Vandalsen, Stephen J. Garrett, Ind.300 Diggins, John N. Newark, Del.306 Lenning, Edwin C. Pomeroy, Iowa312 Wieczorek, Robert A. Edgewater, Fla.313 Schutter, Eugene R. Granville, Mich.322 Fuller, John J. Fond du Lac, Wis.376 Botkins, Dennis K. Floyds Knobs, Ind.421 Fouts, Kenneth N. Westlake, Ohio426 Patterson, James A. Spokane, Wash.445 Jeffries, Vernon L. Chillicothe, Ill.500 Roswell, Charles N. Clifton, Colo.504 Randolph, James C. Wheeling, W.Va.524 Herrington, Rush L. Palestine, Texas577 Plocinski, Kenneth A. Florence, Ariz.610 Brooks, Herbert E. Pasadena, Md.610 Thompson, Richard C. Essex, Md.

631 Green, Gerald E. Brunswick, Md.655 Wyrick, Walter T. Princeton, W.Va.694 Hall, Harry F. Dunsmuir, Calif.744 Newgent, Mancil E. Lafayette, Ind.783 Summers, Bobby L. Gibsonville, N.C.800 Freeman, Thomas A. Milbridge, Maine807 Smith, Elmo G. Phoenix, Ariz.811 Halsey, Jack L. Kingman, Ariz.811 Ontiveros, Dennis H. San Bernardino, Calif.811 Rybak, Robert Highland, Calif.891 Dean, Charles E. Missoula, Mont.891 Thompson, Elroy M. Vancouver, Wash.903 Bell, Franklin D. Jacksonville, Fla.903 Summers, Robert J. Louisville, Ky.915 Dudley, William C. Hurricane, W.Va.934 Brown, Melvin L. Kokomo, Ind.971 Millner, Leslie O. Victoria, Va.974 Oliver, Robert E. Paris, Tenn.974 Rogers, Thomas L. Estill Springs, Tenn.977 Olson, Lawrence R. Burbank, Wash.991 Morgan, Lawrence A. Washington, Pa.1007 Gustke, Duane P. Cato, N.Y.1066 Depolitte, Ronald J. Matairie, La.1074 Roche, Gerald D. Canonsburg, Pa.1168 Hilburn Jr., Frank W. Belen, N.M.1168 Roach, Odis D. Clovis, N.M.1172 Hogan, Fred T. Bluefield, W.Va.1175 Amundson, Roy E. Duluth, Minn.

1177 Croonquist, Willis G. Maple Grove, Minn.1183 Clark, Kenneth L. Port Huron, Mich.1188 Armstrong, Richard G. Yukon, Okla.1190 Stewart, John S. Walton, Ky.1201 Goff, Edgar A. Portola, Calif.1245 Charette, Joseph N. Sugar Tree, Tenn.1245 Pierce Jr., Troy L. Sautee Nacoochee, Ga.1328 Goforth, William H. Clarksville, Ind.1358 Roberts, Louis E. Danville, Ill.1365 Hart, Richard A. Meadville, Pa.1365 Kramer, Roy E. Saegertown, Pa.1366 Tuttle, Wayne L. Salt Lake City, Utah1386 Mick, Darrell R. Parkersburg, W.Va.1393 Powers, Richard M. Lakeland, Fla.1418 Holland Jr., James F. Baden, Pa.1518 Brown, Robert L. Columbus, Ind.1518 Gaultney Jr., Walter E. St. Jacob, Ill.1524 Frazier, Franklin T. Hot Springs N. P., Ark.1525 Boucher, James E. Paducah, Ky.1545 Tolbert, George W. Hot Springs N. P., Ark.1565 Gwin, Richard M. Ottumwa, Iowa1570 Method, Thomas E. Applegate, Calif.1709 Vangieson Jr., Walter W. Beaverton, Mich.1732 Rowlette, WM C. Paradise, Calif.1770 Sperling, Paul L. Los Angeles, Calif.1948 Dehil, John D. Hinckley, Ohio1963 Alenduff, Joseph Herbert St. Petersburg, Fla.


