volume 50 • number 7 • august 2018 i seattle regional ...brazilian jiujitsu academy in...

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Transportation Division NewsVolume 50 • Number 7 • August 2018

l AROUND SMART TD: A vice chairperson’s efforts help establishnew business for carrier, Page 2.

l REGIONAL MEETING SITE: San Diego will host 2019’s loneregional meeting, Page 3.

l STATE WATCH: Legislative directors continue fighting to improve laws, Page 5.

l ALUMNI NEWS: The latest audit of the railroad retirement systemsays it’ll be fiscally healthy until2047, Page 6.

l TOURIST RR SOLD: White Pass &Yukon changes hands, Page 9.

l SOFA UPDATE: Severe injuriesresulting from switching accidentswere up in 2017 compared with2016, Page 9.

Inside this issue of SMART TD News

International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers

SMART Transportation Division President John Previsich answers questions that were submitted through the SMART TD mobile app during the closing sessionof the Seattle Regional Meeting on July 4.

Union leadership takes aim at Janus decision’s attack

New bills introducedto protectbus drivers

SMART Transportation Di-vision leaders announcedtheir support for the Bus Op-erator and Pedestrian Pro-tection Act introduced inJune in the U.S. House ofRepresentatives by Con-gresswoman Grace F.Napolitano (D – Calif.) andCongressman John Katko(R — N.Y.).

The act’s companion bill,S.3215, was introduced July16 by U.S. Sen. Chris VanHollen, a Maryland Democ-rat.

“Ensuring a safe work en-vironment for transit opera-tors is crucial to improvingour transportation systemfor both passengers andemployees,” Van Hollensaid. “This legislation makesa long overdue push to im-prove safety conditions forthese men and women —and invests the resources tomake it happen.”

Incidents of assaults onbus operators occur dailyand threaten the safety ofboth our members and theriding public. Countlessnews reports of incidents in-volving spitting, beatingsand stabbings by unrulypassengers have leftSMART TD bus drivers asvictims of frequent violence.

“Every day we hear majornews stories of bus driversbeing beaten, having itemsthrown at them, spitted

Continued on Page 5

SEATTLE REGIONAL MEETING

SEATTLE — SMART Transportation DivisionPresident John Previsich answered questionsfrom members about the Janus decision, up-coming 2019 national rail labor contract negoti-ations and discussed new technologicalinitiatives as the July re-gional meeting came to aclose.

The Janus decision af-fects a handful of propertiesthat have SMART TD repre-sentation, but leaves railproperties relatively un-scathed for the time being,Previsich said.

“The result of this decision will not directly af-

Continued on Page 3

MORE ONTHE JANUSDECISION APPEARSON PAGES 3 & 4.

SEATTLE — SMART Trans-portation Division PresidentJohn Previsich announcedJuly 4, on the final day of theSeattle Regional Meeting, thelocation of 2019’s regionalmeeting.

The Hilton San DiegoBayfront, which was the loca-tion of the 2014 SMART TDconvention, will welcomeSMART TD’s regional meetingJuly 1 to 3, 2019.

San Diego will be the loneregional meeting next year because it is a convention year.

2019 regional meeting to be in San Diego

The Hilton San Diego Bayfront will hostthe lone regional meeting for SMART TDin 2019.

Conductor leads Union Pacific to new opportunities

Around the SMART TD

www.smart-union.org/td • www.utuia.org

August 2018 SMART TD News

Local 1245, Atlanta, Ga.

Local 674, Augusta, Ga.

Members gathered to-gether in the Atlanta areafor a dinner to educate newNorfolk Southern hiresabout the benefits of join-ing SMART TD in June.

“When the windowopened for our committeeto invest our resources andtime to meet potentialmembers of SMART TD,we moved rapidly in assist-ing in the organizing ofthese meetings and provid-

ing help where needed,”said General ChairpersonTommy Gholson of GO898. “These future mem-bers will remember theunion that stood beforethem first and took time ed-ucating them on railroadoperations coupled with thebenefits of belonging toSMART. There is only oneopportunity to make a firstimpression.”

Local 1409, Kansas City, Kan.

Local 1687, Belen, N.M.

SMART Transportation Division members who are conductors for New Jersey Transit pose in their new shirts May 31 aftersigning up with the SMART Army group in this photo provided by LCA/GCA Secretary Scott Spratt. For more informationand to join the SMART Army’s activist efforts, text “SMART” to 21333 and follow the prompts. Message and data ratesmay apply.

KK Peterson, left, pictured with Local Chair-person Jay Gibson, retired from CSX at theend of May after 56 years of railroad serv-ice. Peterson hired on with the GeorgiaRailroad on Aug. 17, 1962, and SMART TDwishes him well in retirement!

LCA 610C, New Jersey Transit

Members of Local 1409 and others presented a UTU PAC check to Stuart Sweeney, who is run-ning for the Kansas House 38th District. Front row, from left, are Local 527 President Nick Davis,Legislative Representative Dan Bonawitz, Sweeney, Local President Mark Page, Vice LocalChairperson Chris Miller, Trustee Adam Rulon and Local Chairperson Mike Martinez. Back row,from left, are Benny Goolsby, Trustee David Vest, Jesse Peden, Assistant Legislative Represen-tative Shawn Savage and Secretary & Treasurer Johnny Danner.

Local 1245 member Felicia Jones speaks to Norfolk Southern new hiresabout what to expect when working as a conductor for the carrier in June.

Member Rochelle Bea-mon of Local 1785 was hon-ored by Santa Monica,Calif.’s city manager with thecity’s “Elaine” award. Bea-mon, an operator for Big BlueBus (BBB), was called a heroafter she avoided a man onan electric scooter whoswerved into her lane.

“I saw him, looked left and

felt very grateful that it turnedout the way it did. It feelsgreat to know that I savedsomeone’s life,” Beamon saidwhen she received theaward.

