Current:Home > InvestBNSF becomes 2nd major railroad to sign on to anonymous federal safety hotline for some workers -Thrive Success Strategies
BNSF becomes 2nd major railroad to sign on to anonymous federal safety hotline for some workers
View
Date:2025-04-18 17:08:35
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — BNSF will become the second major freight railroad to allow some of its employees to report safety concerns anonymously through a federal system without fear of discipline.
The Federal Railroad Administration announced Thursday that the railroad owned by Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway had agreed to let its roughly 650 dispatchers participate in the program that all the major railroads promised to join after last year’s disastrous Norfolk Southern derailment in Ohio.
“Rail workers deserve to know they’re safe when they’re on the job — and if they experience anything that compromises their safety, they should be able to report it without worrying if their job is in jeopardy,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg.
Buttigieg has been urging the railroads to improve safety ever since the February 2023 derailment.
Until NS became the first railroad to sign onto the anonymous reporting system in January, all the major freight railroads resisted joining because they wanted the ability to discipline workers who use the hotline in certain circumstances. The Association of American Railroads trade group has said railroads were worried that the system could be abused by workers who try to avoid discipline by reporting situations a railroad already knows about.
But the idea of disciplining workers who report safety concerns undermines the entire purpose of such a hotline because workers won’t use it if they fear retribution, unions and workplace safety experts said. That’s especially important on the railroads where there is a long history of workers being fired for reporting safety violations or injuries.
The Norfolk Southern program is also limited in scope. Only about 1,000 members of the two unions representing engineers and conductors who work in three locations on that railroad can participate. Besides Norfolk Southern and now BNSF, only Amtrak and several dozen small railroads use the government reporting program.
Part of why the big railroads — that also include Union Pacific, CSX, CPKC and Canadian National — have resisted joining the federal system is because they all have their own internal safety reporting hotlines. But railroad unions have consistently said workers are reluctant to use the railroads’ own safety hotlines because they fear retribution.
veryGood! (9386)
Related
- Off the Grid: Sally breaks down USA TODAY's daily crossword puzzle, Triathlon
- Former New Mexico football player convicted of robbing a postal carrier
- WNBA can't afford to screw up gift it's getting with Caitlin Clark's popularity
- 'Senseless act of violence': Alabama mother of 4 kidnapped, found dead in car; man charged
- Whoopi Goldberg is delightfully vile as Miss Hannigan in ‘Annie’ stage return
- 3 children, 1 adult injured in drive-by shooting outside of Kentucky health department
- Man killed, 9 others injured in shooting during Arkansas block party
- Tennessee judge set to decide whether a Nashville school shooters’ journals are public records
- 'Vanderpump Rules' star DJ James Kennedy arrested on domestic violence charges
- William Decker: From business genius to financial revolution leader
Ranking
- Could Bill Belichick, Robert Kraft reunite? Maybe in Pro Football Hall of Fame's 2026 class
- Tesla plans to lay off more than 10% of workforce as sales slump
- Pro-Palestinian demonstrators block traffic into Chicago airport, causing headaches for travelers
- Tax Day is here, but the expanded Child Tax Credit never materialized
- Tarte Shape Tape Concealer Sells Once Every 4 Seconds: Get 50% Off Before It's Gone
- Cold case: 1968 slaying of Florida milkman, WWII vet solved after suspect ID’d, authorities say
- The pilots union at American Airlines says it’s seeing more safety and maintenance issues
- Trump's hush money trial gets underway today. Here's what to know.
Recommendation
Travis Hunter, the 2
Tax Day is here, but the expanded Child Tax Credit never materialized
Native Americans have shorter life spans, and it's not just due to lack of health care
Large dust devil captured by storm chaser as it passes through Route 66 in Arizona: Watch
EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
Much of central US faces severe thunderstorm threat and possible tornadoes
The Humane AI Pin is unlikely to soon replace the smartphone but it has some wow features
Caitlin Clark, Kamilla Cardoso, WNBA draft prospects visit Empire State Building