Conference:
“The Future of Railroads: Safety, Workers,Community
& the Environment”
Whereas,
railroads are an
invaluable national asset that must be managed wisely, efficiently and safely; and
Whereas,
railway workers,
pedestrians, motorists, track side communities, and society at large have a vested interest in railroad safety and in insuring that railroad companies
live up to their full potential to operate responsibly and safely; and
Whereas,
a series of
disastrous train derailments in recent months has alarmed and outraged the
public
because of the potential danger to communities from railroad
operations; and
Whereas,
railroad carriers
have all too often failed to provide a safe workplace environment for their
employees, refusing to address safety sensitive issues including but
not limited to: crew fatigue;adequate
off duty time for crew members; fair and just availability policies;
accurate reliable "train line-ups";sufficient staffing levels; safe train crew size; proper and adequate training of
new employees; and establishing minimum standards of rail operational experience as a qualification
requirement for federal certification, and
Whereas,
railroad is a
critical part of a sustainable transportation infrastructure with a history of
serving
communities and invigorating regional economies in the US and around
the globe, where much of it is
electrified, providing a yet cleaner and more efficient method to move
passengers and freight; and
Whereas,
in our democracy
the most effective way for the people to be heard is to unite around common interests and goals; and
Whereas,
railroad workers,
community members, environmental organizations, emergency responders,
shippers, governmental entities and the general public should unite
around our common interests to insure safe railroad operations that meet the needs of and operate in the
best interests of the public;
Therefore,
Be it Resolved that
Railroad Workers United and the Backbone Campaign do hereby commit to jointly sponsor a series of conferences to be entitled, “The Future of
Rail: Safety, Workers, Community and the Environment”; and
Be
it further Resolved that we
extend an invitation to labor, community, governmental, environmental
organizations and other interested parties to join us and participate
in this endeavor; and
Be
it further resolved that,
provided these initial conferences on the West Coast prove successful, we seek
to expand these events to other towns and cities across North America;
and
Be
it Further Resolved that the
objective of these conferences is to bring together and educate railroad
workers, the general public and interested parties to better
understand and coalesce around our common
interests of safety and security on American railroads; and
Be
it finally resolved that the
ultimate goal of these conferences is to forge an alliance of railroad workers, community members, interest groups, and the public that will develop
the influence necessary to mandate that the rail industry become responsive to the needs and wishes of
the American people for whom they serve.
Resolution of endorsement passed by the Kentucky IWW GMB on 01/13/2015
