Author: amyr

Home>Articles by: amyr

SMART Transportation Division is proud to announce that the 2019 regional meeting will be held in San Diego, Calif. More information will be forthcoming as it becomes available.

2018 regional meetings — Archived presentations in PDF form

NOTE: Slide presentations given at the Hollywood, Fla., regional meeting workshops were nearly identical to the ones in Seattle with one new submission (noted below):

Tags 2018 regional meetings, Hollywood Florida, regional meetings, Seattle Washington

The video below by Operation Lifesaver gives life-saving tips on what to do if your vehicle becomes stuck on the railroad tracks.

Tags Operation Lifesaver, See Tracks? Think Train!

Optum has announced that they are taking steps to offer assistance to people impacted by the shooting in Las Vegas. Behavioral care advocates are available 24/7 to address any concerns members may have.
Optum is offering a free emotional support helpline for the people impacted. The toll-free number is 866-342-6892 and will be open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, for as long as is necessary. This helpline provides those affected access to specially trained United Behavioral Health (UBH) mental health specialists. This service is free of charge and open to anyone in need.
Along with the helpline, emotional-support resources and information are available online at www.liveandworkwell.com.
Click here for a flyer on the resources available to you.

Tags helpline, Las Vegas shooting, mental health, Optum, United Behavioral Health

Union Pacific switchman, Jon Paul Beckman, 48, was killed when he was struck by a train Friday, Sept. 22. He was working in Arlington, Texas when the accident occurred.
Beckman was a member of Local 243 in Ft. Worth, Texas, for 19 years. He served the local as president since 2007 and local chairperson since 2012, and was also the local’s delegate.
Visitation for Brother Beckman has been set for Thursday, October 5 from noon to 9 p.m. at Kinsley Mortuary, 1006 Broadway, Marysville, KS 66508. The family will receive friends from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. A funeral service will be held, Friday, Oct. 6 at 10 a.m. Burial will be private.
A memorial fund has been established. Contributions may be sent in care of Kinsley Mortuary.
SMART TD extends its deepest condolences to the Beckman family and to all who knew him.
Click here to read the official obituary or to give condolences to the family.

Pictured from left: Beckman, Former Local 243 Chairperson James McKibben, SMART TD President Emeritus Mike Futhey and Local 243 Chairperson Cameron Cullum. Photo submitted by Local 243.

Tags Jon Beckman, Local 243, member killed on the job

Surface Transportation Board (STB) Vice Chairman Daniel R. Elliott III announced he will leave the Board September 30, 2017. He informed President Donald J. Trump of his plans by letter.
Vice Chairman Elliott was appointed Chairman by President Barack Obama and joined the Board on August 13, 2009, following his Senate confirmation. He served as STB Chairman until December 31, 2014, and returned for a second term on June 26, 2015. He served as Chairman until January 25, 2017, when President Trump designated Ann D. Begeman as Acting Chairman.
“It has been an honor to serve the United States at the Surface Transportation Board. My tenure as Chairman and Vice Chairman of the agency has brought both rewards and challenges, but most of all an appreciation for the sophisticated rail transportation industry and its shippers that serve as the backbone of our nation’s economy,” Elliott said. “A lot has occurred since I first joined the Board, from new regulatory proposals to becoming independent from the Department of Transportation. But one thing has remained constant, and that is the distinguished group of professionals and good people at the agency that I have had the privilege of working with for the last eight years.
“During the six years that I have worked with Dan, I have always appreciated his genuine dedication and commitment to the Board’s work and to the transportation community—both shippers and railroads alike,” said STB Acting Chairman Begeman. “I particularly admire the respectful manner by which Dan treats everyone he meets. I will miss having Dan as a colleague, but wish him much success as he enters the next new phase of his career.”
STB Member Deb Miller said, “When I first came to the Board, the agency was in the midst of several difficult issues and as the Chairman at the time, Dan helped me quickly transition into my new role. Since then, the Board has undertaken a number of important regulatory initiatives in which he was instrumental. Dan will be missed at the Board, and I wish him well in his future endeavors.”
Prior to his appointment to the STB, Elliott worked in the UTU’s legal department.

Tags Dan Elliott, STB, Surface Transportation Board

Union Plus is offering disaster relief grants of $500 to union members who have been affected by Hurricane Irma.
To be eligible to receive a grant you must be a participant in one of these Union Plus programs: Union Plus credit card program, Union Plus life insurance, accidental death insurance, Union Plus auto insurance or the Union Plus mortgage program. Other qualifications may apply.
Click here to learn more.
Click here to view the flyer in Spanish.