Each week, City ManagerRick Cole honors someonewith an Elaine award to a cityemployee who exemplifiesthe city’s commitment to ex-

cellent service.SMART TD congratulates

Beamon on her excellentdriving skills and on a jobwell done.

The BBB service areaspans more than 58 squaremiles of greater Los Angelesand its buses provide over16.5 million rides for cus-tomers each year.

Local 1785, Santa Monica, Calif.

Jebidiah Osborn, a locomotiveengineer for NewMexico Rail Run-ner Express, hashoned his BrazilianJiu-Jitsu skills tochampion level.

Osborn, 40,trains at CoyoteBrazilian JiuJitsuAcademy in Albuquerque and wonfirst place in April in the master’sbeginner heavyweight division atGrapplefest 28 in Rio Rancho, N.M.

“Jeb is here training in Jiu-Jitsuevery chance he gets. He strives tolearn and improve every time hesteps on the mat,” said his trainer,Professor Daniel “Coyote” Souza.

Osborn

Union Pacific conductor and GCA225 Vice Chairperson Bob Albaproved how much impact one em-ployee can have on the railroad withtwo viable new business leads. Hismost recent idea came after listen-ing to a cement company’s rail con-cerns. Alba offered a solution: workwith Union Pacific.

Alba operates out of Jones Island,Wis., a port owned by the city of Mil-waukee.

“It’s neutral territory, so there’strue competition with other rail-roads,” Alba said. “We regularlyswitched the cement company’scars out of the way, and I figuredsince I’m doing the work anyway,let’s get paid for it.”

Alba reached out to UP customercare, where he was connected withTaylor Holterman, senior consultant-marketing and sales.

“Working with Taylor was great,”Alba said. “She showed tremen-dous interest in what I was doingand ran with the idea.”

After listening to Alba’s recom-mendation, Holterman collaboratedwith marketing leads Carey Wilcoxand Cori Bumgardner for pricingrates for UP and customer Lafarge-Holcim.

“Bob was vital in providing the ini-tial business lead and operationalinsight,” Holterman said. “He con-sistently followed up on the transi-tion progress, got initial shipments

moving and lookedfor ways to makethe shippingprocess smootherand more efficient.

“The service Bobprovided on thelocal encouragedthe customer to

make the switch to UP.”After 40 years on the railroad with

Chicago North Western and UP,Alba knows what it takes to keepcustomers happy.

“An excellent customer experi-ence starts with understanding thecustomer’s needs,” Alba said. “Theyhave manpower concerns just likethe railroad, so we try to set a con-sistent and convenient servicingschedule whenever possible.

“If I’m going to be late that day, Itry to let them know right away, giv-ing them the opportunity to re-arrange manpower, which makes allthe difference in the world.”

Alba now provides weekday serv-ice to LafargeHolcim hauling fly ash,a byproduct of coal burning used inthe production of cement.

“They love our service,” Alba said.“We’ve tripled their original order,and they are expanding their workwith us.”

Last year, Alba contacted anotherrepresentative about a different op-portunity. After a year, that companyalso is ready to give UP a try.

Alba



fect anyone who works forBNSF, UP, CSX, NS, mostof your short lines…” hesaid.

“Where we do have aconcern is our operationsthat are operated by publicagencies — typically it’ll bea municipal bus company,”Previsich said. “We’ve hadmeetings with each andevery property. They’ve al-ready been contacted, theyknow what to do and we’llgo ahead and work our waythrough.”

It’s those future attacksfrom anti-labor interestsand court cases that we’llhave to be aware of in thisera where all branches ofgovernment are stackedagainst labor, he said.

“They’re not done yet —we’re going to see more ofit,” Previsich said. “Not onlyare both houses of Con-gress lined up against us,the White House is lined upagainst us and theSupreme Court is lined upagainst us.”

To fight back, unionbrothers and sisters, theirfriends, neighbors, familiesand others will need to voteand get the word out on is-sues important to theunion, such as safety.

“Elections matter,” Pre-visich said.

SEATTLE — SMART GeneralPresident Joseph Sellers Jr. saidJuly 3 that the union will move in aunified direction at all levels in thefight against the ongoing attack onlabor by monied right-wing interests.

His call to action at the second dayof the SMART Transportation Divi-sion Regional Meeting came a weekafter the Janus v. AFSCME case thatoverturned the ability of public sectorunions to collect agency fees from“free-riders” — people who are rep-resented by a union and benefit fromunion negotiating on areas such ashealth care and contract negotiationsbut do not pay dues.

“Our theme — Strength throughUnity — that is perfect and appropri-ate for this time,” Sellers said. “Weneed to roll our sleeves up. We needto put sweat equity into the changesthat we need to make on behalf ofour union, on behalf of your local, on

the behalf of the good and the wel-fare of our members and members tocome.”

The 5-4 decision in a fractured U.S.Supreme Court drives a wedge be-tween unions and the financial re-sources unions have to spendrepresenting workers, weakeningunions’ ability to represent and pro-tect workers, Sellers said.

Janus is a reversal of the 1977precedent-setting Abood v. DetroitBoard of Education case, a 9-0 deci-sion made by what SMART Trans-portation Division General CounselKevin Brodar described Monday asa “who’s who” of Supreme Court jus-tices. Current Justice Samuel Alitoand four other conservative justicesbanded together for the reversal.

“This is supposed to be the mosthonorable court in the world, themost independent court in the world,but this is a radical act — a radical

act to undo decades — four decades— of precedent,” Sellers said.

And already the agents of big busi-ness are beginning campaigns toreach out to members of the affectedpublic-sector unions — traipsingthrough neighborhoods and knockingon doors, trying to convince mem-bers to stop supporting their union fi-nancially.

“They’re going out there andthey’re spending their money and theKoch brothers, as we heard yester-day, continue to go after unions andworking people and working fami-lies,” Sellers said.

Those big-money business peoplehate that unions such as SMART andother AFL-CIO members have finan-cial resources to leverage — theJanus decision is one way thoseone-percenters are trying to reducelabor’s clout, divide unions and also

SMART General President Joseph Sellers Jr. addresses the second day of the TD Seattle Regional Meeting on July 3 at the Westin Hotel.

