Every day, SMART-TD’s bus and passenger rail members interact with thousands of people. That puts them in a unique position to notice when something isn’t right and, in some cases, help protect someone who may be in danger.

Yesterday (July 8, 2026), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) released updated resources reminding transit employees how to recognize the warning signs of human trafficking and where to report suspected cases. While these materials were developed with busy summer travel and major public events in mind, the information is valuable at any time of year.

SMART-TD is making these resources available to our members within 24 hours of receiving them, because knowledge is one of the most effective safety tools we have. No one expects transit professionals to investigate suspected trafficking, but knowing the warning signs and the proper way to report concerns can help law enforcement intervene while keeping employees and the riding public safe.

One additional sign worth knowing is the internationally recognized “Signal for Help.” If someone folds their thumb into the palm of their hand and then closes their four fingers over it, they may be silently asking for help in a situation where they cannot safely speak. While this gesture is most commonly associated with domestic violence and is not specific to human trafficking, it should be treated as another possible indicator that someone needs assistance. As with any concern, members should follow their employer’s procedures and notify the appropriate authorities rather than attempting to intervene on their own.

We encourage our bus and passenger rail members to take a few minutes to review the FTA’s guidance and share it with their coworkers. Awareness is often the first step toward protecting those who are most vulnerable.

The FTA’s announcement and resource links are provided below.

Prepare for Summer Events with Human-Trafficking Prevention Resources for Transit

As summer brings increased tourism, major sporting events, festivals, concerts and other activities to your area, you can help prepare for the crowds and reinforce community safety by knowing the signs of human trafficking as you prepare for summer events. 

Recognize the Signs

The US Department of Transportation (USDOT) has shared a list of human trafficking indicators to help transportation employees stay vigilant. While no single indicator can confirm a human trafficking situation, several combined indicators may increase the likelihood that a person is actively being targeted, recruited, or exploited. Signs may include an individual who is: 

• Not in control of their own money, passes, or phone
• Controlled by or unusually submissive to their travel companion 
• Not allowed to speak for themselves 
• Unaware of their route or location 

Consider sharing the complete list with colleagues to help them know what to look for, as transit workers can serve as a community’s eyes and ears.

Resources

FTA and USDOT have several resources available to help transit industry personnel identify, report, and prevent human trafficking: 

• Transit industry resources to counter human trafficking: These resources from USDOT include a 20-minute training and downloadable awareness materials to help transit workers and riders identify and report suspected instances of human trafficking. 
• FTA Major Event Playbook: FTA’s playbook is a practical guide with key considerations to help transit agencies navigate federal transit requirements related to hosting major events. It also includes a section on combatting human trafficking. 
• FTA’s Human Trafficking Awareness and Public Safety Initiative web page: FTA’s web page links to resources such as past webinars featuring transit organizations’ approaches to identifying and preventing human trafficking. 
• How to Report Suspected Human Trafficking: This USDOT web page provides information on where to report suspected trafficking, such as to the National Human Trafficking Hotline, and best practices for providing a detailed tip to authorities. 

Together, the transit industry can play a critical role in identifying, reporting and preventing this crime. 

Links:
Indicators of Human Trafficking
FTA Major Event Playbook
USDOT Counter Human Trafficking Resources
FTA’s Human Trafficking Awareness and Public Safety Initiative
National Human Trafficking Hotline

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Momentum Builds for Railroad Labor Priorities

In Washington, victories for railroad workers never happen overnight. They are built through years of advocacy, countless conversations, and strong relationships with elected officials who are willing to listen, learn, and lead. That’s not an easy lift.

Over the past several weeks, SMART-TD members have seen meaningful progress on multiple legislative fronts, and one name has consistently appeared throughout those efforts: Congressman Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey.

SMART-TD has always been clear about one thing: our issues are not partisan. Railroad safety, quality of life, and protecting good-paying transportation jobs are not Republican issues or Democratic issues. They are worker issues. Our union has always judged elected officials by a simple standard: Are they with us, or are they against us?

That is why it is worth recognizing the role Congressman Van Drew has played in several recent legislative victories.

