TCU National President Artie Maratea issued the following statement prior to the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee’s Reconciliation bill markup: “Our members applaud the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee’s draft stimulus bill, which would put thousands of our members back to work at Amtrak and commuter railroads, while providing much-needed help to railroaders on furlough
Below is a summary of the relevant provisions to TCU members in the recently enacted Covid Relief and FY2021 Appropriations bill (H.R. 133): Stimulus Checks The bill provides for one-time $600 checks for individuals ($1200 for married joint-filers), as well as $600 per dependent child. Similar to the CARES Act, the checks begin to
On behalf of TCU and other rail labor affiliates, the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, sent the following letter to Congressional leadership detailing the urgent need for $4.5 billion in Amtrak relief funding whilst preventing furloughs and protecting service for millions of Americans: July 28, 2020 The Honorable Nancy Pelosi Speaker of the House United
Eleven U.S. Senators wrote Amtrak this week in two separate letters that criticized Amtrak’s proposed cuts to long-distance train service and plans to eliminate 20% of the workforce – many of which would be TCU members. As the largest union on Amtrak – representing approx. 6,800 Amtrak employees nationwide – our union is fighting diligently
TCU National President Bob Scardelletti and National President-elect Artie Maratea issued the following statement on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee’s INVEST in America Act: “After decades of calling for massive investments in our country’s infrastructure, the INVEST in America Act finally delivers. This is the kind of bold, transformative legislation that will lead rail
Leaders of TCU wrote to Congress this week to push for urgent action on increased funding for the Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA). Approximately 3,600 TCU members work at the MTA and its commuter railroads, the Long Island Railroad (LIRR), Metro North Railroad (MNR) and Staten Island Rapid Transit (SIRTOA). “Our members are braving the pandemic
Last week, Congress passed and the President signed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, H.R. 748. This $2 trillion bill is meant to help stimulate the American economy, and weather the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. With millions filing for unemployment, this couldn’t have come at a better time. TCU’s Legislative Department has been
Last Thursday, the House Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines and Hazardous Materials held a roundtable discussion with various railroad customers to hear their concerns with recent business policy initiatives of the railroads, including Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) and increased demurrage rates. Many of the concerns raised by customers are similar to those expressed by TCU and
On Tuesday, Salt Lake City’s KUTV CBS News local affiliate published an investigative news piece on Union Pacific’s Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) model and its impact on safety, including the derailment of several trains in western states. TCU Carmen National Representative Kevin Loftin was interviewed throughout the program, and highlighted the importance of having adequate
Today, TCU and the IAM’s District 19 are announcing the rollout of a survey tool for union members to tell their stories with regards to the safety impacts of “Precision Scheduled Railroading” (PSR), the Class 1’s new operating model. The goal of this survey is to collect data and information on unsafe practices being deployed,
