Pete Buttigieg, U.S. Secretary of Transportation, speaks during a press conference near the Norfolk Southern train derailment site in Eastern Palestine, Ohio, U.S., Thursday, February 23, 2023.
Matthew Hatcher | Bloomberg | Getty’s paintings
US railroad union presidents told Biden administration officials that railroad employees fell in poor health on the Norfolk Southern derailment site in eastern Palestine, Ohio, in a bid to make trains safer.
Leaders from 12 unions met in Washington on Wednesday with the secretary of
“I hope stakeholders on this industry can work towards the identical safety goals when transporting hazardous materials by rail,” said Mike Baldwin, president of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalers. “Today’s meeting is a possibility for workers to share what our members see and deal with on a day by day basis. Rail employees representing employees are employees who ensure safety and should have the tools to achieve this.”
Jeremy Ferguson, president of the International Association of Bodywork, Aerospace, Rail and Transportation Employees – Department of Transportation, told CNBC that Buttigieg plans more talks with unions in the long run.
“It was start,” said Ferguson. “It will be important to handle these security issues. No person wants one other Eastern Palestine. The discussion on employee safety must be addressed. Running these long trains has also been discussed.”
The meeting comes on the heels of letters sent to each the DOT and FRA on Wednesday wherein union representatives claimed rail employees had fallen in poor health at the positioning of the derailment. CNBC obtained lettersaddressed to Buttigieg, Bose, East Palestine Mayor Trent Conaway, and Ohio Governor Mike DeWine, from the overall chairman of the American Federation of Railroad Systems of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
In response to the letter, Norfolk Southern railroad employees who worked or proceed to work on the cleanup site reported experiencing “migraines and nausea.” One worker reportedly asked his supervisor to maneuver from the positioning of the derailment attributable to symptoms, but never received a response from his supervisor and was left at his workplace.
The letter also claims that employees should not provided with proper personal protective equipment resembling respirators, eye protection or protective clothing. In response to trade union representatives, there have been 35 to 40 employees on the track who weren’t provided with proper respiratory apparatus – only paper and N95 masks – nor rubber gloves, boots or covers.
A Norfolk Southern spokesperson told CNBC in an announcement that the railroad company was “on the scene immediately after the derailment and coordinated our response with hazardous materials specialists who were consistently on site to be certain that it was secure to enter the working area and the required measures were taken.” PPE were used”, all but air monitoring, which was established inside an hour”.
Earlier on Wednesday, a bunch of bipartisan senators introduced the Railroad Safety Act of 2023, designed to stop future rail disasters, resembling a derailment that destroyed a village in Ohio.
The presidents of 12 US railroad unions meet in Washington on March 1, 2023 for a gathering with Biden officials.
CNBC
The laws accommodates plenty of safety protocols for the transport of hazardous materials. It might also create requirements for roadside fault detectors, establish a everlasting requirement for rail operations to be operated by no less than two-person crews, and increase penalties for offenses committed by rail operators.
“If this law is passed, [Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen] supports these efforts and appears forward to working together on commonsense laws that continues to enhance safety,” said Baldwin.
Present on the meeting with Buttigieg and others were:
- Jeremy Ferguson from the International Association of Bodywork, Aviation, Rail and Transportation Employees – Transportation Department (SMART-TD)
- Tony Cardwell of the Brotherhood of Road Maintenance Employees (BMWED)
- Edward Hall of the Brotherhood of Locomotive and Railroad Engineers (BLET)
- Don Grissom of Railway Carmen Brotherhood (BRC)
- Michael Baldwin of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalers (BRS)
- Josh Hartford of the International Association of Aerospace Mechanics and Employees (IAM)
- Lonnie Stephenson of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Employees (IBEW)
- Arthur Maratea of the Transportation Communications Union (TCU)
- Vince Verna of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Railroad Vice Presidents (BLET)
- Dean Devita of the National Conference of Firemen and Oilmen (NCFO)
- Leo McCann of the American Association of Train Dispatchers (ATDA)
- John Feltz of the Transport Employees Union (TWU)
- Al Russo of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Employees (IBEW)
Correction: This story has been updated to correct the list of union representatives present on the meeting with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. An earlier version featured a union leader who was not present.