Drawing the Line on Automated Track Inspections

As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Van Drew has become an increasingly important voice on rail labor issues. Most recently, he co-led Amendment 294 to the BUILD America 250 Act alongside Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV). That amendment protects the long-standing requirement for regular human visual track inspections and makes clear that Automated Track Inspection technology should supplement (not replace) the trained railroad professionals who keep our nation’s rail network safe. The measure advanced through committee with bipartisan support and represented a significant victory for railroad workers and public safety.

2-PC, Long Trains, Inspection Times, and More

Van Drew also helped lead efforts to include the Railway Safety Act in the BUILD America 250 Act. Working alongside Representatives Troy Nehls, Chris Deluzio, Emilia Sykes, Dina Titus, Rob Bresnahan, and others, the amendment advanced critical rail safety reforms that labor organizations have fought for since the East Palestine disaster. These reforms include stronger inspection standards, enhanced safety requirements, protections that help ensure safety is never sacrificed for corporate efficiency, and as 2-Person Freight Train Crews as the law of the land.

Passenger Rail Crew Safety and Respect

On Thursday, June 11, Van Drew, along with Representative Laura Gillen (D-NY), introduced a bill in the House to strengthen protections for passenger rail crews, further demonstrating a willingness to engage on issues that directly affect the men and women who operate America’s transportation network. In this bill. Van Drew and Gillen demand that our passenger rail members have the same federal protections against assault as flight crews enjoy. This is something our Safety and Legislative Department and Bus & Transit Assault Prevention & Safety (BTAPS) committee have been working on for a considerable amount of time in SMART-TD’s efforts to curb the transit assault epidemic in America.

 That is quite a bit of positive change for SMART-TD railroaders to cram into a short period of time, and Rep. Van Drew, along with his staff, has been a common thread through all of these victories.

It Takes a Village

To be clear, these accomplishments belong to a broad coalition. SMART-TD is grateful for the leadership and support of Representatives Titus, Gillen, Nehls, Deluzio, Sykes, Rulli, Bresnahan, and many others who have stood with transportation workers. Progress only happens when lawmakers from both parties work together and when labor speaks with a united voice.

What makes Van Drew’s recent involvement particularly noteworthy is not simply the votes he has cast. It is the effort he has made to understand our industry. He has reached out to SMART-TD’s Safety and Legislative Departments, asked questions, sought information, and taken the time to learn about the realities facing railroad workers. Those conversations have helped turn awareness into action. And that action has taken the shape of his sponsorship and co-sponsorship of historic legislation in our industry.

His work on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has given him a close view of the challenges facing America’s rail network, and he has shown a willingness to use that position to advocate for practical solutions that protect workers, strengthen safety, and serve the public interest.

The post A Partner in Progress: Rep. Jeff Van Drew’s Leadership on Rail Safety appeared first on SMART Union.

On April 30, 2026, the Associated Press published an article titled, “Amtrak may make it easier to bring guns on its trains despite the alleged attempt on Trump’s life.” In it, the article lays out a White House request (possibly even a demand) for Amtrak to amend its firearm policy to make it easier for passengers to travel with guns. According to the reporting, Amtrak intends to comply with the ask and is entertaining the inclusion of lockboxes on all of its trains for the transportation of weapons. The burden will be placed onto our members serving as conductors and assistant conductors on every Amtrak train to enforce the declaration and storage of the firearms, and to act as the keeper of the keys, if you will, making them the only thing standing between a passenger and their gun. (For scope, AP highlights that this proposal could expand firearms access from a limited number of trains with checked baggage service to more than 1,500 trains a day, including routes used by roughly 750,000 passengers daily just in the Northeast Corridor alone.)

While SMART-TD was not aware of the extent to which Amtrak was considering this request, we have, for a very long time, been concerned with the lack of security on America’s passenger trains. Nowhere is this more evident than our fight against the growing number of assaults on onboard crews and station personnel. And while one is too many, little is being done to correct the dozens, if not hundreds, of attacks that happen annually against our members and other union crafts, which makes this proposal to encourage the presence of more weapons especially problematic.

But, perhaps, even more troubling for me is that the plan has seemingly not changed, even in light of the attempted White House Correspondents’ Association dinner attack that took place last weekend.

