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Back-to-back weeks of railroaders hitting Capitol Hill put pressure on Congress to act on Rail Safety
IAM Assistant to the International President for the Rail Division Josh Hartford and Assistant National Legislative Director Ty Richardson, together with TCU/IAM National Legislative Director David Arouca and National Legislative Representative Connor Vargo, participated in a mass lobbying effort on Capitol Hill organized by railroad unions and companies for Rail Safety Lobby Day.
“We cannot stop pushing on this issue,” said Hartford. “Railroaders have been sounding the alarm that we need appropriate legislation to keep the public safe and prevent more derailments. We need the Rail Safety Act with specified amendments to pass, and we’re going to keep fighting until it does.”
With a large membership in the rail industry, IAM Union has continued to put pressure on legislators to finalize and pass the Railroad Safety Act to address growing issues brought on by the use of Precision Scheduled Railroading (PSR) and inspection time limits imposed by railroad companies, among other concerns.
The unions also participated in the day of action to advocate for the funding of Amtrak and the Railroad Retirement Board (RRB), two high-priority items for IAM and TCU/IAM members.
“Railroad retirement affects every railroader across the county,” said Arouca. “We pay into this system. We expect this system to work properly, and the Railroad Retirement Board has been flat-funded for too long.”
IAM Union is working with representatives and senators on both sides of the aisle to gain support for fully-funding the RRB, so that railroad disability claims don’t take 18 months to process.
“This constraint on administrative expenses has greatly diminished customer service for the rail workers and retirees who depend on this system,” reads the letter. “A continued lack of an increase on RRB’s funding would significantly undermine the RRB’s ability to serve railroad workers, retirees, and their families.”
The legislative leaders had just finished a week of political action for the IAM 2025 National Legislative conference where they lobbied Congress about the need for rail safety legislation and other issues impacting different sectors of the union.
