RRB to mail new Medicare cards

The U.S. Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) will send out new Medicare cards that do not feature beneficiaries’ Social Security numbers in the coming weeks. The Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act of 2015 required the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to develop a new card that does not have an individual’s Social Security…


May 17th 2018
SMART TD, four other unions submit joint comments on train automation

SMART Transportation Division President John Previsich and leaders from four other unions — the ATDA, BLET, BRS and TCU — submitted a 26-page document May 7 in response to the Federal Railroad Administration’s request for comment on autonomous trains. In it, Previsich and union leaders Leo McCann, Dennis Pierce, W. Dan Pickett and Richard Johnson…


May 10th 2018
Victory at hand in Kansas as legislators vote to create transport task force

Kansas State Legislative Director Ty Dragoo reports that the hard work of his legislative board has paid off with his state’s Legislature voting to pass the House Substitute for SB 391, establishing the Joint Legislative Transportation Vision Task Force. The bill now heads to Kansas Gov. Jeff Colyer (R) for final approval, which he is…


May 8th 2018
Voting season has begun in 2018 — now is the time to act

Today marks the start of the 2018 election season in earnest with four states – Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio and West Virginia — holding primary elections, with many other primaries to follow from now until September. This is the chance for members of SMART Transportation Division to shape where the future of the transportation industry…


OSHA schedules meeting to request comments on whistleblower issues

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has scheduled a meeting June 12, 2018, in Washington, D.C., to solicit comments and suggestions from stakeholders in the railroad and trucking industries on whistleblower issues within the jurisdiction of the agency. OSHA seeks input on how the agency can better deliver whistleblower customer service, and what…


May 4th 2018