According to authorities, Cole Tomas Allen traveled by train from near Los Angeles, CA, to Chicago, IL, then from Chicago, IL, to Washington, D.C., with a 12-gauge pump action shotgun and a .38 caliber handgun that he purchased in California, and the intent to do harm. Knowing that airline transportation would be difficult, given TSA security and strict carrier firearm policies, Allen chose to take the train, where he knew he would not meet any friction points with the firearms in his possession.

But what’s even more frightening is that he is not alone. Just ask our members working those trains, because lurking in the darkness, and extremely under-reported, is the reality and the frequency with which train personnel encounter passengers with undeclared, improperly concealed weapons. And while not all possess intent to do harm, some do… and have. (Note: our members cannot publicly speak to these instances, as they would likely be disciplined and/or terminated.)

This is exactly why we have been pressing on Amtrak to do more and calling on Congress to take action. Because the reality is that Amtrak cannot fix this alone. It will take funding and legislation to see meaningful change, something only Capitol Hill can provide. But to now see that the railroad is poised to encourage the transportation of more guns, even in light of the attack, it is not only evident that commonsense has left the discussion, it is imperative that we find a solution to protect the traveling public and improve the security of this critical national service.

Now, I suspect some might take this as an anti-Second Amendment piece. It is not. I firmly believe in a person’s right to responsibly own and carry a firearm. In fact, I, too, am a gun owner and an avid hunter. And while I miss more than I hit, I enjoy being in the woods, the frustration of losing at sporting clays, and spending some time on the range. But more than anything, I enjoy the camaraderie that goes along with it. Something not true for just me, but also US Army veteran and SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson and many of my fellow Union officers.

As a union, I believe us to be pragmatic when it comes to this discussion, because we understand the value of gun rights, and also the reality of confined rail cars moving at high speed with locked doors, crowded aisles, the availability of alcohol, and no viable exits when a situation turns violent.

Conductors are the only true line of defense.

It does not take much anymore for a basic situation to escalate into something it never should have been. This is especially true for our members simply trying to do routine work. Collecting fares, enforcing policy, addressing overcrowding, protecting handicapped accessible seating, and trying to keep trains safe can all serve as flashpoints.  Add to it the fact that passengers know they have weapons on board, where they are located, and who has the keys, and it’s not hard to figure out that you have a recipe for disaster.

Requiring conductors, or any worker for that matter, to collect and store guns from all passengers will not solve the problem. It will only create new dangers and situations for conductors in which they’re ill-equipped.

Our members are trained to operate trains, protect and assist passengers, and de-escalate conflict. They are not armed security officers, nor should they be. Requiring them to manage, secure, or potentially confront an angered passenger attempting to improperly access their gun, is a bridge too far (and to be frank, an asinine notion). We have documented cases where our conductors have been brutally assaulted for asking passengers not to smoke or to make a seat available for others. How do we see that going when we ask them to disarm unwilling passengers?

Allegedly, in his planning, Cole purposefully chose to travel by train with the intent of killing the President of the United States. In doing so, he crossed state lines with an assortment of weaponry, and he did so with ease. If that does not give policy and rule makers pause, then what will?

SMART-TD has worked with our Bus and Transit Assault Prevention and Safety (BTAPS) Committee, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the Federal Transit Administration (FTA), and lawmakers to reduce assaults on transportation workers. We have pushed for de-escalation, better reporting of assaults, stronger penalties, and real prevention. This proposal, in an instant, could erase all of that progress.

Our members do not want the “thoughts and prayers” of members of Congress after a conductor, assistant conductor, onboard service worker, or passenger is killed by an onboard threat. They want them to listen now to their cries for help. Something can and must be done before it’s too late.

Amtrak needs to stand up and reject this request, take politics out of the equation, demand a better safety environment for its passengers and workers, and Congress needs to give them resources to do it.

SMART-TD is the largest rail labor union in America, and I want it on the record that we will fight this proposal with every tool at our disposal.

The post Locked Doors, High Speeds, and Loaded Guns: A Disaster Waiting to Happen on America’s Rails appeared first on SMART Union.

Less than a week ago, SMART News brought you the latest in our series of stories tackling the importance of transit funding, a critical issue that’s affecting communities of all sizes across the country.

