Group Calls for Railroad Workers Memorial Day June 15th

Group Calls for Railroad Workers Memorial Day June 15th

Railroad Workers United
RWUNews

608-358-5771

www.railroadworkersunited.org Distributed by Free-Press-Release.com

Group Calls for Railroad Workers Memorial Day June 15th

On Fathers' Day Friday, June 15th, railroad workers will wear black to work to honor and remember those fellow workers killed on the job over the past year and to press for better safety on the job.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Free-Press-Release.com) Jun 10, 2012 -- Railroad Workers United (RWU) will sponsor the 4th annual Railroad Workers Memorial Day this year on Father’s Day Friday, June 15th. Our focus will be on railroad crossing safety, and we urge all railroad workers to wear black to work.

Since the tragic death of conductor Jared Boehlke on Mother's Day in 2009, RWU has called for a “Black Shirt Friday” on the Friday before Father's day in June, proposing that this be known as Railroad Workers Memorial Day.

In 2010, we focused on the spike in fatalities that had been occurring on the railroad, while last year we put the spotlight on the train crew and van driver killed at a poorly protected crossing in the Pacific Northwest. 

This year we remember another crossing death, that of Laurette Lee, the Amtrak conductor who was killed on June 24, 2011 in the Nevada desert when a truck smashed into her train, killing her along with the truck driver and four passengers. Laurette loved her work, as you can see in a video interview:
http://www.rgj.com/article/20110627/NEWS/110627041/Expanded-Conductor-Laurette-Lee-who-killed-train-crash-had-appeared-documentary-film-video-

The railroad industry touts its crossing safety work, while Operation Lifesaver conducts educational efforts about crossing dangers in schools and communities. However, neither railroads nor governments are doing anywhere near enough to make rail crossings safe. In the case of the wreck of the California Zephyr in which Laurette Lee was killed, the crossing lies in the middle of the desert. Yes, there are lights and crossing gates, but given the monotony of the highways in this part of the country, advance warning for such a crossing is desperately needed. 

Flashing warning lights together with rumble strips to wake up fatigued motorists should be installed well in advance of such crossings. And the speed limits through such dangerous crossings should be reduced to ensure the safety of both the motorists, railroad workers and the travelling public. Train crews report numerous near misses due to the nature of this particular site. In fact, just nine months earlier, at the exact same crossing, a loaded semi-truck skidded into the guard rail, knocked the crossing flashers into the train, and nearly resulted in the disaster that would eventually befall the train the following summer.

It is well known that in the rest of the country there are literally thousands of rail crossings with no lights or gates to protect the train and the public. Educational campaigns, however well intentioned, cannot substitute for these infrastructural protections. We need to hold the railroad industry, together with state and federal governments, responsible for the havoc caused by this lack of protection.

So this Father's Day Friday, Railroad Workers Memorial Day will remember Laurette Lee and our other brothers and sister killed on the job. Railroad workers will wear our black shirts to work and redouble our efforts to make those in position to truly make the rails safer, do so.

Railroad Workers United
RWUNews

608-358-5771

www.railroadworkersunited.org Distributed by Free-Press-Release.com

Group Calls for Railroad Workers Memorial Day June 15th

On Fathers' Day Friday, June 15th, railroad workers will wear black to work to honor and remember those fellow workers killed on the job over the past year and to press for better safety on the job.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

(Free-Press-Release.com) Jun 10, 2012 -- Railroad Workers United (RWU) will sponsor the 4th annual Railroad Workers Memorial Day this year on Father’s Day Friday, June 15th. Our focus will be on railroad crossing safety, and we urge all railroad workers to wear black to work.

Since the tragic death of conductor Jared Boehlke on Mother's Day in 2009, RWU has called for a “Black Shirt Friday” on the Friday before Father's day in June, proposing that this be known as Railroad Workers Memorial Day.

In 2010, we focused on the spike in fatalities that had been occurring on the railroad, while last year we put the spotlight on the train crew and van driver killed at a poorly protected crossing in the Pacific Northwest. 

This year we remember another crossing death, that of Laurette Lee, the Amtrak conductor who was killed on June 24, 2011 in the Nevada desert when a truck smashed into her train, killing her along with the truck driver and four passengers. Laurette loved her work, as you can see in a video interview:
http://www.rgj.com/article/20110627/NEWS/110627041/Expanded-Conductor-Laurette-Lee-who-killed-train-crash-had-appeared-documentary-film-video-

The railroad industry touts its crossing safety work, while Operation Lifesaver conducts educational efforts about crossing dangers in schools and communities. However, neither railroads nor governments are doing anywhere near enough to make rail crossings safe. In the case of the wreck of the California Zephyr in which Laurette Lee was killed, the crossing lies in the middle of the desert. Yes, there are lights and crossing gates, but given the monotony of the highways in this part of the country, advance warning for such a crossing is desperately needed. 

Flashing warning lights together with rumble strips to wake up fatigued motorists should be installed well in advance of such crossings. And the speed limits through such dangerous crossings should be reduced to ensure the safety of both the motorists, railroad workers and the travelling public. Train crews report numerous near misses due to the nature of this particular site. In fact, just nine months earlier, at the exact same crossing, a loaded semi-truck skidded into the guard rail, knocked the crossing flashers into the train, and nearly resulted in the disaster that would eventually befall the train the following summer.

It is well known that in the rest of the country there are literally thousands of rail crossings with no lights or gates to protect the train and the public. Educational campaigns, however well intentioned, cannot substitute for these infrastructural protections. We need to hold the railroad industry, together with state and federal governments, responsible for the havoc caused by this lack of protection.

So this Father's Day Friday, Railroad Workers Memorial Day will remember Laurette Lee and our other brothers and sister killed on the job. Railroad workers will wear our black shirts to work and redouble our efforts to make those in position to truly make the rails safer, do so.