June 2019 SMART TD News Page 9

Your photograph canbe in the calendar!We’re looking for photo submissionsfrom SMART TD members and alumni ofbuses, light rail, planes or trains for the 2020alumni calendar. Email your high-resolutionhorizontal photos to [email protected] or mail hard copies to the TD of-fice along with details about what’s going onin the photo. If your pic is picked, you get copies of thealumni calendar to share. The deadline isSept. 20!

When taking photos, be sure to observe all rules and regula-tions regarding photography on your property.

Russell “Dale” Hogan, 76, a former generalchairperson and retiree of Local 933 (JeffersonCity, Mo.), died April 20 after a battle with cancer.

He joined the United Transportation Union(UTU) after hiring on as a fireman for MissouriPacific in January 1969. He later became an engi-neer and was elected general chairperson beforeretiring in July 1999 as a result of a disability.

“Our years of friendship and working togetherwill always be important entries in my book ofmemories,” said former UTU President TomDuBose in an online posting. “Dale rememberedthat justice is conscience, not just personal con-science, but the conscience of mankind. As Ireflect back, Dale was not only an intelligent andamazing person but a giving person who in hisown way was always searching for ways to makelife better for others.”

Hogan remained active in the union upon hisretirement. Under his leadership, his general com-

mittee, which had formerly con-sisted solely of enginemen, con-solidated with conductor, train-men and yardmen committeesto form a stronger group that isnow under the umbrella of GO-569.

In July 2004, he was named toa nine-member blue-ribbon com-

mittee that looked at the UTU’s structure andoffered recommendations on the consolidationand improvement of union operations.

“What stands out the most is not what heachieved, but how he lived his life,” DuBose said.“He moved through this world with confidence andan unshakeable love for his union and for his fami-ly. Dale will be profoundly missed.”

Hogan is survived by his wife of 58 years, Char-lotte; daughter Lori; three grandchildren; a great-grandchild and other relatives.

Hogan

Former general chairperson mourned

200 people. “France wasno longer a country underNazi occupation. … Youchanged that, forever. Andwe are indebted to you.”

Harma-ck servedas a com-munica-tionsoperatorin the329thRegimentHQ Com-pany, 83rd Infantry Divisionand fought in France andcentral Europe. At age 24,he fought in the Battle ofthe Bulge in the Ardennesforest in Belgium. Harmackreceived the Bronze Starfor securing a vehicletrapped behind enemylines and re-establishingcommunications with theAllies. He was awarded atotal of five bronze stars, acombat infantryman badgeand a good conduct medalfor his military service.

“I can’t believe it hap-pened. It’s a beautifulmedal, and it’s a great hon-or. I’m very proud,” Harma-ck said after the ceremony.

His family and friends,including fellow retiree andAlumni member NorbertShacklette, also of Local1823, joined in celebratingHarmack at the ceremony.Harmack has been a mem-ber of the UTU/SMART TDsince July 1941 and amember of the AlumniAssociation since 2007.

The Legion of Honor, offi-cially the National Order ofthe Legion of Honour or theOrdre National de la Légiond’Honneur in French, wascreated by Napoleon Bona-parte on May 19, 1802, asa general military and civilmedal awarded based onmerit or bravery.

The categories of distinc-tion are as follows: Cheva-lier (Knight), Officier (Offi-cer), Commandeur (Com-mander), Grand Officier(Grand Officer) and GrandCroix (Grand Cross). Menand women, French citi-zens and foreigners, civil-ians and military personnelcan be admitted to any ofthe classes.

SMART TD congratulatesBrother Harmack andthanks him for his militaryservice.

Continued from

Alumni member honored by Francewith medal for his WWII service

Harmack

From left, Mike LaPresta, general chairperson of GO-001; Larry Miller, general chairperson of GO-386; SMART TD Presi-dent John Previsich; Joe Lopez, general chairperson of GO-009; and Tom Pate, general chairperson of GO-020, all attend-ed the “Quad Quad” meeting in Las Vegas in March.

UNITED AT THE ‘QUAD QUAD’

Four general committees held their quad-rennial reorganization meetings concurrentlyMarch 4 through 7 at the “Quad Quad” in LasVegas, reports General Chairperson TomPate (GO-020).

All four general chairpersons were re-elect-ed by their respective committees.

“This was a great effort by four committeesto show unity among the committees,” Patesaid.

