UTU member murdered during robbery

Norfolk Southern conductor and UTU member Jerrick A. Jackson, 47, was shot multiple times and killed May 7 in an apparent robbery at his home in Atlanta. Jackson was a member of Local 1245 in Atlanta and the local has established a memorial fund to assist his family, Local Se [...]

How to prevent America’s next train crash

The evening of Jan. 5, 2005, was dry and cool in Graniteville, S.C. At 6:10, a 12-car Norfolk Southern freight train pulled up to the Avondale Mills textile plant, and Jim Thornton, a conductor with 18 years’ experience, climbed down from the locomotive to open a switch and l [...]

150 workers die daily from injury, disease

WASHINGTON – In 2011, 4,693 workers were killed on the job, according to a new AFL-CIO report, “Death on the Job: The Toll of Neglect.” That is an average of 13 workers every day. In addition, another estimated 50,000 die every year from occupational diseases – an average of [...]

Norfolk Southern worker killed in mudslide

OLD FORT, N.C. — A railroad worker who was killed early May 6 in a mudslide, was the father of three children and always had a smile on his face, his wife said. Joe Drewnoski, 33, of Waynesville, died on Old Fort Mountain early Monday morning while inspecting track after a mu [...]

LaHood gives Amtrak $30M for Sandy repairs

WASHINGTON – U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood May 3 announced he is providing $30.2 million to Amtrak to repair damage caused by Hurricane Sandy along its heavily-traveled Northeast Corridor. The funding comes from the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act of 2013 and is [...]