News

Phone: (216) 228-9400 Fax: (216) 228-0411 Department Email: news_td@smart-union.org “I would like to start off by saying that this decision by President Biden’s administration is historic for SMART-TD members and all rail labor. Today’s ruling codifying the two-person freight crew not only demonstrates this administration’s dedication to the safety of this country and our workforce,…

Last week’s hijacking of a Los Angeles County MTA bus reinforces the SMART Transportation Division’s demands that bus and transit carriers from coast-to-coast speed up efforts to protect their workers. “I would say everything is on the table right now,” SMART-TD Vice President James Sandoval told KTLA while discussing the incident. “We need to try…

Independence, Ohio (March 25, 2024) — The union representing the transit operator involved in the Los Angeles bus hijacking demands immediate measures to protect their men and women, and the people they transport, from violence. The LACMTA incident, which hospitalized a union member, is the latest in a long series of incidents that expose the…

This obituary will be updated with more details. Luther Peyton “Pate” King Jr., who served the SMART Transportation Division on the local, state and national levels for more than three decades, passed away Friday, March 22, 2024, at age 80. Brother “Pate” King served as an officer, including stints as a general chairperson and an…

Genesee and Wyoming (G&W) railroad, the parent of the Heart of Georgia Railroad and Georgia Central Railway, and their partner, Parallel Systems Inc., are attempting to begin testing fully autonomous train cars. Their experimental, self-propelled container cars pose many problems and, if successful, will threaten many union-protected jobs. SMART-TD shared our concerns at their first…