Courtesy of the Associated Press The major freight railroads signaled they’re ready to negotiate a new deal with their workers based on a presidential report that calls for 24% raises, but the 12 unions involved in the stalled talks covering 115,000 workers still haven’t commented on the recommendations. The group that represents BNSF, Union Pacific, Norfolk […]
By David Lassen for trains.com CEO outlines ongoing crew shortages, need for changes in jobs LAKE GENEVA, Wis. — It just may be that CSX Transportation CEO Jim Foote is a bit weary of hearing about the evils of Precision Scheduled Railroading. In his customary blunt style, Foote gave that impression Tuesday when speaking to […]
By Bill Stephens for trains.com Focus on operating ratio inhibits volume growth, hurts service, and prevents share gain from highway The U.S. Class I railroads’ recurring crew shortages, related bouts of service problems, and a lack of meaningful volume growth are intertwined. You can lay the blame for all three problems at just one place: […]
After hundreds of railroaders quit, BNSF has modified its new attendance policy effective June 1. Union detractors remain unmoved. by Justin Franz for montanafreepress.org Montana’s largest railroad company is making changes to a controversial new employee attendance policy after receiving pushback from railroaders and unions. But even with the changes, labor officials remain unimpressed and […]
By Bill Stephens for trains.com Railroads would have to report local service data as well as locomotive and crew availability Class I railroads operating in Canada would be required to report additional performance and staffing metrics under a proposal Canadian regulators unveiled on Friday. Transport Canada’s move was announced on the same day that the Surface Transportation […]
By Justin Franz for railfan.com The U.S. Surface Transportation Board announced Friday that all seven Class I railroads will have to submit reports on rail service, performance and employment, and four of them will need to provide plans on how they will get service back on track. The request for more information and transparency comes […]
By Justin Franz for railfan.com After a fiery two-day hearing in Washington D.C., about the ongoing Class I service crisis, many in and out of the rail industry are asking “What’s next?” After receiving an avalanche of complaints from shippers and railroaders about the state of rail service, the U.S. Surface Transportation Board demanded that […]
Union officials say hundreds of people have left the railroad in the last three months, adding to BNSF’s struggles to move freight through Montana. by Justin Franz for montanafreepress.com Brady Wassam knew what to expect when he took a job on the railroad. Wassam, 30, of Columbia Falls, came from a family of railroaders who […]
Workers have had to choose between work and attending funerals for loved ones, parenting their kids, and going to the doctor, 45 BNSF employees told Motherboard. By Aaron Gordon for vice.com Two weeks ago, a BNSF freight train conductor, who asked not to be named so he could speak freely about his experience, fell asleep […]
Workers are under intense strain amid grueling schedules, union contract negotiations and an arcane attendance policy system By Michael Sainato for theguardian.com American railroad workers are criticizing a new restrictive attendance policy at one of the largest railroad freight networks in the US, as they experience grueling schedules and labor cuts in the midst of […]