Welcome to Railroad Workers United
Railroad Workers United is an inter-union, cross-craft solidarity "caucus" of railroad workers, and their supporters, from all crafts, all carriers, and all unions across North America. We urge union railroaders to continue being active in their craft union AND to join RWU in building solidarity and strength among all rail workers. We work with union rank & file railroad workers, but we welcome yet-to-be organized rail workers as well. In addition, we actively work with other labor and community organizations on issues of mutual concern. We do not accept managers or those who oppose our principles.
A Place for All North American
Railroad Workers
North American railroad workers are divided into different unions based on their craft of work and on some short lines, workers are not unionized at all. In the US alone there are thirteen unions representing railroad workers with several more unions in Canada. What we need is solidarity, unity and democracy. READ MORE
RWU Go-Fund-Me Campaign Targets $25,000!
RWU has launched a new Go Fund Me Campaign in February 2023. We will be contracting with WorkFriends, a pro-union media strategy firm run by filmmaker & strategist Peter Lyngso to run a video campaign to elevate our call for Public Ownership of the Railroads. This would be a dream come true. We have long needed a way to tell the stories of the people behind our efforts. Whether it be around the fight to preserve the two-person crew; the effort to stop long and heavy trains; our struggle to achieve a universal bargaining coalition of all railroad workers/unions; and bringing the railroads under public ownership among them. To get an idea of what we aim to create in the coming months, watch any of the videos Peter collaborated with More Perfect Union on. Such as the BNSF Hi Viz Policy with 160,000 views; or this, about the Kellogg Workers Strike. Or this one about a Walk-out of Amazon Workers led by Amazonian’s United Chicagoland.
Peter is ready to get started. He is excited to help use his talents to bring the railroad workers' struggle forward. He is committed to amplifying our message of healthy and safe working conditions, of proper and adequate staffing, of building union solidarity and power across crafts; and of bringing the railroads under public control. All we need now is to raise the funds to put him in the field and turn him loose. Please donate today. Thank you!!
RWU Supports Public Ownership of the Railroads
More than a decade ago at the 2012 Convention of Railroad Workers United, the question of railroad ownership first came before those members assembled. Since that time the organization has discussed and debated whether or not to take a position on the question. In face of the degeneration of the rail system in the last decade, the RWU Steering Committee voted unanimously at the October monthly meeting to adopt such a position (see Resolution below).
While the rail industry has been incapable of expansion in the last generation, while it has become more and more fixated on the operating ratio to the detriment of all other metrics of success, Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) has escalated this irresponsible trajectory to the detriment of shippers, passengers, commuters, trackside communities, and workers. On-time performance is in the toilet, shipper complaints are at all-time highs. Passenger trains are chronically late, commuter services are threatened, and the rail industry is hostile to practically any passenger train expansion. The workforce has been decimated, as jobs have been eliminated, consolidated, and contracted out, ushering in a new previously unheard-of era where workers can neither be recruited nor retained. Locomotive, rail car, and infrastructure maintenance has been cut back. Health and safety has been put at risk. Morale is at an all-time low. The ongoing debacle in national contract bargaining sees the carriers – after decades of record profits and record low Operating Ratios – refusing to make even the slightest concessions to the workers who – contrary to what the Class Ones may state – have made them their riches.
Since the North American private rail industry has shown itself incapable of doing the job, it is time for this invaluable transportation infrastructure – like the other transport modes – to be brought under public ownership. During WWI, the railroads in the U.S. were in fact temporarily placed under public ownership and control. All rail workers of all crafts and unions supported (unsuccessfully) keeping them in public hands once the war ended, and voted overwhelmingly to keep them in public hands. Perhaps it is time once again to put an end to the profiteering, pillaging, and irresponsibility of the Class One carriers. Railroad workers are in a historic position to take the lead and push for a new fresh beginning for a vibrant and expanding, innovative and creative national rail industry to properly handle the nation’s freight and passengers.
