Chair Homendy at the BLET’s 2023 Eastern Regional Meeting.
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On May 14, the U.S. Senate unanimously voted to confirm Jennifer Homendy to another five-year term with the National Transportation Safety Board, including another three-year term as Chair. She was first appointed to the NTSB in 2018 and has served as Chair since 2021. Homendy has been playing a very visible role, not only due to the East Palestine derailment and other rail safety issues, but also with the ongoing investigations of the recent collapse of Baltimore’s Francis Scott Key Bridge and Alaska Airlines Flight 1282 involving a Boeing 737-9 MAX.
The BLET secured unanimous support from all of organized Rail Labor for Homendy’s renomination. The coalition of 13 Rail Labor unions wrote a joint letter to President Biden which read in part: “During her time as Chair at the NTSB, she has exhibited the ability and leadership to confront urgent safety concerns and events in the rail industry… The safety of our members and the public is our priority, and Chair Homendy has proven to be a skillful problem solver and leader at the NTSB.”
Homendy has more than 25 years of transportation safety experience. She spent 14 years as the Democratic staff director for the House of Representatives’ railroads, pipelines, and hazardous materials subcommittee and held positions with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters and the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO. Last summer, she was a featured speaker at the BLET’s regional meeting in Myrtle Beach.
A copy of the letter in support of Homendy is available here (PDF).