Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway Company (BNSF) has filed two petitions with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for a six-month temporary waiver of compliance from Federal Railroad Safety Regulations. If both of these waivers are granted two critical changes would be made, it would allow BNSF to: • Move defective equipment further than the current
Railroad labor submits joint comment to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) requesting denial of the petition for waiver by Norfolk Southern (NS). The joint unions include: Brotherhood of Railway Carmen/TCU-IAM (BRC), American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA), Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED), Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen
The American Association of Railroads (AAR) requested a waiver for UP trains to use the data from wayside detectors as a means to avoid the required air brake inspections and tests that TCU Carmen do. The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) recently sent a denial of that waiver request. TCU Vice-President and Carmen General President Rich
As of May 21st, bus (and truck) drivers must have their USDOT physicals performed by a medical examiner who is listed on the new National Registry of Certified Medical Examiners. This change will also affect school bus drivers who are required by their state to obtain medical certification. Current medical certificates held by CDL holders will
TCU continually reports: the Association of American Railroads (AAR) seeks a test waiver from performing Class IA brake tests on designated UP trains in the Wyoming Powder River Basin. The current federal rule states that each train shall receive a Class IA brake test, performed by a qualified person, at a location that is not
In October 2013, various rail unions requested that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) grant a request for a hearing regarding the Association of American Railroad’s (AAR) petition for waiver which would allow the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) in the Powder River Basin to not perform Class IA brake tests on designated trains due to the
After the recent explosions by tanker cars carrying crude oil from North Dakota’s Bakken region, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx issued a “call to action” by railroads, the oil industry and ethanol producers to work with the department to ensure their products are safely transported by rail. “We’ve got to work with them to make sure we’re listening
The Brotherhood Railway Carmen Division, TCU/IAM (BRC) requested that the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) schedule a public hearing regarding the request by Union Pacific Railroad (UP) in the Powder River Basin to discontinue performing brake tests on designated trains due to the use of wayside detection technology. This is the second time UP has attempted
CSX and the TCU/IAM Carmen Division (BRC) recently signed a 4 year agreement to bring back scheduled sub-contracted work the Huntington Locomotive Shop and the Carmen workforce. This 4-year agreement includes the possibility of 20 years of work for the shop and gives Huntington Locomotive Shop the exclusive rights to perform all 4-axle rebuilds. This
The TCU/IAM Carman Division ratified the agreement with TTX by an overwhelming margin. This agreement containes significant wage increases, maintains premium health care coverage with no increase in monthly contributions and provides work rule improvements. The wage increases in this proposal are calculated over the four year period and represent a 12.4% increase for Tier