Significant Amtrak, Transit Funding Cuts Possibly Looming

In its most recent budget request for fiscal year 2027, the federal government proposes slashing over $2 billion from Amtrak, a 13.5% reduction that comes on the heels of a record year for the rail network. Not only that, a bipartisan group of more than 100 lawmakers sent a letter at the end of March pushing for full funding for Amtrak and other rail projects.

Unfortunately, that’s not all that’s on the chopping block.

The Federal Transit Administration’s budget calls for an over $1 billion reduction in the Capital Investment Grants program, which “funds transit capital investments, including heavy rail, commuter rail, light rail, streetcars, and bus rapid transit.”

The supposed reasoning for the cut? “[It’s] a move to make local governments do more.”

Yes, you read that correctly. Instead of supporting their local counterparts, the federal government is essentially saying that they can figure out how to make ends meet.

Nothing to it, right?

An Insult to Amtrak Members and Local Governments

You don’t have to be an avid follower of national politics to see it: this is clear proof that the federal government’s priorities are completely out-of-touch with what’s happening across the country.

Rather than supporting local and state governments that are working tirelessly to ensure that their communities have access to quality, reliable, and safe public transit options, they’re leaving them to figure it out on their own and foot the entire bill.

That’s not fiscal responsibility. That’s a blatant disservice to our members and the passenger rail and transportation networks that keep this country moving.

The post Feds Consider Gutting Amtrak in Latest Budget Proposal appeared first on SMART Union.

In a significant departure from years of controversy over executive-only bonuses, Amtrak’s Board of Directors has ended its longstanding practice of reserving year-end incentive payments exclusively for senior leadership. This year, Amtrak has voted to reduce executive bonuses by half and redistribute those funds to the front-line professionals who directly serve passengers every day.

The result: more than 18,000 Amtrak employees (including SMART-TD conductors, assistant conductors, on-board service personnel, and other front-line team members) will receive a $900 holiday bonus this December.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) informed SMART-TD of this decision on December 11. This change marks the first time in recent memory that Amtrak’s bonus structure meaningfully includes unionized front-line workers.

This shift follows years of criticism from SMART-TD and media outlets (most notably the New York Post) over Amtrak’s executive compensation practices. Even when the railroad faced deficits or operational challenges, senior executives collected substantial bonuses while conductors, engineers, and other essential workers who directly deliver passenger service were excluded.

A Record-Setting Year and Recognition for the Workforce That Delivered It

This year’s change comes as Amtrak celebrates its most successful year to date. In 2025, the railroad safely transported the most passengers since its founding in 1971. This milestone was made possible only through the dedication, professionalism, and long hours of front-line employees.

“The acknowledgment of our members’ role in this historic ridership year is meaningful,” SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson said. “Our crews answered the bell and delivered record-setting service.”

SMART-TD Welcomes the New Bonus Structure

President Ferguson also praised the decision to prioritize the people who operate America’s passenger rail system:

“SMART-TD appreciates Amtrak’s decision to prioritize the men and women who keep our passenger rail system running every day. Providing frontline employees with a meaningful bonus is an important acknowledgment of their dedication and service, especially during the holiday season. We thank the Trump administration for supporting this effort to recognize the hardworking employees who make Amtrak strong.”

FRA and USDOT: Executive Bonuses Rebalanced, Front-Line Bonuses Added

According to information released by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the FRA, Amtrak executives will forgo 50% of what they would have received under the former incentive structure

U.S. Transportation Secretary Sean P. Duffy stated:

“This administration cares about the hardworking men and women who keep this country moving… We rely on our incredible workforce, including our unionized workers at Amtrak, to make it all possible.”

SMART-TD wants to acknowledge the role the Trump Administration played in pressing for the inclusion of front-line workers in this year’s bonus distribution. Their engagement contributed to the corrective action on an issue that has been of deep concern to our membership for years.

A Turning Point for Amtrak’s Workforce

For SMART-TD members, this year’s $900 bonus represents more than a financial benefit. It reflects long-sought recognition of their essential role in the success, safety, and reliability of the national passenger rail network.