Along with SMART Transportation DivisionPresident John Previsich, other guestspeakers addressing the local chairpersonsincluded SMART General President JosephSellers Jr. and National Legislative Director

John Risch.Ten Designated Legal Council (DLC) attor-

neys led by DLC Chairman Anthony Petruprovided information on injuries and the Fed-eral Employers’ Liability Act (FELA).

General Chairperson Jamie Modesitt (GO-049) led a training session on investigationtechniques for local chairpersons. The UTU-IA was also well represented and providedvaluable services to our members along witha representative from United HealthCare.

All the committees involved give specialthanks to GO-001 office secretary CindiSchmoldt and other staff for their outstand-ing work in organizing this event.

In this photo courtesy of fellow SMART TD Alumni Association member Norbert Shacklette, Eugene J. Harmack receives the French Legion of Honor medal in a ceremony earlier this year.

Tom Pate, general chairperson of GO-020, submitted this photo of attendees of the “Quad Quad” meeting. Front row, fromleft, Luis Lopez of Local 1674; Bo Akina of Local 1241; Robin Gondeck of Local 1581; John Carmody of Local 113; BeatrizVasquez of Local 1701; Cecilia Lopez of Local 1701; Tim Parada of Local 1701 and David Liddle of Local 1674.Back row, from left, GC Pate, Jason Schwartz of Local 464; Mike Marscher of Local 811; Audie Martin of Local 1168; AlValenzuela of Local 1674; Troy Cavanaugh of Local 1313; Justin Schrock of Local 945; Norm Patterson of Local 9; ChetHrycyk of Local 1494; Chad Yokoyama of Local 1687; Richard Gustin of Local 445; Bill Conwell of Local 794; DempseyLofton of Local 1081 and SMART TD Vice President John England.



Railroad Dayon Capitol Hill

Members of SMART Transportation Division’s National Legisla-tive Department in Washington, D.C., and legislative directorsfrom multiple states took part in the Railroad Day lobbying effortMay 8 in the nation’s capital.

Participants met with political leaders in an effort coordinatedwith industry groups to discuss restrictions on bigger trucks, thecontinuance of the tax credit for short-line and regional carriersand to ask Congress for funding toward the modernization of theRailroad Retirement Board.

Some state directors held additional appointments during theweek to seek support of our three major national legislativeefforts: H.R. 1139 — the Transit Worker and Pedestrian Protec-tion Act; H.R. 1748 — the Safe Freight Act to establish a nationaltwo-person crew law; and H.R. 2449 — yardmasters’ hours ofservice.

Participants in the effort included D.C. office Chief of Staff Jen-ny Miller; Alternate National Legislative Director Greg Hynes;National Legislative Director John Risch; Georgia State Legisla-tive Director Matt Campbell; Arizona State Legislative DirectorScott Jones; Pennsylvania State Legislative Director PaulPokrowka; Washington State Legislative Director Herb Krohn;Virginia State Legislative Director Ronnie Hobbs; Iowa StateLegislative Director Jim Garrett; Kentucky State LegislativeDirector Jared Cassity; New Jersey State Legislative Director -Ron Sabol; Washington, D.C., Legislative Director Willie Bates;D.C. Alternate Legislative Director Jarad Jackson; and OregonState Legislative Director Glenn Carey.

National Legislative Office Chief of Staff Jenny Miller took this picture of the union’s contingent for this year’s Rail-road Day on Capitol Hill, which took place May 8. Front, from left, Alternate National Legislative Director GregHynes; Georgia State Legislative Director Matt Campbell; National Legislative Director John Risch; Arizona StateLegislative Director Scott Jones; and Pennsylvania State Legislative Director Paul Pokrowka. Back row, from left,Virginia State Legislative Director Ronnie Hobbs; Washington State Legislative Director Herb Krohn; Iowa StateLegislative Director Jim Garrett; Kentucky State Legislative Director Jared Cassity; and New Jersey State Legisla-tive Director Ron Sabol.

A trio of SMART TD state legislative board members pay a visit to CongresswomanAbigail Spanberger of Virginia. From left are Washington D.C. Alternate LegislativeDirector Jarad Jackson; Spanberger; D.C. Legislative Director Willie Bates and Virginia State Legislative Director Ronnie Hobbs.

