Author: alyssahansen

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Brothers and sisters,

Another Labor Day is upon us, which means that many Americans and their families are navigating the first days of a new school year or preparing to say an unofficial goodbye to summer.

First I’d like to recognize and thank all of our members who will be earning holiday pay as they work throughout the weekend. Thank you for keeping America moving and for all that you do every day.

This year, the day takes on an even greater significance for those of us who count ourselves as members of the labor movement as we face what sometimes feels like an unending stream of attacks.

This is something that both our rail and transit brothers and sisters at SMART-TD have confronted head-on.

Your strength, determination, and tenacity are a testament to our predecessors who set the stage for the modern labor movement that we know today.

History-altering milestones, such as the enactment of child labor laws, setting safety standards and regulations, and establishing fair wages were all made possible because our brothers and sisters who came before us fought for a better future.

They refused to sit on the sidelines and accept the status quo. They spoke out and pushed back against the corporate elites who attempted to use their wealth as a tool for control, a battle we continue fighting today.

The bottom line: they fought. For themselves. For their families. For their fellow workers.

In our union, we fight for all the members all the time. They all count or none of them count.

We’ve seen this idea put into practice throughout the year in the form of organizing wins and contract ratifications, leaders standing up for their members and our brothers and sisters looking out for one another.

While we celebrate all that we’ve achieved, we also know that the work is never done.

This Labor Day, I ask all of you to pause and pledge to recommit to the fight ahead, because it will take all of us to counter the players who seek to diminish our influence.

All of you, the membership, are the reason why our union is a force to be reckoned with. You put action behind your words and show that “solidarity” is more than just an idea: it’s a verb that you embody every day.

Stand up for each other, look out for one another, and keep fighting for one another.

Please stay safe this holiday weekend and thanks to all of you for making SMART-TD the gold standard for rail, bus and transit workers across the country.


In solidarity,

Jeremy R. Ferguson
President, SMART Transportation Division

Ahead of Labor Day, we are excited to reveal the winners of our 2025 Local Pride T-Shirt Contest! 
 
First and most importantly, we’d like to thank all of the SMART-TD locals that submitted designs for the contest. We received nearly 40 entries and were very impressed by the creativity and uniqueness that was on display throughout our union.   
 
Most inspiring, though, was the response to the contest from all of you! Within minutes of posting the finalists last week, the Facebook album was quickly racking up “likes” on members’ favorite designs, and we are glad that so many of you chose to participate in the voting.  
 
Because of that, we’ve decided to include an additional People’s Choice Award winner, which will receive $1500 to purchase USA-made T-shirts featuring their design.  
 
Without further ado, the winners of the 2025 Local Pride T-Shirt Contest are… 

  • People’s Choice Award: Local 1162 (Erwin, Tennessee) with 177 “likes” 
  • People’s Choice Award: Local 1816 (Toledo, Ohio) with 103 “likes” 
  • First Place Award: Local 1370 (New York, New York) 

Notifications will be sent to the e-mail address that was used to submit the design. If you are one of the three winners, please respond to the notification within seven (7) business days after transmission as outlined in the official contest rules. Otherwise, an alternate winner may be chosen.

Congratulations to the winning locals and thank you to everyone who submitted designs!

Independence, OH (August 28, 2025) – The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers – Transportation Division (SMART-TD) strongly condemns the unprecedented and unjustified removal of Surface Transportation Board (STB) Member Robert Primus. 

The explanation provided for this decision — that his position has been “eliminated” — is nothing short of outrageous. Appointed bodies established through federal code are not designed to be erased at the whim of powerful corporate interests. This action is unprecedented, unlawful in spirit, and reeks of direct interference from hedge funds and the nation’s largest rail carriers. 

During his tenure, Mr. Primus has earned the trust and respect of railroads, shippers, and rail labor alike. He has been a steady and responsible steward of America’s supply chain and, by extension, our national economy. The timing of this move cannot be ignored. Prior to its submission to the Board Mr. Primus has made clear his opposition to the so-called “merger” that would be a corporate takeover combining Union Pacific Railroad and Norfolk Southern Railroad.  

