November 29, 2023 | 2-man Crews, Headlines, Legislation, Railroad Safety
(Source: New Jersey Monitor, November 28, 2023) New Jersey lawmakers are considering legislation intended to make “high hazard” freight trains safer by requiring two-person crews, capping train length, and mandating trackside technology to detect defects on passing...
November 17, 2023 | News, Railroad Safety
A major investigative report published by ProPublica on November 15 exposes how America’s railroad corporations are intimidating workers by putting speed ahead of safety. According to the ProPublica team of investigative reporters, as railroads strive to move their...
November 16, 2023 | Headlines, PSR, Railroad Safety
(Source: ProPublica, November 15, 2023) To squeeze the most money out of every minute, railroad companies are going to dangerous lengths to avoid disruptions — even those for safety repairs. BLET National Vice President Randy Fannon spoke to Pro Publica for this...
November 2, 2023 | Headlines, PSR, Railroad Safety, UP
(Source: Trains.com, November 1, 2023) The head of the track workers’ union has warned federal regulators that Union Pacific aims to furlough up to 1,350 maintenance-of-way employees next month and will push the remainder of this year’s planned trackwork projects into...
October 13, 2023 | News, Railroad Safety
Brother B.J. Trumble (pictured above), Chairman of the BLET’s Michigan State Legislative Board, reports that three important rail safety bills are advancing in the Michigan House of Representatives. The three bills (No. 4915, No. 4917 and No. 4918) would establish the...
September 22, 2023 | News, Railroad Safety
Rail labor turned out in full force on September 19 for the introduction of a new railroad safety bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. Introduced by U.S. Reps. Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) and Jamaal Bowman, Ed.D. (D-N.Y.), the Rail Worker and Community Safety...
August 25, 2023 | FRA, Headlines, Railroad Safety
(Source: Associated Press, August 24, 2023) The major freight railroads say a disagreement over whether they will be allowed to discipline some workers who use a government hotline to report safety concerns has kept them from following through on the promise they made...
August 25, 2023 | FRA, Headlines, Railroad Safety, TTD
(Source: Progressive Railroading, August 18, 2023) The Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO has urged the CEOs of six major freight railroads operating in the United States to formally join the federal Confidential Close Call Reporting System. The...
August 10, 2023 | DOL, East Palestine-NS, Headlines, NS, Railroad Safety
(Source: OSHA/ Department of Labor press release, August 9, 2023) After several U.S. Department of Labor workplace safety and health investigations at the East Palestine, Ohio, site where a Norfolk Southern Corp. train derailed in February 2023, the train’s...
August 10, 2023 | East Palestine-NS, FRA, Headlines, NS, Railroad Safety
(Source: Freight Waves, August 9, 2023) Improving communication and training as well as fostering trust between the company and its workers are some of the areas where Norfolk Southern could do better, according to a Wednesday report from the Federal Railroad...