As Amtrak closes out a historic year of ridership and revenue, SMART-TD will continue advocating for fair compensation, improved working conditions, and a bonus structure that places value where it truly belongs: with the men and women who move America.

The post Amtrak To Give SMART-TD Members Holiday Bonuses appeared first on SMART Union.

November 24, 2025 — Washington, D.C. 

According to Federal Transit Administration (FTA) data, trespasser and suicide-related incidents now account for 50 percent of all transit-related fatalities reported in 2024. Between 2016 and 2024, these events have risen sharply, with major incidents up 71 percent, fatalities up 70 percent, and injuries up 65 percent. 

Today, the FTA issued safety advisory 25-1: reducing rail trespassing and suicide events. They are calling on state safety oversight agencies and rail transit agencies to take stronger action to identify and mitigate hazards related to these events on their properties. 

FTA Recommendations 

The advisory directs these organizations to: 

• Use their Safety Management Systems (SMS) to proactively identify hazards and assess risks related to trespassing and suicide events. 

• Actively develop and implement mitigation strategies to reduce the likelihood and severity of these incidents. 

• Monitor and measure the effectiveness of those mitigations through ongoing safety performance procedures. 

Support for Rail Crews 

For the men and women who operate passenger and commuter trains daily, these incidents represent a tragic reality. By the time a person enters the gauge of the tracks, it is often already too late to react. The emotional and operational toll of these events is profound, underscoring the need for prevention and mental health support for all involved. 

FTA has hosted webinars and developed mental health resources for transit workers, emphasizing both public safety and the well-being of employees exposed to traumatic events. They also have published a Mental Health Resources for Transit Workers web page ► which highlights many resources for railroaders who have been involved in these tragic incidents. 

Using the page, railroaders can connect with the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the National Institute of Mental Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other organizations that provide counseling and care. 

Moving Forward 

SMART-TD encourages all passenger and commuter rail members to review this advisory and remain vigilant for potential hazards. The union will continue to work with federal partners and transit agencies to promote effective safety practices and ensure the protection of both rail workers and the traveling public. 

For additional details, please read the full text of Safety Advisory 25-1 ►  

The post Rail Trespassing and Suicide Fatalities Up 70% appeared first on SMART Union.

The Massachusetts Senate will vote on a crucial bill tomorrow (Thursday, November 6) at approximately 11:00 a.m.  

If your schedule allows, please attend tomorrow’s hearing to remind legislators that our transit brothers and sisters deserve the strongest protections possible. 

The bill, S. 2531, ensures that public and private transit workers receive the same protection from violent assaults as public employees. Rising violence in public transit is a problem that’s too common nationwide.  

“We’ve got the momentum on our side, but we can’t let up now,” said SMART-TD’s New England Safety and Legislative Director Dave Stevenson. “With the help of our SMART-TD family, I’m confident that we can get this legislation over the finish line and make it clear that transit safety is an urgent issue. Let’s get this done!” 

SMART-TD members are asked to attend the hearing to show our support for the legislation. 

On October 22, the Massachusetts House unanimously passed its version of the bill by a vote of 160-0, sending a clear message that lawmakers see the urgent need for this legislation.  Support for the bill in the Senate is strong, but no lawmakers’ vote can be taken for granted. If passed tomorrow, the bill will be one step closer to being signed into law.

Make the Punishment Fit the Crime

S. 2531 guarantees that contracted transit employees, such as Keolis Commuter Services conductors, engineers, and onboard crews, are granted the same legal protections against assaults as their counterparts working directly for public transit authorities.  
 
Currently assault on a public employee in Massachusetts carries a penalty of up to 120 days in jail or a maximum $5,000 fine 
 
If passed, the bill would ensure that this same punishment would also apply to transit workers employed by private companies like Keolis, which employs over 500 SMART-TD members.  
 
S. 2531 also adds “bodily fluids” to the definition of an assault, which imposes strong incentives for passengers assaulting our members with their spit or urine. 

Assaults on Keolis Employees Continue to Rise

Cole Czub, chairperson of Local 898 and vice chairperson of SMART-TD’s Bus and Transit Assault Prevention and Safety (BTAPS) Committee, points out that this isn’t an issue that exists in a vacuum: it’s a real problem that our members face every day.  
 
