Blame the workers: Despite previous promises, railroads resist joining confidential safety program because they want to be able to discipline workers
The major freight railroads say a disagreement over whether they will be allowed to discipline some workers has kept them from following through on the promise they made back in March to join the Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS). The Association of American Railroads sent a letter to Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg this week. Unions and workplace safety experts say the idea of disciplining workers who report safety concerns undermines the very purpose of creating such a hotline because workers won’t use it if they fear retribution.
In an interview with the Associated Press, BLET Vice President and National Legislative Representative Vince Verna said: “This is really old-school, tired rhetoric that blames the worker for the failures that are inherent in all complicated systems. Blaming the worker is exactly what leads workers to not report unsafe conditions in the workplace.”