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SMART-TD formally endorses Republican Andrew Fudge for Oregon House District 20, taking our fight for two-person train crews (2-PC) from the halls of the Oregon Legislature directly to the ballot box.

Fudge will face incumbent Democratic Representative Paul Evans in the November 3 General Election. A native Oregonian, CPA and former state government budget professional, Fudge has made accountability a central theme of his campaign and has told SMART-TD he supports our fight for two-person crews.

For Oregon railroaders, the contrast is clear.

When SMART-TD needed Evans on one of our highest-priority safety and job-security issues, he would not stand with us.

Now, we are standing with the candidate running to replace him.

One vote short…and Evans said no.

During the 2025 Oregon legislative session, SMART-TD made Senate Bill 723, requiring a minimum of two crew members on most trains, one of its highest priorities.

Oregon State Safety and Legislative Director Dan Garrison and his board had built bipartisan support and believed the bill could pass if given the opportunity.

At the critical moment, SMART-TD was one vote short of advancing the legislation from the Joint Committee on Transportation.

Evans could have provided that support.

He declined.

That point is important: Evans was not a SMART-TD ally who suddenly changed sides. When railroaders needed him to support their two-person-crew legislation, he would not do it.

According to SMART-TD officials involved in discussions with Evans, he indicated that the timing was not right for the legislation.

But when exactly is the wrong time for safety?

Railroad safety doesn’t become less important because political timing is inconvenient. Derailments, grade-crossing collisions, and other emergencies don’t wait for a better legislative session.

Neither should the people whose jobs and communities are at risk.

Evans has also described himself in correspondence with SMART-TD representatives as a longtime union dues-paying member. That made his refusal to support another union’s effort to protect its members’ safety and job security even more disappointing to Oregon railroaders.

Member Safety Matters. Political Party Does Not

SMART-TD’s endorsement of Fudge also sends a broader message.

Party affiliation does not guarantee our support.

Fudge supports our two-person crew effort. Evans had the opportunity to help advance it and chose not to.

Public campaign-finance records also show that Union Pacific Railroad Company contributed to Evans’s campaign. Those contributions do not establish why Evans refused to support SMART-TD’s legislation, and our union is not claiming they do. But our members are entitled to consider the entire public record when deciding who deserves their support.

Fudge has also earned the Independent Party of Oregon’s nomination, adding to the broad coalition supporting his challenge to Evans.

Accountability comes to the ballot box

Following the defeat of the two-person-crew bill, Garrison made it clear that SMART-TD would continue fighting for rail safety in Salem and that Oregon railroaders would remember who stood with them when endorsement season arrived.

That time is here.

SMART-TD works with Republicans, Democrats, and Independents who fight for transportation workers. But when politicians ask for our members’ support, we pay attention to what they do after Election Day.

Especially when our jobs and our safety are on the line.

Paul Evans had the opportunity to stand with Oregon railroaders when their legislation was one vote short.

He chose not to.

This November, Oregon railroaders have an opportunity to make their own choice.

SMART-TD proudly endorses Andrew Fudge for Oregon House District 20.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 

SMART-TD wins major federal court victory protecting two-person freight crews 

2–1 federal appeals court decision rejects railroad industry challenge to FRA safety rule; SMART-TD was the labor intervenor defending the rule 

Independence, Ohio — August 11, 2026 — The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, Transportation Division (SMART-TD) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) scored a major victory for railroad safety today when the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit upheld FRA’s federal two-person crew rule. 

In a 2–1 decision, the three-judge panel rejected challenges brought by the Association of American Railroads (AAR), the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association, and six individual railroads seeking to overturn FRA’s 2024 Crew Size Rule.The majority denied the railroads’ petitions for review in their entirety. 

The court record makes SMART-TD’s role in the victory clear. 

The railroads and their trade associations challenged FRA, its administrator, and the U.S. Department of Transportation. SMART-TD was the only labor organization granted intervenor status, standing alongside the federal government to defend the rule.  

