Rail Workers Revolt against Driving Solo

[Omaha Steve]

X post in Labor

http://labornotes.org/2014/08/rail-workers-revolt-against-driving-solo

August 12, 2014 / Alexandra Bradbury



Railroaders are racing to put the brakes on a secret deal between their union officers and Warren Buffett's railroad. It would allow huge freight trains to rumble through towns across the western U.S. with just an engineer onboard, no conductor. Photo: Spouses & Families Against One Man Crews. - See more at: http://labornotes.org/2014/08/rail-workers-revolt-against-driving-solo#sthash.R7WnbrL4.dpuf

“There’s a real rank-and-file rebellion going on right now,” says Jen Wallis, a Seattle switchman-conductor for Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) Railway. “People who’ve never been involved in the union, never went to a union meeting, they are showing up and they’re joining Railroad Workers United in droves.

“People are saying, ‘We have to take action now to stop it. We can’t let our union officers do this to us.’”

What’s all the fuss? On July 16, thousands of railroaders abruptly learned their union officers had held secret negotiations with BNSF, one of the country’s biggest freight carriers, and reached a deal to allow single-person train crews: a safety disaster.

Ballots on the tentative agreement went out in early August, and are due back in early September. If the vote goes up, huge freight trains could rumble through towns across the western U.S. with just an engineer onboard, no conductor.

- See more at: http://labornotes.org/2014/08/rail-workers-revolt-against-driving-solo#sthash.R7WnbrL4.dpuf

FULL story at link.

[woodsprite]

1. And if they stay in any yard less than a certain number of hours

They also are saying that those engineers are satisfactory
to perform the car inspection (checking safety, hazmat and
break/couplings/air lines) rather than a unionized trained
Car inspector.

My brother is a car inspector for Norfolk Southern and said
they are currently fighting this as well.

[elehhhhna]

2. a train full of oil tanks can take out a town. Like in Canada last winter.

BAD IDEA.

a one man safety plan is not a safety plan at all.