SMART Union
WASHINGTON – A bill introduced in the House of Representatives this week calls for sweeping rail safety reforms in the wake of the train derailment in Spuyten Duyvil last December that killed four and injured dozens of others.
The comprehensive legislation was proposed by three of Connecticut’s representatives to Congress – Rosa DeLauro, Jim Himes and Elizabeth Esty – along with Rep. Sean Patrick Maloney (D-Westchester).
Read the complete story at the Hudson Valley Reporter.
According to a report released today by the AFL-CIO, 4,628 workers were killed in the United States during 2012 due to workplace injuries. Additionally an estimated 50,000 died from occupational diseases, resulting in a loss of nearly 150 workers each day from preventable workplace conditions.
The report, entitled Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect, marks the 23rd year the AFL-CIO has produced its findings on the state of safety and health protections for workers within the United States. The report shows the highest workplace fatality rates were found in North Dakota, Wyoming, Alaska, West Virginia and Montana, while Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire (tied), and Washington (tied) had the lowest state fatality rates.
While national numbers remained steady from 2011, the most alarming statistics come from North Dakota, where the state’s job fatality rate of 17.7 per 100,000 workers is five times the national average, which is 3.4 per 100,000, and is among the highest state job fatality rates ever reported. Especially alarming is the high fatality rate in North Dakota for those in the mining and oil and gas extraction sector, where 104 out of every 100,000 workers died on the job, more than six times the national average in this industry.
The AFL-CIO’s report also highlights the number of Latino and immigrant workers killed on the job, with Latino workers facing a nine percent higher risk of a workplace death, 3.7 per 100,000 workers, than the national average. Of the 748 Latino workers killed on the job in 2012, 65% were immigrant workers, with the highest fatalities occurring in Texas, California, and Florida.
The report’s disturbing numbers come in the wake of further statistics showing the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) remains underfunded, understaffed, and unable to levy penalties strong enough to deter workplace safety violations. At current levels, it would take federal and state OSHA inspectors an average of 105 years to inspect every workplace within the United States at least once, with South Dakota facing the largest backlog resulting in an estimated 521 years to inspect workplaces.
Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect was released after numerous Workers Memorial Day vigils, rallies, and actions were held across the country. An online copy can be found here.
WASHINGTON – U.S. Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez will formally induct into the Labor Hall of Honor approximately 12,000 Chinese immigrant laborers who worked on the Central Pacific Railroad between 1865 and 1869. The Chinese Railroad Workers are the first Asian Americans to receive such a tribute since the establishment of the Hall of Honor in 1988. Their efforts, which connected the United States from east to west, laid the foundation for the extraordinary economic prosperity enjoyed by the nation in the years that followed.
Many of these workers risked their lives and even perished from the harsh winters and dangerous working conditions. They faced prejudice, low wages and social isolation. Yet, despite these challenges, they courageously took a stand to organize for fairer wages and safer working conditions. Their efforts not only stitched our nation together, but also advanced the American ideals of equal opportunity; collective organizing and good, safe jobs for all workers, immigrant and American-born alike.
As President Obama noted in his presidential proclamation, May is designated as Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, in part because the Transcontinental Railroad was completed on May 10, 1869.
On the eve of the 145th anniversary of that accomplishment, we honor these pioneers for their dedication and perseverance to the job of building this great nation and for highlighting the power of immigrant laborers. The national theme of AAPI Heritage Month 2014 is “I Am Beyond,” challenging all Americans to look beyond stereotypes and misguided perceptions of the AAPI communities, which have made profound contributions to the American way of life – and the American way of work – throughout our nation’s history.
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Transportation May 7 issued an emergency order requiring all railroads operating trains containing large amounts of Bakken crude oil to notify State Emergency Response Commissions (SERCs) about the operation of these trains through their states.
