The Militant - March 23, 2015 -- Letters

Vol. 79/No. 10 March 23, 2015

Letters

Rail bosses and safety
In the late 1980s I worked on Norfolk Southern. Very early one morning my train struck a car at a small road crossing leading to a factory, as the night shift streamed out. What followed revealed the real approach of the rail bosses toward safety.

We were taken into the office to meet with the railroad’s “claims agent,” who asked what happened. I said that the crossing had no warning lights, bells, or gates. It had only one unlit warning sign, on the side opposite the factory.

The claims agent yelled, “That crossing had all the markings it was required by law to have! There was nothing wrong with it!”

The rail bosses say crossing collisions are the fault of careless, stupid or reckless car drivers and sponsor programs such as “Operation Lifesaver” to get rail workers to participate in media scolding of drivers. Rail workers should reject participating in these programs, which serve only to help the rail bosses evade their responsibility to eliminate the crossings by building bridges or tunnels.
Ray Parsons
Delmar, New York

Related articles:
New Canada rail safety law has nothing to do with safety
Rail workers initiate forums to discuss fight for safety

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