The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has announced that it will be re-establishing the Rail Safety Advisory Committee – commonly known as ‘RSAC.’ The committee’s charter was recently dissolved in order to redesign the charter’s memberships and voting-eligibility. Rail labor unions have been assured that their voting ability and weights will not be reduced. Rather, the
The following is an article by Transportation Trades Department (TTD, AFL-CIO) President Larry Willis. TCU/IAM is an affiliate of TTD’s Rail Labor Division. SEP 20, 2018 MOVEAMERICA BLOG, RAIL FREIGHT RAIL SAFETY, JOBS MUST NOT BE JEOPARDIZED IN PURSUIT OF PROFITS By Larry I. Willis There is little disagreement among lawmakers, frontline workers, government agencies, and even
Earlier this summer, Congressman Mark Takano (CA-41) and Congressman Brendan Boyle (PA-13) visited with Amtrak reservations agents at call centers in their respective districts. Their visits came at a crucial time as Amtrak is currently in the process of setting up an outsourcer and could shutter one of the two facilities. Combined, the call centers
Last week, the U.S. Senate passed a transportation spending bill that included another record $1.94 billion in funding for Amtrak, while also attaching a number of amendments targeting Amtrak operations. These amendments come after months of controversial service and operational changes instituted by Amtrak’s new CEO, Richard Anderson. And despite Congress showing strong support for
Last week, a number of TCU/IAM local leaders and retirees joined hundreds of other Machinists at the 2018 IAMAW Legislative Conference in Washington, DC. Their goal was to get the issues facing our members front-and-center before Congress, and the conference was a resounding success. On Tuesday, May 8th, TCU National Vice President and Legislative Director
On Tuesday, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) sent a letter to leaders of the Congressional committees with trade jurisdiction. The letter urges them to consider the effect of renegotiating NAFTA on the railroad industry. AAR President Ed Hamberger wrote, “approximately 50,000 rail jobs and more than $5.5 billion in annual wages and benefits…depend directly
Today, Illinois Democrat Dan Lipinski joined with Nebraska Republican Don Bacon to lead a letter supporting additional funding to the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB). The letter had broad bipartisan support from their colleagues in Congress, including 12 Republicans and 23 Democrats. Click HERE to view read the Lipinski-Bacon letter Once secured, this funding will be
On Thursday, Amtrak CEO Richard Anderson told the House Railroads Subcommittee that they will suspend service on certain lines if Positive Train Control (PTC) is not installed and ready. Anderson did not specify which lines may be suspended, and an Amtrak spokesperson later confirmed that “it’s too early to speculate,” according to the Seattle Times.
For the second year in a row, President Trump’s budget calls for Amtrak funding to be cut in half. This year’s budget again asks to cut funding from the current $1.495 billion to $738 million in FY19. And though the math is the same, the Administration’s goals have apparently changed. Last year’s budget simply called
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) ripped into President Trump’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) for its prolonged failure to implement proper safety rules and guidelines regarding worker fatigue and sleep apnea. The NTSB’s special investigative report details its findings on two accidents: New Jersey Transit’s accident in Hoboken, NJ, in September, 2016, and the Long
