The BMWED has insisted the nation’s freight railroads to immediately institute testing and tracing of the COVID-19 virus amongst all employees, complete with daily temperature testing and other stringent safeguards. The current system of self-reporting and general dismissiveness of the severity of the health crisis we all face is negligent and must come to an end.

Four BMWED members have died from COVID-19, and hundreds more have been affected by the virus. The pandemic is not slowing nationally. Numbers are rising and the death toll is increasing. We understand that train service must continue. We remain willing – as always – to work to that goal. But, we will not be sacrificial pawns to railroads who resist implementing screening and tracing procedures that would greatly help control COVID-19 spread. We are not going to continue to have our members die.

Below are links to the letters sent by President Simpson to the Class 1 freights. They closely mirror those sent to Amtrak and Metra commuter railroads last week.


BNSF - Carl Ice
CN - J. J. Ruest
CP -  Keith Creel
CSX - James Foote
KCS - Pat Ottensmeyer
NS - James Squires
UP - Lance Fritz
CONRAIL - Timothy Tierney