1 min read

Season 6, Episode 1

Best of 2024: Tony Cardwell, BMWED, on Transforming America's Railways

AWF-Blogo-Logos-Template-400x400_BMWEB-IBT

 

Guest Name:


Tony Cardwell

Guest Website:


BMWED 

Guest Social Media:


Facebook

Twitter

YouTube

LinkedIn

Supportive Documents:


Happy New Year’s Day! As part of the Best of 2024 series, we revisit the Aug. 1 interview with Tony Cardwell, President of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes, who joined the America's Work Force Union Podcast to discuss critical issues facing the rail industry, including safety legislation and the future of high-speed rail in the United States.

Cardwell, who has led the Brotherhood since June 2022, emphasized the urgent need for comprehensive rail safety measures in the wake of the East Palestine, Ohio derailment in February 2023. He highlighted the ongoing struggle to pass meaningful legislation, noting that progress has been made, but industry lobbying efforts continue to water down crucial safety provisions.

According to Cardwell, the potential legislation is essential for preventing future disasters and protecting railway workers and communities along rail routes. He expressed frustration with the slow pace of legislative action, as every day without new safety protocols puts lives at risk.

Shifting gears, Cardwell discussed the exciting developments in high-speed rail, particularly the Brightline West project connecting Los Angeles and Las Vegas. This project, slated for completion before the 2028 Olympics, represents a significant step forward for American rail infrastructure. He expressed optimism that successful high-speed rail projects like Brightline West could spark a nationwide movement towards more efficient, sustainable transportation options.

For more on rail safety legislation and the future of high-speed rail in America, listen to the full episode above.


America’s Work Force is the only daily labor podcast in the US and has been on the air since 1993, supplying listeners with useful, relevant input into their daily lives through fact-finding features, in-depth interviews, informative news segments and practical consumer reports. America’s Work Force is committed to providing an accessible venue in which America's workers and their families can hear discussion on important, relevant topics such as employment, healthcare, legislative action, labor-management relations, corporate practices, finances, local and national politics, consumer reports and labor issues.

America’s Work Force Union Podcast is brought to you in part by our sponsors: AFL-CIO, American Federation of Government Employees, American Federation of Musicians Local 4, Alliance for American Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes-IBT, Boyd Watterson, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, Mechanical Insulators Labor Management Cooperative Trust, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Crafts, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades District Council 6, Ironworkers Great Lakes District Council, Melwood, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of North America, The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

SUBSCRIBE ON:

Group 342

Group 341

Group 343

Group 339

Group 397

Group 397