Georgia State Legislative Director Matt Campbell meets with U.S. Rep.David Scott of Georgia’s 13th District. As a result of the meeting, Scott,already co-sponsoring H.R. 1139 and H.R. 1748, agreed to co-sponsorH.R. 2449, the Yardmasters Hours of Service Act.

Be heard!Contact your congres-sional representativesthrough the SMART TDLegislative ActionCenter (LAC) to tellthem to DO THEIRJOBS and PROTECTAMERICAN WORK-ERS.Using the LAC online isquick and easy: Justvisit www.smart-union.org/td and clickon the “Take Action onCapitol Hill” buttonunder “ImportantLinks.”

Forms, links and news: www.smart-union.org/TD

SMARTTransportationDivision

SMART Transportation Division

SmartUnionWorks

SmartUnion

We’ll bring the news to you if you share your news with us!Get in touch with the TD Communications Department at [email protected] let us know about anything you’d want to share in the newspaper, on the Web or onsocial media, and stay up to date with unionhappenings through the paper and through theTD web and social media accounts.


June 2019 SMART TD News Page 11

UTUIA congratulates 2019 scholarship winners!

College scholarship winnersDISTRICT 1*Conn., Maine, Mass., N.H., N.Y., R.I., Vt.Lillianna Shank, granddaughter of Samuel Haleof Local 1290, Goshen, Ind.; Ethan Cregan,grandson of Raymond Bender of Local 792,Navarre, Ohio; Neja Garrett, daughter of SidneyHolmes of Local 1957, Silsbee, Texas; NaomiKnappenberger, step-daughter of Rocco DiGilioof Local 498, Lehighton, Pa.; Jeremy Silkowski,son of Douglas Silkowski of Local 168,Peotone, Ill.DISTRICT 2Del., D.C., Md., N.J., Pa.Luke Kopriva, grandson of Ronald Kopriva ofLocal 1418, Ambridge, Pa.; Lillian Malley,daughter of Chris Malley of Local 830,Mechanicsburg, Pa.; Gillian Iula, daughter ofMichael Iula of Local 60, Cedar Grove, N.J.;Johnathan Kempton, son of Howard Kemptonof Local 60, Landing, N.J.DISTRICT 3Ala., Fla., Ga., Ky., Miss., N.C., S.C., Tenn., Va., W.Va.Madylin Campbell, granddaughter of JohnnyCampbell, Columbia, Mo.; Russell Whitaker, sonof John Whitaker of Local 1106, Fleming Island,Fla.; Rebecca Gibbons, granddaughter of JohnG. Daniels of Local 1831, Rock Hill, S.C.;Gregory Frolo, grandson of Thomas Maynard,Venice, Fla.; Kylie McDonald, daughter of JimmyMcDonald of Local 1011, Rockingham, N.C.;Bryce Sox, grandson of Paul Yon of Local 793,Columbia, S.C.; Alexis McAdams, step-daughterof Kevin Carter of Local 1245, Rockmart, Ga.;Rachel Griffin, daughter of Charles Griffin ofLocal 942, Florence, S.C.DISTRICT 4Ind., Mich., OhioJacob Rahm, son of Chad Branham of Local586, Sulphur Springs, Ohio; Taylor Sauerwein,daughter of James Bresler of Local 1816,Oregon, Ohio; Jordan Beahr, daughter of EarlBeahr of Local 145, Bellville, Ohio; Marvin Watts,son of Dorothy Gasiorowski-Watts of Local284, Cleveland, Ohio; Alexis White, daughter ofJason White of Local 225, Tiffin, Ohio

