Rail Workers Weekly News Digest
Number 3 - April 9th, 2019
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Below is a series of article compiled over the previous week.
They are of interest to railroad workers
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2019-3 Article 1
Railroad Steelworker Killed in Accident
EAST CHICAGO — A steelworker was killed in a fatal train accident at the ArcelorMittal Indiana Harbor steel mill Tuesday morning, the first deadly accident there in 15 months.
"We are saddened to confirm there was a fatality at the Indiana Harbor’s No. 7 blast furnace raw materials yard today," ArcelorMittal spokeswoman Mary Beth Holdford said. "A railroad operator was fatally injured when the engine he was operating struck a railcar on an adjacent track."
The steelworker died at the scene.
The Lake County Coroner's Office identified the deceased as Edwin L. Fleming, a 49-year-old Schererville man.
Read More ...
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2019-3 Article 2
A Call to All Rail Unions: Support MLK Day as a Holiday for All Railroaders!
BY Ike Nahem, BLET #11, Retired
The International Steering Committee of Railroad Workers United (RWU) has decided to launch a major campaign to honor and celebrate the life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The RWU leading body proposes making what is already a Federal Holiday observed in all 50 States, also a paid holiday for all railroaders, from every craft, across the United States. RWU is proposing that this demand be included – and fought for uncompromisingly! – in all collective bargaining agreements from this day on until MLK Day is observed with honor, celebration, and contemplation by all working railroaders,
of all skin colors.
This is a just and appropriate demand on the face of it. But, the RWU elected leadership also feels strongly that such a campaign is necessary on the part of the rail industry as a whole, and rail labor
in particular. Because of our history!
Read more ...
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2019-3 Article 3
Coal carloads plunge more than 25 percent last week
WASHINGTON — The Association of American Railroads today reported U.S. rail traffic for the week ending March 30, as well as volumes for March 2019.
U.S. railroads originated 957,144 carloads in March 2019, down 8.9 percent, or 93,616 carloads, from March 2018. U.S. railroads also originated 1,065,790 containers and trailers in March 2019, down 1.5 percent, or 16,387 units, from the same month last year. Combined U.S. carload and intermodal originations in March 2019 were 2,022,934, down 5.2 percent, or 110,003 carloads and intermodal units from March 2018.
Read more ...
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2019-3 Article 4
Union Locals Build Support for the Green New Deal’s “Just Transition”
Undeterred by the Senate’s recent dismissal of the Green New Deal, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) recently accepted Congressional Coal Caucus member Rep. Andy Barr’s (R-Kentucky)
invitation
to tour a coal mine in his district and meet with mine workers and voters in Appalachia to talk about how they could benefit from the resolution’s “just transition.”
That transition, as laid out in Representative Ocasio-Cortez’s plan, would include a federal jobs guarantee for U.S. workers. This includes former fossil fuel sector workers as they transition to build the infrastructure needed to shift the country to 100 percent renewable energy within 10 years.
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2019-3 Article 5
Precision Scheduled Railroading is a
Tragedy for Rail Workers and for the Nation
Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) is no way to run a safe railroad. Whenever a corporate entity attempts to “do more with less”, the workforce knows very well what this means – do more work with less employees, resulting in low morale, higher levels of fatigue, task overload, longer hours, less time off work, all of which then manifests as a decline in physical health and well-being, marital and family issues, burnout, stress, overall job dissatisfaction, and yes, accidents, injuries, and fatalities. But it is not just the safety and health of workers that are threatened by PSR. Other interest groups and sectors also stand to lose.
Read more ...
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2019-3 Article 6
Radio Interview with RWU General Secretary Ron Kaminkow about Rail Safety and Two-Person Train Crews
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Railroad Workers United
Solidarity -- Unity -- Democracy
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