December 2011/January 2012 SMART
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Volume 43/44 December 2011/January 2012 Number 12/1 www.utuia.org www.utu.org The Official Publication of the United Transportation Union It’s your job, your vote, your responsibility Efforts at the bargaining table and in grievance es as we approach Election Day in November – While many candidates express positions you handling are the “stuff” of what labor unions do when we elect a president, all U.S. House mem - share on non-workplace issues, many also take anti- on behalf of members. bers, one-third of the U.S. Senate, many gover - labor positions, such as supporting legislation mak - nors and state legislators – we should be focusing ing it more difficult to join a labor union, eliminat - Union members also have a crucial role to play on how those candidates will impact ing collective bargaining rights and in protecting job security, wages, benefits and on our jobs and workplace safety. weakening workplace safety laws. working conditions. That role is casting ballots on Election Day for labor-friendly candidates, as The UTU backs candidates who UTU National Legislative Direc - the actions of Congress and state legislatures support working families, regardless tor James Stem offers, “The strength have significant and lasting impacts on working of their political affiliation. In deter - of our organization is our well families. mining candidates who receive sup - informed members. We strongly port from the UTU Political Action encourage active and retired mem - Judges that rule on our lawsuits, and regulators Committee (PAC), we examine their bers to participate in the political who write and enforce workplace safety rules, are record, scrutinize their speeches and process in their communities and nominated and confirmed by the political party analyze their responses to questions. interact with UTU officers concern - in power, while political majorities determine ing our legislative programs. Our whether new laws and regulations are labor- In the months ahead, you will be members know their jobs, their friendly or anti-labor. hearing a lot from candidates health care and their pensions are all through media reports, political advertising and Our job security, wages, benefits and working sensitive to the political process.” local appearances. Many candidates will seek to conditions are as dependent on Election Day gain your support on hot-button and emotional You owe it to yourselves and your family to stay results as the results of contract negotiations and topics. Informed trade unionists seek deeper truths informed on all the positions of candidates seek - grievance handling. about the candidates – especially, they seek to ing your vote, and to cast an informed vote on As the rhetoric of political candidates increas - determine a candidate’s views on workplace issues. Election Day. King was advocate for economic opportunity, trade unionism By Calvin Studivant It is unconscionable that Congress eliminated As Dr. King said: Alternate Vice President, Bus Dept. funding for high-speed rail construction that “All labor that uplifts humanity has dignity and could relieve the intolerable congestion at air - importance and should be undertaken with As we follow the demonstrations of the 99 per - ports and on highways and create thousands of painstaking excellence.” new jobs. cent against the greed and wealth of America’s All that working families ask is the opportuni - top one percent, I am reminded of a 1967 speech It is equally unconscionable that Congress ty to work – jobs that can and will materialize by Dr. Martin Luther resists requests for more flex - with a fundamental shift in national priorities King Jr. in which he ible transit funding to allow from a thing-oriented society to a person-orient - advocated a transforma - a shift in budgets from buy - ed society. tion “from a thing-ori - ing new equipment to using ented society to a per - some of those funds to retain son-oriented society.” and expand existing service BNSF conductor Each day jobs are that would end transit sys - exported from our tem layoffs. killed in accident shores, layoffs are As we celebrate Dr. King’s HOUSTON – A BNSF conductor and UTU announced, health care legacy this month, let us member died Dec. 18 when his head reportedly insurance is cancelled or realize that he advocated struck a bridge beam while leaning over the rail - scaled back, and pension not only racial harmony, but ing of his moving locomotive’s side running board plans are eliminated, I economic opportunity and in an attempt to check the fuel level in a fuel- feel the pain of the mil - trade unionism. tank sight glass. lions of fellow Ameri - In response to anti-union The nighttime accident cans who are fit, willing politicians and employers, occurred some 80 miles north - and able to work, yet Dr. King preached: west of Houston, in Grimes unable to find jobs – or, if they do, cannot earn “In our glorious fight for civil rights, we must County, at milepost 26.8 of the enough to support a family, much less afford ade - guard against being fooled by false slogans, as BNSF Conroe Subdivision. quate medical care. ‘right-to-work.’ It provides no ‘rights’ and no Killed was Stacy L. Rieger , They are rightfully angry when corporate prof - ‘works.’ Its purpose is to destroy labor unions and 41, of Lumberton, Texas, a its become the most important objective. the freedom of collective bargaining. We demand four-year member of Local Unemployment numbers hardly reflect the full this fraud be stopped.” 1957, Silsbee, Texas. Accord - pain in America, because unemployment numbers As we approach Election Day this November, Rieger ing to reports, Rieger, after do not reflect the millions more who, after years of let us unite in support of labor-friendly candi - striking his head, tumbled from the locomotive searching for a job, simply gave up looking. dates. Let us support our UTU Collective Bar - down a 48-foot embankment into the Navasota How much more painful it is to realize that gaining Defense Fund and our UTU PAC. Let us River. Emergency responders, summoned by the locomotive engineer, pronounced Rieger dead at employers, emboldened by the worker pain of our do this in the non-violent but aggressive spirit of times, are using economic hardship to frighten the scene. Dr. King. those with jobs against voting “union, yes” in the The Federal Railroad Administration is inves - workplace. The strength of working families today is at the tigating the accident. In Congress, we see lawmakers more interest - ballot box. There is so much at stake, for our - Rieger is survived by his wife, four daughters ed in protecting tax breaks for the very wealthy selves, for our families and for the millions of and a stepdaughter. than passing stimulus measures to put Americans Americans seeking a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s He is the 10th UTU member killed on duty in back to work; and proposing legislation making it work. United in solidarity we can make a differ - 2011, two more than were killed during calendar more difficult to join labor unions. ence with our votes. year 2010. Page 2 December 2011/January 2012 UTU News AArroouunndd tthhee UUTTUU Local 168, Chicago, Ill. after 33 years of service, according to Local Members of this Amtrak local celebrated their Chairperson Schuyler Smith . Bishop was a vet - annual holiday extravaganza Dec. 6 at Ricobene’s eran of the U.S. Army. He was a member of VFW Restaurant, according to Local Chairperson Doug Post 1147, Patoka Masonic Lodge, Gibson Coun - Silkowski . “It was wonderful to see the ‘new kids ty Shrine, Scottish Rite and Hadi Shrine. He is on the block’ interact with the retirees,” Silkows - survived by his wife of 47 years, Michele; two ki said. The event was put on with the help of the daughters and three grandchildren. UTU Designated Legal Counsel firm of Harring - ton, Harrington, Acker & Thompson. Local 1440, Staten Island, N.Y. Members of this Staten Island Railway local Local 211, Binghamton, N.Y. are mourning the death of Robert “Sully” Sul - Members of this local are mourning the death livan , who was a railman for the carrier for nine of John J. McAndrew , 92, who died Nov. 16, for - years. “Sully faced Lou Gehrig’s Disease for the mer member Richard Ruggio reports. McAndrew, Ohio State Legislative Director Glenn Newsom, right, past three years and fought hard to overcome it, a 55-year member of the UTU, worked as a finds that Santa’s beard is the “real deal” as he tugs on day in and day out,” said Secretary & Treasurer brakeman and yard foreman before retiring from Watts Montgomery’s whiskers. Vincent LaBella . The local is asking all UTU Delaware & Hudson. He was a member of the brothers and sisters to assist this family with their Msgr. William Farrell Division of the Ancient On the first day of Christmas, future. Send donations to Sullivan’s wife, Ede, Order of Hibernians, Columbia Hose Company Montgomery gave to me… at: 366 Westwood Ave., Staten Island, NY #5, and a fourth degree knight of the Knights of You can’t blame UTU member Watts 10314. “Robert was not yet vested for a retire - Columbus Council 329. He was preceded in Montgomery for being tired this time of year. ment pension,” LaBella said. In other news, death by his wife, Kathryn, and is survived by You would be tired, too, if you had 2,074 peo- Local President Jaime Brownell reports he and three daughters, two sons and five grandsons. He ple sit on your lap. other members of the local recently met with was loved by his grandsons and all of their Montgomery has portrayed Santa Claus State Sen.