DISTRICT 5Ill., Wis.Lindsey Lester, daughter of Scott Lester ofLocal 445, Knoxville, Ill.; McKenna Vrbovsky,daughter of John Vrbovsky of Local 653, Joliet,Ill.; Dylan Bakr, son of Ashraf Bakr of Local 577,LaSalle, Ill.; Shawn Klein, son of John Klein ofLocal 577, Elhurst, Ill.DISTRICT 6Ark., La., Okla., TexasHunter James Roe, son of Robert Roe of Local1337, Ponchatoula, La.; Madelyn Bernard,granddaughter of Marvin Corzine of Local1501, Denham Springs, La.; Dymon White,daughter of Dimetrius White of Local 1066,LaPlace, La.; Melanie Anne Gassaway,granddaughter of Charles Gassaway of Local656, Cabot, Ark.; Stetson Loyd, grandson ofGarland Neal of Local 1593, Temple, Texas;Mark William Nokes, grandson of CharlesGassaway of Local 656, Temple, Ark.DISTRICT 7Iowa, Kan., Minn., Mo., Neb., N.D., S.D.Kole Parks, grandson of James Parks, Local306, Manly, Iowa; Shelby Gunther, daughter ofMichael Gunther of Local 305, Lincoln, Neb.;Logan Jensen, son of James Jensen of Local1177, Redwood Falls, Minn.; Megan Kirkland,daughter of John Kirkland of Local 1503,Marysville, Kan.; Cayden Dannenmueller, son ofDarrell Dannenmueller of Local 947, Chaffee,Mo.; Madyson Spencer, daughter of CoreySpencer of Local 1177, Willmar, Minn.DISTRICT 8Ariz., Calif., Colo., Nev., N.M., UtahAndrew Ruiz, son of Fernando Ruiz of Local1608, Los Angeles, Calif.; Ashley West, daughterof Christopher West of Local 1629, Glendale,Ariz.; Cameron Rhodes, grandson of RichardRhodes of Local 204, Pueblo, Colo.; BrettRussell, son of Kevin Russell of Local 1043,Fernley, Nev.; Kimberly Park, granddaughter ofPatricia Hampton of Local 238, Ogden, Utah;Chandler Culberth, granddaughter of RobertSanchez of Local 1168, Clovis, N.M.; AngelaRamirez-Chetto, daughter of Angel Ramirez ofLocal 1563, Monrovia, Calif.; Nicholas Lopez-

Zapata, son of Efren Lopez of Local 1563, LosAngeles, Calif.; Samantha Atayde, daughter ofSamuel Atayde of Local 1563, Los Angeles,Calif.DISTRICT 9Alaska, Idaho, Mont., Ore., Wash., Wyo.Katelyn Kruse, granddaughter of William Drewof Local 891, Lolo, Mont.; Jaylynn Boe, daughterof Kyle Boe of Local 257, Douglas, Wyo.;Melanie Ruth Doughty, daughter of MelvinDoughty of Local 446, Cheyenne, Wyo.

Note: After drawing all districts, all remainingapplications were combined and drawn from toensure that the maximum number ofscholarships are awarded regardless of districtaffiliation. *UTUIA received no applications fromDistrict 1. Winners for District 1 were selectedfrom remaining applicants. Members listedwithout a local are deceased and a local numbercould not be confirmed.

Trade School Scholarship winnersKolby Winderweedle, step-son of MarkSteverson of Local 782, Hendersonville, N.C.;Allison Everson, daughter of Cory Everson ofLocal 311, Bangor, Wis.; Ashton Scoggins,daughter of Chadwick Scoggins of Local 931,Pelzer, S.C.; Jordyn Marshall, granddaughter ofEugene Binnebose of Local 1177, Alexandria,Minn.

UTUIA wishes all winners luckin all of their future endeavors. Congratulations!

Dear Members,Each year, the UTUIA randomly selects 50 candidates to receive a four-year college scholarship valued at $2,000 peryear. Over the years, UTUIA has provided millions of dollars to deserving young men and women across the countryand we are proud to have played a role in their success. Below you will find a listing of this year’s winners. Please beaware that we have 50 Trade School Scholarships available as well. We are proud of our 150-year history of service toour fellow brothers and sisters of transportation and look forward to another 150 years of service and benevolence.You can find more information about qualifying for scholarships and becoming a member of UTUIA by contacting yourfield supervisor or by going to our website at www.utuia.org.Fraternally,

Ken LaugelPresident, UTUIA

Laugel

The Federal Motor CarrierSafety Administration (FMCSA)has launched a web page thatprovides information about theCommercial Driver’s LicenseDrug and Alcohol Clearing-house, a database to belaunched in early January 2020.

The database’s purpose is totrack and identify “drivers whoare not legally permitted tooperate commercial motor vehi-cles (CMVs) due to drug andalcohol program violations,” theFMCSA said.

FMCSA says on the website

at https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov that registrationwith the database will open inthe fall and all operators whohold a commercial driver’slicense (CDL) or commercial dri-ver’s permit (CLP) must complywith the requirement in order tocontinue working in a safety-sensitive role.