When the case reached oral arguments before the Eleventh Circuit in June 2025, SMART-TD Associate General Counsel Shawn McKinley argued alongside FRA in defense of the rule. 

“SMART-TD and our members didn’t watch this fight from the sidelines,” said SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson. “Our members have everything on the line. Our safety on the job, our jobs themselves, our pensions, and our families’ healthcare, just to name a few. When the railroads predictably took this fight to the courts, there was no way we were going to stand by and let the FRA fight our battle for us, or without us. 

“I want to thank our Legal Department, led by Erika Diehl-Gibbons, and our Associate General Counsel, Shawn McKinley, for their amazing work on this case. Watching Shawn in that federal courtroom in 2025, refusing to let the railroads disregard the firsthand experiences of our brothers and sisters and holding them accountable, was a thing of beauty. 

“This is history being made. And it is being made by SMART-TD.” 

SMART-TD members built the record.  

The victory began years before today’s decision. 

When FRA requested public comments on the proposed rule in 2022, SMART-TD launched a coordinated nationwide effort through its local officers and State Safety and Legislative Boards to make sure railroad workers’ real-world experiences became part of the federal record. 

FRA ultimately received approximately 13,500 comments, with more than 98.5% supporting the proposed rule. 

“When FRA asked for public comments, SMART-TD went to work,” said SMART-TD National Safety and Legislative Director Jared Cassity. “We needed comments that were thoughtful, relevant and based on what our members actually experience on the railroad every day. Our State Safety and Legislative Boards and their directors did an incredible job coordinating that effort across the country. 

“I would also be remiss if I didn’t recognize my predecessor, Greg Hynes in this moment. This issue is a passion for Greg.” 

Those public comments became important when railroad attorneys attempted to dismiss firsthand accounts supporting two-person crews as mere “anecdotes.” 

The Eleventh Circuit rejected that argument. The majority specifically cited accounts of “close calls and lives saved” by two crewmembers working together and found that public comments can provide a sound basis for federal agency action. 

“The court’s decision reinforces what SMART-TD members and rail workers already know: having two qualified workers on a train crew is just common sense. It’s about safety, security and the well-being of workers and communities nationwide,” SMART General President Michael Coleman said. “The challenge to FRA’s two-person crew rule was a threat to our members’ safety. It was a threat to their lives. And it was a threat to the families who live and work near railroad tracks all over the country. That’s why TD members made their voices heard from day one, and why SMART-TD stood with the FRA and DOT in support of this rule. We applaud the court’s decision, and we will continue to advocate for the safety of our members, rail workers, and communities across the United States.”  

SMART-TD Legal prepared for the fight 

The railroad industry challenged FRA’s statutory authority, the evidentiary record supporting the rule, FRA’s estimates of costs, and other parts of the rulemaking process. 

The majority rejected those challenges and found that FRA’s Crew Size Rule falls comfortably within the agency’s authority to regulate railroad safety. 

“This decision reflects the tremendous advocacy that went into this case. I especially want to thank Shawn McKinley and the rest of our legal team, and the attorneys and staff at the FRA for their dedication and the long hours they put into defending this rule,” said SMART-TD General Counsel Erika Diehl-Gibbons. 

“We anticipated the arguments the railroads would raise and were prepared to defend FRA’s authority, the administrative record, and the legal basis for the rule.  

When the court requested supplemental briefing on an additional administrative-law issue just last month, our team was ready to respond. Shawn did an exceptional job advocating for our members throughout this case, and I’m extremely proud that today we get to see the result of that work and our members proven right yet again.” 

The court also rejected the railroads’ argument that FRA needed definitive statistical proof that one-person operations are less safe before acting. The majority recognized that requiring such proof could force the safety agency to wait for accidents to occur before taking preventive action. 

At the end of its 93-page decision, the court delivered the result plainly: “We DENY the petitions for review of the Final Rule.” 

For SMART-TD, today’s victory belongs to the railroaders and their families who helped build the record, the officers who organized the effort, and the legal team that defended their experiences in federal court. 

