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| WELCOME |
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The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes is a
Division of the Rail Conference of the International Brotherhood of
Teamsters representing and protecting the rights of rail workers who
build and maintain the track and structures on railroads throughout
the United States of America. |
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| NEWS |
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Assistance for Union Plus Program Participants Impacted by the
Oklahoma City Area Tornado |
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Union members living in areas impacted by the tornado that struck
the Oklahoma City area and who participate in Union Plus programs
may be eligible for financial assistance.
Read more...
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Oklahoma Severe Storms and Tornadoes - Major Disaster Declaration |
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WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's
Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that federal disaster
aid has been made available to the State of Oklahoma to supplement
state, tribal, and local recovery efforts in the area affected by
severe storms and tornadoes beginning May 18, 2013, and continuing.
President Declares Disaster for Oklahoma
Federal Aid Programs for State of Oklahoma
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President Expands Emergency Declaration for Texas to Include
Assistance to Individuals |
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WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Federal
Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) announced today that, in line
with the request from the Governor of Texas, the emergency disaster
declaration for the State of Texas, declared on April 19, 2013, has
been expanded to allow individuals and households affected by the
explosion in McLennan County, access to Individual Assistance
grants.
Read more...
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National Agreement Flexible Spending Account |
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There have been many questions about Flexible Spending Accounts and
what they can do for our members. A Flexible Spending Account (FSA)
works like a savings account where you put in a specific amount of
pre-tax dollars to pay for certain medical expenses that satisfy the
requirements established by the IRS.
Read more...
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General Chairman Dodd Responds to Railway Age Article |
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Frank Wilner has been a writer and reporter on the railroad
industry for nearly forty years. He is a well known hatchet man who
will always serve his paymaster at the expense of the facts.
Recently, he wrote an article about the current status of bargaining
between Amtrak and the BMWED for the management magazine, “Railway
Age.”
Read more...
Letter to the Membership...
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President’s 2013 Workers’ Memorial Day Message |
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On April 28, workers and their unions throughout the world will
pause to remember the thousands of workers killed and injured in the
workplace over the past year. I ask each of you to take time this
Workers’ Memorial Day to remember and honor our fallen Brothers and
Sisters.
Read more...
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BMWED seeks membership aid in recognizing potential work
opportunities |
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Plans for expansion of existing commuter rail systems and for
creation of new rail systems hold the possibility for an increase in
railroad work after decades of a decline.
Read more...
Section 13(c)
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OSHA: Norfolk Southern At Fault For Firing Whistleblowers |
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Radio host Leslie Marshall interviews BMWED special counsel about
recent OSHA findings against Norfolk Southern railroad for unfair
treatment of workers.
Listen to show ...
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Budget Cuts Reduce Railroad Unemployment and Sickness Benefits |
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As a result of recently implemented budget cuts, the U.S. Railroad
Retirement Board (RRB) must reduce railroad unemployment and
sickness insurance benefits by 9.2 percent. These reductions stem
from a sequestration order which President Obama filed on March 1,
2013, in accordance with the requirements of the Budget Control Act
of 2011. The sequestration order sets aside a total of $6 million in
funding under the railroad unemployment and sickness insurance
program. Given the total amount of spending under the program, a cut
of this size made benefit reductions necessary.
Read more...
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Norfolk Southern Railway Co. Ordered By US Labor Department's
OSHA to Pay $1.1 Million After Terminating 3 Workers For Reporting
Injuries |
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Norfolk Southern Railway Co. has been ordered to pay $1,121,099 to
three workers following an investigation by the U.S. Department of
Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which found
that the company violated the whistleblower provisions of the
Federal Railroad Safety Act. Two investigations, conducted by OSHA
staff in Chicago and Pittsburgh, found that three employees were
wrongfully fired for reporting workplace injuries.
Read more...
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OSHA Finds Another Injured Worker Unlawfully Fired By Norfolk
Southern RR |
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) yesterday
issued another significant finding against the Norfolk Southern
Railway (NS) for violating the Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA).
This was the third of three separate findings against NS issued on
February 27, 2013, and the latest in a series of cases in which
OSHA, after a full investigation, concluded that NS fired
Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED) members
merely for seeking medical attention for on-the-job injuries.
Read more... |
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OSHA Finds Norfolk Southern Railway Violated Federal Railroad
Safety Act |
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration today issued two
more significant findings against the Norfolk Southern Railway (NS)
for violating the Federal Railroad Safety Act (FRSA). These cases
are the latest in a series of cases in which OSHA, after a full
investigation, concluded that NS fired Brotherhood of Maintenance of
Way Employes Division (BMWED) members merely for seeking medical
attention for on-the-job injuries. Section 20109 of the FRSA
provides railroad workers with rights and remedies against unlawful
railroad company retaliation for reporting injuries, seeking medical
attention, and raising safety and security concerns.
