SMART-TD is built from the ground up. Our union is strongest when members stay involved, speak up, and help shape the future of their local unions. That is always important, but even more so in the coming months.

2026 Is An Important Election Year

This year, local unions across SMART-TD will elect the leaders who will represent members for the next several years. Positions on the ballot include Local Presidents, Vice Presidents, Secretaries, Treasurers, Trustees, Local Chairpersons, and several other key offices. These officers are the people who protect your rights, fight for safer workplaces, defend members in discipline cases, and help improve the quality of life for every member.

Local Leadership Makes a Difference

No one understands the needs of your local better than the members who work there every day. That’s why local elections matter. Choosing leaders who share your priorities and have earned your trust is one of the most important responsibilities of union membership.

But your voice can only be heard if we can reach you and get you your ballot.

Your Voice Starts with Staying Connected

Please take a few minutes today to make sure SMART-TD has your current contact information. Even if you think everything is correct, it’s worth checking. This is always true, but especially in a year featuring elections that have so much on the line for you, your coworkers and your family.

Our union only succeeds when members participate. That means staying informed, sharing ideas, voting in local elections, and choosing leaders who will work every day to protect safety, ensure fair treatment, and strengthen our union.

A Strong Union Starts with You

Every local is different. Every property has its own challenges. The best solutions come from the members who live those challenges every day. When members stay engaged and elect strong local leadership, our entire organization becomes stronger.

As we prepare for this important election year, help us make sure your voice is counted.

Verify and update your contact information today. It’s a simple step that helps keep you connected, informed, and ready to participate in the future of your local union and SMART-TD.

The post Keep Your Voice Strong: Make Sure You Get Your Ballot appeared first on SMART Union.

Enrollment for the training track for local secretaries and treasurers at the SMART-TD National Training Seminar has hit its available capacity and has been closed.

The event will be held July 9 to 11 at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown, 100 Lakeside Ave. E., and still has a limited number of registration slots available.

The cost to register is $250 per person, and an overflow room block has spots remaining.

For more information, visit the SMART-TD website, the SMART Member Portal or email Nick Torres in the SMART-TD office (ntorres@smart-union.org).

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Time is running out for Transportation Division local leaders and members to take advantage of reduced registration fees for the 2024 National Training Seminar (NTS). The registration fee for the NTS, scheduled from July 9 to July 11, 2024, at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown in Cleveland, Ohio, will increase from the “early bird” rate of $200 per person to $250 per person on May 1.

Important Topics and Agenda

Educational sessions will cover critical topics such as the new Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS), bus and transit worker assault prevention, rail safety, and transportation cyber threats. Sessions will also focus on leadership at the local level, with specialized courses for chairpersons, secretaries, treasurers, and presidents. A full agenda is now available on the SMART app. Download the app here.

Group Events

A welcome reception is planned for the evening of Monday, July 8, followed by full-day training on Tuesday, July 9, through Wednesday, July 10. The event will conclude with a half-day of training on Thursday, July 11. A group event is scheduled at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for all registered attendees on the evening of Wednesday, July 10th.

Note: The Local Secretary & Treasurer training will conclude on the afternoon of Friday, July 12.

Registration and Cancellation

The registration fee will increase to $250 on May 1, and onsite registration will be $290 to cover last-minute additional costs associated with meeting planning. Children 11 and under are complimentary. You may cancel your meeting registration up to 5 days before the first day of the meetings without penalty.

To register online, visit NTS – Cleveland Registration. For inquiries, call the Transportation Division at 216-228-9400 or email Nick Torres at ntorres@smart-union.org.

Hotel Reservations

April 30th update: The Hilton room block has reached capacity. Additional lodging options are being arranged by the union at nearby hotels. Details will follow.

Stay Updated

Additional details will be updated on the SMART website and SMART app as they become available.

The post Early-bird pricing for TD National Training Seminar ends April 30 appeared first on SMART Union.

The deadline for the discounted hotel reservations for the March 4-7, 2024, Albuquerque, N.M., Regional Training Seminar has been extended. The new deadline is now Friday, Feb. 9.

The meeting will take place at the Embassy Suites by Hilton Albuquerque 1000 Woodward Place NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 87102. The event rate is $142 per night.

To book accommodations, follow this link.

The cost for TD members to register to attend the seminar is $50. Register for the next RTS to take place in March in Albuquerque, N.M., here.

A SMART News segment highlights the Regional Training Seminars (RTS) and the difference they’ve made in the development and strengthening of our union.

The post Room deadline extended for TD RTS in New Mexico! appeared first on SMART Union.

Registration is now open for the Transportation Division’s (TD) 2024 National Training Seminar at the Hilton Cleveland Downtown in Cleveland, Ohio, from July 9, 2024, to July 11, 2024.

