[ad_1]
Omaha (United States), March 26 (AP) — Union Pacific has become the second major freight railroad in the past week to abandon the industry’s long-standing effort to reduce train crews to one person, as lawmakers and regulators The growing focus on rail safety follows last year’s fiery derailment in Ohio.
The Omaha, Nebraska-based railroad said in a statement Saturday that it had reached an agreement with the union representing conductors to forego removing the workers from locomotives, months after it urged testing the idea. The take-away proposal put conductors on trucks in parts of its 23-state network. Norfolk Southern made a similar announcement a few days ago.
Read also | Gregory A Locke: NYC Judge Fired For Part-Time Online Porn Star On OnlyFans.
A train derailed south of Norfolk on Feb. 3, forcing the evacuation of about half of the East Palestine town near the Ohio-Pennsylvania border after officials released and burned toxic chemicals, sparking concerns over rail safety. new interest.
A bipartisan bill backed by Congress would require the railroad to maintain a two-person workforce and make several other changes aimed at reducing the likelihood of future derailments. Regulators are also pushing for reforms in the rail sector, and they are already considering a rule requiring two crew members.
The major freight railroads have long argued that technological advances — notably the automatic braking systems they’ve been required to install in recent years — make it unnecessary to have a second person on every locomotive.
Rail executives have said they believe removing conductors from trains would improve their quality of life as they have more predictable schedules and keep them off the road.
But the International Sheet Metal Association, the Aviation, Rail and Transport Workers’ Union’s Department of Transportation and other rail unions have long resisted agreeing to a reduction in the size of train staff because they believe conductors play a vital role in safety and they want Keep your job.
Conductors help monitor track conditions and radio communications, while ensuring engineers are on alert and responding to any emergencies or mechanical issues on the trains, the union said. In the event of a derailment or collision, conductors are the first to respond before any additional help arrives, giving emergency responders critical details about what the train is hauling.
Union Pacific executive vice president Beth Whited said the railroad will now focus on other ways to address the concerns workers expressed about the tough schedule during tough contract negotiations last fall. The railroad industry was on the brink of a strike that could cripple the economy before Congress intervened in December and enforced contracts to prevent a strike.
“We are pleased that Union Pacific is focusing on the quality of life of our conductor staff,” said SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson.
Rail companies have also been under pressure to improve services over the past year as they grapple with all the cargo the companies want them to carry. The industry has been defending its safety record after cutting nearly a third of rail jobs over the past six years as the rail sector overhauled its operations.
All of these layoffs have spread workers too far apart and made it harder to keep up with all the necessary inspections and maintenance, the union said.
Rail companies insist they are still the safest way to transport hazardous chemicals and various other goods across land routes, as nearly every shipment arrives intact, but the East Palestine derailment is further evidence that even a single shipment involving hazardous chemicals How much damage a derailment accident can cause. (Associated Press)
(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from a Syndicated News feed, the content body may not have been modified or edited by LatestLY staff)
share now
[ad_2]
Source link