To eliminate a Senate-confirmed position simply because corporate America disagrees with a regulator’s position is an assault on the independence of federal oversight itself. It sends a chilling message: that regulators who dare to stand up for fairness and balance in the rail industry can be swept aside to serve Wall Street’s agenda. 

SMART-TD, as the largest rail labor organization in the nation, stands firmly with Robert Primus. We support his efforts to maintain his rightful position and continue his vital work at the STB. His presence on the Board is good for America’s economy, good for every small business relying on freight rail from coast to coast, and good for every man and woman working in transportation. 

This move is wrong. It is reckless. It must be reversed. 

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For more information or to connect with SMART-TD leadership, please address all inquiries to: 
 
SMART-TD Public Relations Department 
 
Dan Banks 
(216) 227-5283 

Alyssa Hansen 
alyssa.hansen@smart-union.org

The members of SMART-TD Local 1707 (Perris, California) who work for First Transit have ratified a new four-year contract. The agreement provides significant gains while, most importantly, not making any concessions! 

The agreement includes: 

  • A significant, compounded pay increase over the lifetime of the contract, with retroactive pay from July 1, 2025. 
  • An additional paid holiday. 
  • Health and welfare improvements, including up to 40 hours of sick leave. 
  • Improvements to bereavement leave, giving members the ability to use it non-consecutively and additional consideration for traveling over 300 miles in one direction.  
  • Release time for local officers (presidents, secretaries, and treasurers) to attend trainings to sharpen their leadership skills. 

Automation Protections Lead the List of Contract Wins

One of the most important wins in the agreement covers automation protections for members, where the company is required to give 30 days’ notice and bargain with the union over how certain employees will be affected.  
 
“On this property, we don’t just have drivers. We have all work classifications,” explained General Committee of Adjustment (GCA) 020 General Chairperson Justin Schrock. “[For example], we have customer service representatives, and they’re worried that the automation programming that they’re going to start using is going to limit their job. So that was one of the main reasons we put that in there.” 
 
“If a job’s affected, then you’ve got to bargain with us on that employee. Do we retrain them somewhere else in another position?” 
 
The negotiating team was led by GC Schrock and assisted by SMART-TD Bus Department Vice President James Sandoval, LCA 020U (First Transit) Local Chairperson Rickey Davis, and LCA 020U (First Transit) Vice Local Chairperson and Local 1707 President Averiel Mason.

Local Leadership Makes a Big Difference

Since 2020, GC Schrock noted that there’s been an incredibly significant increase in pay raises for the property, even without considering compounding increases, a trend that he hopes will continue.  
 
“We just continue to make progress on this property and bring them up to the livable standard that we all expect as professional drivers and professional transit members,” he said.  
 
In particular, he recognized the leadership of Davis and Vice LC/Local 1707 President Mason for their extra effort in communicating with the membership. Their ability to ensure member’s needs were understood and addressed was invaluable.  
 
“We knew automation was going to be a big deal, but we listened to our members and pretty much hit on everything they wanted,” Schrock explained. “It’s easy for James and me to sit in an office and think we know what they want, but for them to actually take the time to go to meetings and talk to everybody and hit on stuff that they were concerned about was huge out of that officer team.”  
 
Congratulations to Local 1707 for becoming the latest addition to SMART-TD’s list of newly ratified, precedent-setting agreements!

Over the past few months, we’ve shared a couple of stories outlining important updates to the SMART Union Mobile App, covering everything from a new messaging feature to streamlined safety reports, and more.  

Much of this same information is reflected in greater detail on the SMART website, which is being revamped to make it easier for both Sheet Metal and Transportation Division members to stay informed.  

We want to ensure that the information that’s most important to you is easy to find. No one wants to search endlessly for what they need, and we know that your limited time is valuable.

That’s why we need your help. 

What Information is Important to You? 

