Resolution on safety on the railroad(revised)

Whereas:

Over 20 years ago, the labor movement commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Haymarket martyrs and the fight for the eight-hour day. Yet today, tens of thousands of railroad workers are forced to work 12 hours a day six days a week, with additional waiting and travel time, much it unpaid.  And not satisfied with this, the rail bosses are implementing one-person crews, remote-controlled engines and satellite controlled trains to eliminate workers, further endangering the public in their relentless drive for profits.

And whereas:

 They are reducing costs by downsizing the unionized non-operating crafts: shop repair people, car inspectors and yard and track maintenance people.  Increasingly, this highly skilled work is subcontracted out to nonunion companies.  Other crafts are forced to inspect trains.  Carmen are constantly sped up, harassed, and fired for reporting serious defects.  More and more, even long trains of over a hundred cars are leaving yards without proper air brake tests. 

The company's response to personal injuries or accidents is the same for all crafts --intimidation and severe discipline including many firings.

And whereas:

The entire society is endangered by the increased likelihood of catastrophic accidents as a direct result of the conscious and pre-meditated actions of the railroad corporations. 

Therefore, we demand:

1. Reduction in the work day of operating employees to eight hours, 40 hours a week with no loss in pay.

2. Massive increase in hiring of all crafts of railroad workers.  Massive hiring of skilled trades and construction workers to rebuild the crumbling bridges, yards and track.

3. Rail employees to overhaul the safety regulations of the FRA and OSHA.

4. Large increase in hiring of FRA inspectors, with real enforcement of safety regulations, including drastically heavier fines against violating companies and shutting down the rail operations when necessary.  Eliminate fines against individual workers.

5. End the police state search, random testing and disciplinary approach to drug and alcohol use.  Put resources into rehabilitation instead.

To achieve this:

RWU recognizes that the corporate owners arrogantly and publicly flaunt their lawless behavior, which stands out even in the corporate dominated United States.

Government safety regulatory agencies such as OSHA and the FRA are at best, toothless, and weak and at worst, agents of the bosses in targeting the workforce.

Only collective mass action utilizing our power to stop the transport of goods will be enough to maintain our present safety conditions.

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 sisters and brothers

I dropped a sentence about FELA because we need to have a lot more discussion. I agree with Ed and others that we need to come up with an alternative

The second half of the previous resolution was basically on tactics.  The Canadian national has really been pounding the workforce lately about injuries.  I was fired for late reporting of a personal injury -- -- -- the next morning.  A couple of days ago I heard that each and every report of a personal injury goes right to the CEO Hunter Harrison.  They investigate( prosecute) every one. we had a lawyer in our union meeting say that the best way to deal with a dangerous situation is to wait until someone gets hurt.  And then win a lawsuit.  That type of thinking has to stop.Our unions have to take the lead and get much more aggressive.

Steve