Bipartisan Budget Act provides transport, rail benefits

The Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 passed early this morning by both houses of Congress and signed by President Donald Trump provides some benefits to transportation workers and the industry. “Discretionary spending for domestic infrastructure will see a $20 billion increase, which could mean more funds for transit and/or Amtrak-related projects. The two-year budget provides…


February 9th 2018
Local 1626 members receive Gold Spike Award from Alaska RR

SMART Transportation Division members out of Local 1626 were among the recipients of the Gold Spike award from Alaska Railroad in late January. Members Benjamin Bowen, Ryan Diehl, Caitlin Elison, Joshua Robinson, Bryan Sooter and Steven Tennison were among those who received a team award for “a sustained level of excellent performance and team-driven professional…


February 7th 2018
Member needs our help with son’s medical bills

  SMART Transportation Division Local 278 member Kyle Jones and his wife Samantha received devastating news Jan. 14, when their seven-year-old son Ayden was diagnosed with Acute Promyelocytic Leukemia (APML). This is an extremely rare cancer for someone as young as Ayden. The cancer was found after Ayden had been taken to urgent care with…


February 6th 2018
NTSB finds nearly identical cause of two commuter rail accidents

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) determined that two commuter railroad terminal accidents in the New York area were caused by engineer fatigue resulting from undiagnosed severe obstructive sleep apnea. The Sept. 29, 2016, accident on the New Jersey Transit railroad at Hoboken, New Jersey, killed one person, injured 110, and resulted in major damage…


Fundraiser set up for men killed in Amtrak 91 collision

A memorial fund for Amtrak conductor Mike Cella, a current SMART Transportation Division member out of Local 30 in Florida, and engineer Mike Kempf, a former SMART TD member, who were tragically killed in the line of duty on Sunday, Feb. 4, has been established. Proceeds from the fund will be used to help their…