More information, includingfrequently asked questions, isavailable at the Commercial Dri-ver’s License Drug and AlcoholClearinghouse website listed inthe preceding paragraph.

SMART Army in action in Virginia FMCSA launches site about drug test databaseFor the secondstraight year, SMARTArmy activists in Vir-ginia banded togetherto make a differencein a number of eventsas part of the Monthof Community Action.Here members whohelped prepare LittleLeague fields inCrewe, Va., posetogether after helpingto make Opening Dayin April a successfulone.



Photo of the monthSMART Transportation Division is

always looking for good photos andyour picture can be featured on thispage as a Photo of the Month.SMART TD seeks photographs or

digital images of work-relatedscenes, such as railroad, bus ormass transit operations, newequipment photos, scenic shots,activities of your local or photos ofyour brothers and sisters keepingAmerica rolling.Printed photographs should be

mailed to SMART TD, 24950 Coun-try Club Blvd., Suite 340, NorthOlmsted, OH 44070-5333.High-resolution digital photographs

should be in JPEG format and emailedto [email protected]. We pre-fer horizontal photos.With each photograph, please

include your name and SMARTlocal number, the names of the per-sons in the photo (left to right),where the photo was taken, andother pertinent information.All photographs submitted

become property of SMART.Remember to review your

employer’s policies regarding use ofcameras on the property or duringwork hours.

The Federal Railroad Administration’sSwitching Operations FatalityAnalysis working group(SOFA) – which hasthree SMART TDrepresentatives –has released itsswitching fatality andsevere injury updatefor the fourth quarter of2018.

SOFA reported a total of 17 severe injuriesfor the fourth quarter, bringing 2018’s annualtotal to 68. Of those severe injuries reportedin the quarter, one resulted in amputation.None of the incidents were fatal.

For the year, there were eight amputations.When combined with the first three SOFAquarterly reports, the group counted threeswitching-related fatalities in 2018. SMARTTD had seven member fatalities last year.

In 2017, SOFA reported 68 severe injuriesand nine amputations.

The U.S. Department of Transportation pub-lished a final rule April 23 that makes techni-cal corrections to regulations governing drugtesting for safety-sensitive employees toensure consistency with recent amendmentsmade to DOT’s “Procedures for Transporta-tion Workplace Drug and Alcohol Testing Pro-grams,” which recently added requirementsfor testing for oxycodone, oxymorphone,hydrocodone and hydromorphone.

According to the release from DOT, the newchanges to the department’s regulationsmake it necessary to refer to these sub-stances, as well as morphine, 6-acetylmor-phine and codeine by the term “opioids”rather than “opiates.”

This final rule amends the term in the FAA,FTA and PHMSA regulations to ensure that allDOT drug testing rules are consistent withone another and the mandatory guidelines forthe testing program.

FRA releases latest SOFA report

Members of the SMART TD Membership Representatives team ran the last paper billing May 16,marking the completion of a record-keeping transition from paper to full electronic billing. Marking theoccasion and holding examples of the phased-out green-bar billing materials are, from left, PaulaGrant, Kim Dissell, Billing Audit Supervisor Michael Vega, Amanda Casale and Greg Hengesbaugh.

‘GONE GREEN’ IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE

DOT final rule clarifies ‘opioids’VP John England attends the LACMTA Bus Rodeo

David Liddle, legislative repre-sentative and local chairpersonof Local 1674 (Los Angeles,Calif.) submitted photos of TDVice President John Englandat the Los Angeles MTA’s BusRodeo in late March.

England, center, also met with Los Angeles-area officers. At left is Vice Chairperson QuintinWormley (GCA-875) of Local 1565 (West Hollywood, Calif.) and Pedro Lara Jr., treasurer ofLocal 1563 (El Monte, Calif.).

Vice President John England, left, takes aphoto with Bus Rodeo winner Nelson Zap-ata from Local 1607 (Los Angeles, Calif.).

Brannon Velau, the wife of Local 771 (Needles, Calif.) member Theodore Velau III, submitted this photo of a BNSF consist crossing above the Colorado River into Ari-zona (note sign marking the California-Arizona border) on the Needles Subdivision.

i previsich to subcommittee: fra has abdicated safety rolesmart transportation division president...

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