Scranton, Lackawanna Co. — Following the train derailment in East Palestine and other recent derailments, many are wondering if one could happen in Northeast Pennsylvania.
Scranton, Lackawanna Co. — Following the train derailment in East Palestine and other recent derailments, many are wondering if one could happen in Northeast Pennsylvania.
A member of Railroad Workers United spoke today in Scranton about what rail workers are seeing across the continent.
RWU said derailments can happen anywhere and something needs to be done for the safety of the community and rail workers.
“Now, we’re running monster trains with hugely dangerous chemicals with tiny crews, short staff, everything through these same communities that have been there forever,” said Nicholas Wurst of Railroad Workers United. “They can’t pack up and move.”
Railroad Workers United is not a union but a group of rail workers across North America who want better conditions for workers.
Wurst is a freight conductor and says that companies are putting profit over safety.
He said a lot of jobs are being cut in part of what is being called Precision Schedule Railroading, so people are expected to do more which is a big risk to safety.
“So that margin of error is so slim now even the slightest of hiccup has a cascading effect,” said Wurst.
The event was put together by NEPA Stands up and NEPA Democratic Socialists to help give the community an insight into what goes on on the railways.
“I live right off main street in Scranton and there’s a train that goes by every single day, right by my house,” said Alex Walker-Serrano of NEPA Stands UP and NEPA DSA. “So a lot of us live on track-side communities and it’s really important, not just for rail workers, but for us to be safe.”
Wurst says RWU’s big goal is to make tracks owned by the public.
“It’s not just owned by the federal government and run by the federal government, but that it’s owned by the people and operated for the interests of the people,” said Wurst.
FOX56 reached out to the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad Company to see what they are doing to keep people safe. They sent us a response saying:
We take great pride in running a safe operation on the Delaware-Lackawanna Railroad. We just passed five years of injury-free operation and conduct regular inspections of our rail lines in Northeastern Pennsylvania. We never hesitate to take appropriate actions to maintain a safe environment for our employees, partners, and neighbors.
Rail Worker’s Union tells people to pay attention to the derailments.
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