Continued from Page 1

Our leadershiptakes aim at Janusdecision’s attackon unions

Sellers: Unity at all levelswill help in fight after Janus

Continued on Page 4

Previsich discusses politics, negotiations and tech initiativesSEATTLE — In a ques-

tion-answer session on theSeattle Regional Meeting’sfinal day, Transportation Di-vision President John Pre-visich answered questionsregarding politics, upcomingnegotations and technology.

Regarding the considera-tion of some members’ moreconservative viewpoints:.

“We welcome a free andhonest dialogue and discus-sion about a number of is-sues,” Previsich said. “Butthe one thing that we needto do, that we’re going to doand what we are going tocontinue to do is to educateour members about our is-sues.”

Some members may havestrong feelings on conserva-tive issues, but those issuesneed to be balanced withthe impact it will have ontheir livelihood and theirfamilies, he said.

“Not everybody is going tovote the way I would likethem to vote, I understandthat,” Previsich said. “Butwhat I do want, and I thinkwhat we all want, is forthose votes to be educatedvotes. We want people cast-ing their ballots to knowwhat the issues are.”

Also ahead is the start ofnegotiations for a new na-tional rail contract, which isopen in 2019, with a number

of details to be determined.Previsich said that the

joint negotiating tactics byunions that were successfulin the last contract will be re-peated at least at the outsetof the new talks as the carri-ers offer up their resistance.

“Going into those negotia-tions, there are some thingsyou can count on,” he said.“Number 1, they won’t wantto give us any more money;Number 2, they’re going towant to attack our health-care … they’re going to goafter our work rules. That’sstandard, that happensevery time.”

The labor side is wellaware of the breaks the car-

riers got with the Republicantax plan that was passed inlate 2017, and that will defi-nitely be in play during con-tract talks, Previsich said.

“Our job this time is to geta better deal than we gotlast time. That’s what we’relooking for — that’s whatwe’re always looking for,” hesaid. “They can’t hide be-hind finances. Not only dothey have record revenuesand record profits, it’s recordtax cuts, record givebacks,record stock buybacks…theeconomics are going towork in our favor this timearound.”

SMART TD also is improv-ing its technological base,

Previsich said.“One of the things we are

trying to do is leverage tech-nology in a way that is goingto improve our communica-tions” Previsich said.

Questions were submittedvia the upgraded and im-proved SMART TD app. Itcan be downloaded from theApple App Store or throughGoogle. More information isavailable at www.smart-union.org/td/mobile.

Also ahead are upgradesfrom the decades-old legacysystem to help improve howlocal secretaries and treas-urers do their jobs.



Joseph Sellers Jr.SMART General President

[email protected]

Richard L. McCleesSMART General Secretary-Treasurer

[email protected]

Contact us: [email protected]: 216-228-9400

Fax: 216-228-5755

S H E E T M E T A L | A I R | R A I L | T R A N S P O R T A T I O N

T R A N S P O R T A T I O N D I V I S I O N

John PrevisichSMART Transportation Division President

[email protected] Risch

SMART Transportation Division National Legislative Director

[email protected]

to lower wages and bene-fits for workers.

It’s already evident in the28 right-to-work-for-lessstates, where benefits andwages decline across theboard. Workplace safetyalso deteriorates, with oc-cupational fatalities inthose states going up 14percent in the 24 yearsthat right-to-work-for-lesshas existed, Sellers said.

“This is big business andthis is the far-right. This isthe majority at this time …but with our heart and ourhard work, that will end inNovember,” Sellers said.“That is where our strengthcomes from — 200,000members in our organiza-tion working togetherpulling on the rope to-gether in the same direc-tion, making sure that weare not weakened.”

He called upon localchairpeople to intensifytheir organizational effortsand communication — theunion’s “grassroots cam-

paign.”“We need to make sure

that we have our game to-gether,” Sellers said. “Weneed to make sure that weeducate our members. Wehave a mid-term electioncoming up, and we canchange that paradigm, butit’s not going to happen byitself. It’s not going to hap-pen without our hard work.

“We need to be laser-fo-cused as we fight back andtake back one or possiblytwo branches of this gov-ernment.”

Sellers said that theSMART Army’s community

activism efforts, face-to-face contact and the use ofavenues such as socialmedia and text messagingwill also help makeSMART stronger, moreunited and improve com-munication with members.

“We need to make surethat we, at every level ofthis organization, are fight-ing back with one voice,”he said.

To join the SMART Armyand stay up to date, mem-bers should text “SMART”to 21333 and follow theprompts. Messaging anddata rates may apply.


Sellers: Unity at all levels will help defeat Janus attack Coming in the September print edition of the SMART TD News:

Photos from both regional meetings

SEATTLE — Strength,unity and education will bethe way to fight the UnitedStates Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision last week onJanus v. AFSCME 31 thatoverturned more than fourdecades of legal precedent.

That was the messagegiven at the opening ses-sion of the SMART Trans-portation Division RegionalMeeting on July 1 in Seat-tle.

The 49-page decisionwritten by Justice SamuelAlito and supported by thefour other conservative jus-tices eliminates the abilityof public sector unions tocollect agency fees fromthose employees who re-fuse to be union members,yet still receive the benefitsnegotiated by unions.

“Janus is something thatis indicative of an anti-labormovement in certain partsof the government thatthey’re working very hardto take away the rights andprivileges that we haveworked for for a number of

years,” SMART Transporta-tion Division PresidentJohn Previsich said.

SMART TD GeneralCounsel Kevin Brodar ex-plained to attendees themagnitude of the decisionand how the conservativetilt of the court, achievedwith the installation of Pres-ident Donald Trump’s nomi-nee Neil Gorsuch, posesan ongoing menace tolabor.

