BLET News

(Source: New York Times, April 3, 2023) “It’s profit over everything, not just safety,” Mark Wallace, First Vice President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, said in reference to the entire rail industry. “It’s profit over customer service. It’s profit over employee satisfaction.” Full story: Yahoo News

(Source: Associated Press, March 31, 2023) The federal government filed a lawsuit against railroad Norfolk Southern over environmental damage caused by a train derailment on the Ohio-Pennsylvania border that spilled hazardous chemicals into nearby creeks and rivers. The U.S. Department of Justice said it’s seeking to hold the company accountable for “unlawfully polluting the nation’s waterways and to…

(Source: NBC News, April 1, 2023) Congress is pushing to mandate a specific crew size on trains following a series of dangerous incidents. But the legislation leaves out a type of train that regularly carries hazardous chemicals in major metropolitan areas with no licensed engineers onboard. “It is unbelievable that the Union Pacific, and the…

(Source: ProPublica, April 3, 2023) Driven by the efficiency goals of precision scheduled railroading, companies are forgoing long-held safety precautions, such as assembling trains to distribute weight and risk or taking the proper time to inspect them. Instead, their rushed workers are stringing together trains that stretch for 2 or even 3 miles, sometimes without…

(Source: Associated Press, March 29, 2023) Rail safety measures proposed after the February train derailment and toxic chemical burn in East Palestine are closer to becoming law in Ohio, as part of a nearly $13.5 billion transportation budget that cleared the Legislature on March 29. The state House and Senate have passed the measure, sending…