Unions Ask Agency to Oppose Union Pacific on Inspections
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Citing a string of recent derailments and other safety and national security concerns, five labor unions are asking the federal transportation secretary to oppose a request by the nation’s largest railroad, Union Pacific, to allow its trains to skip inspections after entering the country from Mexico. The company has asked the Federal Railroad Administration to waive federal rules so its trains, about nine each day, can be inspected by Mexican railroad workers. It said this would reduce rail traffic congestion in the United States. In a letter last week, the unions - including the transportation trades division of the A.F.L.-C.I.O. and the International Brotherhood of Teamsters - asked Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta to intercede on their behalf with the railroad agency, which is reviewing Union Pacific’s request. The unions said they approached Mr. Mineta because of their concerns that the agency, part of the Transportation Department, could not impartially reach a decision on the waiver request. “Given the alarming rise of accidents involving U.P. and renewed questions about the relationship between the F.R.A. and the industry it regulates, we wanted to bring this matter directly to your attention,” the unions said in a statement. More : nytimes.com |