SMART-TD members spoke. SMART-TD showed up. SMART-TD fought. And today, the federal two-person crew rule stands. 

U.S. Court of Appeal for the Eleventh Circuit 2-PC RulingDownload

###

For more information or to connect with SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson, National Safety and Legislative Director Jared Cassity, or a member of their leadership teams, please contact:  

Dan Banks  
dbanks@smart-union.org  
(216) 227-5283 (Office)  
(330) 322-5949 (Cell)  

Alyssa Hansen  
alyssa.hansen@smart-union.org  

 

It’s time for the fear campaign to end and let the facts on the UP-NS merger set the record straight.

For months, some unions have speculated the proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger will destroy careers, eliminate jobs and leave railroad families broken and out of luck.

The merger deserves a full review by the Surface Transportation Board. Every claim about competition, service and safety should be heavily scrutinized to ensure that it is in our nation’s best interest. SMART-TD is confident that an end-to-end merger of this magnitude will be beneficial for labor and for our customers. The truckers and the other railroads know this.

That’s probably why they’re lining up to oppose it.

The BLE-T and the BMWED (who make up the Teamsters Rail Conference) are claiming that a railroad going coast to coast will destroy our supply chain and kill all kinds of railroad jobs.

It isn’t hard to prove that wrong.

There are two examples of transcontinental railroads operating coast to coast in Canada. That country hasn’t shut down and been held hostage by an evil “Duopoly” like we are being told will happen here. Coast to coast railroads have been the backbone of the Canadian economy and supply chain since 1885.

Canadian National (CN) Railroad connects Halifax on the Atlantic Coast, to Vancouver on the Pacific Coast, and goes south all the way to Gulf of Mexico.

CPKC connected Canada from coast to coast first. That happened through a merger that went down in 1885. The last time we checked, these transcontinental railroads are strong and competitive Class I Railroads, but they have not dominated the continent and held the economy hostage.

This doesn’t help the Teamsters argue against the UP/NS merger or their ability to scare American consumer, so it isn’t being talked about at all.

The UP/NS Merger is a Win for Railroaders

SMART-TD Union employees of both railroads are going to win through this merger. SMART-TD’s Jobs for Life Agreement is real. It is public. It is legally binding.  And unlike what you hear from the other unions who don’t have this deal in place, you can’t be sent all over the country to cover jobs! That is one of the biggest alarms they are sounding, and it is straight up not true.  

Under the Jobs for Life agreement, you are only required to protect work within the geographic boundaries of your current CBA. In other words, it is the same work you can be forced to cover today. None of that changes.  

Teamsters Rail can get a lot of people talking in crew rooms by telling engineers in Washington State that our agreement and this merger are a fast track to finding themselves as a car knocker in South Carolina, but it’s in black and white that it isn’t the truth. Your craft and territory are locked in by the Jobs for Life Agreement.

“If somebody wants to argue the merits of this merger, they are entitled to their opinion, but they are not entitled to their own facts,” SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson said. “Our members’ job protection is in writing. Our craft protection is in writing. This is a huge win for our guys.”

TD Members Don’t Have to Trust the Railroad

None of us needs a lecture about trusting railroad management.

We’ve lived through Precision Scheduled Railroading just like every other railroad union and railroad worker in the country.

We’ve watched carriers furlough railroaders, cut manpower and hollow out terminals in the name of efficiency. That’s exactly why SMART-TD didn’t ask Union Pacific for promises.

We demanded a contract.

“You don’t have to trust the railroad,” Ferguson said. “That’s why you have a union. We didn’t rely on a handshake. We made them put the protection in writing.”

This is NOT A Drill

SMART-TD’s Jobs for Life Agreement isn’t an experiment. It was built using the wording from one of the strongest job protection agreements railroad labor has ever negotiated. President Jeremy Ferguson used the proven language from SMART-TD’s 2008 Illinois Central Jobs for Life Agreement as the foundation for the UP/NS agreement because it had already survived the toughest tests imaginable.