Please send your suggestions to News_TD@smart-union.org or reply to any Newswire e-mail and tell us…

  • What information/resources do you use most often on the website?  
  • Are they easy to find on the current site? If not, where would you expect to find them?  
  • Are there other resources you would like to see on our site?  

Share your thoughts, and we’ll do our best to incorporate your feedback into the upcoming redesign.  

The Website Only Works if it Works for You 

Share your feedback and let us know how we can best amplify the information that you use every day. 
 
Once again, thank you for helping make SMART-TD stronger, more connected, and truly member-driven.

As a new school year gets underway, SMART-TD Local 1258 (Elgin, Illinois) earned some extra credit by ensuring students in a local district were well-equipped to head back to class, thanks to its first-ever School Backpack Drive.  

Former Local 1258 President Brian Benes spearheaded the initiative after years of participation in Toys for Tots during the holiday season, a very popular charity among the membership.  

“We like to give back, because we understand that in today’s times, we are fortunate for the jobs that we have,” said Brother Benes. “We run through a lot of communities that are less fortunate, and we do like to try to give back on a philanthropic level. So we wanted to do something on the opposite end of Christmas, which is perfect for a backpack drive.”

For its debut drive, the local raised around $700 to fill 24 backpacks with school supplies. They provided four packs tailored to each grade level, from kindergarten through fifth grade, for the Hanover Park School District in Illinois.

“A lot of people will donate, but they’ll donate a backpack or a box of pencils, or some note cards or some supplies,” he explained. “We went to their website, and we downloaded all of the school lists.”  
 
All 24 backpacks were claimed within one day and as Brother Benes found out afterwards, that little bit of extra effort paid off.

“I explained to [the gentleman who took the backpacks from me] that we went online and [the supplies] are according to your class list that you guys printed, and he was blown away that we took the time to do that. So it made us feel really good that we did it and did it the right way.” 
 
“We literally did our homework,” Brother Benes said, laughing.

Even though this was only the first year for the Backpack Drive, Brother Benes is happy with the 24 backpacks and hopes to grow that number next year.

“I would love for our members that didn’t participate this year to see [this] and say ‘Wow, I want to get in on this next year and be a part of it.’” 

Last week, our brothers and sisters at Local 1741 (San Francisco, California) ratified not one but three agreements with San Francisco School Bus Drivers-ZUM, covering bus drivers, SMART-TD members who work in the office, and yard workers. 

Hat Trick Results in Big Gains, Protections for Workers 

Reflecting on the negotiations, General Chairperson of GCA-SFS Gene Guzman noted that even though the overall process was smooth, workers still held their ground when needed and fought for what they deserved.

“We put a lot of effort into it, and I think we did really well,” he said.

The new, six-year agreement includes: 

  • Significant wage increases over the life of the contract. 
  • Health care plan improvements. 
  • Personal leave of absence protections. 
  • Maintenance of 10-hour spread overtime after the company tried to urge the drivers to give it up. 

SMART members who work in the office in particular will see a significant wage increase during the first year of the contract, followed by the same percentage raises as the drivers for the remaining years.

“Both the union and the company saw that [SMART members who work in the office] had been left behind and needed to be caught up financially to us and to get the same percentages of increase going forward now,” explained Guzman. 

New GC Brings a Fresh Perspective on Negotiations

This was GC Guzman’s first time having a front-row seat while securing a new agreement as a General Chairperson, and he said that not fully knowing what to expect in that role wasn’t a bad thing. 

“I wouldn’t say that I had a lot of expectations coming in, so I just basically stayed in the present and did the best I could,” he said. “Having achieved the contract that [our whole negotiating team] achieved and doing as well as we did, I’m very happy about it.”

In particular, GC Guzman highlighted the tireless work of the committee, including Local 1741 President Meghann Adams and SMART-TD Bus Department Vice President James Sandoval.

“It was my responsibility to be the lead negotiator as the chairperson…best thing I ever did was turn that over to James,” he said, laughing. “James is a very calm negotiator. No matter what the circumstances, he doesn’t get excited. He’s Superman. He really is phenomenal, and I couldn’t have more respect for anyone than I do for James.”