This unique and exciting event is open to all TD Local, State Legislative Board, and General Committee officers. Attendees can expect a full slate of informative workshops, educational opportunities, and many chances to reenergize the spirit of solidarity with fellow union brothers and sisters over the three-day event.

A welcome reception is planned for the evening of Monday, July 8, with full-day training beginning on Tuesday, July 9, through Wednesday, July 10, and concluding with a half-day of training on Thursday, July 11. A group event is scheduled at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for all registered attendees on the evening of Wednesday, July 10th. Special Note: The Local Secretary & Treasurer training will conclude on the afternoon of Friday, July 12. 

An “early bird” registration fee for attendance is $200 per person, covering the welcome reception, three (3) lunches, and the Rock Hall event. On May 1st, the registration fee will increase to $250, and onsite registration will be $290 to cover last-minute additional costs associated with our meeting planning. Children 11 and under are complimentary.

Visit this link to register online.

You may cancel your meeting registration ten days before the first day of the meetings without penalty. Call the Transportation Division at 216-228-9400 or email Nick Torres at ntorres@smart-union.org.

April 30 update: Lodging capacity at the host hotel has been filled. The SMART-TD is arranging lodging at additional sites.

Additional details on the meeting schedule will be updated on the SMART website and in the Member Portal as they become available.

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As SMART Transportation Division local elections are approaching, it is important that proper procedures are followed. In order to provide support to our locals in their election process, SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson’s staff worked with the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) to provide answers to questions secretary & treasurers and other local officers might have about the procedures.  

Over a 2 1/2-hour webinar Oct. 12, SMART-TD staff and two DOL representatives presented about election requirements and the DOL regulations that govern local elections to help our locals follow and apply them correctly. Representatives from roughly 40 SMART-TD locals were in attendance on the call.  

SMART-TD wants to thank the S&Ts and other local officers throughout our organization who made the effort to be part of the productive session. We would also like to thank the representatives from the DOL’s Office of Labor-Management Standards who lent their expertise. 

If you are a local officer or candidate for local office who has questions surrounding the election process, please reach out to President’s Department Administrative Assistant Ralph Leichliter at 216-227-5285 or rleichliter@smart-union.org.

The post SMART-TD, U.S. Department of Labor hold election webinar  appeared first on SMART Union.

SMART Transportation Division members are reminded that Local President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, Board of Trustees (3), Legislative Representative, Alternate Legislative Representative, Delegate, and Alternate Delegate elections are scheduled to be held this autumn, with nominations to be taken in October 2023 and elections conducted in November 2023.

Locals must solicit for the nomination of candidates in October seeking to fill the three-year Local officer positions described by the SMART Constitution’s Article 21B, Section 56. Positions include President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer, Collector (where applicable) and the three-member Board of Trustees. Locals must also solicit for the nomination of candidates in October seeking to fill the four-year legislative offices. Those eligible to hold office as a Legislative Representative or Alternate Legislative Representative must be qualified voters, meaning they are registered to vote. The duties of a Legislative Representative are listed in SMART Constitution Article 21B, Section 66.

Also this autumn, Locals must solicit for the nomination of candidates in October seeking to fill the positions of Delegate and Alternate Delegate. The Delegate will represent their Transportation Division Local at the SMART Transportation Division Convention. That convention immediately precedes the SMART General Convention. Locals entitled to additional Delegates to represent them at the General Convention will elect those additional Delegates in June 2024.

Members are also reminded that any existing Local vacancies should be addressed during these elections.

Local Secretaries and Secretary-Treasurers should take steps now to ensure their records reflect accurate membership listings and mailing addresses.

As per the constitution’s Article 21B, Section 57, nomination meetings must be held in October, with election tabulations conducted in November. Winning candidates generally will assume their offices on Jan. 1, 2024. Those filling a vacancy, however, take office immediately.

SMART Constitution Article 21B, Section 58, contemplates an installation ceremony for officers named in Article 21B, Section 56. Those elected officers who must present themselves at a regular or special meeting for installation within 60 days following their election include President, Vice President, Secretary, Treasurer (or Secretary-Treasurer), and Trustees. Section 58 does not apply to LCA committeepersons, Delegates, Alternate Delegates, Legislative Representatives or Alternate Legislative Representatives.

In most cases, candidates must garner a simple majority of valid votes cast to win election to a Transportation Division office. (A simple majority means more than half.) In the case of the Board of Trustees, winning candidates must obtain a majority of the ballots cast.

The process begins

For the Local’s Secretary or Secretary-Treasurer, the election process begins with an effort to update the membership roster, ensuring accurate addresses are on file for each member. Our constitution requires each member to keep the Local Secretary and Treasurer advised of their current home address. At the same time, U.S. Department of Labor regulations and the Labor-Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (LMRDA) require the Local to take steps to update addresses in advance of an election.