“It is everything wethought it would be,” Bro-dar describe the Janus de-cision, written by Alito.“From every page drips hiscontempt for labor andunions. This is less a legalopinion as it is a right-wingmanifesto against labor.That’s the sad story.

“Justice Alito and his Fed-eralist Society conspiratorsare once again trying to sellthe public on a two-cen-tury-old idea that organizedlabor is nothing more thanlegalized extortion. Havinglost the battle of ideas overthe years because unions

are still here, they havetaken the idea that theycan strangle unions out ofexistence by ending theirfunding.”

Janus overturns the 9-0decision in Abood v. DetroitBoard of Education madein the 1970s in which, Bro-dar said, “some of theheaviest hitters in the legalfield” all agreed that unionshad the power to collectagency fees from “free-rid-ers,” non-paying memberswho still received benefitsnegotiated by the unions.

“This is essentially agreen light to anyone whowants to stop paying uniondues in the public sector,”Brodar said. “The idea is todrain union coffers of theirmoney, drain them of their

political clout, drain them ofthe ability to represent theirmembers. With that, disap-pears a decent wage, pen-sion plans, health care —all gone. That’s the plan ofthis case.”

The Janus decision is an-other attack on the UnitedStates labor movement,Brodar said — the newestmoment in a long line of re-sistance against peopleuniting for a common causeto improve their lives.

“This case is an attack onworking people. It’s an at-tack not just on public sec-tor unions, but all of us inthis room. This is an attackon every member of thisunion,” Brodar said. “Nomatter how many bayonetsand bullets they used, they

couldn’t kill the idea. Theycouldn’t kill the cause. Itexists today. Why is that?Because this is a righteousand just cause. And you, allof you here, are the heirs tothat cause.”

The fight will continue,Brodar said, and he urgedmembers to come together,educate themselves and beprepared to battle future ef-forts to weaken the powerof labor and tip the scalesin the favor of the carriers.

“This is not the last shot.There will be many moreshots coming. It’s up to usto respond,” Brodar said.

“If this union disappears,there are dark days ahead.There are dark days rightnow — there will be an-other Supreme Court ap-pointment who won’t be alabor-friendly guy.

“What we need is solidar-ity. It’s solidarity thatbrought us here,” Brodarsaid. “There’s work to bedone, and it’s time.”

The Janus decision: 40 years of precedent tossed

“We need to put sweat equity into the changes that weneed to make on behalf of our union, on behalf of yourlocal, on the behalf of the good and the welfare of ourmembers and members to come.”

General President Joseph Sellers Jr.

“The idea is to drain union coffers of theirmoney, drain them of their political clout, drainthem of the ability to represent their members.With that, disappears a decent wage, pensionplans, health care — all gone.”

General Counsel Kevin Brodar



State Watch News from SMART TD State Legislative Boards

upon, and verbally abused.LA Metro, for instance,which operates in my dis-trict, experiences approxi-mately 130 assaults on busdrivers per year,” Napolitanosaid in a June news release.“This is an unthinkable ex-perience for drivers, and italso has major safety im-pacts on passengers, mo-torists and pedestrians, asthese assaults often occurwhile the bus is moving.”

A college student criticallyinjured in a stabbing April 9while he rode on a busowned by Montebello BusLines (MBL) died in June ofhis injury. Members ofSMART TD Local 1701serve MBL and have ex-pressed their outrage thatmore hasn’t been done to

protect passengers and op-erators alike.

“People are crazy outthere. Please don’t sweepthis under the rug,” Local1701 Chairperson CeciliaLopez told Montebello CityCouncil at a meeting imme-diately after the stabbing.“What does it take to makesure our employees aresafe?”

As detailed in an articlethat appeared in the SMARTTD News online edition inMarch, your union is contin-uing its efforts to create anenvironment where bus op-erators and other trans-portation workers do nothave to do their jobs underthe threat of potential vio-lence. The bills introducedby the representatives andsenator are a step towardthat ultimate goal.

“There have been grue-some, inexcusable acts thathave been committed on ourbus members includingshootings, stabbings andbeatings, and little has beendone about it. We need ade-quate driver shields andmandatory de-escalationtraining,” said National Leg-islative Director JohnRisch. “I want to thank Rep-resentatives Napolitano andKatko for developing and in-troducing this importantpiece of legislation. Ourpledge is to continue to workwith Congress and the ad-ministration to ensure allbus operators are given theprotection they deserve.”

Both the House and Sen-ate version of the legislationrequire transit agencies todevelop Bus OperationsSafety Risk Reduction Pro-

grams by implementingphysical barriers to preventoperator assaults, de-esca-lation training for bus driv-ers, driver-assistedtechnology to reduce acci-dents and modified busspecifications or retrofits toreduce visibility impair-ments.

“There is no higher prioritythan operator safety. On adaily basis, we see reportsof drivers getting assaultedand having their lives irre-versibly changed becausethey were behind the con-trols just doing theirjobs,” said SMART TD BusDepartment Vice PresidentCalvin Studivant. “This crit-ical legislation will signifi-cantly improve bus driversafety through risk reductionprograms and other safetyrequirements.”

The Bus Operator andPedestrian Protection Actand its Senate companionbill continue to build onSMART TD’s efforts to pro-tect bus drivers and elimi-nate operator assaults, butthe effort of members isneeded to get political lead-ers to support the legislationvia the Legislative ActionCenter.

H.R. 6016 as of July 24had 36 cosponsors — twoRepublicans and 34 Democ-rats. It has been referred tothe Subcommittee on High-ways and Transit.

S.3215 has been referredto the Senate’s Committeeon Banking, Housing, andUrban Affairs and co-spon-sors are being sought.

SEATTLE — SMART Transporta-tion Division’s Washington State Leg-islative Board, represented byLegislative Director Herb Krohn,gave awards to a number of statelegislators supportive of the union’ssafety efforts at July’s regional meet-ing.

Receiving Golden Spike Awards for“exemplary leadership in advocatingfor legislation to protect the safety ofboth railroad workers and the gen-eral public” were state Sens. SteveConway (D – Dist. 29) and PattyKuderer (D – Dist. 48).