Additionally, DOT’s Federal Railroad Administration and Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration issued a safety advisory strongly urging those shipping or offering Bakken crude oil to use tank car designs with the highest level of integrity available in their fleets. In addition, PHMSA and FRA advise offerors and carriers to the extent possible to avoid the use of older legacy DOT Specification 111 or CTC 111 tank cars for the shipment of Bakken crude oil.
“The safety of our nation’s railroad system, and the people who live along rail corridors is of paramount concern,” said Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “All options are on the table when it comes to improving the safe transportation of crude oil, and today’s actions, the latest in a series that make up an expansive strategy, will ensure that communities are more informed and that companies are using the strongest possible tank cars.”
Effective immediately, the emergency order (Docket Number DOT-OST-2014-0067), requires that each railroad operating trains containing more than 1,000,000 gallons of Bakken crude oil, or approximately 35 tank cars, in a particular state to provide the SERC notification regarding the expected movement of such trains through the counties in that state.
The notification must include estimated volumes of Bakken crude oil being transported, frequencies of anticipated train traffic and the route through which Bakken crude oil will be transported. The Emergency Order also requires the railroads provide contact information for at least one responsible party at the host railroads to the SERCs. The Emergency Order advises railroads to assist the SERCs as necessary to share the information with the appropriate emergency responders in affected communities.
FRA and PHMSA also issued a joint Safety Advisory 2014-01 to the rail industry strongly recommending the use of tank cars with the highest level of integrity in their fleet when transporting Bakken crude oil.
The Department of Transportation continues to pursue a comprehensive, all-of-the-above approach in minimizing risk and ensuring the safe transport of crude oil. FRA and PHMSA have undertaken more than a dozen actions to enhance the safe transport of crude oil over the last ten months. This comprehensive approach includes immediate and long-term steps such as: launching “Operation Classification” in the Bakken region to verify that crude oil is being properly classified; issuing safety advisories, alerts, emergency orders and regulatory updates; conducting special inspections; moving forward with a rulemaking to enhance tank car standards; and reaching agreement with railroad companies on a series of immediate voluntary actions they can take by reducing speeds, increasing inspections, using new brake technology and investing in first responder training.
The Association of American Railroads issued the following statement in response to the emergency order: “Freight railroads have for years worked with emergency responders and personnel to educate and inform them about the hazardous materials moving through their communities. These open and transparent communications will continue as railroads do all they can to comply with the Department of Transportation’s Emergency Order.”
Click here to view the emergency order.
Click here to view the safety advisory.
DENVER – Gov. John Hickenlooper May 6 announced that he plans to sign H.B. 1161 on May 14 at the Pueblo Union Depot. The bill establishes a commission and fund to preserve the current Amtrak passenger train service in southern Colorado and potentially expand that service to include the city of Pueblo and a possible stop in Walsenburg.
The current Amtrak passenger service in southern Colorado is funded by the federal government under the Rail Passenger Service Act, which gives Amtrak the right to run passenger rail train over freight routes. Due to Amtrak funding cuts by Congress, Amtrak is unable to fully pay for track maintenance on the long distance passenger routes like the Southwest Chief. Without an alternate source of funding for maintenance, this vital passenger service could be discontinued on Jan. 1, 2015.
“H.B. 1161 is not a jobs bill, but a careers bill for southern Colorado. SMART Union members don’t have jobs on the railroad, they have long term careers on the railroad in rural communities of Southern Colorado,” said Carl Smith, SMART Transportation Division Colorado Legislative Director. “We are very proud to have the governor on board with such an important bill.
State Sen. Larry Crowder (R-Alamosa) and state Rep. Leroy Garcia (D-Pueblo) were prime sponsors of the bill.
The estimated cost of maintaining the line is $200 million. There is a proposal of a possibly five-way split between the states of Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, Amtrak and BNSF Railway to pay for the upkeep, requiring $4 million a year for 10 years from each party. There are no state funds committed unless all the parties are on board.