Members can update their address by contacting their Local Secretary, Secretary-Treasurer, or Treasurer, or can do so themselves using the SMART App.

Nominations

The Local Secretary must post a notice at least 10 days in advance of the October nomination meeting indicating when and where nominations for affected positions will take place. The notice should include which positions are open for nominations, and should indicate how nominations can be made, especially by those who cannot attend the nomination meeting. Notices should be placed in as many locations as needed to ensure it can reasonably be concluded that all members had an opportunity to see the notices.

All Locals have been mailed instructional packets that include samples of the nomination notices which must be conspicuously posted where it can be reasonably calculated to inform all affected members. While nomination notices are not required by law to be mailed directly to all affected members, it is highly recommended that the postcards available for this purpose be obtained from our Supply Department and mailed to all members.

Nominations may be made by any member in good standing from the floor at the nomination meeting. Nominations do not require being seconded. Any member may self-nominate. If a member wishes to self-nominate or nominate someone else, but can’t attend the meeting, nominations can be entered through a petition. A nomination petition must state the name of the nominee, the position for which the member is being nominated, and must carry at least five signatures of members eligible to vote. No nominations can be accepted following the close of the nomination meeting. A nominee need not be in attendance at the nomination meeting for the nomination to be valid. Those currently in a position are NOT automatically renominated for that position.  Anyone wishing to be a candidate in an upcoming election must be nominated by petition or at a nomination meeting.

If only one member is nominated for a position, that member can be declared elected by acclamation.

Those in so-called E-49 status are eligible to run for office, but they cannot self-nominate or nominate others and they cannot vote. If elected, acceptance of pay from the company or the union creates a dues obligation.

In all cases, a notice of the election must be mailed to all members, including those in E-49 status (but not including retirees). If your Local is conducting its election by mail, the mailed ballots can serve as the required notice of election, but such ballots must be mailed at least 15 days in advance of the date of tabulation, and must be mailed to those in E-49 status. (The Tellers will determine on the day of tabulation whether a member is in E-49 status and his or her vote should be counted.) The Department of Labor does not count the day of mailing as part of that 15-day window, but it does count the day of tabulation.

Those conducting floor votes can obtain postcards notifying members of the time, date and place of the election from our Supply Department. These notices must be mailed at least 15 days in advance of the date of tabulation.

Eligibility

To be eligible to vote, all dues and assessments must be paid within the time frame specified by the constitution. Article 21B, Section 49, indicates dues are to be paid in advance, before the first day of the month in which they are due. Eligibility to make nominations or to be nominated is similar. This means, for example, for a nomination meeting in October, the nominator and the nominee must have paid all dues obligations prior to October 1. To vote in November, the voter must have paid all dues obligations prior to November 1.

More information

Members are encouraged to consult Article 21B of the SMART Constitution for information regarding elections. Unless an item within Article 21B directs you to a further stipulation outside of Article 21B, only the provisions found within Article 21B are applicable to Transportation Division elections. The local election process is addressed directly by Article 21B, Section 57.

Members can consult their Local officers to examine the election guidance material distributed by this office.

Questions?

There are many provisions not covered by this article, including those which address candidates’ rights and permitted means of campaigning. Those with election questions are urged to call the Transportation Division office at (216) 228-9400 and follow the prompts for the President’s Department. It’s always easier to address issues in advance than after the fact.

The post TD local nominations/elections coming up in autumn appeared first on SMART Union.

The initial schedule and information about the upcoming SMART Transportation Division Regional Training Seminar (RTS) set for Oct. 3 through 6, 2023, at the Hilton Garden Inn in Toledo, Ohio, has been released and is available through the SMART app or via PDF.

Learning sessions at the Regional Training Seminar (RTS) are all-inclusive for SMART-TD local leaders. From a president to a trustee, all bus and rail members can get valuable information, strategies and tools from union experts who have years of experience on the issues that they face as labor leaders at the meeting.

Attendee check-in for the meeting begins the morning of Oct 3, and those attending should plan to arrive then. The meeting’s opening session takes place at 1 p.m. Oct. 3, with the classes and workshops kicking off the morning of Oct. 4.

The cost for TD members to register to attend the seminar is $50.

The RTS includes classes for local governance, roles of a local president, secretary & treasurer, legislative representatives and local chairpersons in protecting members and on the SMART Constitution, among others. Sessions are taught by national officers and other subject-matter experts associated with SMART-TD. It’s an exciting opportunity for local leadership and members to engage one on one with union experts to help fulfill the need for live, in-person training from local leaders closer to home.

TD President Jeremy Ferguson and other union leaders are scheduled to appear to answer membership questions throughout the event. To register for the seminar, visit https://register.smart-union.org/. The deadline to register for the Toledo meeting is Saturday, Sept. 30.

