Another Large Union (SMART) Protests Mandates

Union Pacific Railroad Files Federal Lawsuit Over Unions’ Objections to Forced Vaccines

 Jim Hoft 

SMART, the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, is one of North America’s most dynamic and diverse unions with 203,000 members.   The union consists of sheet metal workers, service technicians, bus operators, engineers, conductors, sign workers, welders, production employees and more.  SMART is the largest railroad operating union in North America, with more than 500 Transportation locals.

Last Thursday SMART Union General Chairperson Roy Davis sent a letter to advise Union Pacific Company that the SMART Union strongly disagrees with the company’s “unilateral” requirement for COVID vaccinations.

SMART demanded an immediate response and demands that Carrier negotiates in good faith.

This is a huge move by America’s transportation employees union.

There are now three unions at Union Pacific Railroad protesting the Biden vaccine mandates.

On Friday Union Pacific Railroad filed a federal lawsuit over the unions’ objections to the Biden forced vaccine mandates.

Union Pacific Railroad on Oct. 15  filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court after receiving communications from three unions protesting the Class I’s vaccination mandate.

The unions involved are the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD), the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (BMWED).

“This action is necessary to prevent any disruption of the national rail network and to avoid any impact on America’s supply chain, as it continues to recover from the pandemic,” UP spokeswoman Robynn Tysver said in an email.

In the lawsuit, UP seeks to have any dispute over the mandate resolved through the various dispute resolution procedures outlined in the Railway Labor Act, she said.

“We continue to work with our employees and their union representatives as we comply with the law. We look forward to the court’s help in that effort,” Tysver added.

UP announced last week that it will comply with the White House’s executive order requiring employees of federal contractors to get vaccinated by Dec. 8.

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