“I refuse to let our SMART-TD brothers and sisters who work for Keolis fall through the cracks because of an unintended loophole in the current law,” said Czub. “If passage of this bill results in one less headline about yet another violent attack on public transportation, that’s a win for transit safety across the country.”  
 
SMART News has covered the issue of transit assault in-depth, and we will continue to highlight this glaring problem until all bus and transit operators can perform their jobs with the utmost professionalism in the safest environment possible.  
 
Passage of this bill gets us one step closer to one day making that a reality.  
 
Support S. 2531 and help strengthen transit safety in New England! 

The post Call to Action in Mass.: Transit Safety Legislation Up for Final Vote appeared first on SMART Union.

SMART-TD Local 1470 (Edmonston, MD) with support from the Maryland Safety and Legislative Board, hosted Railroad Solidarity Day. Held in Schrom Hills Park in Greenbelt, Md., Solidarity Day was organized by 1470’s Vice Safety and Legislative Representative, Trena Few and Brother Torryn James.  It featured great food, music, dancing, and the kind of camaraderie that only union solidarity can inspire.  

The event built solidarity between Amtrak’s operating unions in the Washington, D.C. and Baltimore, Maryland, areas. Members from multiple unions bonded through shared activities, including SMART-TD, BLET’s Division 482, and Unite Here Local 23.  

Sister Few shared why activities like this are important, “as railroaders in various unions, we stand side-by-side every day in the fight for safety, fairness, and dignity on the job.  But events like this remind us that our unity is also built in moments of fellowship and goodwill. When we take the time to gather outside of the fight, we strengthen the personal bonds and open the lines of communication that make us stronger in every challenge we face together as rail labor.” 

Maryland SLD Pendleton says our Board was proud to support Sister Few and Brother James in their efforts to bring together all of Amtrak’s Rail Labor to celebrate each other and salutes them for their success in doing so.  Their hard work, dedication and leadership is greatly appreciated. 

Local 1470 and the Maryland Safety & Legislative Board wants to thank SMART-TD National Safety and Legislative Director Jared Cassity for attending and showing his continued support for Maryland members, their families, and the enduring spirit of solidarity that keeps our movement strong. 

The festivities were sponsored by SMART-TD Designated Legal Counsel, Matt Darby – The Darby Law Group, BRCF, Railroad Generations, and the Steven P. Vann Foundation.

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On August 11, SMART-TD was proud to be represented at the reopening of the Natick Center train station in Massachusetts, marking a major step forward in making public transit more accessible for all. The state-funded renovation added features to better serve riders with physical disabilities, improving safety, comfort, and convenience. 

When the Governor and Lieutenant Governor hosted the ribbon-cutting ceremony, SMART-TD’s New England Safety and Legislative Director Dave Stevenson and SMART-TD Local 898 Local Chairperson and Assistant Chair of the BTAPS Committee Cole Czub were invited to join the celebration. Their presence highlighted the important role our union plays in working with state leaders on rail and transit issues. 

For MBTA and Keolis members, these improvements not only serve the public but also help to grow ridership, which strengthens the long-term stability of our jobs. The event was also a clear sign that in Massachusetts, when decision-makers talk about railroads, they turn to SMART-TD as a trusted partner and source of expertise. 

We thank Brothers Stevenson, Czub, and the entire New England Legislative Board for their dedication and the impact they are making on behalf of SMART-TD members across the region. 

The post Natick Station Reopens in Massachusetts appeared first on SMART Union.

June 27 is an important day for Brother Bill Link.

In 1972, it was the day that he began his railroad career. In 2025, it was the day that he officially retired after 53 years of service, the highest Amtrak seniority in the country.  

“I loved it. It’s like riding on a rolling treasurer chest, if you’re conscious,” reflected Brother Link in an interview with SMART News two weeks into his retirement. “I found out it was the perfect job for me.”

An Abrupt End to Post-Graduation Limbo

After graduating from Lincoln University in the early 1970s, Brother Link wasn’t in a hurry to find a job.

Instead, he was hanging out at the bar with his friends before heading home between three and four o’clock in the morning, just “living life after college.”