When receiving his award, Conwaytalked about the need for multiple-person crews on trains and the vitalsupport crewmembers provide to firstresponders when a rail accident hap-pens.

“We’re going to get that bill,” Con-way said. “We’re going to get itpassed.”

Kuderer, an attorney who workedon a number of railroad-relatedcases, is a “magnificent advocate”for rail safety, Krohn said, and had ahand in the state hearings regardingthe aftermaths of both the 1993Kelso accident and the 2015 Stam-pede Pass incident in which a traincame apart during a blizzard.

In her speech accepting the award,Kuderer talked about how her grand-father, a union railroader, and laterher grandmother could stay in theirhome after retirement thanks to apension that unions fought for andprotected.

However, the recent Janus v. AF-SCME decision places those thingsin jeopardy.

“There’s direct evidence thatunions work and they’re not the prob-


New bills introduced in the U.S. House and in the U.S. Senate to help protect bus operators

TD’s Washington board honors legislators at Seattle meeting

Washington state Sen. John Conway accepts his Golden Spike award from Washington State Legislative Director Herb Krohn as SMART TD PresidentJohn Previsich looks on at the Seattle Regional Meeting.

Transportation Division President John Previsich congratu-lates Washington state Sen. Patty Kuderer on receiving aGolden Spike award at the Seattle Regional Meeting.

Washington state Sen. Steve Hobbs addresses attendees on July 3, the second day ofthe Seattle Regional Meeting after receiving a Golden Lantern award.Continued on Page 8

The chief actuary of theRailroad Retirement Board(RRB) said in his triennial re-port that the railroad retire-ment fund will remain solventwith no cash flow problemsfor nearly three decades, bar-ring any unforeseen drops inrail worker employment overthat time.

The positive forecast ledthe reviewers to concludethat the RRB payroll tax

structure should remain un-changed at present, yet theyalso warned that future joblosses could jeopardize thesystem in years to come.

“The long-term stability ofthe system, however, is notassured,” Chief ActuaryFrank J. Buzzi and his staffwrote. “Under the current fi-nancing structure, actual lev-els of railroad employmentand investment return over

the coming years will deter-mine whether additional cor-rective action is necessary.”

Chief Actuary Frank Buzziand his staff said in the re-port, submitted by RRB inmid-June to President Don-ald Trump, Vice PresidentMichael Pence and Speakerof the House Paul Ryan, thatcash flow for rail retirementappears stable until 2047.

“The conclusion is that,

barring a sudden, unantici-pated, large drop in railroademployment of substantial in-vestment losses, the railroadretirement system will experi-ence no cash flow problemsduring the next 29 years.”Frank Buzzi and his staffwrote.

The review assumed threescenarios for passenger andfreight railroad employmentfrom 2017 and the years

after and projected the statusof the system out to 2091.n Scenario 1 (optimistic):Average railroad employmentstarts at 223,000, with pas-senger rail employmentsteady at 48,000 workersand a constant annual de-cline in freight rail employ-ment of 0.5 percent for 25years at a reducing rate overthe next 25 years and then



News and information for members of the SMART TD Alumni Association

Becoming a member costs just $9 a year! To enroll, call 216-228-9400,email [email protected] visit www.smart-union.org/td/alumni.

T H E F I N A L C A L L

Following are the names of recently deceased members who maintained annual membership in the SMART TD Alumni Association, according to reports received at SMART TDHeadquarters. These brothers and sisters will be missed by their many friends and by fellow SMART TD Alumni Association members.

Local Name City/State Local Name City/State

7 Bruner Jr., Chester A. North Platte, Neb.14 Lance, Harrison C. Huntsville, Tenn.14 Taylor, James E. Helenwood, Tenn.31 Dewald, Donald G. Capitola, Calif.113 Jensrud, Roy O. Gallup, N.M.194 Yonke, William L. Elkhart, Ind.195 Jacquinot, Clarence R. Loveland, Colo.196 Duncan, J. T. Centralia, Ill.226 Bain, Forrest L. Moulton, Iowa240 Haile, Jack E. Forsyth, Mo.281 Robinson, Eugene D. Dickinson, N.D.284 Stewart, James T. Bedford, Ohio293 Coleman, Weldon R. Houston, Texas318 Congdon, John J. Canisteo, N.Y.318 Steinbacher, Michael C. Montoursville, Pa.322 Habeck, William W. Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.338 Driskill, Billy G. Chickamauga, Ga.376 Halstead, Richard C. Shepherdsville, Ky.376 Sturgill, George M. Shepherdsville, Ky.421 Humphrey, Clifford G. New Castle, Pa.465 Kintner, Dennis I. Gillette, Wyo.471 True, Robert B. Beavercreek, Ore.490 Broshears, Rodney V. Haubstadt, Ind.498 McLaughlin, Edward D. Bethlehem, Pa.533 Eble Jr., George Osawatomie, Kan.590 Cole, Bruce C. Sebring, Fla.

607 Rogers, Ralph L. Koshkonong, Mo.653 Hawker, Norman J. Tinley Park, Ill.662 Harris, Crawford W. Appomattox, Va.663 Larson, Charles E. Brownville, Maine792 Corello, Edward C. Aurora, Ohio792 Henry, Charles E. Norwalk, Ohio854 Early, Ira C. Charlottsville, Va.891 Burns, Eugene R. Missoula, Mont.894 Shearer Jr., William C. Claremore, Okla.904 Gish, Alvin L. Evansville, Ind.904 Hicks, James M. Lees Summit, Mo.915 Jones, Clayton D. South Charleston, W.Va.924 Sutton, Alvin L. Richmond, Va.1000 Scudder, Floyd M. Verndale, Minn.1006 Morgan, Ronald A. Washington, Pa.1007 Brown, Arlen G. Punta Gorda, Fla.1011 Odom Jr., Grover C. Gibson, N.C.1035 Johnson, Frank H. Trilby, Fla.1053 McClure, Perry H. Daphne, Ala.1053 Mizelle, Henry A. Selma, Ala.1075 Walls, Jeffrey, L. Carleton, Mich.1137 Brunette, Terry J. Moorhead, Minn.1137 Debrito, Frank L. Moorhead, Minn.1138 Roettger Jr., Ralph Cashiers, N.C.1168 Brian, Russell E. Clovis, N.M.1227 Dodd, Earl L. El Reno, Okla.

