Dear Coalition Partners,

The ATU NJ State Council and US Senator Robert Menendez will be holding a joint press conference on Monday at Newark Penn Station to push for Federal Legislation to increase protections for transit workers and pedestrians.You are invited to join us at Newark Penn Station on Monday at 11:30am.

Menendez Pushes Legislation to Improve Pedestrian Safety, Protect Bus Operators from Assault 

Sen. Menendez recently introduced the Transit Worker and Pedestrian Protection Act with Sen. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), and Reps. Grace F. Napolitano (D-CA-32) and John Katko (R-NY-24). The bipartisan legislation provides $125 million over five years to make critical safety upgrades to reduce the risks of pedestrian strikes and attacks on bus and rail operators. 

The Transit Worker and Pedestrian Protection Act gives transit agencies two years to develop Bus Operations Safety Risk Reduction Programs in partnership with their transit workforce, and with oversight from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT).  Specifically: 

It also gives transit agencies two years to develop Rail Operations Worker Assault Risk Reduction Programs.

The Transit Worker and Pedestrian Protection Act would also require transit agencies to report all assaults on transit workers to the USDOT’s National Transit Database (NTD).  

Funding provided through the Transit Worker and Pedestrian Protection Act could be used to advance those and other efforts developed partnership with NJ TRANSIT and its employees.

 The legislation is supported by the ATU, Transport Workers Union of America (TWU), International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers (SMART), AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department, and Teamsters.

Please attend a hearing at the Statehouse anex Committee room 11, 4th floor at 10:00am, on Thursday February 14th. SMART-TD NJ State Legislative representative will be there and is requesting available members attend to show our support for this legislation.

https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/members/legsearch.asp
Please use the link to find your representatives and copy & paste to send the message below
“I am writing today on an important development affecting employees of NJ Transit, the recent ruling by the Third Circuit Court, on New Jersey’s claim of sovereign immunity.
Employees of New Jersey Transit are not covered by many State laws protecting employees and providing employees with certain rights, including workers’ compensation and “whistleblower laws.” Federal laws exist to provide certain protections and rights to us. Railway Labor Act (45 U.S.C. s.151 et seq.), the Federal Employers Liability Act (45 U.S.C. s.51 et seq.), the Railroad Retirement Act (45 U.S.C. s.231 et seq.), the Railroad Retirement Tax Act (26 U.S.C. s.3201 et seq.), the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act (45 U.S.C. s.351 et seq.), the Federal railroad safety laws (49 U.S.C. s.20101 et seq.), whistleblower laws, discrimination laws, and the Interstate Commerce Act (49 U.S.C. s.10501 et seq.).
My SMART-TD NJ State Legislative Representative recently worked with NJ Assemblyman Dan Benson and introduced legislation (No. A4689 & S3164) that would waive those claims your support on this bill is imperative to NJ Transit employees who currently are not protected.”