WASHINGTON – Amtrak invites America to celebrate the many benefits trains bring to the nation at the seventh annual National Train Day on May 10, 2014. Trains are an integral part of daily American life and connect communities, provide jobs and economic development, support local businesses and attract funds for infrastructure improvement. From big cities to small towns, coast to coast and border to border, trains matter.
In addition to events in Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., Chicago and Los Angeles, Amtrak is supporting events in many local markets across the country served by America’s Railroad. Event offerings will vary to include train equipment displays, family-friendly activities and local dignitaries.
“Trains have long been important to the growth and prosperity of our nation and today Amtrak supports our national economy and connectivity by moving America where it wants to go,” said Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman.
“Amtrak is America’s Railroad. Trains came first, long before the interstate and the airport,” said Mayor Todd Barton of Crawfordsville, Ind. “From a presidential candidate campaigning across the country to a young scholar leaving home for school, trains take us where we need to go. They are important and should be celebrated.”
Boardman added that rail travel is a vital transportation alternative that is cost-efficient, environmentally friendly and in high public demand. In addition, intercity passenger trains matter because they connect rural communities with major metropolitan areas and afford passengers more than 500 destinations – an option that has become increasingly important as airline and bus companies reduce service to significant regions of America.
Details on National Train Day events and information on how to host a National Train Day event are available at NationalTrainDay.com.
After consulting with a number of the largest mechanical contractors in the United States, the ITI (International Training Institute) has enhanced its BIM courses to better meet the training needs expressed by those contractors. The result is a total immersion training experience called BIMmersion.
BIMmersion is separate from the ITI’s Benchmark training. It covers everything you need to know to become a working detailer in a very short amount of time. Courses are limited to 15 students and each is flexible, depending on individual training needs. They can be taken as a full training experience over six weeks, or each class can be taken on its own.
Two of the most popular classes are sure to be Revit and Navisworks, Autodesk’s flagship products for Building Information Modeling:
Revit Course Description Learn how to use Autodesk Revit software. Topics include learning the basics of Revit; creating views of the model; setting up levels and grids; creating walls, floors, ceilings, roofs, stairs, railings, ramps, etc.; adding components to the model; creating and printing sheets; adding annotations and a detailing sheet; creating HVAC systems; creating hydronic systems; creating plumbing systems; creating lighting and power plans.
Navisworks Course Description Learn how to use Autodesk Navisworks software. Topics include learning the main features and functionality of the Navisworks software; open and append 3D files of different formats and save in the Navisworks format; perform visual project model reviews using built-in review and reporting tools; perform interference detection tests between 3D files of different disciplines to check integrity of the design; obtain takeoff data from source models to create material estimates, measure areas, and count components.
The construction industry has changed and you can change with it. These courses are designed to improve your marketability and open the door to new opportunities. For more information or to sign up, visit www.sheetmetal-iti.org (DIRECT LINK HERE) or call Michael Keane at 703-678-7716.
CLICK HERE for complete Course Descriptions.
Nobody would reasonably expect you to put up with a bomb in your backyard.
Yet every day, car after car of oil travels on railroads just steps away from people, homes and businesses, putting them at risk of explosions caused by unsafe oil tanker cars. This is increasingly true in Wyoming, where local and regional oil production means more and more crude is loaded on rail cars at terminals across the eastern half of the state.
Read the complete editorial at the Casper Star-Tribune.
On a dead-end street in St. Paul, Susan Juaire runs a home day care with a scenic overlook of boxcars, locomotives and railroad tracks. Though she doesn’t like it, Juaire has gotten used to the constant noise of shipping containers being loaded between trucks and trains.
She can’t say the same thing about the long lines of tank cars that roll by daily, without stopping.
Read the complete story at the StarTribune.
PROMONTORY, Utah – A re-enactment ceremony on Saturday (May 10) will mark the 145 years that have passed since the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad.
The annual May 10 re-enactment of the driving of the Golden Spike has been held since the railroad’s completion in 1869.
Read the complete story at The Republic.