President Trump has nominated former Congressman Lynn Westmoreland (R-GA) to serve a five-year term on Amtrak’s Board of Directors. This is very concerning to anyone that supports, rides, or works on Amtrak as Mr. Westmoreland has a long history of voting against the nation’s passenger rail carrier: On March 4th, 2015, he voted for the McClintock
The Association of American Railroads (AAR) joined together with TTD’s Rail Labor Division (which includes TCU) in supporting increased funding for the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB). The letter was addressed to Chairman Roy Blunt and Ranking Member Patty Murray of the Senate’s Labor HHS Appropriations Subcommittee. The RRB has been woefully underfunded for years. This has
The National Association of Railroad Passengers (NARP) released a report this week detailing the complex nature of Amtrak’s national network while highlighting the necessity of long-distance trains. The report includes a section on jobs (see screenshot below) as well as a table (see appendix) outlining the various stations across the country that would close if
Earlier today, Larry Willis, President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, testified on Capitol Hill before the Railroads Subcommittee. In his testimony, Mr. Willis advocated on behalf of TCU/IAM members by calling for increased funding for Amtrak employees as well as adequate safety measures for all railroad workers. The hearing was focused on railroad infrastructure,
On Wednesday evening, the House of Representatives voted on various amendments to the Transportation Appropriations bill, including one from Rep. Mo Brooks (R-AL) to defund Amtrak. Thankfully, the amendment failed with 128 voting in favor versus 293 voting against. This vote serves as a litmus test to who is really on our side. Voting to defund
A couple days after letters from the Rail Customers and the STB were made public, CSX CEO Hunter Harrison responded in force. He didn’t mince words when he called the Customers’ accusations “unfounded and grossly exaggerated.” He then accused the coalition of using the issue to further their own goals of getting rate-setting and access
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has released its preliminary report regarding the August 2nd accident of a CSX train in Pennsylvania, which included the derailment of 33 cars. The accident ignited 3 hazardous materials tank cars carrying propane and molten sulfur, and resulted in the evacuation of approximately 1000 residents in a nearby town,
On Monday, a letter from the Rail Customer Coalition – a large group of shippers and various trade groups – was sent to the leaders of the Senate Commerce and House Transportation & Infrastructure committees regarding the poor service provided by CSX in recent months. Notably, these last few months have been the first
Ronald L. Batory has more than 45 years of diverse leadership in the railroad industry. In his last capacity with Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail), he served as President and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to that, he was President of the Belt Railway Company of Chicago. Mr. Batory earned his B.A. from Adrian College and his
On Monday, June 12th, TCU/IAM National President Bob Scardelletti filed comments with the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) on their proposal to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). President Scardelletti urged the Trump Administration not to change laws and regulations to allow brake inspections and maintenance to take place in Mexico,
