TTD in the news

The Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO today urged all six Class I railroads to join the Federal Railroad Administration’s Confidential Close Call Reporting System.

The Association of American Railroads on March 2 said the Class I freight railroads would join the program, which allows railroaders to report “close call” safety incidents without fear of discipline or reprisal.

But the railroads have yet to officially join the program, partly due to regulatory red tape.

“We appreciate the ongoing discussions between industry and labor regarding revisions to the current program but must caution against these negotiations becoming a delay tactic,” TTD President Greg Regan wrote in a letter to the CEOs.

Reported by Joanna Marsh for Freightwaves.

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 Administration assessing the eastern U.S. Class I railroad’s safety culture.

FRA’s report comes on the heels of an unrelated announcement Wednesday from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration describing a settlement among OSHA, NS and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way – Employes Division (BMWED) over alleged safety violations that occurred at the site where an NS train derailed on Feb. 3 in East Palestine, Ohio. Several days following the derailment, NS and state and local officials had decided to vent a tank car carrying vinyl chloride over concern that the car was in danger of exploding.

On Friday, NS said it would be providing $500,000 as part of a grant to foster economic development in East Palestine. This would be on top of other significant funding to support the community.

Reported by Bill Stephens for Trains.

Norfolk Southern’s commitment to safety has improved since the disastrous Feb. 3 hazardous materials derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, the Federal Railroad Administration said in a report released today.

But the FRA’s 143-page supplemental safety culture assessment also found that NS often focuses on meeting minimum safety standards, has inadequate communications procedures, inconsistent safety training, and distrust between labor and management that has an impact on safety efforts.

“FRA recognizes that NS has taken steps to be responsive to FRA recommendations and by implementing proactive safety measures,” the report says. “There are, however, areas where NS continues to use minimum standards set by regulations as a benchmark for efficacy. FRA encourages NS to work to advance its safety culture maturity by setting policies and procedures that incorporate proactive measures and continuous improvement goals.”

Reported by Jorge Ventura for News Nation.

Six months after the train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, not much has been done to prevent another such disaster in terms of safety regulations.

Both Democrats and Republicans in Congress agree the railroad industry needs new safety regulations but so far, the situation remains deadlocked in Washington, D.C.

On Thursday, officials in New York reported a commuter train derailment that seriously injured two people and left another 11 hurt. The following day, officials say a freight train derailed in upstate New York, disrupting Amtrak services.

Reported by Mark Gruenberg for People’s World.

Six months after the Norfolk Southern freight derailment released a mushroom cloud of fumes over the small town of East Palestine, Ohio, the U.S. Senate is within one Republican vote of passing a bipartisan and comprehensive freight rail re-regulation bill, AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department President Greg Regan says.

The Senate’s 48 Democrats, three independents, and eight of the 49 Republicans apparently favor re-regulation. But the freight rail safety bill is not a money bill, so it needs 60 votes to pass—and now has 59. That means it needs another Senate Republican, and workers should lobby lawmakers for that last vote.

Reported by Marybeth Luczak for Railway Age.

Six months after the Norfolk Southern (NS) train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, NS President and CEO Alan Shaw wrote an open letter reflecting on the Class I’s “ongoing progress, support and commitment to making things right.”

Railway Age reproduces the complete Aug. 3 letter below:

“How can we help? It’s a question my Norfolk Southern colleagues and I have been asking for the past six months.

“How can we help East Palestine?

“How can we help Darlington Township?

“How can we help the communities impacted by February’s train derailment?

Reported by Brett Wilkens for Common Dreams.

Six months after a Norfolk Southern freight train carrying hazardous materials derailed and burned in East Palestine, Ohio, railroad workers on Thursday urged Congress to pass comprehensive safety legislation to stop their employers from “choosing Wall Street over Main Street.”

“On this somber occasion, rail labor unions once again renew our calls for safety reforms,” the Transportation Trades Department (TTD) of the AFL-CIO, which represents 37 unions, said in a statement. “For years, workers have sounded the alarm about deadly safety conditions in the freight rail industry. The industry’s safety failures contribute to more than 1,000 freight train derailments a year.”

Reported by Trains.

Six months after the disastrous hazardous materials derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, Norfolk Southern CEO Alan Shaw has penned a letter to area residents outlining the railroad’s ongoing commitment to the community and to improving its safety culture.

“We promised to make things right for you and your neighbors, and we’ve made a lot of progress. Our work isn’t over, which is why we will keep asking you how we can make things right,” Shaw wrote.

The railroad continues to clean the derailment site, where ongoing environmental monitoring shows that air and drinking water are safe. Some residents, however, continue to report health problems in the wake of the wreck that spilled and burned toxic chemicals.

Reported by Joanna Marsh for Freightwaves.

Freight rail stakeholders will be watching closely as Union Pacific’s incoming CEO Jim Vena takes over the company, especially given how labor and operational dynamics have changed over the last three years since the industry veteran was last at UP as chief operating officer and later strategic adviser.

Vena, whose appointment came amid hedge fund pressure to change leadership, will assume his new role Aug. 14, replacing outgoing CEO Lance Fritz. Beth Whited, who is currently UP’s executive vice president for strategy and sustainability, will be promoted to the railroad’s president that same day.

Reported by Progressive Railroading.

The Association of American Railroads (AAR), American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association (ASLRRA) and Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD ) have united to write to U.S. Sens. Patty Murray (D-Wash.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) and U.S. Reps. Kay Granger (R-Texas) and Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.) to oppose cuts to administrative funding for the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB).

The cuts are included in the fiscal-year 2024 House Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor-HHS) appropriations bill. The letters urged the lawmakers to support the limitation included in the FY24 Senate Labor-HHS bill instead.