On Wednesday, August 13th, the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) sent termination notices to all members of the Rail Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC), including the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen Division’s (TCU-BRC) three sitting members. No explanation was given in the termination letters. Press statements from the Department of Transportation (USDOT) later mentioned that they were terminating several federal advisory committees entirely, and possibly “reconstituting” them at a later date.
“We’re obviously disappointed in the lack of advanced communication on this,” said BRC General President Don Grissom. “RSAC is one of the venues where rail labor gets a level playing field in the safety arena. Without RSAC and the participation of actual railroaders, I fear the voices of our members will be further diminished – threatening the safety of our members and the general public.”
Since 1996, RSAC has stood as the FRA’s formal mechanism for collaborative safety rulemaking and policy development between railroads, labor unions, suppliers and other rail stakeholders. It included 51 voting members drawn from 26 different stakeholder organizations. TCU-BRC has always participated in the full RSAC meetings as well as various subcommittees and task forces.
“If and when they do reconstitute a new RSAC, it is very important that rail labor’s role is not diluted or diminished in any way,” said TCU National President Artie Maratea. “Safety for our members has, and will always mean having a seat at the table. The FRA would be wise to keep a proper balance between management and those on the front lines.”