Through both the Great Recession of the late 2000’s and the COVID-19 downturn, Illinois Central (IC) members hired prior to March 29, 2008, kept their paychecks, health insurance, retirement credits, and careers while thousands of other railroaders across the country were furloughed or had to chase work.

The Illinois Central executive who had to honor that agreement was none other than Jim Vena himself. He already knows this language is legally binding because he’s already lived it. Our IC brothers and sisters will tell you that this language worked.

The trains all dried up in those bad economies, but their paychecks and benefits DIDN’T.

Who Does BLET Really Answer To?

SMART-TD exists for one purpose: protecting railroad and bus transportation employees.

The BLET is part of the Teamsters Rail Conference, which ultimately belongs to an organization whose membership is overwhelmingly made up of truck drivers.

Nobody is suggesting Teamsters leaders want railroads to fail.

But is it unreasonable for railroaders to ask whether a rail-only union and an organization built primarily around trucking will always see a stronger, more competitive freight railroad the same way? Do both have the same motivation to see rail flourish and move a higher percentage of America’s freight?

Union Pacific says this merger will create the nation’s first true coast-to-coast railroad, reducing unnecessary handoffs, improving service and making rail more competitive with long-haul trucking.

If more freight moves by rail instead of highways, doesn’t that create more railroad work?

That’s a question every railroader deserves to consider.

Who Is Actually at Risk?

We know who isn’t.

Our conductors, engineers and yardmasters covered by the Jobs for Life Agreement are protected from furloughs, whether they are merger-related or not.

We know all UP and NS union workers’ careers have been promised some level of protection.

SMART-TD members know our crafts are protected far above what New York Dock protective conditions have ever done for our members.

This is a terrible situation to find yourself in if you are a national officer of the BLET. Could this be why it is just easier for BLET and Teamsters Rail to oppose the merger?

“When another organization cannot offer ANY level of protection that SMART-TD negotiated, that is a huge problem for its leadership to solve,” Ferguson said. “But it is not an excuse to distract and frighten railroad families or pretend our agreement only exists in their press releases and their imagination.”

Fear Has Consequences

Every one of us sat through the safety briefing.

Stay focused.

Maintain situational awareness.

Don’t bring distractions to work on the rail.

Railroading is unforgiving.

What happens when young conductors and even veteran engineers spend months hearing they may lose everything, despite written agreements protecting many of those very careers?

Does that help them stay focused?

Does that improve situational awareness?

Or does it create unnecessary anxiety in one of the most hazardous industries in America? “We owe railroaders the truth,” Ferguson said. “We fight carriers every day, we don’t scare our own members for political advantage. Railroaders deserve facts. Their spouses deserve facts. Their kids deserve facts. Fearmongering doesn’t make any one of us any safer. It has to stop, and it has to stop now.”


SMART-TD Did Our Homework, and It Paid Off

When this merger was announced, rail labor was handed one of the biggest tests it has faced in decades. 

SMART-TD prepared for that test long before it arrived. We did our homework. We paid attention to the details. We anticipated the questions that would matter most to our members, and we negotiated legally binding answers before the exam ever began. 

Other organizations now find themselves facing the same test without the same preparation and protections in hand. That is a difficult position for any union leadership to be in.  

When you don’t have the same documented answers, it becomes tempting to change the subject or question the test itself.

That is essentially what we are seeing out the BLE and Teamsters Rail.  

They aren’t ready for the task at hand.

Their Chicken Little routine screaming about the UP/NS merger is exactly that, but it’s also reckless and dangerous.

Railroaders deserve more than distractions. They deserve facts. They deserve to compare agreements, not slogans; binding contracts, not assurances. 

SMART-TD’s position isn’t built on hope or speculation. It’s built on a signed, legally binding agreement that protects our members’ careers and preserves their Train and Engine Service positions. That’s what preparation looks like. 

We’re ready for the test. 

Read the Agreement. Then Decide.

Right now, the rail gateway in Chicago is showing all of us what happens when freight bogs down through congested freight corridors, repeated handoffs, and operational confusion.

