September 19, 2022 | BNSF, Headlines, Hi-Viz
(Source: Washington Post, September 17, 2022) Aaron Hiles, a locomotive engineer, told his wife he “felt different,” though he couldn’t say exactly how. He made an appointment to see a doctor, his family said. But then his employer, BNSF, one of the largest freight...
September 16, 2022 | Headlines, Hi-Viz, National Negotiations 2019, PSR
(Source: Slate, September 15, 2022) President Joe Biden has announced a tentative agreement to avert the disruption and the body blow it would have caused the economy and our supply chains. The deal isn’t final —workers will soon vote on it — but, nonetheless, it’s a...
September 16, 2022 | Headlines, Hi-Viz, National Negotiations 2019, PSR
(Source: New York Times, September 15, 2022) To defuse a labor dispute that brought the nation to the brink of a potentially catastrophic railroad strike, negotiators had to resolve a key issue: schedules that workers say were punishing, upending their personal lives...
August 12, 2022 | BNSF, CSX, Headlines, Hi-Viz, NS, PSR, UP
(Source: Trains Magazine analysis by Bill Stephens, August 11, 2022) The union-management pot, which is normally set on simmer, is boiling over at the big four U.S. Class I railroads. And it’s prompting railroaders — even those with 10, 15, or 20 years of experience —...
August 5, 2022 | Headlines, Hi-Viz, PSR, STB
(Source: Trains Magazine, August 4, 2022) Union leaders routinely comment on matters such as mergers, line spinoffs, and labor protection issues. But Surface Transportation Board Chairman Martin J. Oberman and former chairman Daniel Elliott II, who served on the board...
July 12, 2022 | BNSF, Headlines, Hi-Viz
(Source: Wyoming Public Media, July 8, 2022) The railroad has been one of the major economic drivers and employers for many of the Wyoming communities it passes through. Many owe their existence to it. In February, BNSF instituted an attendance policy known as Hi-Viz,...
June 15, 2022 | BNSF, Headlines, Hi-Viz
(Source: Fox 28 Spokane, June 10, 2022) SPOKANE, Wash. — As the nation continues to be buried in supply chain issues and worker shortages, one company is taking the brunt of it, at least according to their employees. A day in the life of a railroad engineer looks much...
May 25, 2022 | Headlines, Hi-Viz, STB
(Source: Freight Waves, May 24, 2022) A bipartisan group of U.S. senators representing major agricultural and energy-producing states is demanding that the Surface Transportation Board take action on inadequate freight rail service. A Monday letter addressed to STB...
May 25, 2022 | BNSF, CSX, Headlines, Hi-Viz, NS, STB, UP
(Source: Commentary published by Material Handling & Logistics, May 24, 2022) In our current era, supporting the mental health of employees has become as vital to the success of a business as is assuring their physical health and safety. Employers have become...
May 24, 2022 | Headlines, Hi-Viz, SMART-TD
(Source: SMART-TD press release, May 23, 2022) Members of the SMART Transportation Division and other unionized rail workers came together for a day of protest May 10 outside the North American Rail Shippers (NARS) annual meeting in Kansas City. They wanted to draw...
