{"id":3507,"date":"2023-03-14T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2023-03-14T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/?p=3507"},"modified":"2023-06-27T16:53:08","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T16:53:08","slug":"preventable-accident","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/preventable-accident","title":{"rendered":"A Preventable Accident?: Organized Labor\u2019s View of the East Palestine Train Derailment"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Ken Green<br>CEO &amp; Founder<br><a href=\"https:\/\/www.uniontrack.com\/\">UnionTrack<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On February 3, 2023, a 141-car Norfolk Southern Railway train (32N) that was carrying hazardous materials in 20 of its cars derailed in the town of East Palestine, Ohio. Thirty-eight cars (11 of which contained hazardous materials) were involved in the crash, and an additional 12 cars caught fire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The derailment caused an environmental disaster that:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Involved a controlled burn of toxic chemicals.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Required mandatory evacuation orders for days at a time.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Left residents skeptical of their air quality and water safety.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s also left many residents concerned about their town\u2019s future. \u201cI don\u2019t feel safe because I don\u2019t know what the future holds for my town,\u201d resident <a href=\"https:\/\/edition.cnn.com\/2023\/02\/23\/politics\/partisan-politics-east-palestine-ohio-derailment-analysis\/index.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jessica Conard<\/a> said during a February 22 town hall meeting. \u201cThis has the potential to really decimate a small town like us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While this would be a terrible outcome under any circumstance, it would be particularly tragic in this case because the derailment could have been prevented.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What Happened to Cause the Accident?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>While the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.ntsb.gov\/investigations\/Documents\/RRD23MR005%20East%20Palestine%20OH%20Prelim.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB)<\/a> continues to investigate the accident, the board\u2019s preliminary findings on February 3 suggested that a faulty \u201cwheel bearing in the final stage of overheat failure moments before the derailment\u201d was the culprit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NTSB Chair <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2023\/02\/23\/ntsb-norfolk-southern-train-derailment-preliminary-report.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jennifer Homendy<\/a> confirmed as much in a press conference on February 23, stating, \u201cIt was the combination of the hot axle and the plastic pellets which started the initial fire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to the NTSB report, the crew received a critical and audible alarm from a wayside defect detector to stop the train and inspect a hot axle. The engineer then increased the dynamic brake application to stop the train. The axle failed, which led to an emergency full brake application, which caused the cars to jackknife and derail. Homendy made sure to note the crew didn\u2019t do anything wrong.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The investigation by the NTSB is ongoing and may take years to complete. While this may be the official cause as determined by the NTSB, the mechanical failure was precipitated by a number of decisions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image3.jpg\" alt=\"Unhappy-looking worker sitting on railroad tracks; preventable accident concept\" class=\"wp-image-3512\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image3.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image3-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image3-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image3-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Wreck That Was \u2018Years in the Making\u2019<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Railway workers and their unions were not shocked by the accident in East Palestine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe wreck of Train 32N has been years in the making,\u201d the <a href=\"https:\/\/mronline.org\/2023\/02\/09\/fiery-ohio-train-wreck-the-result-of-psr\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Railroad Workers United (RWU)<\/a> said in a statement. Decades of cost-cutting measures, workforce reductions, regulation resistance, and corporate lobbying by the rail companies all contributed to the derailment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The April 2022 Service Transportation Board Hearings<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The Service Transportation Board, recognizing that the potential for such a disaster was apparent, called the executives of the four largest rail companies to testify in public hearings in April 2022 about the issues confronting their industry, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/climate-change\/news\/ohio-train-derailment-chemicals-east-palestine-b2283132.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Bevan Hurley and Louise Boyle<\/a> at The Independent report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>After those hearings, the companies were ordered to file reports about how they would address the deficiencies identified during the hearings. While all of the companies gave the bare minimum responses, Norfolk Southern largely ignored parts of that order, Hurley and Boyle write.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Norfolk Southern\u2019s History of Protesting Regulations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s not the first time the carrier has scoffed at tighter regulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As Quartz\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/qz.com\/norfolk-southern-is-giving-25-000-to-an-ohio-town-wher-1850094599\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Julia Malleck<\/a> reports, \u201cNorfolk Southern has a history of lobbying against safety regulations.\u201d Malleck notes the company has:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Consistently fought back against upgrading braking systems.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Lobbied against tighter regulation of hazardous materials.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Cut more than one-fifth of its workforce since 2017.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Warnings From Rail Workers and Their Unions<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cRail workers, government officials, and industry analysts have long warned that such disasters are an expected consequence of an industry that has aggressively cut costs, slashed its workforce, and resisted regulation for years,\u201d writes Vox Correspondent <a href=\"https:\/\/www.vox.com\/policy-and-politics\/23597778\/ohio-train-east-palestine-trainwreck-accident-chemical-norfolk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Umair Irfan<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Here are some of the issues at the heart of the rail industry struggles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Industry Lobby Against Safety Improvements<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>The federal government has made efforts to improve safety in the freight industry, but those efforts have been met with resistance from the rail companies, who seek to reduce operating costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of those improvements is better braking systems. In 2015, under President Obama, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) issued a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.transportation.gov\/briefing-room\/dot-announces-final-rule-strengthen-safe-transportation-flammable-liquids-rail-1\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">rule<\/a> requiring trains transporting hazardous materials to install electronically controlled pneumatic brakes (ECPs) by 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Such systems, explains USA Today reporter <a href=\"https:\/\/eu.