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Season 4, Episode 209

Vital safety improvements for the rail industry await Senate approval

Picture of awfblog awfblog October 23, 2023

Event America's Work Force Union Podcast Government AWF Government Affairs and Policy Union Issues Congress TTD

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Greg Regan

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President of the Transportation Trades Department, AFL-CIO, Greg Regan, joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast to talk about the progress of the Rail Safety Act 2023. Regan also talked about safety improvements in the bill and the potential appointment of a new FAA Administrator.

The Rail Safety Act 2023 is a bipartisan bill that is currently waiting for action on the Senate floor. While Regan admitted it’s not a perfect bill, it would make great strides to improve railway safety. Currently, the bill has less than the 60 required votes to begin moving forward, but there is hope they’ll have the remaining votes by the end of the year.

Of the various safety improvements in the bill, Regan highlighted what he considered a critical component of the legislation, safety inspections. Setting minimum standards for rail car inspections is a priority. Right now, there is only an average of 45 seconds allowed for safety inspections, according to Regan. The belief is that creating a minimum standard for safety inspection times would significantly improve safety on the rails. As the bill moves forward, Regan expects changes to be made, but the safety aspects are essential.

There has been progress made to appoint a new Federal Aviation Administration Administrator. Regan expects there will be a new Administrator in place by the end of the week. This would fill a gap for the largest transportation department in the government and improve many of the issues on hold since the last administrator was in place. 

To hear more from Regan, please listen to the whole show 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, American Alliance for Manufacturing, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, Columbus/Central Ohio Building and Construction Trades Council, Communication Workers of America, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers, International Association of Heat and Frost Insulators and Allied Workers Local 50, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, 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, The Labor Citizen newspaper, Laborers International Union of The National Labor Office of Blue Cross and Blue Shield, North America, North Coast Area Labor Federation, Ohio Federation of Teachers, Survey and Ballot Systems, United Labor Agency, United Steelworkers.

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