two person crew laws Archives

Indiana Rail Road, with the backing of the major rail carrier organizations, has filed suit challenging a law requiring two people on freight crews in Illinois, the Courthouse News Service reported.
“The recent history of railroads confirms the wisdom of FRA’s expert determination that minimum-crew-size laws are neither necessary nor appropriate,” the carriers said in their filing. “In recent decades, technological breakthroughs have allowed railroads to gradually decrease average crew sizes—from about five in the 1960s to just two today—while compiling an ever-improving record of safety. Now, the nation’s railroads are poised to deliver even safer and more efficient service.”
The filing repeatedly referenced the Federal Railroad Administration’s withdrawal of its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) that occurred in late May. In the NPRM, FRA Administrator Ron Batory announced that his agency was acting with the intention to pre-empt any state laws regarding rail crew size. Indiana Rail Road, a regional railroad that operates over 250 miles of track in Illinois and Indiana, began using one-person crews in 1997.
The FRA’s NPRM withdrawal is being challenged in the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in Nevada by SMART TD, Illinois and a number of other states. Illinois on Aug. 9 became the seventh state overall and third this year to enact two-person crew legislation. The Illinois law is scheduled to take effect on Jan. 1, 2020.
The lawsuit, which also lists the Association of American Railroads and American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association as plaintiffs, was filed Sept. 30 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois Eastern Division.

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The first step in the process to mandate a minimum of two-person freight train crews in Ohio (H.B. 107) occurred Wednesday, March 29, when the Ohio Transportation & Safety Committee held its first hearing on the bill.
To make H.B. 107 a law in Ohio, we need TD union members, friends, family and anyone who cares about the safety of workers and the safety of our communities to click the link below to send a message to the members of the Ohio Transportation & Safety Committee, urging them to support this vital safety measure.
TAKE ACTION! Take a minute and click here to send a message in support of Ohio H.B. 107. Please share with friends and family to do the same!
TAKE ACTION IN YOUR STATE! Email us news of two-person crew or right-to-work (IS WRONG) legislation in your state to News_TD@smart-union.org.
TAKE ACTION to support H.R. 233, The Safe Freight Act, which would require a minimum of two-person crews on all freight trains operating in the United States. Click here to send a message to your U.S. House and Senate reps. in support of H.R. 233.
TAKE ACTION by calling members of the Ohio Transportation & Safety Committee (phone numbers listed below). Ask your Representatives to support H.B. 107 and thank the sponsors and co-sponsors for their support.
Ohio House Transportation & Safety Committee members (in order by district):

*Tom Patton (R – Dist. 7): 614-466-4895
*Stephanie Howse (D – Dist. 11): 614-466-1414
VC Dave Greenspan (R – Dist. 16): 614-466-0961
*Jim Hughes (R – Dist. 24): 614-466-8012
Alicia Reece (D – Dist. 33): 614-466-1308
Tony DeVitis (R – Dist. 36): 614-466-1790
*Mike Sheehy (D – Dist. 46): 614-466-1418
*Thomas West (D – Dist. 49): 614-466-8030
Candice Keller (R – Dist. 53): 614-644-5094
Nathan Manning (R – Dist. 55): 614-644-5076
*Michele LaPore-Hagan (D – Dist. 58): 614-466-9435
Chairman Doug Green (R – Dist. 66): 614-644-6034
Darrell Kick (R – Dist. 70): 614-466-2994
Larry Householder (R – Dist. 72): 614-466-2500
Terry Johnson (R – Dist. 90): 614-466-2124

*Denotes Sponsor or Co-sponsor of H.B. 107