Category: Legislation
PRESS RELEASE: Bipartisan Railway Safety Act Delivers Critical List of Reforms
More than three years after the devastating East Palestine derailment, the bipartisan Railway Safety Act of 2026 aims to enact major reforms born out of the lessons learned from this disaster. Read on to learn more about what the legislation does, including why SMART-TD is proud to endorse it.
Railroaders Directly Benefit from New Paid Sick Leave Bill
The United States is the only major country where workers are not guaranteed paid sick leave. A new bill introduced in Congress earlier this month and endorsed by SMART-TD would finally right that wrong and ensure that no one is forced to choose between taking care of themselves and their families or earning a paycheck. Read on to learn how our members would be impacted by this legislation.
Members Who Work Federal Holidays Guaranteed Extra Pay Under New Bill
Working holidays is the norm in the transportation industry, but the vast majority of our rail and bus members do not receive any additional pay for doing so. A new bill introduced last week attempts to right that wrong on a federal level. Read on to learn what this change would mean for our members.
Train Lengths Would Be Capped Under New Arizona Bill
A revived effort to pass a bill limiting train length in Arizona is underway with key support from both sides of the aisle. As the legislation awaits its next hearing, your help is needed to ensure that lawmakers understand why this legislation will have a positive impact on their home districts. Read on for details.
Senate Hearing Highlights the Good, the Bad, and The Ugly of RRB
Railroad Retirement remains a strong and valuable system, but chronic underfunding of the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) itself is creating unacceptable service delays that directly harm railroaders and their families. Read on to see the result of this week’s Senate Committee Hearing on the current state of the RRB.
Railroads Have Short Memories: East Palestine 3 Years Later
Ohio State Safety & Legislative Director Clyde Whitaker reflects on the 3rd anniversary of the East Palestine derailment with a powerful commentary. Despite new laws and promises, the railroads are still playing the same dangerous games with safety. Read on to see how crews are still being pressured to ignore defect detector warnings and keep trains moving, proving that profits continue to come before people.
RIDER Safety ACT Aims to Curb Transit Assaults Nationwide
Transit operators could gain critical support while on the job under a new bill that provides federal funds for “transit support specialists,” unarmed security responsible for detecting and defusing disputes and other risks before they become violent. Read on to learn about the impact they could have on transit systems across the country and in the lives of riders and operators.
Rail Safety Is Too Important For Corporate Discretion
A veteran Louisiana railroader dismantles the myth that safety mandates hurt efficiency, arguing from lived experience that federal rail safety rules exist because companies repeatedly choose profit over people when left to police themselves. Read on to see why rail workers, not think tanks or lobbyists, are the true experts on what it takes to keep crews and communities safe, and why the Rail Safety Act deserves a full vote in Congress.