A more seamless coast-to-coast network has the potential to move freight more efficiently, make our work more predictable, and bring more business onto our rails without sacrificing railroad jobs because SMART-TD secured that protection. Just like always, the BLE-T has done nothing.

Read SMART-TD’s Jobs For Life Agreement With UP & NS here.

For 160 years, railroad labor has fought carriers over furloughs. This time, thousands of us have something generations before us never had: a written guarantee that the railroad, advances in tech, and economic turbulence cannot take our careers away.

That isn’t something to fear.

That’s something worth defending.

On July 29, 2026, in response to cross-motions for preliminary injunctions filed by SMART-TD and CSXT, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida, Jacksonville Division, denied SMART-TD’s motion and converted CSXT’s previously issued Temporary Restraining Order (“TRO”) into a Preliminary Injunction (“PI”) in CSX Transportation, Inc. v. SMART-TD, Case No. 3:26-cv-01795-WWB-SJH. The Court directed “SMART-TD and its national and local officers to immediately initiate and undertake all reasonable efforts to prevent and discourage SMART-TD’s divisions, lodges, locals, officers, agents, employees, members, and all persons acting in concert with any of them from engaging in conduct prohibited by the PI,” including by posting and distributing this notice.
 
Although SMART-TD is not aware of any activity having occurred to date, the PI enjoins “SMART-TD, its divisions, lodges, locals, officers, agents, employees, members, and all persons acting in concert or participation with any of them from authorizing, encouraging, permitting, calling, engaging in, or continuing any strike, work stoppage, picketing, slowdown, sickout, or other self-help against CSX Transportation, Inc. or its operating rail subsidiaries over any dispute relating to the interpretation of CSXT’s Attendance Policy or other aspects of System Notice 502.”
 
Pursuant to the Court’s Order, any SMART-TD member who is engaging in, or who may in the future engage in, any conduct enjoined by the Court’s Order and PI must immediately cease and desist all such activity and must immediately cease and desist all exhortations or communications encouraging same upon pain of fine, suspension, or other sanction by SMART-TD. Additional information can be found in the Court’s complete Order below.

CSXT Preliminary InjunctionDownload

There are some railroaders who command attention the moment they walk into a room.

Brother Jerome Perkins (Local 1328, Louisville, Ky.) isn’t one of them.

He hasn’t been with Norfolk Southern since split date. He hasn’t carried a union card long enough to know what UTU means.  In fact, he’s still one of our newest brothers.

But ask the people who have worked beside him, and you’ll hear a different kind of respect.

Jerome is the quiet one. The dependable one. The kind of railroader who puts his head down, does the job right, and never asks for recognition. He carries himself with a quiet strength and humility that has already earned the admiration of his coworkers.

Unfortunately, life has dealt Jerome and his family an unimaginable loss with the passing of his son, Journey.

When his son was born four months premature, Jerome chose a name that reflected the road ahead. He named him Journey, knowing his little boy faced a difficult path from his very first breath. Against long odds, Journey fought. He grew stronger, and there was every reason to believe brighter days were ahead.

Then pneumonia changed everything.

At just four months old, Journey passed away, leaving Jerome and his family to face every parent’s worst nightmare.

No parent should have to bury a child.

Like so many of us would, Jerome tried to shoulder that burden on his own. He never reached out to his Local. He never asked his union brothers and sisters for help.

The truth is that many of us didn’t even know what had happened.

SMART-TD Local 1328 Local Chairperson Kenny Montfort checked in with Jerome just to see how the young conductor was doing, and that’s when he learned the heartbreaking news.

It was a conversation that changed everything.

Brother Montfort understood something that Jerome didn’t know yet:

This is more than a job. When you hire out on the railroad, you don’t just gain a paycheck.

Brotherhood isn’t something you earn after 20 years. It isn’t based on seniority or how long you’ve carried your union card. From your very first day, you’re one of us. And when one of us is hurting, we don’t wait to be asked. We show up.

