AAR safety alert: blade found in chock

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) reports that a homemade knife was found in a chock in the storage bin (pictured below), with the blade facing in toward the railcar at a Subaru facility in Vancouver, Wash. The knife was found when a rail loader went to remove a cho [...]

Right-to-work proposal introduced in Ohio

COLUMBUS, Ohio – A Cincinnati, Ohio lawmaker introduced his plan to bring a right-to-work law to Ohio despite opposition from fellow Republicans. The proposal from Rep. Tom Brinkman (R-Mount Lookout) would prohibit mandatory union membership at workplaces. The change would gi [...]

National negotiations update

Members of rail labor’s Coordinated Bargaining Group (CBG), composed of representatives from the SMART Transportation Division, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, the American Train Dispatchers Association, the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers/SEIU [...]

FMCSA, FRA begin work on sleep apnea rulemaking

WASHINGTON – If left untreated, sleep apnea poses serious risks to anyone who sits behind the wheel of a commercial motor vehicle or climbs into the cab of a locomotive. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) rece [...]

Ohio Senate introduces two-person crew bill

Ohio State Senators Joe Schiavoni (D – Dist. 33) and Kenny Yuko (D – Dist. 25) have introduced Senate Bill 229 – a bill calling for two-person crews on locomotives – in the state. The bill has bi-partisan support and has been co-sponsored by nine state [...]