STB appoints rail union leader Ferguson to RSTAC

The Surface Transportation Board has appointed rail labor leader Jeremy Ferguson to the board's Railroad-Shipper Transportation Advisory Council (RSTAC) as an at-large member.

Ferguson is president Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART-TD). He has nearly 30 years of railroad industry experience and began his career as a freight-rail conductor. Ferguson has been an advocate for improving communication between railroads and shippers, and prioritizing rail safety and working conditions for rail workers, STB officials said in a press release.

"The board and the members of RSTAC could have greatly benefited from rail labor’s perspective in recent years as the board and industry stakeholders have grappled with serious service issues across the freight-rail network and the exacerbation of those problems caused by the COVID-19 pandemic," said STB Chairman Martin Oberman.