Rail unions launch petition drive on attendance policies

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, the Transportation Trades Department of the American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO TTD) and the SMART Transportation Division (SMART-TD) are calling on members to participate in a petition drive to raise awareness of rail worker attendance policies.

The petition seeks to raise awareness of attendance requirements like BNSF Railway Co.'s controversial "Hi-Viz" policy, which the unions allege forces rail workers "to live in constant fatigue." The unions have asked the U.S. departments of transportation and labor to investigate rail carrier attendance policies.

“Congress must act to end these unsafe and life-sapping policies that punish workers with job loss,” said SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson and BLET President Dennis Pierce in a joint press release.