Rail unions call on STB, FRA to step up regulation of Class Is

A group of rail labor unions is asking federal regulators to take several actions that the unions say would strengthen the safety, service and reliability of Class Is.

In a report filed Jan. 9 with the Surface Transportation Board, the unions recommended five steps that they say the STB and Federal Railroad Administration should take to improve the Class Is. They allege the "railroad industry is on the precipice of a self-made disaster" due to "increasingly dangerous trends of locomotive and equipment failures caused by the freight railroads’ cost-cutting business model known as precision scheduled railroading."

The unions called for the STB and FRA to:
• establish and implement a uniform model training, qualifications and certification program that would apply to all Class Is and that must be completed by all those railroads’ workers who provide inspection, service and maintenance repairs, or shop-craft work;
• establish and enforce a standard that ensures there is an adequate workforce with the skills necessary to "fulfill the demands of the freight rail industry in the safest and most reliable fashion possible";
• carry out stronger enforcement of safety regulations and standards by conducting more unplanned focus inspections and random and scheduled safety audits of the Class Is;
• carry out the disqualification of railroad managers under 49 CFR Part 209.301; and
• eliminate loopholes under existing federal regulations that "the railroads exploit to maximize profits rather than ensure safety and reliable services."

To read the unions' entire 81-page report, click here.