Rail Safety, Union Rights and Labor Legislation 2026: Greg Regan on East Palestine Reforms and the Rail Safety Advisory Committee

Executive Summary: As of January 2026, comprehensive rail safety reform remains stalled in Congress despite new bipartisan efforts like the Under Pressure Act. While the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has reestablished the Rail Safety Advisory Committee (RSAC), labor leaders like TTD President Greg Regan warn that a “skinny” committee membership and looming industry-backed rollbacks threaten worker safety. The primary focus for labor in 2026 is ensuring that safety mandates are made permanent in the upcoming Surface Transportation Reauthorization, which is set to expire on Sept. 30.

Executive Insights

• Rail safety reform remains stalled nearly three years after the East Palestine derailment, as labor leaders claim that lobbying pressure continues to block meaningful federal action.
• Worker representation is the difference-maker in safety policy, with unions positioned as the eyes and ears on the ground for real-time risk reporting and enforcement gaps.
• Labor Legislation 2026 will be defined by transportation deadlines, including surface transportation reauthorization, aviation safety provisions and a broader fight over whether reforms become permanent or quietly rolled back.

As the third anniversary of the toxic train derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, approaches, labor leaders say Washington’s rail safety rhetoric still has not translated into durable federal reforms. On America’s Work Force Union Podcast, Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO President Greg Regan warned that the gap between public outrage and legislative follow-through remains far apart, even as communities continue to live with the risks of hazardous materials moving through population centers.

Regan, whose AFL-CIO affiliate represents workers across rail, aviation and transit, pointed to a mechanism that can either amplify worker expertise or silence it: the Rail Safety Advisory Committee. The committee is intended to bring industry experts together, including unions, railroads and contractors, to provide the Federal Railroad Administration with real-time insight into safety conditions and operational failures. But Regan said the committee was disbanded when the current administration took office, a move consistent with a broader push to scale back regulations.

Now, after pressure from labor and other stakeholders, the committee is returning, though not at full strength.

“At the end of the day, the union workers are the ones who are the eyes and the ears on the ground. They’re the ones who are seeing the risks in real time.” —Greg Regan

Union Rights and Rail Safety: Worker Voice Returns to the FRA Table

Regan described the Rail Safety Advisory Committee as a practical tool for identifying hazards before they become headlines. In an industry where the stakes include toxic releases, derailments and community-wide exposure, the ability for frontline workers to speak directly to regulators is not a procedural detail. It is a safety infrastructure.

The concern, he said, is whether the committee’s new form will preserve robust labor participation or dilute it. Regan said it would be a mistake to shrink the labor presence on a body built to surface real-world risks.

“It would be a shame if they didn’t invite back every single labor voice that was there.”—Greg Regan

For labor, the committee’s composition is not symbolic. Worker testimony is often the earliest warning system for understaffing, fatigue risks, equipment issues and operational shortcuts. In the language of Union Rights, meaningful participation means workers are not merely subject to policy decisions. They are part of the process that shapes them.

Regan also said unions will be watching the final committee makeup closely and will challenge any effort to marginalize worker input.

East Palestine, Ohio and Labor Legislation 2026: Why Rail Safety Reform Has Not Moved

The East Palestine derailment became a national flashpoint, raising questions about hazardous-materials routing, inspection standards, and the adequacy of federal oversight. Yet despite the public attention and a wave of proposed legislation, Congress has not delivered, Regan said.

When asked whether rail safety legislation has advanced, Regan’s answer was blunt.

“No, it has not.”—Greg Regan

He acknowledged that regulatory steps had previously been taken, including an important rule on crew size. But he emphasized that Capitol Hill has not advanced major reforms, even as the anniversary approaches and the underlying risks remain.

“They’ve introduced bills, but we haven’t even seen anything move through committee.”—Greg Regan

Regan also pointed to what he described as a central obstacle: the rail industry’s lobbying power. He referenced an independent analysis of railroad accident data that, in his view, shows how lobbying has been used to stymie federal safety reforms. The result, he suggested, is a familiar cycle in transportation safety policy: tragedy, public outrage, promises of reform, then legislative inertia.