Local Name City/State

1301 Ottinger, Paul E. Knoxville, Tenn. 1312 Baber, Alonzo Pensacola, Fla.1313 Cornish, Dan B. Amarillo, Texas1315 Hill, Ralph H. Corbin, Ky.1337 Chelette, Gary W. Greenwell Springs, La.1344 Lantz, Albert C. Dickinson, N.D.1361 McKay, Irving J. East Haven, Conn.1365 Bugno, Edward M. Youngstown, Ohio1390 Slingland, Benjamin F. Phillipsburg, N.J.1402 Baker, Donald G. Dupo, Ill.1470 Buettner, Max R. Sarasota, Fla.1473 Collins, James M. Ashland, Mass.1525 Dye, Raymond H. Paducah, Ky.1529 Willet, Francis J. Bradner, Ohio1548 Westerfield, Edward R. Indianapolis, Ind.1570 Figgeroa, Barry A. Atascadero, Calif.1571 Dillon, Delphin D. El Paso, Texas1813 Harwell, Timothy M. Yacaipa, Calif.1814 Birch, Ronald Waterloo, S.C.1928 Tongret, Irvin S. Uhrichsville, Ohio1929 Childress, Jimmy L. Fayetteville, Tenn.1948 Harmocy, John D. New Waterford, Ohio1949 Nerone, Armand G. Akron, Ohio1957 Simmons, Marscine E. Silsbee, Texas1973 Hendrix, Dana C. Johnson City, Tenn.1977 Headland, Arland L. Mattawa, Wash.

Rail Retirement appears solvent until 2047, barring job drop

Local 1299, Chicago, Ill.LCA Illinois Central Local

Chairperson Todd W. Lar-son, 49, lost his battle withcancer July 12. A member ofLocal 1299 in Chicago sinceMarch 2008, Larson held vari-ous positions with the local in-cluding local legislativerepresentative and local alter-nate legislative representa-tive.

“Todd did an excellent jobrepresenting our membershipin Chicago, and his contribu-tions to the labor movementare invaluable,” said GeneralChairperson Adren Craw-

ford. “We are saddened bythe news of his passing andsend our deepest condo-lences to his family. He willbe greatly missed.”

Larson is survived by hiswife Christine Larson; daugh-ters Meagan (Nathan) Dulnyand Krystal Larson; motherRita Larson; and grandchil-dren Zoe and Chloe Dulny.He was preceded in death byhis father, Terry Larson.

In lieu of flowers, the familyasks that a memorial dona-tion be made to the charity ofyour choice.

Continued on Page 9

Rowland “Wayne” D. Deal, of Lima,Ohio, a former state legislative directorfor the United Trans-portation Union and anaval veteran, died July18. He was 85.

He started his careerwith the B & O Railroadas a brakeman in 1954,served during the Ko-rean War and in-creased his union involvement in theunion, becoming a local chairperson,then leading the Ohio Legislative Board.

Lauded by two governors, he was a fi-nalist for the NTSB chairmanship andretired in February 1992.

Thomas H. Cannon, 71, who served asa local and general chairperson for theUnited Transportation Union, passed awayJune 11.

He hired on with theDelaware and HudsonRailway after serving inVietnam, and later joinedPenn Central Railroad in1968.

Cannon’s experience onthe Albany-Boston run asan engineer, his 18 years as a local chair-person and more than seven years as ageneral chairperson provided his fellowmembers with tremendous guidance be-fore he retired in March 2010.

Deal

Cannon

Local 138, Lima, Ohio Local 394, Albany, N.Y.



Terry Sigler, a retired member of Local 286 whoserved as board secretary on the Nebraska StateLegislative Board for nearly two decades and asthe local’s legislative representative, still stays in-volved by fighting for the cause of rail workers.

The SMART TD Alumni Association memberpulled the pin in November 2011, yet remains com-mitted to the TD cause by being active in otherways – he organized a workers’ summit for railworkers from various unions in April in North Platte,Neb., that was attended by more than 100 mem-bers and another at the beginning of this month.

He also recently had a letter to the editor pub-

lished in the North Platte Telegraph onJune 28 taking a U.S. senator to task overher stance on rail safety.

“Labor organizations, including SMARTTD, which represents train and engine op-erating employees, (have) reviewed this billwith their legal teams and (have) concludedthat the legislation Fischer introduced isfaulty,” Sigler wrote.

Later in the letter, Sigler urged Fischer to supportS. 2360 – the Safe Freight Act requiring two-per-son crews on trains, but said he didn’t hold outmuch hope that she would.

“Unfortunately, she listens primarily torailroad executives while avoiding con-stituent rail workers or even sitting downwith rail workers and having a serious dis-cussion about worker and public safety is-sues,” Sigler wrote. “Rail workers in NorthPlatte extend an open invitation for Fis-cher to come and spend some time withrail workers, their families and community

leaders concerning rail safety issues.”Sigler proves you can even continue to fight for a

safer working environment for your union brothersand sisters well into your retirement.

Sigler

Alumni member Sigler stays active with letter, meetings after retirement

U.S. Rep. Louie Gohmert of Texas’ 1st District, left, a co-sponsor of H.R. 233,the Safe Freight Act, meets with General Chairperson Steve Simpson. The two-person crew bill had 117 co-sponsors as of Aug. 1.

State Watch continued...

Texas

Minnesota

The Minnesota State Legislative Board has released apair of endorsements supporting candidates in two keystatewide races in the Nov. 6 midterm election. In June, theboard announced its support for the campaign of U.S. Rep.Tim Walz (above, in center) for governor.