VP Sandoval praised the solidarity and determination of both GC Guzman and the entire SFS negotiating team.  

“You wouldn’t guess this was Brother Guzman’s first time at the bargaining table,” said VP Sandoval. “He stayed calm and collected, leaning on the strength of his team and helping everyone bring their best forward. His steady presence kept the focus on unity and making sure our members’ needs were front and center. That’s what leadership and solidarity look like, and I’m very proud of GC Guzman, the rest of the bargaining team (Meghann, Keva, Angela, Leslie, Jim, Paul), and all of our Local 1741 brothers and sisters.”

A Lasting Legacy 

As GC Guzman prepares to celebrate his 74th birthday in October and starts to see retirement slowly approaching on the horizon, he hopes that this new agreement reflects how much he cares about his members and their futures. 
 
“All three got good pay bumps. I know most people are quite happy about it. And you know, what else can you want?” GC Guzman asked. “My goal in becoming chairperson was to set up the membership with a good contract, and we did so that’s very satisfying.”

A hard-hitting documentary from the Howard Center for Investigative Journalism reveals how the railroads, through their lobbying group the Association of American Railroads (AAR) spend millions of dollars fighting regulations that would require them to fix or even inspect the bridges we take our trains across every day. Their “acceptable losses” mean leaks, spills and toxins for the rest of us. 

Watch the film here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0C2hmzBTRvE 

Jared Cassity, head of SMART-TD’s National Safety Team, represents the voice of common sense in the video. He calls out this hypocrisy for what it is—their actions don’t square with their messaging. “Safety” is something they say to make bad press go away.  

The documentary tells a truth the industry doesn’t want anyone to hear: rail workers are the real experts, and we’re done letting the carriers play Russian roulette with our bridges, our communities, and our lives. 

Please take the time (less than 10 minutes) to watch the video, then share it with your community. We want as many people as possible to learn about our failing bridges, the bill Congress is working on to control the massive oversight, and to remind America how little the railroads care about the safety of their communities. We live it, so it’s up to us to make sure everyone else sees these dangers for what they are. 

SMART-TD’s Designated Legal Counsel (DLC) have been tried and tested on enforcing the laws that impact railroad workers on the job. If you have been retaliated against for reporting a safety violation, an injury, or other acts covered by the Federal Rail Safety Act (FRSA), DLC are the experts to turn to.

As a fellow railroader saw firsthand, this specialized experience and knowledge can be the difference between winning or losing when your job and future are on the line.

Case in Point: Specialized Legal Representation Matters for Rail Workers in Whistleblower Cases 

In March of 2024, Union Pacific fired locomotive engineer Juan Garza, claiming that Brother Garza was “dishonest” about sustaining a very minor injury in an on-duty Uber car crash the month before.

In June of 2024, DLC Coordinator Sara Youngdahl and co-counsel Doyle Dennis Avery filed Garza’s OSHA complaint under the Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA) with the Secretary of Labor. 

Brother Garza was reinstated in June 2025 through the arbitration process, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) agreed. 

In addition to reinstatement, OSHA awarded Brother Garza back pay, interest on his back wages, pain and suffering/mental distress, attorney and expert fees, and punitive damages against Union Pacific for the “reckless and callous disregard” for Brother Garza’s rights. 

In its decision, OSHA referred to Union Pacific as a “serial violator” of the Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA), which protects whistleblowers who report safety or security violations, refuse to work in dangerous conditions, or seek prompt medical attention for on the job injuries.

OSHA also ordered Union Pacific to expunge Brother Garza’s employment records for any reference to his OSHA complaint, restore Brother Garza’s benefits, including leave time, missing contribution/match amounts to his stock purchase plan, vacation time lost, and any other benefits affected by Union Pacific’s retaliatory conduct. 

Union Pacific was also required to issue the OSHA Fact Sheet “Whistleblower Protection for Railroad Workers” to all employees and supervisors. 

