Opinion

Commentary

It’s official: GE booting Transportation. (Meanwhile, the stock swoons)

Monday the 13th at General Electric: The 125-year-old corporation, among the world’s oldest, announced a massive, aggressive downsizing and restructuring, a reduced dividend, and an in-the-works divestiture of its storied Transportation division, one of the world’s largest, most successful builders of railway locomotives.

Commentary

Guest Blog: Amtrak—another accident waiting to happen?

Editor’s note: Joe McMahon is a retired Amtrak locomotive engineer. His career in engine service spanned 1963 to 2014, beginning with the New York, New Haven & Hartford and concluding with Amtrak in 2014. McMahon says he “experienced many different forms of railroad management techniques at five railroads, and Amtrak is at the bottom of the list.” Following is his opinion on Amtrak’s hiring and training practices, which he describes as unsafe.

Commentary

If you get a good deal, take it

Watching Washington, November 2017: Almost three years since 12 rail labor unions commenced collective bargaining over wages, benefits and work rules with Class I railroads, plus many regionals and short lines, a coalition of six unions—representing some 60% of the 145,000 affected workers—has reached a tentative agreement with the carriers.

Commentary

Redux for NMB-Fee Argy-bargy?

RAILWAY AGE, WATCHING WASHINGTON, OCTOBER 2017: As the three-member National Mediation Board (NMB) shifts to Republican control for the first time since 2009, a knotty issue lying dormant since 2006 may emerge: Who pays for binding arbitration to resolve grievances over interpretation of collectively bargained labor contracts and employee discipline?

Commentary

Can labor deal survive a social media attack?

A tentative national agreement on wages, benefits and work rules has been reached between major railroads and seven of their 13 labor unions. Almost two-dozen unionized regionals and short lines also are participating in the talks.

Commentary

Dan Elliott departing STB

Former Surface Transportation Board (STB) chairman and now STB member Dan Elliott announced Sept. 25 he is resigning Sept. 30 to join, in early October, the Washington, D.C., office of the law firm, Connors & Winters, whose specialization is employee compensation, health and benefit plans, and employment law.

Commentary

Timing is everything

Isn’t it, though? Six weeks ago, the Federal Railroad Administration announced it is withdrawing its ANPRM (Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking) regarding testing and treatment of obstructive sleep apnea for safety-sensitive personnel, and then the National Transportation Safety Board opens its dockets on the two bumping post collisions at Hoboken Terminal on NJ Transit and Atlantic Avenue on the Long Island Rail Road.

Commentary

NMB nominees and labor talks advance

Senate confirmation of two new Republican members to the three-member National Mediation Board (NMB), and confirmation of a Democrat to a third NMB term, is anticipated in the next few weeks. The NMB will then be under Republican control for the first time since 2009.

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