“Tim Walz is a friend of railroad labor and our retirees,”Minnesota State Legislative Director Phillip Qualy said.“As our next governor, Tim Walz’s common-sense values,pragmatism and enthusiasm will serve Minnesotans well.”

Also endorsed in July by the Minnesota SLB was AngieCraig, center, at right, a Democrat seeking to unseat incum-bent U.S. Rep. Jason Craig in the state’s Second District.

U.S. Rep. Earl J. “Buddy” Carter (R - Dist. 1), center, took time tomeet members of the Georgia Legislative Board in his office in Juneto discuss safety matters, including two-person crew legislation.

Georgia

Maryland

NebraskaState Legislative Director Bob

Borgeson encourages membersof Nebraska locals to participate inLabor Day events Sept. 2 and 3 inOmaha.

On Sunday, Sept. 2, dinner andspeakers will commence 5:30 p.m.at the SMART Union Hall, 3333 S.24th St., where parade shirts willbe distributed.

Monday will continue the two-decade-plus tradition of TD mem-bers marching in the Omahaparade. Lineup is at 9 a.m. at a lo-cation to be determined. For moreinformation, email Borgeson [email protected].

Maryland State Legislative Di-rector Larry Kasecamp receiveda Leadership Award at the Mary-land State & District of Columbia,AFL-CIO’s annual “Salute to Lead-ership” awards dinner.

“He knows how to navigate theLegislature and is a very effectiverepresentative for his organizationand the labor movement,” saidAFL-CIO President Donna Ed-wards. “Larry is very respected,not only by our labor family, but byall the elected legislators, regard-less of party.”

From left, Gerald Jackson, secretary-trea-surer of the Maryland State & District ofColumbia AFL-CIO, SMART TD MarylandState Legislative Director Larry Kasecampand Donna Edwards, president of the Mary-land State & District of Columbia AFL-CIOpose at the June 15 awards dinner.

Take a shot to get in the calendar!We’re looking for photo submissions from SMART TD members and alumni of buses, light rail,planes or trains for the 2019 alumni calendar.Email your high-resolution horizontal photos to [email protected] or mail hard copies to theTD’s office along with details about what’s going on in the photo. If your pic is picked, you get copies ofthe alumni calendar to share. The deadline is Sept. 28!When taking photos, be sure to observe all rules and regulations regarding photography on your property.


lem,” Kuderer said. “I think whatwe need to do is to fight fire withfire. The Freedom Foundation isnot going to give up. The Kochbrothers aren’t going to give up.Big money interests, they’re notgoing to give up. But we havesomething more than they have– we have numbers, we havepeople, and we need to commu-nicate the message of theunions more effectively to peo-ple to make them understandwhy it’s important to be a part ofit.

“Just know that here in Wash-ington, we’re going to do whatwe can to continue to protectunions and working families,”she said.

State Sen. Steve Hobbs (D –Dist. 44) received the Washing-ton State Legislative Board’s2018 Senator of the Year awardfor support of rail labor andworking to lead the state’sTransportation Committee.

“If you don’t remember aboutthe people – the people thatdrive the buses, the people thatare on the rail cars, the peoplethat fly the planes – then you’vemissed the point about trans-portation,” Hobbs said. “Be-cause transportation is not justabout getting people from pointA to point B or getting your prod-uct from point A to point B, it’sabout connecting people, build-ing relationships.”

State Rep. Mike Sells (D –Dist. 38) was given a GoldenLantern award as the 2018 Rep-resentative of the Year. Sellsleads the Washington StateHouse Labor and WorkplaceStandards Committee and hassponsored or co-sponsored“every piece of legislation thatwe’ve introduced on rail safety,”Krohn said.

Three state senators alsowere recognized for their advo-cacy and full support of TD leg-islation.

State Sens. Marilyn Chase (D– Dist. 32),Mark Miloscia(R – Dist. 30)and HansZeiger (D –Dist. 25) allwere givenawards for vot-ing for 100 per-cent of TDsafety legisla-tion and fortheir 100 per-cent sponsor-ship orco-sponsorshiprecords for allTD-supportedlegislation over the past sixyears.

In addition to Krohn, AssistantState Legislative Director SteveMazulo of Local 855 and Dar-ren Volland, legislative repre-sentative of Local 426, servedas the host local committee forthe meeting at the Westin Hotel.


TD-friendly legislators honored by Washington State Legislative Board at Seattle Regional Meeting

Washington state Rep. Mike Sells accepts a Golden Lanternaward at the Seattle Regional Meeting.

Chase

Miloscia

Ever wonder how the money contributed to your union dues is divided?This breakdown shows you where every dollar goes to protect you ...

YOUR DOLLAR AT WORK S H E E T M E T A L | A I R | R A I L | T R A N S P O R T A T I O N

T R A N S P O R T A T I O N D I V I S I O N

24950 Country Club Blvd., Suite 340North Olmsted, OH 44070-5333

24 cents: Local dues

Proceeds from local dues go to bothyour Local and local committee of adjustment. These dues supportthe costs of both, providing represen-tation at the local level and the costsof operating the local, such as wagesof the officers, rent, supplies andother expenses. The level is set by avote of the members of the local andlocal committee of adjustment.

24 cents: TransportationDivision dues

This is the only part of your duespayment that supports the entireorganization. This portion is distrib-uted to funds covering strikes, publicrelations, conventions, maintenanceof membership and education andtraining. It also pays for staffing, legalcounsel, union offices and all operat-ing expenses. The level is set by theSMART Constitution.

38 cents: General Committeeof Adjustment dues

This amount of your dues is used to take care of members’ interests on individual properties.The amount paid in this category can differ fromproperty to property. This rate is set by the localchairpersons who are under the jurisdiction of theGeneral Committee of Adjustment.

