News and Media

Reported by Marybeth Luczak for Railway Age. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on June 13 published in the Federal Register a final rule on “Fatigue Risk Management Programs for Certain Passenger and Freight Railroads.” The Commuter Rail Coalition (CRC) and Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD) respond. “Under the regulation, Class I freight railroads, Amtrak and…

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Reported by Trains. The Federal Railroad Administration has issued its new rule on railroad fatigue management, set for formal publication on Monday, and at least one rail union leader has offered a positive response. The final rule, “Fatigue Risk Management Programs for Certain Passenger and Freight Railroads,” is available here for public inspection. Following its…

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Reported by Elliot Robinson for Global Railway Review. Amtrak have received a grant from the FRA which will allow the company to train over 600 employees in its new apprenticeship programme. It has been announced that Amtrak have received a Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) $8 million grant which will enable Amtrak to advance its new…

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Reported by Gabrielle Gurley for The American Prospect. The transportation workforce instability and a worker-friendly job market both brought on by COVID show no signs of letting up. Flight attendants flee regional carriers for higher pay, better routes, and other perks with legacy airlines. Bus drivers quit in droves, forcing transit systems to offer signing…

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Reported by T.A. DeFeo for Trains. The Federal Railroad Administration could soon rule on a petition that would allow a pair of freight railroads to use wayside wheel temperature detectors for inspections currently performed by workers. But a union representing railroad employees says granting such a request would be dangerous. Canadian Pacific and Union Pacific…

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Reported by Lori Ann LaRocco for CNBC. The drop in Shanghai’s port productivity, which is driven by to the lack of people working due to Covid lockdowns, can be seen in the container wait time at the port, according to CNBC’s new Supply Chain Heat Map. “In Shanghai, ocean terminals, warehouses, and trucking services are…

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America’s Workforce Union Podcast. AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department President Greg Regan joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed an oppressive attendance policy implemented by BNSF Railway and its impact on workers and the supply chain crisis. Called Hi-Viz, the policy is point-based and docks workers for absences, including family emergencies and sickness. Due…

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Reported by Dan Zukowski for SmartCitiesDive. Even with advanced automated driving technology, transit vehicles including public transit buses and vans are “highly likely” to require the presence of a qualified human operator, according to a report issued Thursday by Traffic21, a transportation research institute at Carnegie Mellon University. Human operators will likely be required in…

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Reported by Joanna Marsh for Freightwaves. Two unions are still critical of BNSF’s controversial attendance policy, saying recent adjustments aren’t enough to overcome its shortcomings. “BNSF’s proposed changes to its HiViz attendance policy are unimpressive. These changes do nothing to address the policy’s fundamental flaws,” said Greg Regan, president of the Transportation Trades Department, which…

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