For Labor Legislation 2026, the rail safety fight is a test case. The question is whether Congress will enact enforceable standards that match the scale of the risk, or whether reforms will remain vulnerable to delay, dilution or quiet abandonment.

Union Rights, Aviation Safety and Labor Legislation 2026: Making Reforms Permanent

Regan also addressed aviation safety, marking the anniversary of a deadly midair collision involving Flight 5342 and a military helicopter on Jan. 29, 2025. He framed the incident as a management failure in congested local airspace, with a military component and high stakes for civilian passengers.

Following the crash, Regan said the Federal Aviation Administration implemented internal reforms for Washington-area airspace intended to prevent a recurrence. But he warned that Congress later inserted a provision into the Defense Authorization Bill that could undo those changes.

According to Regan, the National Transportation Safety Board raised immediate concerns about the provision’s impact.

“This is people’s lives. We see what the consequences are when we do not have adequate regulations and management of these airspaces in place.”—Greg Regan

Regan said labor is pushing for passage of the ROTOR Act, legislation that would make certain airspace safety reforms permanent. He indicated the measure has support in the Senate but faces hurdles in the House.

The broader labor argument is consistent across modes of transportation: reforms that exist only as internal policy can be reversed. Reforms written into law are harder to erase.

Surface Transportation Reauthorization and Labor Legislation 2026: A Deadline Congress Cannot Ignore

Looking ahead, Regan flagged a major policy reality that will shape transportation and infrastructure in 2026: surface transportation reauthorization. The programs that fund and manage highways, bridges, public transit, commuter rail, passenger rail and Amtrak are set to expire at the end of September, he said.

That deadline forces congressional action, either a full reauthorization or, at a minimum, an extension.

Regan said House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee Chair Sam Graves of Missouri is aiming for a big reauthorization package. But he cautioned that time is tight and that stakeholders have not yet seen legislative text.

In other words, labor is preparing to fight for a strong bill without knowing what is in it, a familiar dynamic in Washington.

Regan also noted that the federal appropriations system remains broken, complicating the funding environment for transportation programs. Even when there is broad agreement that infrastructure needs investment, the question becomes whether Congress can deliver stable funding and enforceable safety policy rather than temporary patches.

What This Means for Workers and Communities

Across rail, aviation and surface transportation, Regan’s message was consistent: safety is not a talking point. It is a function of staffing, oversight, enforceable rules and the ability of workers to raise concerns without being sidelined.

As the anniversary of the tragedy in East Palestine returns public attention to rail safety, labor leaders are warning that the underlying conditions that produced the disaster and the political dynamics that slow reform have not been resolved. In the months ahead, the fights over committee representation, aviation safety permanence and surface transportation reauthorization will help define what Labor Legislation 2026 actually delivers for working people.

Frequently Asked Questions: Transportation Legislation 2026

What is the current status of the Rail Safety Act in 2026? While several versions of the Rail Safety Act have been introduced since the East Palestine derailment, a comprehensive bill has not yet been passed in both chambers. In early 2026, the focus has shifted to the Under Pressure Act, which specifically addresses "vent and burn" communication failures and incorporates rail safety mandates into the 2026 Surface Transportation Reauthorization.

When does the current Surface Transportation funding expire? The programs authorized under the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) for highways, transit and rail are set to expire on Sept. 30, 2026. This creates a “hard deadline” for Congress to either pass a new reauthorization or a temporary extension.

What is the ROTOR Act mentioned by Greg Regan? The ROTOR Act (S. 2503) is bipartisan aviation legislation that passed the Senate in late 2025. It aims to close loopholes allowing military aircraft to operate without broadcasting location data in civilian airspace, a direct response to the fatal mid-air collision on Jan. 29, 2025.