Then one morning he woke up to his 6’3”, 300-pound truck-driver father standing over him.  He told him “Boy, if you think you’re gonna be sleeping in my house when I’m going to work after I put you through college, you got another thing coming.”

The next thing Brother Link knew, he was at a job fair in New York City.  

“I said ‘Hell no, I don’t want to county money in a room all my life’ so I went up to Central Park and hung out for an hour or two.”

While he was there, he thought about a suggestion from a neighbor back home about the railroad looking for new hires.

Too Tall to be an Engineer

He vividly remembers taking a test with about 11 other men before being told that he was picked for the premier engineer job but was too tall.

As an African American during the height of the Black Power Movement, Brother Link figured that “reasoning” had something to do with his skin color. But it wasn’t that or physical stature that made him too tall. It was his hair.

He waited in a room for about 20 minutes before someone came in and told him “Mr. Link, if you want a job, come back in one hour without that” and pointed to his afro.

“That was the day the revolution died,” said Brother Link, laughing.

Starting a New Chapter

The day the revolution died was also the birth of Brother Link’s more than five-decades on the rails.

“I was working on freight trains, coal trains, whatever. So I had a mixed career,” he explained. “It wasn’t always on the passenger train, but by the time I got older I got on the passenger train.”

That’s where Brother Link had some of his most impactful experiences.

“The conductor had a lot of roles to play,” he said. “He’s a priest, he’s a policeman, he’s an entertainer. When the train is late, he’s got to keep the people informed and occupied, things like that.”

His last passenger that he talked to before retirement was especially memorable.

“[It] was [singer] Dionne Warwick. She rode the first-class car, and I told her my story about how I’m getting ready to retire.”

The connection that she shares with the railroad is even more memorable: her father was a Pullman Car Porter.

“Can you imagine that?” asked Brother Link. “She was telling me she could always remember two trips that she took. One was to Florida with her father on the train and one to California. She’s the nicest lady.”

Breaking Barriers

Even though he met his fair share of superstars and “shakers and bakers,” Brother Link is most proud of the path that he forged for other African Americans.

“For all we hear in the media and all we hear everywhere, the railroad was very accommodating to race at the time I got hired. There were individuals that were ridiculous, but the railroad as a whole was acceptable.”

Back in the 1970s, his role caught some riders by surprise.

“In my early years on the railroad, African Americans who were 90 years old would come up to me and say ‘Son, we thought we’d never see this day’ when they saw me as a conductor. So I always viewed myself as an ambassador for our race.”

Brother Link was also the first African American to serve as the president of Local 1470.

He received the A. Philip Randolph Lifetime Achievement Award and was presented with the Golden Lantern from SMART-TD upon his retirement. 

At the end of the day, he attributes his accomplishments to the foundation that his mother laid for him.

“[She was from] the Jim Crow South so she didn’t want to see us boys getting hurt or anything,” explained Brother Link. “She always told us to be humble, caring, kind and courteous. That was the major ingredient for me making it 50 years.”

Honoring a Mentor and Friend

One of the SMART-TD members who already misses Brother Link is Maryland Safety and Legislative Director David Pendleton, who cites him as his first railroad mentor.

“If you looked up the word ‘trailblazer,’ there will probably be a picture of him somewhere in there,” said SLD Pendleton. “When you think of Local 1470, you think of Bill Link. He’s been a mentor to so many of the members, including myself. I became a union officer at his urging.”

His absence from the train for the past couple of weeks has been an adjustment, but SLD Pendleton is excited for his union brother’s next chapter.

“I’m very happy that my friend is finally retiring and enjoying the years of work that he’s done,” he said. “I’ve been on the railroad over 20 years, and these are the first weeks that I’ve ever been there and he’s not there. So it’s just bittersweet for me. But I miss my buddy, no doubt about it.”

At 75 years old, Brother Link is ready for whatever lies ahead, especially after his retirement celebration.

“The Bible says it best. To all things, there’s a season. A time to be born, time to work, time to live, time to retire, time to die. I had my run with the railroad, and the party they gave me is fulfilling for a lifetime.”

The post Brother Bill Link Retires After a Memorable 53 Year Career appeared first on SMART Union.