RWU Issues Public Comment on FRA Proposed Rulemaking on Train Crew Staffing
Railroad Workers United (RWU) is submitting an official comment to the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) on the Notice of Proposed Rulemaking - "Train Crew Size Safety Requirements." While we are encouraged that a Rule is finally once again being promulgated on this vital question after a six-year hiatus, RWU is not happy with the current language as proposed. The Rule - if finalized in its current form - has the potential to allow almost any rail carrier to run most trains with LESS than the two-person crew minimum that the Rule would ostensibly mandate. In addition, the Rule - if finalized in its current form - would preempt all existing state laws on the books, which now require a two-person train crew minimum.
RWU urges all rail workers, family and friends, and all concerned citizens to submit a Public Comment on this crucial rail safety issue. Let the FRA know that you want to see an ironclad Rule that mandates a minimum of two persons on every train. We do not need to allow exemptions, and we do not need to pre-empt existing state laws!
PEB #250 Issues Recommendations on 8/16/22
Late Tuesday, August 16th, Presidential Emergency Board #250 released its 124-Page Report, complete with its recommendations to settle the long-running bargaining dispute between the big U.S. rail carriers and the nation’s rail unions. While the labor organizations discuss the Report in the coming days and the rank & file attempts to wade through all of its verbiage between grueling work shifts, the rail carrier organizations lost no time in issuing joyful reactions to the Report's findings. By Wednesday morning, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) and the National Carriers Conference Committee (NCCC) had issued official statements expressing satisfaction with the recommendation of the PEB. This alone speaks volumes.
On most of the important and pressing quality of work-life issues – the ones that probably matter the most in terms of job satisfaction, recruitment, and retention of railroad workers – the PEB simply chose to kick the can down the road, remanding the carriers and the unions to reach an agreement, something the parties have not been able to do previously for 2 ½ years now. On questions of attendance policies, work schedules, time off the job, predictability of train line-ups, call times, vacations, holidays, sick time, and more, the Board would recommend that the "organization withdraw the proposal" or "remand the matter to the Parties to address."
RWU Concludes 8th Biennial Convention
The 8th biennial Convention was successfully concluded in Chicago at the O’Hare Hyatt Convention Center June 17th. Members convened considered Resolutions and Bylaws changes, conducted workshops and presentations, and engaged in a series of debates and discussions, celebrating 15 years of “Solidarity, Unity, and Democracy”!
RWU Adopts Resolution on National Rail Strike
On January 5th, the RWU Steering Committee adopted a Resolution on a National Rail Strike. The Resolution is based on the current conditions in the rail industry, across the supply chains, and in the greater context of U.S. society, conditions which appear to be quite favorable for a strike across crafts and carriers. We urge all railroad workers to consider the strike option. and urge the rail unions to undertake the necessary education work to bring the members up to speed. RWU would like to see ALL rail unions poll their members on the question of launching a national strike. Finally, we demand that the rail unions pout aside their differences and unite for the good of all, and begin the process of mobilizing the membership.
RWU Adopts Resolution on Passenger Rail Expansion
At the RWU 8th Biennial Convention in Chicago, IL on June 17th, the members present adopted a Resolution that states our emphatic support for expansion of passenger rail in North America. Earlier this spring, RWU weighed in to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) with our concerns on the debacle on the Gulf Coast where the Class One railroads (CSX and NS) are refusing to cooperate, demanding huge subsidies in order to run a few short trains from Mobile to New Orleans. See our position statements below.
How America’s Supply Chains Got Railroaded
Rail deregulation led to consolidation, price-gouging, and a variant of just-in-time unloading that left no slack in the system ….
FEBRUARY 4, 2022
Looking back over 2019, one is struck by all the derailments that have taken place on Class One railroads. It seems like hardly a week went by that there was not some sort of major crash. In fact, our compilation below shows a total of 48, an average of nearly one a week. At least four rail workers were killed and no fewer than a dozen injured all in all. (NOTE: while these numbers are thankfully low, RWU counts more than 20 total rail fatalities for 2019. That will be the subject of a separate email).