Now it’s our turn to do exactly that for Brother Perkins.

Local 1328 is rallying around Brother Perkins, and SMART-TD is asking our brothers and sisters across the country to do the same. Every donation, every share, every prayer is another reminder to Jerome and his family that they are not facing this tragedy alone.

Let’s make sure he learns something every seasoned railroader eventually discovers:

You never have to ask your union family to care. We already do.

If you are able, please consider making a donation to support Brother Jerome Perkins and his family during this incredibly difficult time.

Fundraiser for Brother Jerome Perkins, (Local 1328, Louisville, KY)

If you’ve worked passenger service for any length of time, you’ve met this passenger. 

The one who has everyone on edge. The one screaming. The one everyone else quietly backs away from. 

The one who leaves you with a choice: step in or let innocent people fend for themselves. 

Last Friday, July 24, Brother Dennis Mullen, a 15-year railroader, Amtrak conductor, and proud member of SMART-TD Local 1933 in Washington, D.C., made the same choice every good conductor makes. 

He stepped in. 

Today, Dennis is in an intensive care unit fighting for his life.

Everything Changed in Seconds 

Members of Local 1933 were in Raleigh that day for a local picnic. Several local officers and volunteers happened to be at the station in full view of the platform where they could see the train. 

As departure time came and went, the local officers realized Dennis’s train still hadn’t left the station. They started looking toward the platform to see what the delay was. 

What they saw was Dennis standing with a disruptive passenger, waiting for the police. 

According to eyewitnesses, the disruptive individual was crouched and appeared to have settled down while everyone waited for the Raleigh Police Department to arrive. 

Then everything changed. 

Witnesses, who saw the incident firsthand said that the suspect allegedly sprang to his feet as the officers approached, caught Dennis completely by surprise, kicked him, and drove him backward, pushing him over the edge of the platform. 

Brother Mullen fell roughly six feet onto the tracks below. He landed sprawled in the gauge of the rails. 

Local 1933 Vice President Josh Reed rushed to Dennis, reaching him first and stayed with him while emergency responders converged on the scene. 

Dennis is alive, but the injuries are catastrophic. Mullen suffered six shattered ribs, extensive facial fractures, severe shoulder injuries, numerous additional traumatic injuries, and a collapsed lung. As this article is being published, he remains in the ICU as doctors continue fighting to save his life. 

Now Dennis Needs Us 

For 15 years, Dennis has spent his career looking out for passengers, protecting his crew, and doing the job the right way, exactly like he was doing Friday. 

Now he’s the one who needs protecting. 

His family shouldn’t have to worry about how they’ll pay bills, replace lost income, or keep up with mounting medical or legal expenses while they’re sitting beside his hospital bed, praying for good news. 

That’s where we come in. 

A GoFundMe has been established to help Dennis and his family through the difficult weeks and months ahead. 

If you’ve ever wondered whether your donation matters, it does today. 

Whether it’s $10, $25, or $100, every dollar helps take one more burden off Dennis’s family so they can focus on what matters most, his recovery. 

If you can’t donate, please share the fundraiser. 

Please support Brother Dennis Mullen and his family here ► 

The Criminal Case Has Begun 

Raleigh Police arrested Chapel Hill resident Terence James Kiernan, 19, following the incident. 

According to court records, Kiernan has been charged with: 

  • Attempted First-Degree Murder 
  • Two counts of Assault on a Government Official/Employee 
  • Simple Assault 
  • Resisting a Public Officer 
  • Disorderly Conduct at a Terminal 
  • Possession of a Synthetic Cannabinoid 

As with any criminal proceeding, these are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. 

Kiernan is currently being held in the Wake County Detention Center without bond. His next court appearance is on August 17th. 

What Happens Next 

The August 17 hearing is expected to be a procedural court appearance rather than the trial itself. At that hearing, the court is expected to address preliminary matters, including the defendant’s plea and scheduling the case for future proceedings. 

That means this is not the stage of the process where a large public show of support would have the greatest impact. 

