Coal and Traffic are both on the rise in this week's news headlines

SMART TD OPENS REGISTRATION FOR 2017 REGIONAL MEETINGS
https://smart-union.org/news/smart-td-opens-registration-2017-regional-meetings/

Coal on the rise: AAR
http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/freight/class-i/coal-on-the-rise-aar.html?channel=50

U.S. rail traffic rose 4.2 percent in February
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/rail_industry_trends/news/US-rail-traffic-rose-42-percent-in-February--50981

Weekly gain for U.S. rail freight volumes
http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/freight/class-i/weekly-gain-for-us-rail-freight-volumes.html?channel=50

BNSF Announces 2016 Economic Development Results
http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170221006028/en/BNSF-Announces-2016-Economic-Development-Results#.WK06b6REv48.twitter

AAR pens list of rail "priorities" for Trump White House
http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/regulatory/aar-pens-list-of-rail-priorities-for-trump-white-house.html?channel=40

BNSF's 2016 earnings hit by decline in coal, crude oil volumes
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/bnsf_railway/article/BNSFs-2016-earnings-hit-by-decline-in-coal-crude-oil-volumes--50966?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

LOCAL 1626 ASKS FOR YOUR HELP IN MEMBERS’ TIME OF NEED
https://smart-union.org/news/local-1626-asks-help-members-time-need/

SMART TD WELCOMES TWO NEW DLC LAWYERS TO REPRESENT MEMBERS
https://smart-union.org/news/smart-td-welcomes-two-new-dlc-lawyers-represent-members/

RAIL TRAFFIC UP BUT CLASS I EMPLOYMENT DOWN IN THIS WEEK'S NEWS HEADLINES

Weekly gain for U.S. rail freight volumes
http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/freight/class-i/weekly-gain-for-us-rail-freight-volumes.html?channel=50

U.S., Canadian railroads report higher traffic in Week 7
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/rail_industry_trends/article/US-Canadian-railroads-report-higher-traffic-in-Week-7--50913?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

STB: Class I employment dropped in January
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/rail_industry_trends/article/STB-Class-I-employment-dropped-in-January--50910?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

GIVE LIKE YOUR JOB DEPENDS ON IT…BECAUSE IT DOES.
https://smart-union.org/td/washington/utu-pac/

SMART TD OPENS REGISTRATION FOR 2017 REGIONAL MEETINGS
https://smart-union.org/news/smart-td-opens-registration-2017-regional-meetings/

CALLS FOR 2-PERSON CREWS IN RESPONSE TO AMPHIBIOUS VEHICLE FATALITIES
https://smart-union.org/news/calls-2-person-crews-response-amphibious-vehicle-fatalities/

NEW HAMPSHIRE NEXT FOR RIGHT-TO-WORK? STATE HOUSE SAYS NO!
https://smart-union.org/news/new-hampshire-next-right-work-state-house-says-not-fast/

The trend of modest gains in rail traffic continues in this week's news headlines

GP SELLERS FEBRUARY VIDEO MESSAGE
https://smart-union.org/news/gp-sellers-february-video-message/

RAILROAD WORKER AWARDED $7.5 MILLION IN TOXIN EXPOSURE CASE
https://smart-union.org/news/railroad-worker-awarded-7-5-mil-toxin-exposure-case/

FORMER SECRETARY OF LABOR ROBERT REICH EXPLAINS WHY “RIGHT-TO-WORK” IS WRONG
https://smart-union.org/news/former-secretary-labor-explains-right-work-wrong/

More rain whipsaws BNSF with outages in NorCal, PNW
http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/freight/class-i/bnsf-whipsawed-by-norcal-outages-more-rain.html?channel=50

Mild rail freight traffic upswing continues
http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/freight/class-i/mild-rail-freight-traffic-upswing-continues.html?channel=50

U.S. rail traffic inched up 2.6 percent in Week No. 6
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/rail_industry_trends/article/US-rail-traffic-inched-up-26-percent-in-Week-No-6--50868?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

ICYMI: This week's news headlines

MEMORIAL SERVICES SET FOR JOHN P. SCHNEIDER
https://smart-union.org/news/memorial-services-set-john-p-schneider/

Rail advocates encouraged by Trump's emphasis on regulatory reform, infrastructure
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/federal_legislation_regulation/article/Rail-advocates-encouraged-by-Trump39s-emphasis-on-regulatory-reform-infrastructure--50770

U.S., Canadian rail traffic up, Mexican rail traffic down in Week 5
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/rail_industry_trends/article/US-Canadian-rail-traffic-up-Mexican-rail-traffic-down-in-Week-5--50820?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

NTSB: Defective axle led to Casselton crude-oil train derailment
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/safety/article/NTSB-Defective-axle-led-to-Casselton-crudeoil-train-derailment--50800?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