Why such a spike in derailments and fatalities? We believe the short answer is Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR). With its insistence on running longer and heavier trains, utilizing fewer locomotives, shuttering diesel shops, expediting train and engine inspections, cutting back on track maintenance forces, implementing "super" pools, trimming of extra boards, and cuts to practically every aspect of the operation, PSR is proving to be a disaster. A compliant Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), turning a blind eye to it all and giving the rail industry the green light in effect to "self-regulate", does not help matters.
RWU has done our best to collect and document these derailments of the past year. NOTE : It is quite likely that we missed a few, perhaps many. Do you see a glaring omission? Please email us a link to it at info@railroadworkersunited.org . Thanks!
Finally, please forward this email to your local media outlets, city council Reps, State Assembly Persons and U.S. Senators and Representatives.
Major Derailments of 2019
WARNING: The following list of 48 major derailments shows a number of graphic depictions of post-accident wreck scenes.
RWU Steps Up Campaign in Support of the Two Person Train Crew
In October, the major rail carriers filed suit in U.S. district court, claiming that their proposal to reduce train crew size is a negotiable issue, and that previous moratoriums should not stand in the way of their right to negotiate crew size reduction at the national level. Claiming that the conflict over the issue is a “minor dispute” under the Railway Labor Act, the carriers seek to have it subject to arbitration. The carriers have fired the first shot in their renewed war on the two-person train crew. On November 1st, the major rail carriers submitted their “Section 6 Notices,” making it clear they plan to move forward their attempt to reduce train crew size to a single employee in this round of national handling. But the rank and file has the power to stop them!
To assist in the fight back, RWU has taken delivery of a whole new line of materials - including lapel stickers, buttons, bumper stickers, T-shirts and (soon) yard signs, all designed to raise awareness of the issue and build the fight-back by rank and file workers. All materials are discounted (2-for-1 or 50% off production prices!) to ensure the broadest possible circulation.We encourage all railroad workers - particularly engineers and trainmen - to get involved today. The carriers have played their hand. They are coming after us. This is no secret. We can no longer keep our heads in the sand and hope this showdown does not take place. Brothers and Sisters, the time is upon us!
To get involved, please contact Railroad Workers United at: info@railroadworkersunited.org or call 202-798-3327.
SMART-TD Union Solicits Technology Failures from Train and Engine Crews
POSITIVE TRAIN CONTROL (PTC) - TRIP OPTIMIZER / LEADER
To better understand and evaluate the use of certain technologies being implemented by the Carrier, the Organization is seeking information regarding their operation. In order for the Organization to formulate a plan to protect our members, the general public, and ensure the safety of the nation's infrastructure, we are asking members to provide information when incidents or events occur regarding these technologies. This does not substitute for submitting an FRA or Carrier Incident Report.
Oppose “Precision Scheduled Railroading”
Precision Scheduled Railroading is the darling of the rail industry at the moment, the latest scam to get you - the railroad workers - to work longer hours for less compensation under more difficult, arduous and dangerous working conditions. And as recent experiences show, there is nothing “precision” or “scheduled” about it. Just ask the shippers on the CSX system, the workers on the Canadian Pacific, or any Amtrak passenger. Or you can even ask Matt Rose, CEO of the BNSF!
PSR is a farce, a scheme hatched in corporate offices to make stockholders rich at the expense of the rest of us. The obsession with lowering the Operating Ratio and with the next quarter’s profit earnings are detrimental to the long term health, vitality, and safety of the railroads of North America. It is time for railroad workers and our unions to stand up and fight back, and to call out this farce for what it is: BULLSHIT!
Two-person Crew Legislation Gains Momentum
The prospects for two-person train crew legislation at the state level had been very encouraging earlier this spring (2019). With the rail unions of the operating crafts working together on this important issue, legislation was adopted in both Colorado and Nevada. and appeared promising in a dozen others. There are now six states with legislation or regulation that requires trains that operate within the state to have a minimum of a 2-person crew: Wisconsin, California, West Virginia, and Arizona, Colorado and Nevada.
