Railroaders place to shoot the shit.

CLEVELAND, May 4 On May 1, BLET National President Ed Rodzwicz sent congratulations to Joe Szabo on his confirmation as Federal Railroad Administrator by the U.S. Senate.

The BLET members, officers and staff who have worked with you over the years highly regard your integrity and dedication, President Rodzwicz wrote, and your past public service as Mayor of Riverdale, Illinois, displayed the leadership qualities that will be an essential element of your tenure as Administrator.

A fifth-generation railroader, Szabo, 51, is the first FRA administrator to come out the rail labor ranks. He recently served the United Transportation Union (UTU) as Illinois state legislative director, and has worked closely with President Obama in the past.

In a letter congratulating Szabo, President Rodzwicz wrote that industry-wide risk reduction programs are the cornerstone for taking safety improvements to the next level.

Replacing the industrys 175-year-old command and control culture with one that treats safety as a value is one area of vital concern to BLET members, Rodzwicz wrote.

The BLET President also said this is a time of great challenge and opportunity for the rail industry, particularly changes to the Hours of Service Act as well as the opportunity provided to the industry through President Obamas funding of high speed rail.

Significantly changed work schedules will soon be upon us, the importance of the rail alternative finally has been acknowledged by appropriation of substantial public funds particularly for high speed passenger rail and a new generation of signal and train control technology will be implemented in much of the industry over the next several years, President Rodzwicz wrote. We are confident that, under your leadership, the FRA will play a pivotal role in the renaissance of the industry.

A copy of President Rodzwiczs letter is available on the BLET website at:
http://www.ble-t.org/pr/pdf/SzaboLetter.pdf

Monday, May 04, 2009