Rail Unions Say, Workers Have Become Sick, at East Palestine Derailment Site.
On March 1, the presidents of railroad unions told officials
with the Biden administration that rail workers have
fallen ill at the derailment site in East Palestine, Ohio.
NBC reports that leaders from 12 unions met with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Amit Bose, administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration.
NBC reports that leaders from 12 unions met with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Amit Bose, administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration.
The meeting focused on not just the derailment,
but also the ongoing aftermath of the incident
and the crucial need for safety improvements.
The meeting focused on not just the derailment,
but also the ongoing aftermath of the incident
and the crucial need for safety improvements.
My hope is the stakeholders in this
industry can work towards the same goals
related to safety when transporting
hazardous materials by rail, Mike Baldwin, President of the Brotherhood
of Railroad Signalmen, via NBC.
According to union representations, rail workers
exposed to the cleanup site have reported
experiencing “migraines and nausea.”.
In a letter addressed to Buttigieg, Bose, East Palestine
Mayor Trent Conaway and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, unions
list a number of other safety grievances at the crash site.
In a letter addressed to Buttigieg, Bose, East Palestine
Mayor Trent Conaway and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, unions
list a number of other safety grievances at the crash site.
According to the unions, workers are not being provided
with personal protective equipment like respirators,
eyewear or appropriate clothing.
According to the unions, workers are not being provided
with personal protective equipment like respirators,
eyewear or appropriate clothing.
Union representatives claim that 35 to 40 people
working at the cleanup site were not supplied with proper
breathing apparatuses, rubber gloves, boots or coverups.
Also on March 1, lawmakers introduced the
Railway Safety Act of 2023, which aims to
prevent other train disasters in the future.