However, on May 23rd, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) claimed “preemption”, claiming there were no safety benefits to the two-person crew, and claimed that any and all of these state laws were null and void as a result. This took the wind out of the sails of the rail unions’ efforts, and has rendered the pending legislation potentially dead-on-arrival in various states across the country. States where a two-person crew bill has been introduced included: Maine, Massachusetts, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, Indiana, Missouri, Iowa, Kansas, Utah, Idaho and Nevada (12). Committee Hearings had been scheduled on pending legislation in Washington, Oregon, Nebraska, Texas, Minnesota, Illinois, Georgia and Maryland (8). All told, legislation has been adopted, been introduced, or is advancing in fully one half of the states of the union. So the FRA’s actions represents a severe setback to the movement.
However, the good news is that the Safe Freight Act at the national level - backed fully by both unions of the operating crafts - now has 100 co-sponsors and has been introduced in the Senate as well. While it stands a chance of passage in the House, adoption in the Senate appears unlikely at this time. Even if adopted by both chambers, it seems likely that a Presidential veto would be inevitable. Nevertheless, momentum towards eventual passage appears to be building.
On the contract front, the rail carriers have made it clear in their Section 6 notice of November 1, 2019 that they intend to bargain crew reductions this round. The unions have refused, but a recently appointed District Court judge in Texas ruled that SMART-0TD is obliged by law to bargain the question. If the resolve of the workers on both the BNSF and the W&LE are anything to go by, the rail carriers will certainly have a fight on their hands in the coming months. Time for all railroad workers to mobilize! See numerous locations on this website for more info as to how you can get involved. For starters, visit the RWU online Store and get some stuff!
Contact Congress in Support of Two-person Crew Legislation
All railroad workers are urged to contact members of the House of Representatives about co-sponsoring The Safe Freight Act of 2017 (H.R. 233), a bill that would mandate two-person train crews on freight trains - a certified locomotive engineer and a certified conductor. Both unions of the operating crafts - the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen (BLET) and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Rail Air and Transportation Workers (SMART TD) - are equally supportive of the bill and the concept of a minimum two-person train crew. Read more here.
Call the U.S. Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121
We keep on telling the FRA ... NO SINGLE EMPLOYEE TRAIN CREWS!
Protect the Safety of Railroad Workers and the Community:
No Single Employee Train Crews!
On March 15th, 2016 the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) announced a Proposed Rule on Train Crew Staffing for trains in the United States. While the Proposed Rule has some merit, ultimately it provides a road map by which any rail carrier can apply fort he right to ruin trains with a signle crew member on board. After careful consideration, Railroad Workers United came to the only conclusion possible: the Proposed Rule on Train Crew Staffing as written would allow any rail carrier - large or small, passenger or freight, Class One or tourist railway - to obtain the FRA's blessing to run any type of train with a single employee. Therefore, RWU was the first to sound the alarm and proclaim complete and total opposition to the Rule.
RWU has buttons, stickers, T-shirts, hats, and more, available for RWU members and the public. Check out the RWU Store today!
As a result, we worked diligently throughout Spring and Summer 2016 to bring the voice of the rank & file railroader and concerned citizens to the table. Nearly 1600 comments were submitted during the initial comment period, the overwhelming majority in opposition to the Proposed Rule. RWU testified publicly at the oral hearing in Washington D.C. in July. To their credit, the BLET and SMART have also come out in opposition to the Proposed Rule.
We await the FRA's Final Rule on the question and will circulate it along with our comments once it is released. In the meantime, click on any of the links below to learn more about the Proposed Rule and RWU efforts to stop single employee train crew operations.
RWU has an ongoing long term Campaign of opposition to single employee crews dating back to 2008 (and beyond). To learn more about it and how you can be involved, see the link below:
We continue to agree with the joint statement from nearly 7 years ago that the BLET and UTU unions made in a joint Petition filed in June 2009 with the FRA on the question which reads: "No conditions exist where one-person operations are safe." And since the Proposed Rule is predicated on the "safe" operation of trains with a single crew member, we urge the FRA to promulgate a rule that outlaws the practice.