Once a trial date or other significant court proceedings are set, SMART-TD will share that information with our members. If and when it’s appropriate for us to fill the courtroom in support of Brother Mullen and Local 1933, SMART News will be sure to provide all the details. We won’t miss the opportunity to rally around him and make it clear to the courts that we are serious about protecting transportation workers. 

Brother Reed and other leaders in 1933 have already demonstrated what solidarity looks like. Now we owe it to Dennis to be patient, respect the legal process, and be ready to stand with him when it matters most. 

Brotherhood Isn’t Just a Word 

The legal process will play out over the months ahead, but Dennis’s real fight is happening right now in the ICU. 

He needs our prayers. His family needs our support. 

When Dennis begins the long road home, let’s make sure he knows that while he was fighting for his life, thousands of his union brothers and sisters were standing shoulder to shoulder with him. 

That’s what Brotherhood looks like.

When a railroader is lost on duty, the investigation belongs to the NTSB and the FRA.

Taking care of our own? That part belongs to us.

Brother Scott Shoemaker of SMART-TD Local 0002 was killed while on duty on July 9. Because the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigation, along with SMART-TD’s National Safety Team, remains ongoing, we cannot comment on the circumstances surrounding Scott’s death.

What we can talk about is the man.

Scott spent 22 years as a Norfolk Southern conductor, providing for his family and earning the respect of his brothers and sisters on the railroad. He leaves behind his wife, Carol, their children, Melissa and Joshua, and a family now facing the unimaginable.

Railroaders have always understood something that cannot be written into any rule book or labor agreement: when one of our own is gone, we don’t leave their family to face the burden alone.

A GoFundMe fundraiser has been established to help Carol and the Shoemaker family with final expenses and the challenges that lie ahead. If you are able, we ask you to consider making a contribution. No donation is too small, and if you cannot give, sharing the fundraiser is another meaningful way to help.

There will come a time to learn what happened. Today is about remembering our Brother and standing beside the family he loved so deeply.

Thank you for showing the Shoemaker family what the SMART-TD family is all about.

For generations, SMART-TD members and retirees have relied on our union’s newspaper as a trusted source of information. Our union takes pride in connecting you to the work being done on your behalf and the stories that define our union. That tradition matters, and it will continue. But how we deliver that information is evolving.

After careful consideration, SMART-TD is transitioning from our traditional, standalone printed newspaper and moving to a primarily digital format. At the same time, we will be merging our SMART-TD newspaper content with the SMART Members’ Journal, which has long been published on the Sheet Metal side of our union. Going forward, key SMART-TD updates, including legal notices and highlights from our quarterly reporting, will appear in an expanded section of the Journal dedicated to the Transportation Division, while our full coverage will be available online.

This decision was not made lightly. We understand that many of our members and retirees feel strongly about having a printed newspaper. But we also have a responsibility to be good stewards of your dues.

Printing and mailing a nationwide publication is expensive, and those costs have only increased in today’s environment. Paper, ink, and postage continue to rise.

 At the same time, the content in our quarterly newspaper is largely drawn from the daily reporting we already provide through our website, social media, the SMART App, and our Daily Newswire e-mails.

Over the past year and a half, SMART-TD’s Communications Department has shifted its strategy to meet members where they are today. We now produce original content five days a week, covering local union activity, legislation affecting our crafts, leadership updates, safety issues, and more. These daily stories are timely, accessible, and immediately relevant. They are also the same stories that have traditionally been compiled into our quarterly newspaper.

We recognize the value of those collections. But producing them in print comes at a high cost, especially when the same information is already widely available in real time.

We’ve also asked you, our members, how you prefer to receive union news and updates. Consistently, the printed newspaper has ranked among the lowest. Members today are choosing faster, more direct ways to stay informed, and SMART-TD is adapting to reflect that reality.

This change allows us to reduce significant expenses while continuing (and expanding) our ability to keep you informed. The savings realized from printing and postage can be redirected toward the priorities that matter most: fighting for your safety, your pay, and your quality of life.

