“This Bush-League Behavior Stops Now.”
Houston, TX — SMART-TD Alternate Vice President Chris Bartz , the highest-ranking officer representing the craft of Yardmaster, has issued a direct and unequivocal warning to management of the Port Terminal Railroad Association (PTRA): the ongoing disregard for union agreements, safety obligations, and basic respect for the workforce will not be tolerated.
Union documentation and first-hand accounts describe repeated incidents of misconduct by local management, including retaliation against union officers, interference in representational duties, and the deliberate exclusion of Yardmasters from meetings historically held with carrier leadership.
Systematic Criminal Harassment and Retaliation
This pattern came into focus on December 15, 2022, when PTRA General Manager Wells emailed a “loyalty pledge” to his Yardmasters, requiring them to acknowledge and agree to retain their positions. This email was perceived to contain implicit threats of future discipline, even regarding issues outside the scope of a Yardmaster’s duties. SMART-TD intervened immediately; an employer cannot legally offer individual contracts unless the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) explicitly allows it, which the PTRA agreement did not.
Following this, General Manager Wells called a meeting with select Yardmasters and refused SMART-TD representation, while threatening job reductions for noncompliance. After a temporary resolution was negotiated, PTRA management retaliated by reducing the Yardmaster workforce by one-third in 2023, then blacklisted the craft from participating in management meetings.
These actions persisted until a 2025 Federal Rail Safety Act complaint reversed the policy.
Other acts of retaliation included mandatory overtime, sometimes extending yardmaster shifts to 24 hours. As a result, on March 5, 2025, a Yardmaster reported an unsafe condition due to lack of rest. PTRA management responded by threatening disciplinary action — in violation of federal law. SMART-TD forced the carrier to rescind the action.
Another PTRA manager remains employed after allegedly violating the railroad’s sexual harassment policy. The very same manager terminated another employee just days earlier, after that worker filed a similar charge.
“These are not isolated incidents,” Bartz said. “This is a systemic culture problem that starts at the top. When management thinks they can threaten, intimidate, or retaliate against a union representative for doing their job, it tells you everything about the kind of leadership tolerated at PTRA.”
Workplace Dangers Accumulate after C3RS Withdrawal
Reports further indicate that PTRA has allowed its safety culture to collapse since withdrawing from the industry-standard C3RS program in 2022. Management has stonewalled or outright ignored repeated requests from SMART-TD to reinstate structured safety meetings and joint observations. Equipment maintenance has deteriorated, with FRA defects recurring on the same tracks, and radio communication failures frequently harming yard and road operations. Members have reported serious safety violations (including chemical exposure), with management focusing on union involvement rather than resolving the hazards.
“This is the kind of nonsense that gets people hurt or killed,” Bartz said. “Railroading demands precision, discipline, and respect for both the equipment and every coworker. The margin of error is razor-thin. When management undermines safety programs and punishes those who speak up, they’re gambling with human lives.”
Capricious Side-deals Undermine Collective Bargaining
In addition to safety and conduct issues, SMART-TD officers have documented deliberate attempts by PTRA management to bypass the union and negotiate directly with individual employees, even offering false promises about pay and sick leave in an effort to divide the membership.
In one case, after approving a single annual sick day in 2024, excluding the Yardmaster craft, the General Manager abruptly rescinded the benefit in 2025. Then he attempted to discuss the issue privately with a non-officer employee, skirting formal union channels entirely.
“This is classic union-busting behavior. They are trying to cut side deals with individuals instead of respecting the collective.” Bartz said. “It’s a cheap, cowardly tactic, and it will not stand on a SMART-TD union property.”
New Social-media Gag Order Stifles Free Speech
PTRA’s new Social Media Policy, issued in January 2025, threatens employees with discipline for discussing workplace issues publicly, even off duty.
“To be clear,” Bartz said, “when a company writes a policy that threatens workers for talking about their jobs, their safety, or their union, that’s not about professionalism. That’s about control. Workers have a legal right to discuss their working conditions, and SMART-TD will defend that right every time it’s challenged. These brothers and sisters are railroaders, not prisoners of war.”
Holding Management Accountable
SMART-TD’s patience has run out. This union will pursue every available avenue through formal grievances, federal oversight, and public accountability to ensure the Port Terminal Railroad Association operates in accordance with the law, with their labor agreements, and that basic standards of human decency are upheld with their employees.
“This carrier needs to understand something,” Bartz concluded. “We expect professionalism from our members, more to the point, we demand it, because it’s the only way to stay safe in this line of work. But that same standard applies to management. If they want to run this place like a bush-league, unorganized outfit, they’ll find themselves in a fight they can’t win. This ends now.”
Unity and Resolve Among PTRA Workers
Throughout these challenges, all crafts on the PTRA property have shown remarkable solidarity. Yardmasters, engineers, conductors, and maintenance workers represented by multiple unions have remained tight-knit, proving that unity among the workforce is the strongest safeguard against intimidation and unsafe practices. SMART-TD applauds this collective resilience and highlights it as a model of labor solidarity in the rail industry.