RWU hosts a Facebook Page. It is a place for railroaders to go in addition to this website for information about the rail industry, rail labor, and Railroad Workers United. Until recently, we hosted a large Discussion Group Forum which attracted much attention and interest, but unfortunately also attracted rail managers, trolls, and those opposed to our goals and objectives as well as our Statement of Principles. As a result, the RWU Steering Committee voted overwhelmingly in January 2019 to dissolve the Group. In its place, we intend to initiate future forums that will be more focused and directed to issues directly affecting railroad workers. We hope you will join us!
RWU YouTube Channel
Watch all of the videps that RWU and RWU members have produced or taken part in over the years. From the Founding Convention video in 2008, the Promotional video in 2014, to an interview with RWU organizer in April of 2020, check ‘em out!
RWU publishes The Highball - our quarterly newsletter - and makes it available in hard copy (directly mailed to our members) as well as online. The newsletter reports on issues of concern to the rank & file railroad worker, and offers analysis, opinion and commentary on current affairs in the industry. Check out the latest issue of The Highball each time it is published right here on the website. Or you can sign up for RWU News Alerts and get it emailed to you each issue. OR better yet, Join RWU and have a hard copy mailed to you each issue!
You can view and make copies of the Current Issue of The Highball.
Click HERE to send us an email if you would like to help distribute The Highball in your work terminal and/or across your division.
If you wish to view back issues of the newsletter, click HERE.
To view the archives and see all individual article from the Highball since 2008, click HERE.
Behavior-Based Safety: Myth or Magic?
(Many of the BBS "experts" (E. Scott Geller) just can't admit they were wrong. But some are beginning to realize that a safety program that will not address the underlying causes/hazards or the culpability of corporate management's attitude is doomed to fail. Note: This article is from EHS Today. Emphasis is strictly ours).
Oct 1, 2007
When it was introduced, behavior-based safety (BBS) was seen as a magic panacea for everything that ailed safety programs. “It was the Swiss Army Knife of safety programs. It could take care of everything,” says Ron Bowles, director of operations for Portland, Ore.-based Strategic Safety Associates. “Now people realize that it is just one tool and more are needed.”
Decades after the initial launch of BBS programs, the process has lost favor with many safety managers, who claim the cost – such programs can be expensive – and the long-term results are not what they expected.
Some experts argue that expectations for BBS were unrealistic from the start, while others believe the process has been corrupted at some companies, transformed into an auditing program that assumes a “blame the employee” attitude about safety failures. CLICK HERE to read more.
The Railroad Workers Education & Legal Defense Foundation
Railroad Workers United now has a 501c(3) Foundation dedicated to educating and defending railroad workers interests across North America and providing them with the tools they need to win.
Railroad Workers Education & Legal Defense Foundation (RWELDF) is set up to receive tax-deductible donations in order to provide grassroots education and leadership development programs that help railroad workers understand the issues they face, to build unity and solidarity among railroaders, and ensure democracy and transparency in our unions.
TO MAKE A TAX-DEDUCTIBLE DONATION, CLICK ON THE DONATE BUTTON BELOW.
NOTE: TO MAKE A RECURRING MONTHLY DONATION, BE SURE TO CLICK/CHECK THE BOX THAT SAYS, MAKE THIS A MONTHLY DONATION.
NOTE: Railroad Workers Education & Legal Defense Foundation does not solicit nor accept funding from any employer-related or anti-labor sources.
RWU Rail Safety Conferences
In 2015, RWU sponsored a series of conferences entitled Railroad Safety: Workers, Community & the Environment in Richmond, CA, Olympia, WA and Chicago, IL entitled: "Rail Safety: Workers, Community & the Environment" in order to educate the public about rail safety and to build and allinace with citizens and environmental groups to defend our jobs and help to build a safer workplace and a safer railroad.