Union Plus is a nonprofit organization founded by the AFL-CIO in 1986 to provide excellent consumer benefit programs exclusively to union members (current and retired) and their families.

Tags disaster relief, hurricane, Union Plus, Union Plus Disaster Relief Fund

Amtrak Conductor and Local 1933 member Amanda Brillhart is in critical condition after her husband, Charles Nethercutt, poured gasoline on her and set her on fire Sept. 19.
Brillhart, 27, has a one-year-old son. As a result of the attack, she has undergone extensive surgeries and is expected to be out of work for quite a while. Police are still searching for her husband.
A GoFundMe account has been set up by her co-workers to help with the financial burden that medical bills and being off work is causing.
Click here to donate.
If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline for help at 1-800-799-7233 or for the hearing impaired TTY 1-800-787-3224.
Visit the National Domestic Violence Hotline website at www.thehotline.org.
Click here to learn more about domestic violence.

Tags Amanda Brillhart, Amtrak, Amtrak conductor, Domestic Violence, Local 1933

Railroad employees covered under the National Railway Carriers/UTU Health and Welfare Plan or the Railroad Employees’ National Health and Welfare Plan are being mailed a notification of the online open enrollment period that begins Oct. 1, 2017, and ends Oct. 31, 2017, at midnight. The enrollment site is available 24/7 during the enrollment period. The information should be specific to the current enrollment for you and your eligible dependents.
The online enrollment capability provides the ability to view your personal information, add, delete and update dependent information, view enrollment materials, enroll in benefits for next year, and receive an immediate confirmation statement. There is no need to mail in a paper enrollment form. However, if you need assistance, have questions or require a paper enrollment kit, call Railroad Enrollment Services at 800-753-2692.
The enrollment website can be found at https://www.yourtracktohealth.com.
You are encouraged to visit the online enrollment site and review all the information available. Use the login instructions at the end of this article to access and review your personal information and spend some time learning about the benefits and resources available on the site.
You will also be able to search medical provider networks.
It is required that covered dependent Social Security numbers (SSN) be provided to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Please supply the missing SSN on the Dependent Information screen.
If you are currently enrolled in the Health Flexible Spending Account, the election and yearly contribution will not rollover to the new plan year. You must enroll in your Health Flexible Spending Account every year.

Click “Login” located in the upper right corner of the screen.
If you have already registered, enter your username and password.
If you have not yet registered, select “New User?” at the bottom of the screen to complete your registration.

Once logged in, select the option to “Enroll Now for 2018,” located in the upper left corner of the screen.
Click here to view more information on the flexible spending account.

Tags Health Flexible Spending Account, healthcare, healthcare open enrollment, Your Track to Health

In comments to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), SMART TD’s National Legislative Director John Risch wrote in support of allowing train crews to sound train horns at their discretion when traveling through rural America.
The comments were written in response to the Strasburg Railroad Company’s (SRC) request that their train crews be allowed to sound horns at their discretion due to livestock often grazing on farmsteads bordering tracks in Amish country.
“SRC’s request is not only reasonable, this is the way train crew members have conducted themselves for the past 140 years prior to the enactment of mandatory whistle rules,” Risch wrote. “This isn’t just an issue for Amish country – it’s an issue for all of rural America where farmers oftentimes herd livestock near a crossing and where people ride horses near the railroad track. Our nation’s operating crews should all be allowed the discretion in sounding or not sounding a locomotive horn when these situations arise.”
Risch went further in his letter to not only support SRC’s request but to also request that the FRA extend the waiver request to all railroads with the caveat that carriers be prohibited from disciplining crews from using their discretion.
Click here to read the full letter.

Tags FRA, FRA comments, John Risch, train horns

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has now made their Hours of Service (HOS) App available for download in the iPhone app store. Those wishing to download the app, should search for “FRA HOS Manual.”
The HOS app was developed to provide users with clarification on HOS requirements found at 49 CFR Part 228, Hours of Service Recordkeeping, and FRA hours of service interpretations and policies.
This tool allows users to navigate through FRA guidance that exists addressing the complexity hours of service requirements, along with the diversity of railroad operations, it assists to provide comprehensive guidance and consolidates this information into one manual to ensure standardized application and compliance. Users can select from multiple railroad user groups: freight, passenger, dispatching or signal employees.

Tags FRA, HOS, hours of service