A Partner in Progress: Rep. Jeff Van Drew’s Leadership on Rail Safety

Momentum Builds for Railroad Labor Priorities

In Washington, victories for railroad workers never happen overnight. They are built through years of advocacy, countless conversations, and strong relationships with elected officials who are willing to listen, learn, and lead. That’s not an easy lift.

Over the past several weeks, SMART-TD members have seen meaningful progress on multiple legislative fronts, and one name has consistently appeared throughout those efforts: Congressman Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey.

SMART-TD has always been clear about one thing: our issues are not partisan. Railroad safety, quality of life, and protecting good-paying transportation jobs are not Republican issues or Democratic issues. They are worker issues. Our union has always judged elected officials by a simple standard: Are they with us, or are they against us?

That is why it is worth recognizing the role Congressman Van Drew has played in several recent legislative victories.

Drawing the Line on Automated Track Inspections

As a member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, Van Drew has become an increasingly important voice on rail labor issues. Most recently, he co-led Amendment 294 to the BUILD America 250 Act alongside Congresswoman Dina Titus (D-NV). That amendment protects the long-standing requirement for regular human visual track inspections and makes clear that Automated Track Inspection technology should supplement (not replace) the trained railroad professionals who keep our nation’s rail network safe. The measure advanced through committee with bipartisan support and represented a significant victory for railroad workers and public safety.

2-PC, Long Trains, Inspection Times, and More

Van Drew also helped lead efforts to include the Railway Safety Act in the BUILD America 250 Act. Working alongside Representatives Troy Nehls, Chris Deluzio, Emilia Sykes, Dina Titus, Rob Bresnahan, and others, the amendment advanced critical rail safety reforms that labor organizations have fought for since the East Palestine disaster. These reforms include stronger inspection standards, enhanced safety requirements, protections that help ensure safety is never sacrificed for corporate efficiency, and as 2-Person Freight Train Crews as the law of the land.

Passenger Rail Crew Safety and Respect

On Thursday, June 11, Van Drew, along with Representative Laura Gillen (D-NY), introduced a bill in the House to strengthen protections for passenger rail crews, further demonstrating a willingness to engage on issues that directly affect the men and women who operate America’s transportation network. In this bill. Van Drew and Gillen demand that our passenger rail members have the same federal protections against assault as flight crews enjoy. This is something our Safety and Legislative Department and Bus & Transit Assault Prevention & Safety (BTAPS) committee have been working on for a considerable amount of time in SMART-TD’s efforts to curb the transit assault epidemic in America.

 That is quite a bit of positive change for SMART-TD railroaders to cram into a short period of time, and Rep. Van Drew, along with his staff, has been a common thread through all of these victories.

It Takes a Village

To be clear, these accomplishments belong to a broad coalition. SMART-TD is grateful for the leadership and support of Representatives Titus, Gillen, Nehls, Deluzio, Sykes, Rulli, Bresnahan, and many others who have stood with transportation workers. Progress only happens when lawmakers from both parties work together and when labor speaks with a united voice.

What makes Van Drew’s recent involvement particularly noteworthy is not simply the votes he has cast. It is the effort he has made to understand our industry. He has reached out to SMART-TD’s Safety and Legislative Departments, asked questions, sought information, and taken the time to learn about the realities facing railroad workers. Those conversations have helped turn awareness into action. And that action has taken the shape of his sponsorship and co-sponsorship of historic legislation in our industry.

His work on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee has given him a close view of the challenges facing America’s rail network, and he has shown a willingness to use that position to advocate for practical solutions that protect workers, strengthen safety, and serve the public interest.