Category: News
BNSF Seeks Dangerous RCO Waiver
BNSF has asked the FRA for permission to weaken safety for our RCO operators. Read on for details on the latest example of profits over people and how SMART-TD responded.
I’m Not Qualified =’s I’m Not Doing It!
Railroad workers are consistently pressured into taking unsafe assignments they are not trained or qualified to perform. Read on to see SMART-TD’s clear warning that no job, favor, or friendly manager routine is worth risking your life or career, and why saying no to unsafe work is both your right and your responsibility.
Senate Hearing Highlights the Good, the Bad, and The Ugly of RRB
Railroad Retirement remains a strong and valuable system, but chronic underfunding of the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB) itself is creating unacceptable service delays that directly harm railroaders and their families. Read on to see the result of this week’s Senate Committee Hearing on the current state of the RRB.
Transit Equity Day: Remembering Rosa Parks
Each year on Feb. 4, Rosa Parks’ birthday reminds us that public transit is also a platform for dignity, equality, and progress. Read on to see how some transit agencies are honoring the trailblazer’s legacy today and how this tribute connects civil rights history with the ongoing work of bus and passenger rail members.
Railroads Have Short Memories: East Palestine 3 Years Later
Ohio State Safety & Legislative Director Clyde Whitaker reflects on the 3rd anniversary of the East Palestine derailment with a powerful commentary. Despite new laws and promises, the railroads are still playing the same dangerous games with safety. Read on to see how crews are still being pressured to ignore defect detector warnings and keep trains moving, proving that profits continue to come before people.
Rail Safety Is Too Important For Corporate Discretion
A veteran Louisiana railroader dismantles the myth that safety mandates hurt efficiency, arguing from lived experience that federal rail safety rules exist because companies repeatedly choose profit over people when left to police themselves. Read on to see why rail workers, not think tanks or lobbyists, are the true experts on what it takes to keep crews and communities safe, and why the Rail Safety Act deserves a full vote in Congress.
CSX ENDS OPERATION REDBLOCK
On Wednesday, CSX Announced that it's dismantling Operation RedBlock, ending a nationally recognized, union-run safety and substance abuse prevention program that for more than four decades saved lives and kept trains moving safely. Read on to see why rail labor leaders and safety advocates warn that abandoning this trusted, non-punitive program puts workers, communities, and the rail industry at greater risk.
New Jersey Train Length, Crew Size Law Awaits Governor’s Signature
A historic, first-of-its-kind rail safety bill has passed both chambers of the New Jersey Legislature and is now awaiting the Governor’s signature! Read on to see more on the major protections like maximum train length limits and strict two-person crew requirements for freight rail workers.