We know this won’t be welcome news for everyone. As long as there have been railroads in this country, there’s been one constant: railroaders don’t like change. We respect that. But this decision is about responsibility. It’s about ensuring that your union uses your dues wisely and effectively.

SMART-TD remains fully committed to keeping both active members and retirees informed and engaged in this union’s activities. Our website, Daily Newswire, social media platforms, and the SMART Members’ Journal will continue to provide comprehensive, reliable coverage of everything happening across our union.

This was a difficult decision. But it is the right one for the future of our organization and the majority of our membership.

We appreciate your understanding, your engagement, and your continued solidarity.

SMART-TD Communications Team

TD-DL-News@smart-union.org

(216) 227-5283

Railroads and trucking companies have competed over freight for generations. That’s nothing new. But here’s a question that’s been kicked around railroad crew rooms for years: Can a rail union that’s ultimately part of an organization representing 20 Truckers for every one Railroader put our interests first?

The BLE-T represents a lot of railroaders. It’s the second biggest union in the rail industry behind SMART-TD. It isn’t a small labor organization by any standard, but it is part of the 1.3 million-member International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT).

Even counting every rail employee in the Teamsters Rail Conference, which includes the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (BMWE), railroaders make up only about five or six percent of the Teamsters’ total membership.

A recent Washington Examiner opinion piece explores that very question through the lens of the proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger.

In a seperate news article out this week, Peter Roff of Real Clear Markets is asking the same exact question. Whether you agree with their conclusions or not, these articles raise a worthwhile conversation. Give them a read and decide for yourself.

For the Washington Examiner

READ: The Teamsters’ Union Pacific-Norfolk Southern opposition sacrifices the wrong members ►

For Real Clear Markets

READ: Union “NIMBY-ism” Shouldn’t Deter the Union Pacific/Norfolk Southern Combination ►

SMART-TD members who enjoy hunting, shooting sports, and the outdoors have another reason to check out the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) 2027 Calendar.

In celebration of the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance’s 20th Anniversary, this year’s calendar includes an exciting new contest. 20 specially marked Golden Calendars have been randomly inserted into the print run.

Members who receive one of these rare calendars and complete the required registration process will receive a Benelli M2 shotgun in Mossy Oak Bottomland, valued at approximately $1,829.

With roughly 16,250 calendars being printed, the odds of receiving a Golden Calendar are about 1 in 800.

USA’s Mission

If you aren’t familiar with the Union Sportsman Alliance, it is a great organization that every SMART-TD member is eligible to be a part of. They hold events all around the country to bring our families and our union families together through hunting, fishing, shooting, and all things outdoors.

In their 20 years of serving the labor movement, they have also become one of the country’s largest and most effective conservation organizations. They work to maintain wildlife habitats, restore national parks, and involve union members from different labor organizations in all kinds of crafts in mentoring programs that introduce the youth to the outdoors.

Becoming a part of the USA is as easy as filling out their registration form.

30% Savings on Ammunition

In addition to the prize opportunities, Union Sportsmen’s Alliance members enjoy exclusive discounts on ammunition and other outdoor gear through USA member benefits, making membership valuable long after the calendar arrives. Saving 30% on Liberty Ammunition is just another reason it pays to be a member of the USA, and of SMART-TD.

Don’t Forget to Register

If you order a 2027 calendar, be sure to inspect it when it arrives. A winning Golden Calendar will have a special gold emblem inside the back cover. Winners must register their calendar and complete the required verification process within the promotion’s deadlines to claim their prize. All firearm transfers are subject to applicable federal, state, and local laws and must be completed through a federally licensed firearms dealer.

The Union Sportsmen’s Alliance has long partnered with unions like SMART-TD to support conservation projects, preserve our outdoor heritage, and provide members with unique recreational opportunities. Purchasing the 2027 annual calendar is another way members can support that mission while enjoying the chance to win some outstanding prizes.

To learn more or order your 2027 Union Sportsmen’s Alliance Calendar, visit the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance website.