DLC Helps Promote Safety for All Railroaders

Tasked with taking on OSHA whistleblower and Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) cases, Youngdahl explained that this situation underscores the importance of having an attorney who knows the intricacies of the railroad industry.

“If a rail worker hires a lawyer who knows nothing about the railroad industry and the laws that protect rail workers, they’re putting not only their own future in jeopardy but also their family’s future. We as DLC have devoted our entire legal careers to protecting members against the railroad in times of need,” she noted. 

“In addition to helping our individual clients get the justice they deserve, our goal as DLC is to help promote rail safety. We have seen that effectively representing rail workers in whistleblower cases can make a big impact on safety,” said Youngdahl.

Whistleblower laws have protected railroaders since 2007 and were made necessary because of the railroads’ widespread retaliation against our members across the country. 

Regional Training Seminars Offer Deep Dive on Laws Protecting Railroad Workers 

SMART-TD’s Regional Training Seminars (RTS) provide attendees the opportunity to learn more about legal issues facing railroad workers from Youngdahl and other DLC attorneys. 

Information about the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA) protects railroaders’ on the job injuries has been expanded to include whistleblower laws.

“The impact of the whistleblower law has grown,” explained Youngdahl. “We felt the need to educate members and union leaders on the whistleblower statute, and how we can use it to protect railroaders from harassment and intimidation.”

Youngdahl also previewed the upcoming curriculum at the Anaheim, California RTS, which takes place from September 8-11.

Attendees will learn how whistleblower cases are built, what information is required, and much more. 

One Case Makes a Major Impact

Even though Brother Garza’s case centered on a single individual, Youngdahl points out that the outcome can have wide-ranging implications for rail workers across the industry.

“Our collective goal is to improve rail safety across the industry. We’re all in this together.”

Still debating whether to attend a SMART-TD Regional Training Seminar (RTS) in 2025? If so, the time to act is NOW! 

Last Chance to Finalize Anaheim RTS Arrangements

If you plan on attending the Anaheim RTS next month, TODAY (Monday, August 18) is the LAST DAY to book a room at the discounted rate.  
 
Click here to reserve your hotel room at the discounted rate ►

Please note: Attendees are responsible for making their hotel reservations.

All attendees must register to attend the RTS, even if you’re commuting home each day. The registration fee covers a DLC sponsored Welcome Reception and a daily breakfast and lunch on Tuesday and Wednesday. For planning purposes, there is no ON-SITE registration.

Register for the Meeting Here: RTS Registration ►   

Registration Now Open for Atlanta RTS 

The Atlanta Regional Training Seminar (RTS) begins on  Monday, October 27, 2025, with an evening Welcome Reception. The training will cover topics such as local governance, the roles and responsibilities of local presidents, secretaries, treasurers, legislative representatives, and local chairpersons in member advocacy, an overview of the SMART Constitution, and other key subjects.   

  • Location: Wyndham Atlanta Buckhead  
  • Dates: October 27-30, 2025 (S&T: October 27-31)  
  • Room Rate: $159/night   
  • Registration Fee: $75   

For a detailed meeting agenda, please visit the Meetings page via the SMART Union mobile app.

All RTS presentations will be available on the SMART University site, and those attending future meetings can print them off to assist in following along when attending the in-person classes.

We look forward to seeing you in Atlanta!

Space in some of the training tracks is limited and will be filled on a first-come first-served basis. Online Registration Is Required!

Registration closes on October 13, 2025, and there will be no onsite registration available.   

To Register for the Meeting: RTS Registration ►   
To Book Your Hotel Reservation: Hotel Reservation Link ► 

Please note: Attendees are responsible for making their hotel reservations.

To ensure that you secure a room at the discounted rate, please make your reservation by October 6.

For more information, contact Nick Torres in the SMART-TD office at 216-227-5269 or by email at ntorres@smart-union.org.   
 
This is your last chance to take advantage of this opportunity until next year: make your plan to attend the Anaheim or Atlanta RTS today!