Reps. Schiff, Stansbury, and Colleagues Introduce The Rail Workers and Community Safety Act
Washington, D.C. — Today, Representative Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) joined Representatives Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.), Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.), and Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas) to introduce The Rail Workers and Community Safety Act at a press conference on Capitol Hill.
“Over the past year, we've seen over a thousand train derailments, including the tragic incident in East Palestine, Ohio, which devastated a community and contaminated the surrounding air and water quality,” said Rep. Schiff. “Yet, rail lobbyists continue to fight against common sense safety measures in order to protect their profits. The Rail Worker and Community Safety Act will ensure much-needed rail worker safety measures and the paid sick leave they deserve. It’s time for Congress to act to hold big railroad companies accountable, support working families, and prevent any more unnecessary tragedies.”
“The tragedy of derailments is all too common in communities across the country,” said Rep. Stansbury. “In the last year, the nation has witnessed over 1,000 train derailments, including the catastrophic derailment in East Palestine that poisoned an entire town. In my own district, in February, we had a train derailment carrying hazardous materials in Torre County. Each time a derailment occurs, it not only endangers the crew, but it also impacts the safety of our communities. This legislation will help ensure catastrophic derailments never happen again.”
The Rail Workers and Community Safety Act is co-lead by Representatives Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) and Jamaal Bowman (D-N.Y.).
The legislation is also cosponsored by Representatives Nikki Budzinski (D-Ill.), Yadira Caraveo (D-Colo.), Tony Cardenas (D-Calif.), Andre Carson (D-Ind.), Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.), Mark DeSaulnier (D-Calif.), Veronica Escobar (D-Texas), Adriano Espaillat (D-N.Y.), Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.), William Keating (D-Mass.), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-Ill.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), Seth Magaziner (D-R.I.) Betty McCollum (D-Minn.), Joseph Morelle (D-N.Y.), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Donald Norcross (D-N.J.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.)Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.), Mark Pocan (D-Wis.), Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.), Andrea Salinas (D -Ore.), Linda Sanchez (D-Calif.), Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), Adam Schiff (D-Calif.), Mark Takano (D - Calif.), Dina Titus (D-Nev.), and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).
The legislation is endorsed by American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE), American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA), Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS), Brotherhood Of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division (BMWED), International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers (IAM), International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW), International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers (IBB), National Conference of Firemen & Oilers, SEIU (NCFO), International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers-Mechanical Division (SMART-MD), International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers–Transportation Division (SMART-TD), and Transport Workers Union of America (TWU).
You can find a detailed one-pager on the Rail Worker and Community Safety Act here.