Pennsylvania’s 10th Congressional District has been rated as one of the most competitive in the nation during this election year, but the incumbent seeking reelection, U.S. Rep. Scott Perry (R-Pa.), must not care about the votes of union railroaders. Perry, along with Rep. Eric Burlison (R-Mo.), is co-sponsoring legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives to “nullify” the Federal Railroad Administration’s recent safety mandate that requires a minimum of two-person train crews.
The 10th District is a railroad hub, home to major railroad towns such as Harrisburg and York, as well as Norfolk Southern’s massive Enola Yard in East Pennsboro Township. Perry’s constituents include an especially large number of railroad workers. BLET Local Division 74 in Harrisburg-Enola is the largest in Pennsylvania.
“Our members will remember Rep. Perry’s sell-out in November,” said BLET Pennsylvania State Legislative Board Chairman Tim Laveing. “Long trains are causing an epidemic of blocked railroad crossings for residents throughout Pennsylvania’s 10th District. Two-person train crews work in tandem to cut trains apart to open up crossings for emergency responders, or if trains will be stopped for long periods of time. Reducing train crews to a single locomotive engineer will only exacerbate the blocked crossing problem.”
Apparently if the railroad companies don’t succeed at blocking safety rules the first time their philosophy must be to try, try and try again. The FRA’s two-person crew regulation was announced on April 2 over opposition from the Association of American Railroads, the Class I railroads, and short lines. Following the announcement, the new rule has already come under attack twice. On April 11, the rail industry filed legal challenges in federal court to throw out the new rule. Then on April 19, Rep. Perry co-sponsored legislation on behalf of rail industry lobbyists seeking to nullify the safety regulation.