Rail Division Spokesman to Speak Out About Rail Safety at Federal Hearing

The IAM Rail Division will be featured in an upcoming Surface Transportation Board (STB) hearing concerning growth in the freight rail industry. 

 

The STB is an independent federal agency that is charged with economic regulation and policy of various forms of surface transportation, primarily rail transportation, and will hold hearings on Monday, Sept. 16 and Tuesday, Sept. 17th. The hearings are available via YouTube.

 

Watch the hearing live here.

 

The Board will hear from various representatives of the rail industry including executives from Union Pacific, BNSF, CSX, and several rail advocacy groups. The Board has also set aside time during panel three, on the first day of hearings, Monday, Sept. 16, to hear from railroad labor representatives for the labor and workforce side of the discussions. The hearings are scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. ET each day, with the third panel starting approximately between 10:15 AM and Noon, depending on the speed of the hearing.

 

The IAM Rail Division, District 19, will be represented by Richard S. Edelman, Esq. Edelman has prepared remarks to present that Class 1 railroads have not increased in size, nor capacity since 2016. Rail corporations are using Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) to extract maximum profits out of stagnant infrastructure, with no planning, nor investment in the nation’s actual transportation needs. The squeeze on equipment and people has shown disastrous consequences in mishaps and safety culture.  

All IAM Rail Division members are encouraged to watch the hearings via YouTube and express their support of our tradesman’s representative.

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