United Transportation Union
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| Full name | United Transportation Union |
|---|---|
| Founded | January 1, 1969 |
| Date dissolved | August 11, 2014 |
| Merged into | International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers |
| Members | 70,606 (2012) |
| Affiliation | AFL-CIO |
| Key people | Malcolm B. "Mike" Futhey, president |
| Office location | Cleveland, Ohio, United States |
| Country | United States |
| Website | smart-union |
The United Transportation Union (UTU) is a broad-based, transportation labor union representing about 70,000 active and retired railroad, bus, mass transit, and airline workers in the United States. The UTU is headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. On August 11, 2014, it merged with the Sheet Metal Workers' International Association (SMWIA) to form the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers, known by the acronym SMART.
The UTU is the largest railroad operating union in North America, with more than 500 locals. The UTU represents employees on every Class I railroad in the United States, as well as employees on many American regional and shortline railroads. It also represents bus and mass transit employees on approximately 45 bus and transit systems and has grown to include airline pilots, flight attendants, dispatchers and other airport personnel. The UTU is very interested in the airline sector and hopes to expand its representation with pilots and flight attendants. The UTU believes it is a viable alternative to other aviation labor unions because the UTU operates under the belief that it has been proficient in interpreting and enforcing provisions of the Railroad Labor Act (RLA), under which airlines also operate.
Membership is drawn primarily from the operating crafts in the railroad industry and includes conductors, brakemen, switchmen, ground service personnel, locomotive engineers, hostlers and workers in associated crafts. More than 1,800 railroad yardmasters also are represented by the UTU. The UTU's 8,000 bus and transit members include drivers, mechanics and employees in related occupations.
In 1968 exploratory talks among the four brotherhoods’ interested in forming one transportation union proved fruitful and plans were formulated for merging of the four operation unions into a single organization to represent all four operating crafts. The four unions were the Brotherhood of Locomotive Firemen and Enginemen, the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, the Order of Railway Conductors and Brakemen and the Switchmen’s Union of North America. The first three of these were considered fraternal orders, as well as labor unions.
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