SMART-TD AND CSX CELEBRATE 40 YEARS OF SUCCESS

CSX RedBlock Program Has Been Protecting Railroaders for Four Decades!  

Operation RedBlock (ORB) is celebrating 40 years of protecting our CSX Brothers and Sisters. RedBlock is a safety program that allows employees to mark off without fear of retribution if they are unexpectedly called to work while they are under the influence. The program is invaluable to rail workers and rail carriers alike.  

Before CSX entered this agreement with eight rail labor unions, options for an impaired employee were severely limited. If you had a couple of drinks and knew you were still feeling the effects, you had to take the call and roll the dice or face the consequences of the attendance and discipline programs.  

Since 1984, RedBlock allows us to use our own common sense and judgment to protect ourselves, each other, and the communities where we work.  If our lives get a little out of control, ORB is also there to provide a safe and confidential way for our members to ask for help without the fear of company scrutiny and judgement.  

As we all know, the rails are unforgiving. The smallest mistake or misjudgment can have life-altering consequences. This program has spared over 48,000 of our members from taking this deadly gamble at CSX alone. It is hard to imagine a safety program more successful or aimed more squarely at protecting our personal well-being than ORB.  

Operation RedBlock at CSX is successful because the Class I railroad has agreed to stay out of the way. Rail labor takes care of each other, member-to-member, without interference from the railroad.  

Operation Red Block System Coordinator for CSX, Brother Mike Jackson (Local # 1374, New Castle, PA) told SMART News that this higher level of trust on CSX properties is the key to its success for all involved.  

“Operation RedBlock has been a game changer for safety culture at CSX. In 1983, prior to the program starting, a study was done known as the REAP Report. This exposed just how common the issue of drinking on and before duty was on the railroad. Our members were getting hurt, killed, and fired. That was why Operation RedBlock was founded,” Jackson said.  

Forty years later, the program is still running at CSX, and the results speak for themselves.  

“Reporting that you or a coworker is not fit for duty used to result in people losing their job and their pension. Now, through the efforts of CSX and Operation RedBlock, it results in our brothers and sisters receiving the help and understanding they need and, more importantly, deserve,” Jackson concludes.  

As of 2024, CSX is the only Class One railroad to understand that member-to-member trust is the reason it works so well.  

Other carriers chose to place Operation RedBlock in the hands of company officers. Trust between workers and their managers is low. As a result, a man or woman who faces rough times or who wants to get help with an addiction believe that they may be punished for contacting operation RedBlock for the support they want or need. This union believes that this needs to change.  

For decades, tens of thousands of our brothers and sisters reached out to Operation RedBlock and were given a path to treatment before their lives and careers left the rails.  

Congratulations to CSX for 40 years of superior results and for cooperating with their unions as we look out for one another on the rails. Brother Mike Jackson and every Operation RedBlock Captain in every CSX crew base has earned our respect for ensuring each of us has a safe place to address our needs.  

To learn more about Operation Redblock you can find information at oprerationredblock.com or operationredblock.net.   

If you are a CSX member and would like to discuss your options for help with substance abuse or you know a Brother or Sister that may be struggling with these issues, reach out to your local RedBlock Captain as listed on the CSX website, by contacting any of your local officers, or call the CSX  EAP 24hr Help Line at 1-800-657-3366.