Read more... |
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Rail Conference Pushes For Stronger Whistleblower Protections |
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Whistleblower protections for railroad workers received a major
boost this week when representatives from the Teamsters Rail
Conference spoke before the Whistleblower Protection Advisory
Committee in Washington, D.C. As part of the Occupational Safety and
Health Administration (OSHA) of the Department of Labor, the
Committee was established to assist OSHA with recommendations to
improve the fairness, efficiency, and transparency of whistleblower
investigations conducted under Section 20109 of the Federal Railroad
Safety Act (FRSA), and 21 other whistleblower statutes.
Read more... |
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BNSF Railway Co. signs accord with US Labor Department’s OSHA
regarding employee practices under Federal Railroad Safety Act |
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WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and
Health Administration has signed an accord with BNSF Railway Co.,
headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas, announcing BNSF’s voluntary
revision of several personnel policies that OSHA alleged violated
the whistleblower provisions of the Federal Railroad Safety Act and
dissuaded workers from reporting on-the-job injuries.
Read more...
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The Importance of Using In-Network-Providers |
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The National Railroad Plans (“Plan”) allow you to see any doctor in
your Plan Administrator’s network, including specialists, without a
referral. This means that you have the freedom to choose a physician
or specialist without first seeing a primary care physician.
Read more... |
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$500 Disaster Grants Available To Help Union Plus Program
Participants Impacted By Hurricane Sandy |
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Union Plus Disaster Relief Grants of $500 are available to help
eligible participants in the Union Plus Credit Card, Insurance or
Mortgage programs who are facing financial hardship due to the
disaster. The money does not have to be repaid. Funds are limited to
the nearly $370,000 available in the Union Plus Disaster Relief
Fund.
Read more... |
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FAMES Safety Alert |
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A comparison of roadway worker fatality data over a span of 21 years
(1986–1994 and 1997– 2010) indicates that the highest number of
roadway worker incidents occur in the 4th Quarter.
Read
more... |
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OSHA/FRA Sign Agreement to Protect Rail Workers from Retaliation |
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The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health
Administration and the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal
Railroad Administration have signed a memorandum of agreement to
facilitate coordination and cooperation between agencies regarding
the enforcement of the Federal Railroad Safety Act’s whistleblower
provision. The act protects railroad employees from retaliation when
they report safety violations, or work-related personal injuries or
illnesses.
Read more... |
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Press Release: Fatality Analysis Committee (FAMES) issues first
two Reports |
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The Presidents of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS), W.
Dan Pickett, and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes
Division - IBT (BMWED), Freddie Simpson, jointly commended the work
of the Fatality Analysis of Maintenance-of-way Employees and
Signalmen (FAMES) Committee and called for the rail industry to take
the necessary steps to eliminate impact fatalities and injuries to
railroad roadway workers.
Read more ...
Read:
Introduction to FAMES
Read: RWIC/Lone
Worker FAMES Report |
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BMWED National Division Headquarters Has Moved |
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41475 Gardenbrook
Road
Novi, MI 48375-1328 Our new phone numbers are:
Office: 248-662-2660
Fax: 248-662-2659 Please
update your records. |
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| JOURNAL |
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March/April 2013 Journal |
Journal Archive |
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Mobilizing for recovery. |
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President's
Perspective |
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Last year our retirement system was threatened when Representative
Paul Ryan (R-WI) inserted language in the federal budget that
would have devastated our retirement benefits. The Ryan Budget,
mostly pulled from thin air, or some other likely place,
included a provision that would have conformed Railroad
Retirement Tier 1 benefits to Social Security benefits.
Read more
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Secretary/Treasurer's
Report |
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As we enter the second quarter of 2013, the U.S. economy continues
to improve. Housing prices are on the rise, giving hope to
millions of American homeowners who saw their home values
plummet during the recent recession. Existing home sales are up
10 percent from a year ago, and more people are taking advantage
of historically low home mortgage rates to upgrade from starter
homes to more family-sized homes. Read more
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A Vice
President Speaks |
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Our Union was founded 125 years ago by
the man who became our first BMWE President, John Wilson. The
main inspiration that set Wilson on a path to form the
beginnings of our Brotherhood was the death of a co-worker that
left his widow with no means of support. Of course, the
injustices he saw at the time as a Track Foreman had to have
played a part in his decision to take up the cause. Read
more ... |
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Legislative Report |
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Budget sequestration is a procedure in
United States law that limits the size of the federal budget.
Sequestration involves setting a hard cap on the amount of
government spending within broadly defined categories; if
Congress enacts annual appropriations legislation that exceeds
these caps, an across-the-board spending cut is automatically
imposed on these categories, affecting all departments and
programs by an equal percentage. Read more
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