Washington, D.C. — Edward Wytkind, president of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO (TTD), issues this statement following the submission of comments responding to the Federal Railroad Administration’s Notice of Proposed Rulemaking establishing a minimum size for train crews
“Today we provided a clear and compelling case for vigorous federal regulations barring the use of one-person crews by our nation’s freight railroads.
“Operating a freight train carrying hazardous substances with a single crew member is unsafe and exposes communities to lethal safety hazards. Freight train crews are already stretched too thin as they face chronic fatigue and unsafe scheduling policies. Our message to the FRA today is simple: finalize a rule this year that mandates a certified conductor and certified engineer on every freight train and scrap the measures in the proposed regulation that allow too much flexibility for possible deployment of one-person crew operations.
“We applaud the Administration for advancing a rule that at its core is about ensuring that America’s freight railroads are not permitted to use skeleton crews on its network as a way to squeeze additional profits at the expense of safety. But now it is time for our government to complete the job and issue a final rule that shuts the door on unsafe one-person freight train crews.”
Our Government Must Close the Door on One-Person Freight Train Crew Operations (178 kb)
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