SMART UnionThe first phase of CSX Transportation’s National Gateway project, which will allow trains carrying maximum-sized freight containers stacked two-high to travel between Ohio and East Coast ports, has been completed on time and within budget, the railroad said.
The project involves enlarging tunnels and improving clearance heights beneath bridges to allow trains taller than previously allowed to pass through.
Read the complete story at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
WASHINGTON – The Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) Sept. 6 endorsed certain changes by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) to Buy America policy that will lead to job creation and stronger transportation and manufacturing sectors.
“TTD and our affiliated unions have long advocated for strong transportation Buy America policies,” said TTD President Edward Wytkind. “We should be using the taxpayers’ investments in transportation to maximize U.S. job creation.”
TTD submitted comments today to the FHWA supporting its review of three Buy America general waivers that exempt certain products from the requirement that FHWA-funded projects use American-made iron, steel and other manufactured products. TTD also supports the agency’s determination to apply Buy America standards to fuel efficient and low emission vehicles and related equipment purchased with FHWA Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Improvement (CMAQ) Program funds.
“FHWA’s decision to apply Buy America standards to CMAQ-funded purchases of vehicles is an investment in American manufacturers, including the thousands of workers who melt and pour steel and produce parts and components for vehicle production,” said Wytkind. “We applaud the continuing efforts of this Administration to beef up transportation Buy America rules.”
TTD suggested the FHWA require that no less than 60 percent of each vehicle be U.S. made, increasing that percentage over time until it reaches 100 percent. This should be coupled with the requirement that the vehicles be assembled in the U.S.
“The bottom line is that the FHWA has the authority to set standards that ensure federal transportation spending supports American jobs. We should expect no less from our government as it invests public funds,” said Wytkind.
PORTLAND, Maine – A bankrupt railroad whose runaway train sparked a fire and explosion that killed 47 people in Quebec is seeking financing to use two-person train crews in the U.S., a company trustee said.
The move to beef up the crews comes after criticism of Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway’s decision to keep one-person crews in the U.S., said Portland lawyer Robert J. Keach.
Read the complete story at the Boston Globe.
ST. PAUL, Minn. – Marshawn Robinson is waiting for a pair of prosthetic feet after his were severed by a freight train in St. Paul just a few weeks ago, but his recovery was interrupted with what his family describes as a “strange visitor.”
The 9-year-old spent nine days in the hospital after the accident, and while he and his mother tried to figure out how they were going to cope, they met a representative from the railroad.
Read the complete story at MyFoxTwinCities.com.
Retired conductor John Herrmann of Local 694 invites all active and retired railroaders in the San Francisco Bay area to the sixth annual lunch and reunion from 1-5 p.m. on Oct. 26 at Spenger’s Fresh Fish Grotto, 1919 Fourth St. in Berkeley, Calif.
The cost of lunch, dessert, beverage, tax and tip is $35 in advance, or $40 at the door.
Entrée choices are chicken marsala, grilled sirloin of beef or salmon and include a vegetable and potato side dish. To make a reservation, call Herrmann at (925) 465-4122.
The meal will be served at approximately 2:00 p.m. Railroaders, family and friends from SP, UP, WP, AT&SF and Amtrak, as well as other lines, from all crafts, are invited to participate in special event. Those paying in advance should send their check or money order to Herrmann at P.O. Box 4763, Walnut Creek, CA 94596, and indicate the entrée choice.
The number of freight trains carrying oil across America has soared in the past five years, but federal officials warn that the massive steel tank cars that carry most of that oil through towns and past schools – the same cars that exploded in Quebec this summer, killing 47 – may be unsafe and prone to rupture.
“The clock is ticking,” said Jim Arie, fire chief of the Chicago suburb of Barrington, Ill., where the number of trains that rumble across Main Street has grown from five a day to nearly one an hour. “As long as these rail cars are out there and they’re being used, potential exists for a major disaster.”
Read the complete story at NBC News.
Omaha, Neb.-based Union Pacific Railroad, which has significant operations in Roseville, is launching drag-reducing freight train technology not too far removed from the aerodynamic designs used by open-wheel race cars.
It’s called Arrowedge, and it will be showing up this month on UP trains in California.
Read the complete story at The Sacramento Bee.
PORTLAND, Maine – The bankrupt railroad whose runaway train sparked a fire and explosion that killed 47 people in Quebec could be sold by year’s end, the company’s trustee said Thursday.
Montreal, Maine & Atlantic Railway has made no secret that its sale will be necessary to repay creditors and victims following the July 6 disaster Lac-Megantic, Quebec. And railroad trustee Robert Keach said he’s already been approached by “several” potential buyers.
Read the complete story at The Houston Chronicle.
TELLURIDE, Colo. – A small passenger airplane skidded to a halt on the Telluride Regional Airport runway on Sunday afternoon after part of its landing gear failed, but no injuries were reported.
The Great Lakes Airlines two-engine Beechcraft 1900 was flying in from Denver with around 10 passengers and two pilots on board. As the aircraft approached TEX at around 1 p.m., warning lights went off, indicating that landing gear on the left side of the plane near its wing had failed to lock, according to the San Miguel County Sheriff’s Office.
Read the complete story at the Telluride Daily Planet.
BOSTON – The U.S. Department of Labor has ordered Pan Am Railways Inc. to pay $50,000 in compensatory and punitive damages, as well as take corrective action, on behalf of an injured worker. The North Billerica-based commercial railroad adversely charged the worker with lying when he filed a Federal Railroad Safety Act complaint with the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.
The employee, who works in a rail yard in Waterville, Maine, filed an OSHA complaint on Dec. 6, 2011, claiming that the railroad had subjected him to disciplinary action earlier, including a letter of reprimand, for reporting an injury and unsafe working conditions. Shortly after the filing, Pan Am Railways held a second disciplinary hearing on Jan. 4, 2012. It alleged that the worker made false statements to OSHA and the railroad.
OSHA found that the employee engaged in protected activity when filing the complaint, and the railroad took retaliatory action by charging him with lying and by holding the second disciplinary hearing. Such adverse action can intimidate employees from exercising their FRSA rights, even if the charge is later dropped, as it was in this case.
“Employers must understand that their employees have a legal right to file a whistle-blower complaint with OSHA without fear of retaliation,” said Marthe Kent, OSHA’s New England regional administrator. “Responding to an employee’s complaint with threats of disciplinary action is not acceptable and prohibited by law.”
In addition to the compensatory and punitive damages, OSHA has ordered Pan Am Railways Inc. to expunge all files and computerized data systems of disciplinary actions and references to the hearing notice and the January trial. The company must also post a notice to employees about its FRSA whistle-blower rights at all its Maine locations and on its internal website and provide all employees with copies of training materials related to FRSA. Finally, the company must pay reasonable attorney’s fees and compensate the employee for wages and benefits that were lost due to his attending the January disciplinary hearing.
OSHA enforces the whistle-blower provisions of the FRSA and 21 other statutes protecting employees who report violations of various airline, commercial motor carrier, consumer product, environmental, financial reform, food safety, health care reform, nuclear, pipeline, public transportation agency, maritime and securities laws.
Under these laws enacted by Congress, employers are prohibited from retaliating against employees who raise various protected concerns or provide protected information to the employer or to the government. Employees who believe that they have been retaliated against for engaging in protected conduct may file a complaint with the secretary of labor for an investigation by OSHA’s Whistle-blower Protection Program. Detailed employee rights information is available online at http://www.whistleblowers.gov.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.