A recent gathering of union officials and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg and Federal Railroad Administration Director Amit Bose provided our Brotherhood an excellent opportunity to present and discuss issues of interest to our membership.

BMWED Vice President Sean Gerie, Director of Safety Roy Morrison and Director of Government Affairs Jeff Joines met with Buttigieg and Bose in Washington, D.C. where the two announced a new FRA rule mandating two-person train crews on all Class I freight carriers.

The two-person crew mandate is an important and hard-fought victory for Rail Labor, but the BMWED did not stop there in dialogue with the two administration officials. Director Joines reported that conversations and next steps were discussed on a variety of matters, including the need for paid sick leave for all railroad employees and BMWED-centric initiatives such as developments in automated track inspection (ATI) and the need for federal rule making in that arena.

In all, it was a good and encouraging meeting and the BMWED is grateful for the ear of both Secretary Buttigieg and Administrator Bose. We will continue to press both men for regulatory matters that benefit our membership and improve the safety and viability of railroad jobs.