Please note: Attendees are responsible for making their own hotel reservations.

A room block has been reserved at the site of the meeting, the Hilton Garden Inn, 101 N. Summit St., in Toledo. The SMART TD event rate is $129 per night with the deadline for discounted hotel reservations being Friday, September 15, 2023.

Follow this link to book online.

For more information, contact Ohio State Legislative Director Clyde Whitaker at 419-565-2629 or by email at smartunionoslb@gmail.com.

The post Additional information out for October TD meeting in Toledo appeared first on SMART Union.

In today’s world, it’s important for the union to keep current and accurate information so members can stay informed on things that are important to them. This can be accomplished through the SMART mobile app, via the SMART Member Portal on the SMART website or the old-fashioned way — by just letting your TD Local secretary know.

It’s no secret that we and the carriers do not often see eye to eye, and there is a false narrative out there that we openly share member/employee information with each other. Carriers have zero obligation to voluntarily share any change in your personal information with your union, including your job craft. Even in this age of easy communication, maintaining good labor relations isn’t the strong suit of many carriers, and that includes notifying the union when one of our members has moved, changed contact information or have changed craft roles at work, for example, holding dual certification as a conductor/engineer.

A feature has been added in the SMART app and the SMART website’s Member Portal so members can more accurately update their info with the union. It’s important to fulfill that SMART constitutional duty (Article 21B, Section 49) by keeping your contact info (address, phone number and email) as well as your emergency contact info, work craft and military service record current. To avoid missing out on important notices and to make your union one member stronger please use the app, website or contact your local leadership to ensure that your union has the most accurate information. Together we are stronger!

The SMART Union app is available by texting the word APP to 67336 or for download on Apple’s App Store or Google Play.

A link to the SMART Member Portal can be found here.

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The amounts of compensation subject to Railroad Retirement Tier I and Tier II payroll taxes will go up in 2023, while the tax rates on employers and employees will stay the same. In addition, unemployment insurance contribution rates paid by railroad employers will include a surcharge of 1.5%, down from 3.5% in 2022, due to an improved employment outlook since the beginning of the pandemic.

Tier I and Medicare Tax — The Railroad Retirement Tier I payroll tax rate on covered rail employers and employees for 2023 remains at 7.65%. The Railroad Retirement Tier I tax rate is the same as the Social Security tax, and for withholding and reporting purposes is divided into 6.20% for retirement and 1.45% for Medicare hospital insurance. The maximum amount of an employee’s earnings subject to the 6.20% rate increases from $147,000 to $160,200 in 2023, with no maximum on earnings subject to the 1.45% Medicare rate.

An additional Medicare payroll tax of 0.9% applies to an individual’s income exceeding $200,000, or $250,000 for a married couple filing a joint tax return. While employers will begin withholding the additional Medicare tax as soon as an individual’s wages exceed the $200,000 threshold, the final amount owed or refunded will be calculated as part of the individual’s federal income tax return. 

Tier II Tax — The Railroad Retirement Tier II tax rates in 2023 will remain at 4.9% for employees and 13.1% for employers. The maximum amount of earnings subject to Railroad Retirement Tier II taxes in 2023 will increase from $109,200 to $118,800. Tier II tax rates are based on an average account benefits ratio reflecting Railroad Retirement fund levels. Depending on this ratio, the Tier II tax rate for employees can be between 0% and 4.9%, while the Tier II rate for employers can range between 8.2% and 22.1%.

Unemployment Insurance Contributions —  Employers, but not employees, pay railroad unemployment insurance contributions, which are experience-rated by employer. The Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (RUIA) also provides for a surcharge in the event the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Account balance falls below an indexed threshold amount. The accrual balance of the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Account was $112.7 million on June 30, 2022. Since the balance was below the indexed $100 million threshold (currently $137.9 million), but above the $50 million indexed threshold (currently $67.0 million), this results in a 1.5% surcharge in 2023. There was a surcharge of 3.5% in 2022 and 2.5% in 2021.

As a result, the unemployment insurance contribution rates on railroad employers in 2023 will range from the minimum rate of 2.15% to the maximum of 12.0% on monthly compensation up to $1,895, an increase from $1,755 in 2022.

In 2023, the minimum rate of 2.15% will apply to 80% of covered employers, with 6% paying the maximum rate of 12.0%. New employers will pay an unemployment insurance contribution rate of 2.82%, which represents the average rate paid by all employers in the period 2019-2021.

Below are PDFs of various releases from the RRB on 2023 tax rates:

RRB Program Letter 2023-02 (PL 23-02)

RRB Reminders for 2023 (G-34)

Railroad Retirement and Unemployment Insurance Taxes in 2023 (NR 2207)

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