Railroad Workers United -June 19th

[FELA FELLA]

Dear Yardlimits Members-

I was on a site called CSX-Sucks!.
I was reading this most important post and I thought I would post it here.
I told "Ape" it was posted here.
Steve
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Name:
E-mail:
Employed as: APE, for 1-10 years
Posted: 09 June 2009

Rail Workers Group Calls for Day of Action June 19th
In response to an alarming escalation of employee fatalities on the
nation's railroads, Railroad Workers United, a grouping of concerned
rail workers across the country, is calling for all railroaders to wear
a black shirt to work on Friday, June 19th to "remember the dead and
fight for the living."

June 7, 2009 (FPRC) -- With the death of Railroad Conductor Jared
Boehlke on Mother's Day, May 10, the number of fatalities on the
nation's railroads surged to a record pace for the year 2009. In all,
twelve rail workers have been killed on the job so far this year.

At the end of March, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued
an appeal to all railroad organizations and employees for help in
stemming this disastrous record.

The FRA letter said in part, "If a culture exists whereby workers feel
they are put in situations where they are making poor decisions for fear
of losing their jobs, we must work together to change this culture. The
elimination of fatalities, injuries, and accidents depends upon it."

Railroad Workers United (RWU), a cross craft, inter-union caucus of
rail workers agrees with the FRA that something must be done to change
the current situation. For over a year now, RWU has actively campaigned
for a safety approach that would put eliminating hazards first and
foremost on the safety agenda for the nation’s railroads.
Unfortunately, the rail carriers have continued to emphasize worker
behavior over hazard elimination. As a result, the carriers tend to
downplay, overlook, or ignore altogether the problems and hazards that
are created by management practices. Job cutbacks, job combination, and
massive layoffs have left too many rail employees working without the
extra support and assistance needed in
places like dangerous classification yards where Jared Boehlke met his
death.

Railroad Workers United is asking its members and supporters across the
U.S. -- and all rail workers that hear this call -- to wear a black
shirt on Friday, June 19, the Friday of Father's Day weekend. RWU
hopes that this relatively modest action will play a role in putting to
en end any “culture” as the FRA described it where "workers feel they
are put in situations where they are making poor decisions for fear of
losing their jobs."

Furthermore, RWU urges all of rail labor to consider officially
demarcating Father's Day Friday in the future, “Railroad Workers
Memorial Day”, a day when all rail workers remember our brothers and
sisters who have lost their lives working in the unforgiving railroad
environment


For more information contact Ron Kaminkow of Railroad Workers United
(http://railroadworkersunited.org)
608-358-5771

Keywords: Railroads

You can read this press release online at:
Rail Workers Group Calls for Day of Action June 19th