Here is Brother John Wright's (RWU Co-chair) video report on the conference in Richmond CA.
Brother J.P Wright's Away-from-Home TV Report
Railroad Workers United is proud to be at the forefront of the emerging labor-community alliance to defend our mutual interests. for example, railroad workers and the communities we operate through are both concerned about railroad safety. And while we may come atthe question from differing angles, our interests in the safety question - and other issues - are surely close enough that they pose a historic possibility, a window of opportunity for a new alliance that would strengthen both labor and community vs. the rail carriers. Click on link above for more information.
What’s Wrong with Single Employee Train Operations?
By Ron Kaminkow
General Secretary, Railroad Workers United
At first glance, the casual observer from outside of the rail industry is prone to say that single employee train operation sounds dangerous. “What if the engineer has a heart attack?” is an often heard question. And while this question has merit, there are many other and far more complex and unanswered questions about just how single employee train operations could be accomplished safely and efficiently for the train crew, the railroad and the general public. How will the train make a back-up move? What happens when the train hits a vehicle or pedestrian? How will the train crew member deal with “bad-order” equipment in his/her train, or make pick-ups and set-outs en route? What about job briefings and calling signals, copying mandatory directives and reminders of slow orders? These are just some questions that we take up in this article. Read More...
RWU was founded in the spring of 2008 in Dearborn, MI. when rail activists came together from various crafts, unions and rail carriers to build a solidarity organization of all railroad workers in North America. Labor Beat - a Chicago based non-profit - was there to film the proceedings and interview the founding members. Check out the 25 minute video -- now up on U-tube -- of the RWU Founding Convention.
The fractured nature of rail labor has led RWU to initiate a program to honor each and every railroad worker killed on the job, regardless of what craft and what union the worker was a member of. When a brother or sister is killed in the line of duty, it is the concern of all of us, whatever position we currently hold on the property and whatever union they happen to be paying dues to.
When we learn of a railroad fatality, we issue an ALERT that gets posted to our list serve, asking our members and supporters to take action. We compile a Listing of All Fallen Rails each year.
Each year since 2009 we have conducted Railroad Workers Memorial Day to honor and remember rails killed in the line of duty.
RWU Campaign Against Single Employee Train Crews
The Campaign was officially unleashed on Labor Day 2012. The rail carriers have been slowly but surely making inroads and it is only a matter of time before they make an all-out press for universal single employee crews. RWU says HELL NO! And we encourage all of our members and supporters, all railroad workers to get involved in the campaign. READ MORE...
Popular Science magazine offers one of the best in-depth descriptions of the issues surrounding Positive Train Control. CLICK HERE to read.
"The advent of new technology together with a decline in union power, coupled with the rail carriers’ arrogant disregard for worker and public safety has seen the standard five-person train crew drop first to three, and then to two crew members. Now the big railroad companies have their sights set on implementation of the universal single employee train crew. The only thing that can stop them is YOU! Please join with Railroad Workers United in our effort to stop the implementation of single employee train crews!"
The last decade or so has witnessed a proliferation of “Blame-the-Worker” safety programs on Class 1 railroads in the U.S. These programs have been fairly commonplace in other industries and many other labor unions have been struggling with them for years. In effect, these so-called "behavior based safety programs" are little more than a thinly veiled attempt by the employer to shift the blame for accidents, injuries, and fatalities away from management responsibility and lay it at the doorstep of worker behavior. They are a fraud and a farce and are - in fact - dangerous. Click HERE to Read More.
Rail freight carrier and passenger train companies have been finding ways to get their workers to do more for less for the past few decades. Considering how much the economy of the U.S. depends upon the massive amount of freight moved by trains, one would think the unions representing those workers to be very powerful. However, there are a dozen or so different unions, divided by craft, representing different sectors of the workforce on the various rail properties from coast to coast. To counter the divisive race to the bottom caused by cross-union fratricide in the industry, rank-and-file rail workers from every craft and union have joined together to form RAILROAD WORKERS UNITED. [To watch the 20 minute video, click on the icon above].
