Railroaders place to shoot the shit.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, or Lou Gehrigs disease) is a debilitating and terminal disease and Local 1440 member Robert Sullivan, age 40, an employee of Staten Island Railway in New York City, is fighting its effects.

Sully has been unable to work since July 2009 due to the rapid progression of the disease. He no longer is able to feed or dress himself without assistance from his wife Edie, who also must care for the family's two boys -- seven-year-old Max and two-year-old Alex.

Officers of Local 1440, with assistance from New York State Sen. Andrew Lanza and Assemblyman Michael Cusick, appealed to the management of Staten Island Railway to provide pension assistance to Sully. Unfortunately, Sully does not qualify for a reduced pension as he lacks the required minimum 10 years of employment to qualify.

Sully and his family are facing foreclosure on their home.

Sully's union brothers and sisters in Local 1440 now are appealing to all of Sully's UTU brothers and sisters to donate whatever they are able.

Donations may be sent to:

The Robert Sullivan Family Trust Fund

P.O. Box 60437

Staten Island, N.Y.10306

A portion of all donations will be shared with the ALS Association Greater New York Chapter to help find a cure for ALS.

To learn more about ALS, visit the website, www.als-ny.org.

UTU member Robert Sullivan with wife, Edie, and sons Max and Alex.