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/2023\/02\/14\/norfolk-southerns-ohio-train-derailment-emblematic-rail-trends\/11248956002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Tami Abdollah<\/a>, \u201capply braking simultaneously across a train rather than railcar by railcar over a span of seconds.\u201d This means cars won\u2019t run into each other, reducing the chances of jackknifing and derailment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The rule, notes Abdollah, \u201capplied to certain \u2018high-hazard flammable trains\u2019 carrying at least 20 consecutive loaded cars.\u201d This would, notes the <a href=\"https:\/\/railroads.dot.gov\/sites\/fra.dot.gov\/files\/2022-03\/ECP%20Brake%20Device.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">FRA<\/a>, \u201cimprove both the safety and braking performance of trains.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But after companies lobbied heavily against the changes for cost reasons, it was rescinded by the Trump administration in 2018, well before the 2023 deadline. The PHMSA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.phmsa.dot.gov\/news\/phmsa-rescinds-ecp-brake-mandate-after-ria-finds-costs-outweigh-benefits\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">ruled<\/a> at the time, \u201cThe updated RIA found that the expected costs of ECP brakes are significantly higher than the expected benefits.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet those cost-avoidance measures put the safety of crews and the public at risk. \u201cECP brakes would have avoided that monster pile up behind the derailed car,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/news\/2023\/02\/14\/norfolk-southerns-ohio-train-derailment-emblematic-rail-trends\/11248956002\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Steven Ditmeyer<\/a>, a former senior official at the Federal Railroad Administration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Longer Trains, Fewer Staff<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Carriers have adopted a \u201cdo more with less\u201d attitude in an attempt to cut costs, which has resulted in the implementation of Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>PSR, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freightwaves.com\/news\/what-is-precision-scheduled-railroading-psr\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Michael Baudendistel<\/a>, head of intermodal solutions at FreightWaves, \u201cgenerally involves eliminating classification yards, consolidating dispatch centers, greatly reducing headcount, and reducing capital budgets with the ultimate objectives of greatly improving a railroad\u2019s margins and returns on invested capital through greater asset utilization.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The direct result of PSR has been \u201cmore train cars, heavier loads, and fewer workers,\u201d writes <a href=\"https:\/\/jacobin.com\/2023\/02\/rail-carriers-psr-workers-east-palestine-derailment\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Alex Press<\/a>, a staff writer at Jacobin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>According to a 2019 report by the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/assets\/gao-19-443.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Government Accountability Office (GAO)<\/a>, between 2008 and 2019 train lengths increased by 25 percent \u2014 with some reaching three miles in length. At the same time, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gao.gov\/assets\/gao-23-105420.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">GAO<\/a> notes staffing has decreased by nearly 30 percent. These staffing cuts, long shifts, lack of paid time off and sick leave all play into less secure train operations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cFewer workers means less eyes on the train to catch the myriad possible defects and failures that could lead to a catastrophic derailment,\u201d Press writes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s profits over people,\u201d says <a href=\"https:\/\/www.indystar.com\/story\/news\/environment\/2023\/02\/27\/experts-worry-trains-are-now-less-safe-here-are-the-reasons-why\/69941996007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Kenny Edwards<\/a>, state legislative director for the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers (SMART) Transportation Division. \u201cAs they make cut-backs and changes, disasters like East Palestine will be more and more prevalent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" src=\"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image2.jpg\" alt=\"Worried-looking railway worker in yard; preventable accident concept\" class=\"wp-image-3511\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/image2-768x512.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Unions Have Been Pushing for Safer Trains<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Rail workers and their unions have been sounding the alarm on these issues for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe\u2019ve been trying to share our concerns around this for a while now,\u201d says Ross Grooters, co-chair of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thenation.com\/article\/economy\/rail-workers-say-industry-courts-derailments-in-quest-for-profits\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Railroad Workers United (RWU)<\/a>. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t a matter of if this was going to happen. It was a \u2018when and where,\u2019 and unfortunately, there\u2019s a high likelihood that this will happen again, somewhere, if the root causes of the issues aren\u2019t addressed.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Yet when unions have attempted to fight for improved safety and working conditions on trains, they have been rebuffed. Even President Biden, who claims to be the most pro-labor president in history, ignored the pleas of rail workers when his administration forced rail unions to <a href=\"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/blog\/rail-unions\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">cease contract negotiations<\/a> and accept a contract that didn\u2019t meet their demands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The result? Reinforcement of the status quo. This enabled the chain of events that eventually led to the derailment in East Palestine. As others have said, this derailment isn\u2019t likely to be the last \u2014 unless regulators and railroad companies start listening to rail workers and prioritizing safety over money.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThe freight rail network is at a breaking point,\u201d SMART president <a href=\"https:\/\/www.stb.gov\/wp-content\/uploads\/Letter-to-STB-RE-NGFA-Shipping-Concerns.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Jeremy Ferguson<\/a> wrote in a letter to the Surface Transportation Board in April 2022. \u201cIt cannot sustain any more reductions. Substantial changes must be made, and they must be made quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As railroad unions continue to lead the charge for that change, a tool like <a href=\"https:\/\/uniontrack.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">UnionTrack\u00ae ENGAGE\u00ae<\/a> can help leaders connect with union members to ensure they are advocating for the issues that impact rail workers most.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><small><em>Images by: NTSB, kenchiro\/\u00a9123RF.com, juyochi\/\u00a9123RF.com<\/em><\/small><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, may have been prevented if rail companies had listened to unions and prioritized safety over profits.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3510,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":"","_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[63,42],"class_list":["post-3507","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uniontrack-blog","tag-train-accident","tag-workplace-safety"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\r\n<title>A Preventable Accident?: East Palestine Train Derailment<\/title>\r\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, was a preventable accident. 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