Progress Through Unity

Key Principles for New Transit Authorization Bill

Today our GC along with some of your local 60 officers and members, including other union represenatives, stood with Senator Menedez U.S. Senator (D-NJ) in support of a new transportation authorization bill, he unveiled key principles for public transportation and Local 60 is in agreement with our Senator with this legislation and encourage members to support it.

 

“I categorically reject the idea that we can’t afford to fix our transportation system; we can’t afford not to fix it,” said Sen. Menendez, Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Housing, Transportation, and Community Development, which has jurisdiction over transit. “Let’s stop pretending the transportation problem is going to resolve itself if we just wait long enough. Hundreds of thousands of New Jersey families and millions of Americans rely on a safe, reliable, affordable transit system, and Congress must finally accelerate on real investments and stop putting the brakes on upgrades, innovations and protections.”

“Senator Menendez is a true champion for the commuters of NJ Transit,” said Steve Burkert, General Chairman of SMART-Transportation Division Local 60, which is a member of the NJ Transit Rail Labor Coalition. “We applaud the Senator’s efforts to gain long term funding for NJ Transit. This funding will promote future growth and properly maintain current infrastructure. The safety of the passengers who ride our trains on a daily basis should never be compromised due to budgetary restraints. We stand here today in full support of Senator Menendez and his pursuit of funding the Public Transportation Reauthorization Bill.”

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Download (PDF, 1.2MB)

Download (PDF, 1.01MB)

Rally to support Public Transportation Reauthorization Bill

Senator Bob Menendez will be holding a rally tomorrow at 11:00am at the Ridgewood train station. A handful of your SMART-TD officers will be in attendance and encourage any member who is available to attend. He is promoting legislation that directly affects us and our family’s. This is an important step in getting politicians in Trenton to recognize we are aligned with them and we need their support.

Download (PDF, 1009KB)

PEB No.248 Announced

The Executive Order established the Presidential Emergency Board effective July 16, 2015, and the Emergency Board will report its findings and recommendations for settlement to the President within thirty (30) days of its creation.

President Obama also announced that he intends to appoint the following members to Presidential Emergency Board No. 248:

  • Elizabeth C. Wesman – Chair, Presidential Emergency Board No. 248
  • Barbara Deinhardt – Member, Presidential Emergency Board No. 248
  • Ann Kenis – Member, Presidential Emergency Board No. 248

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2015/07/15/president-obama-announces-presidential-emergency-board-names-members

GC Report June

GC report:
Supplemental list temporary agreement failed we are going to stick with current format, we will try and enforce/tweak
Motion is up for vote at next regularly scheduled local 60 meeting to change allocation of funds from the Local Fund of $1 and LCA of $3 to the GC fund up $4 temporally in order to alleviate deficit in the GCA fund this will not increase dues for members
Art Rayner is no longer our UTUIA representative direct all insurance inquires to the international
Please call payroll numbers established for Deb & Val and leave message for now, our GC is working to get SMART-TD representatives back in with payrollGC R #206282015

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Local 60 Meeting Sunday 10:00am

We have our regularly scheduled meeting Sunday morning 10:00am at the

Linden VFW 20 Pennsylvania Railroad Ave.
Linden, N.J. 07036

We will be voting on a TEMPORARY change to the supplemental list procedures members who can not make it email our GC with your concerns sburkert@utulocal60.com

As always we will post our GC’s report and any other important information on this site and social media ASAP

Also we are still putting together our text alert list email your information to emitchell@utulocal60.com

July 4th Payroll Information

To ensure that T&E employees receive their pay fully for check date of July 9th, we are asking membership to get their cards for period ending Tuesday June 30th in the designated drop-off locations no later than the evening of Wednesday July 1st,   Adherence to this timeline will allow the timecards to reach payroll on Thursday and be included in the following weeks’ payroll processing.

Coalition News

Just some information from our GC for members, the IBEW joined the coalition so all crafts on our property are being represented.

This is the first time for us to use this process for negotiations and the first time for coalition leaders to represent 100% of the unions on a property.

We are entering some important phases and it will be important to get members updated information we are asking all members sign up for text messaging.

Below is a timeline so we have an idea of what to expect

  •   Mon., June 15, 2015:  Release by NMB – this begins the 30-day cooling-off period.
  •   Thurs. July 15, 2015:  Anticipated creation of the First PEB – this begins the first 120-day cooling-off period.
  •   Tues., July 21, 2015:  Anticipated deadline for written pre-hearing submissions.
  •   Wed., July 22 – Fri., July 24, 2015:  Anticipated hearing dates for the First PEB.
  •    Fri., Aug. 14, 2015:  Deadline for the First PEB to issue its report.
  •   Wed., Sept. 9, 2015:   NMB’s Public Hearing.
  •   Thur., Nov. 12, 2015:  Initial 120-day cooling off period expires/deadline for creating the Second PEB.
  •    Sat., Dec., 12, 2015:  Deadline for the parties to submit final offers to the Second PEB.
  •   Mon., Jan. 11, 2016:  Deadline for the Second PEB to issue its report/beginning of final 60-day cooling-off period.
  •   Fri., March 11, 2016:  The final cooling-off period expires at the end of the day.

Coalition Press Release

Download (PDF, 60KB)

First NJT/Amtrak-East C3RS PRT Meeting

With the expansion of the C3RS program boundaries to include all Amtrak territory, the NJT PRT expressed a desire to have periodic meetings with the Amtrak-East PRT to discuss how to proceed with close calls reported by NJT members that occur on Amtrak property (all close call reports made by NJT employees are forwarded to the NJT PRT, regardless of location). To that end, NJT and Amtrak-East PRT held their inaugural meeting on Friday, June 12, 2015. More information can be found at our NJT C3rs website.

 

Unauthorized People In Secure Areas

We have been seeing increased incidents of passengers, contractors, and other employees in areas where they should not be. One of the best resources available to us, one that is proven to offer long-term systematic change, is C3RS. Reporting incidents to our C3RS safety program can have results that will also protect yourself and fellow employees from discipline. These include passengers on closed trains, contractors working in yards or aboard trains, trespassers in yards or crew only areas and employees in deadhead cars.

 

As always, Local 60 encourages all members to report the above incidents to C3RS. These reports will be analyzed by your Peer Review Team (PRT). The recommendations they compile and present to the carrier may highlight necessary changes to procedures or and increase in manpower and/or resources to protect ourselves and passengers. Please visit http://njtc3rs.com/