14 cents:Legislative dues

This goes to operate the state legislative board in your state.The amount is set by local legisla-tive representatives who are mem-bers of the state legislative board.This fund protects members on thestate level by promoting policies andprograms that deal with on-the-jobsafety and sanitation. It is not usedto assist political candidates.


Let us know: What’s news to you?All members and officers are invited to submit items to the SMART TD News. Whether it’s an item from yourlocal, the latest legislative success, a fundraiser or charity effort or just a great story about a brother or sister,we are here to get the word out. Email your items to [email protected] and we’ll be in touch!


Please recycle

AUGUST 2018ISSN 2470-0304

Published bi-monthly (with two extra issues per year for a total of eight issues) by SMART TD, 24950 COUNTRY CLUB BLVD., SUITE 340, NORTH OLMSTED, OH 44070-5333 • Periodicals postage paid at Cleveland, Ohio, and additional mailing offices • John Previsich, SMARTTransportation Division President • This publication available on microfilm from National Archive Publishing, P.O. Box 998, Ann Arbor, MI 48106.POSTMASTER: Send address changes to SMART TD News, 24950 Country Club Blvd., Suite 340, North Olmsted, OH 44070-5333.

®

Photo of the monthSMART Transportation Division is always

looking for good photos and your picture can befeatured on this page as a Photo of the Month.SMART TD seeks photographs or digital

images of work-related scenes, such as rail-road, bus or mass transit operations, newequipment photos, scenic shots, activities ofyour local or photos of your brothers and sis-ters keeping America rolling.Printed photographs should be mailed to

SMART TD, 24950 Country Club Blvd., Suite340, North Olmsted, OH 44070-5333.High-resolution digital photographs should be in

JPEG format and emailed to [email protected]. We prefer horizontal photos.With each photograph, please include

your name and SMART local number, thenames of the persons in the photo (left to right),where the photo was taken, and other pertinentinformation.All photographs submitted become property

of SMART.Remember to review your employer’s poli-

cies regarding use of cameras on the propertyor during work hours.

Steve White, secretary and treasurer and legislative representative of Local 1814, was in Colbert, Ga., in May when he got this shot of a caboose alongCSX’s Abbeville Subdivision between Abbeville, S.C., and Atlanta. White also is a UTUIA field supervisor.

The Switching Operations Fatality Analysis (SOFA) WorkingGroup has issued its latest updates on switching fatalities andsevere injuries for the entirety of 2017 and for the first fewmonths of 2018.

According to SOFA, there were three switching-related fatal-ities and nine amputations as a result of switching accidents in2017. There were 68 “severe injuries,” which SOFA defines aspotentially life-threatening; having a high likelihood of perma-nent loss of function, permanent occu-pational limitation or otherpermanent disability; likely to re-sult in significant work restric-tions and resulting from ahigh-energy impact to thehuman body.

The number of severe in-juries and amputations in 2017exceeded 2016’s totals of 47 andseven, respectively.

SOFA reported that train accident reports in-creased to 1,686 in 2017 over the 1,671 in 2016. However,SOFA said that human factor accidents decreased to 639 in2017 from the 643 reported in 2016.

In the first quarter of 2018, SOFA said there were two ampu-tations, 20 severe injuries and no switching fatalities. SOFAreported that there have been 416 train accidents and 154human factor accidents thus far in 2018.

A monthly report for May 2018 reported six severe injuriesto railroad workers during the month, including one amputa-tion that occurred in Missouri when a worker was trying tocross on a moving car and fell from it at an industrial location.

SOFA Working Group is a voluntary, nonregulatory railroadsafety partnership consisting of representatives from SMARTTransportation Division, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engi-neers and Trainmen (BLET), Federal Railroad Administration(FRA), Association of American Railroads (AAR) and theAmerican Short Line and Regional Railroad Association(ASLRRA) that has a goal of zero switching fatalities achievedthrough education and nonpunitive interactions.

SOFA update says severe switching injuries up in 2017over 2016’s total

remaining level thereafter.n Scenario 2 (moderate): Average railroademployment starts at 223,000, with pas-senger rail employment steady at 48,000with a constant annual decline in freight railemployment of 2 percent for 25 years, at areducing rate over the next 25 years, andremaining level thereafter.n Scenario 3 (pessimistic): Average rail-road employment starts at 223,000, with adecline of 500 workers per year in passen-ger rail employment until it stabilizes at40,000; freight employment would declineat a constant annual rate of 3.5 percent for25 years, then at a reducing rate over thenext 25 years and remain level thereafter.

Only in the third scenario, with the loss of122,000 workers over the 29 years thatelapse, did the railroad retirement systemrun into cash troubles in 2047.

Held constant in the review were vari-ables such as earnings (3.6 percent), cost-of-living increases (2.6 percent) andinvestment returns (7 percent). Also keptconstant were non-economic factors suchas mortality, disability, retirements and with-drawal.

The full report is available athttps://smart-union.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/RRB-27th-Actuarial-Valuation.pdf.


Rail Retirement appears to be solvent until 2047

In a joint venture,Alaska’s White Pass andYukon Route Railroad(WP&Y) was sold to Sur-vey Point Holdings (major-ity owners) andCarnival/Holland America(minority owners). Thedeal was finalized July 31.

“Both companies haveexperience operating inSoutheast Alaska, specifi-cally in port operations andtourism, which dovetailsnicely with our MO,” WhitePass Local ChairpersonChris Williams said. “Suf-fice to say, we are cau-tiously optimistic.”

Begun in 1898, theWP&Y today caters to thetourist trade. The narrow-gauge railroad operates on

the first 67.5 miles (Skag-way, Alaska to Carcross,Yukon) of the original 110-mile line. The operation isdesignated as an Interna-tional Historic Civil Engi-

neering Landmark.SMART TD Local 1626

represents train and en-gine service workers em-ployed by the WP&Y.

Alaska’s White Pass & Yukontourist RR has new ownership

The White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad that runs from Skagway, Alaska, toCarcross, Yukon, was sold in late July for $290 million.


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