Rail and bus workers continue to call out to get SMART for representation in these troubling times.
SMARTs ability to negotiate industry-leading contracts, process grievances and achieve workplace safety improvements are most often cited as the reason.
Over the past few weeks, SMART was successful in three additional organizing drives, bringing to 27 the number of new properties added to the SMART family within the past 44 months.
Workers at Columbia & Cowlitz Railway (which includes Patriot Woods Railroad) in Longview, Wash.; Industrial Railway Switching and Services of Lorain, Ohio; and First Transit of Farmington, N.M., are now represented by SMART.
Transportation and mechanical employees at shortline Columbia & Cowlitz Railway (which includes Patriot Woods Railroad for representation purposes) both part of the Patriot Rail group and operating in southwest Washington state voted unanimously for SMART representation, rejecting another labor organization. SMART Director of Organizing Rich Ross and Assistant President Arty Martin made presentations to the workers, leading to a unanimous show of support in the representation election.
Industrial Railway Switching and Services (IRSS), which provides intra-plant switching for manufacturing and processing plants at numerous locations in the Midwest and Southwest, voluntarily recognized SMART as its transportation employees bargaining representative. Ross, SMART Assistant General Counsel Erika Diehl, Illinois State Legislative Director Bob Guy and Local 1895 (Chicago) Local Chairperson Larry Grutzius were instrumental in the organizing drive.
At First Transit, a public transit operator and part of First Group America, former SMART member Steve Moots, now employed there, provided a testimonial on SMART representation abilities to his fellow then-unorganized workers. Bonnie Morr, alternate Bus Department vice president, was assisted in the organizing drive by Alternate Vice President John England, Columbia & Cowlitz Railway General Chairperson Sean Kibbee, New Mexico State Legislative Director Dennis Baca and Assistant President Arty Martin.