White House Press Conference Comment on Right to Work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?sns=em&v=fbxYad9gmYs&app=desktop

Right to work for less is in this week's news headlines

MISSOURI, NEW HAMPSHIRE POISED TO BECOME RIGHT-TO-WORK STATES
https://smart-union.org/news/missouri-new-hampshire-poised-become-right-work-states/

WHO’S BEHIND NATIONAL RIGHT TO WORK?
https://smart-union.org/news/whos-behind-national-right-work/

MEMBER HIT AND KILLED BY UNION PACIFIC TRAIN
https://smart-union.org/news/member-hit-killed-union-pacific-train/

Rail freight traffic: Is coal making a comeback?
http://m.railwayage.com/index.php/freight/class-i/rail-freight-traffic-is-coal-making-a-comeback.html?channel=50

AAR: Traffic registers a good gain
http://m.railwayage.com/index.php/freight/class-i/aar-traffic-registers-a-good-gain.html

U.S. rail traffic rose slightly in January
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/rail_industry_trends/article/US-rail-traffic-rose-slightly-in-January--50737?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

U.S. Senate confirms Chao as transportation secretary
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/people/article/US-Senate-confirms-Chao-as-transportation-secretary--50731?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

SMART meets with Trump & rail traffic up in this week's news headlines

SMART LEADERS MEET WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP AT WHITE HOUSE
https://smart-union.org/news/trump-meets-labor-day-one-white-house/

STATEMENT FROM GP SELLERS ON MEETING WITH PRESIDENT TRUMP
https://smart-union.org/news/statement-gp-sellers-meeting-president-trump/

Lack of coal traffic leads to concerns about loss of rail lines - http://www.wvgazettemail.com/news-business/20170126/lack-of-coal-traffic-leads-to-concerns-about-loss-of-rail-lines#sthash.ujz1KbSB.dpuf

Buffett's BNSF cuts ethanol shipper costs amid push for safer train cars
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ethanol-rail-bnsf-idUSKBN1592KD?il=0

BNSF identifies six rail-served sites for development
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/bnsf_railway/article/BNSF-identifies-six-railserved-sites-for-development--50693?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

U.S. railroads' traffic rose 8 percent in third week
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/rail_industry_trends/article/US-railroads-traffic-rose-8-percent-in-third-week--50690?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

AAR "ready to work with Trump"
http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/regulatory/aar-ready-to-work-with-trump-on-some-of-his-most-ambitious-goals.html?channel=40

SMART TD, AAR, FRA & MLK are in this week's news headlines

I have a dream
http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

SMART TD ANNOUNCES INTRODUCTION OF TWO-PERSON TRAIN CREW LEGISLATION
https://smart-union.org/news/smart-td-announces-introduction-two-person-train-crew-legislation/

AAR DESCRIBES RAIL JOB DECLINE AS “BEING FLEXIBLE, EFFICIENT”
https://smart-union.org/news/aar-describes-rail-job-decline-flexible-efficient/

AAR: Total weekly U.S. traffic up 2%
http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/freight/class-i/aar-total-weekly-us-traffic-up-2.html?channel=50

Kansas logistics park offers big intermodal-growth potential for BNSF
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/bnsf_railway/article/Kansas-logistics-park-offers-big-intermodal-growth-potential-for-BNSF--50535

Exiting rail safety chief looks to technology to save lives
https://apnews.com/1d5ed085b02447128d2d4cc4f759d6fc/Exiting-rail-safety-chief-looks-to-technology-to-save-lives?utm_campaign=SocialFlow&utm_source=Twitter&utm_medium=APEastRegion

A change of leadership on labor and transportation on Capitol Hill is in this week's news headlines

Trump Labor pick Puzder's hearing could be delayed until February
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/10/trump-labor-pick-puzders-hearing-could-be-delayed-until-february.html

AAR: total weekly U.S. rail traffic down 11.4%
http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/freight/class-i/aar-total-weekly-us-rail-traffic-down-114.html?channel=50

Railroads moved less traffic in 2017's first week
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/rail_industry_trends/article/Railroads-moved-less-traffic-in-2017s-first-week--50591?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

U.S. Sen. Fischer reappointed chair of surface transportation subcommittee"
http://www.progressiverailroading.com/people/article/US-Sen-Fischer-reappointed-chair-of-surface-transportation-subcommittee--50581?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=twitter

AAR requires ECP brakes on nuclear waste trains
http://trn.trains.com/news/news-wire/2017/01/11-ecp-brakes-on-nuclear-trains

EDWARD WYTKIND APPOINTED TO DOT’S ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON AUTOMATION IN TRANSPORTATION
http://ttd.org/news-and-media/press-releases/edward-wytkind-appointed-to-dots-advisory-committee-on-automation-in-transportation/