Rail Unions Say, Workers Have Become Sick, at East Palestine Derailment Site.<br />On March 1, the presidents of railroad unions told officials <br />with the Biden administration that rail workers have <br />fallen ill at the derailment site in East Palestine, Ohio.<br />NBC reports that leaders from 12 unions met with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Amit Bose, administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration.<br />NBC reports that leaders from 12 unions met with Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and Amit Bose, administrator of the Federal Railroad Administration.<br />The meeting focused on not just the derailment, <br />but also the ongoing aftermath of the incident <br />and the crucial need for safety improvements.<br />The meeting focused on not just the derailment, <br />but also the ongoing aftermath of the incident <br />and the crucial need for safety improvements.<br />My hope is the stakeholders in this <br />industry can work towards the same goals <br />related to safety when transporting <br />hazardous materials by rail, Mike Baldwin, President of the Brotherhood <br />of Railroad Signalmen, via NBC.<br />According to union representations, rail workers <br />exposed to the cleanup site have reported <br />experiencing “migraines and nausea.”.<br />In a letter addressed to Buttigieg, Bose, East Palestine <br />Mayor Trent Conaway and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, unions <br />list a number of other safety grievances at the crash site.<br />In a letter addressed to Buttigieg, Bose, East Palestine <br />Mayor Trent Conaway and Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine, unions <br />list a number of other safety grievances at the crash site.<br />According to the unions, workers are not being provided <br />with personal protective equipment like respirators, <br />eyewear or appropriate clothing.<br />According to the unions, workers are not being provided <br />with personal protective equipment like respirators, <br />eyewear or appropriate clothing.<br />Union representatives claim that 35 to 40 people<br />working at the cleanup site were not supplied with proper <br />breathing apparatuses, rubber gloves, boots or coverups.<br />Also on March 1, lawmakers introduced the <br />Railway Safety Act of 2023, which aims to <br />prevent other train disasters in the future.
