(The following column, "Jared Boehlkes birthday," appeared Nov. 24 in the Albany, N.Y., Times Union. It was written by Dr. Andrew Coates. Boehlke was a member of UTU Local 212, Albany, N.Y.)
Jared Boehlke lost his life on his job on May 10, 2009. Today would have been his 34th birthday.
A stand up guy, devoted to his wife Heather and their three year old daughter, Jared was a conductor at the CSX railroad freight yard here in Selkirk.
Jareds employer, CSX, created the conditions for his death when it implemented something it calls a one-person crew. A one-person crew is not only a stupid oxymoron. It has proven deadly. Yet the practice continues.
It should be unthinkable to ask a worker to man a freight train all alone. The average freight train carries thousands of tons. Hooking up cars is a silent, dangerous process. The cars come over the hump with a graceful, awesome momentum, colossal power that can easily crush the body of a human being.
Teamwork the crew is the key to safety. But CSX claims that technology electronic devices can protect workers instead. Of course electronic devices dont need paychecks or sick time or health insurance or families.
The one-person crew is simply a way to cut costs in a year when CSX has reported a profits over $2 million dollars per day. CSX could easily pay wages and benefits for fully staffed train crews if only CSX was in business to support the families of the human beings who run the railroad.
After Jared Boehlkes death, railroad workers, among the few still unionized in America, fought back. His union, the United Transportation Union, united with the other railroad unions that organize members at the CSX yard, to demand an emergency end to the one-person crew. (They even enlisted Congressman Paul Tonko in their cause.)
But they have lost the opening round. The Federal Railroad Administration ruled that no factual evidence to support the prohibition against one-person crew operations at this time. You can read the letter from the Federal Railroad Administration here.
Heather Boehlke, Jareds widow, asks for support and vows to continues her effort to prevent another family from enduring the suffering inflicted upon hers. Last night Heather sent the following message:
"I feel like I have just been punched in the stomach yet again, as I read the FRAs decision to not pass the one-man ban.
"Tomorrow, Nov. 24, would have been my husband's 34th birthday. Instead of celebrating with cake and ice cream, I will be bringing my three year old daughter to her fathers grave stone to say hello to a man that she will now never know.
"How dare the FRA say there is not enough evidence to support the ban! How dare my husbands death go unanswered for! Here we are yet again with the blame-the-worker-not-the-employer attitude!
"How many people should die? How many families should needlessly suffer before we stand up and unite and force this ban to happen! My daughter will never again be told by her daddy how much he loves her, and I will never again be held by his loving arms.
"I am so angered and frustrated by the FRAs decision. I will stop at nothing to ensure this does not happen again to another family, and I am hoping to have you all behind me in the end.
"I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving with your families, for mine there will be a big piece missing that can never be replaced. I will still remember to give thanks for what I do have, and that is the will to fight for change. I hope I have you all on board with me as we look towards the future and what lies ahead.
In spite of railroad boasts that they have become safer, the fact is that railroad employee on-duty fatalities have been soaring, according to the Federal Railroad Administration.
Twenty-five railroad employees lost their lives in on-duty accidents during 2008, up from 16 in 2007. And 2009 got off to a horrific start, with 11 employee on-duty fatalities in just the first three months of the year.
Stunned by this sharp increase in rail-employee on-duty fatalities and career-ending injuries, UTU International President Mike Futhey appointed a four-person task force to craft, in conjunction with the FRA, an action plan to reduce rail-employee risk while on the job.
Leading the task force is UTU Assistant Arizona State Legislative Director Greg Hynes, who will work with UTU Arizona State Legislative Director Scott Olson, Arkansas State Legislative Director Steve Evans and Michigan State Legislative Director Jerry Gibson.
I expect the task force to produce an effective solution that includes best practices and techniques to improve situational awareness and keep situational awareness it at its highest level, Futhey said.
Olson said, If this task force is to be effective, it must digest concerns and suggestions of those who work in the yards and aboard trains. That is the purpose of the link on this page encouraging members to communicate directly with the task force.
"FRA believes the petition was prompted by an accident at Selkirk, New York, which tragically resulted in the death of a CSX Transportation remote control operator (RCO) who was working a one-person RCL assignment. The RCO was in the process of recoupling to cars after he had replaced a knuckle, and for reasons yet to be determined, he entered between the cars as they were coming together. The RCL equipment was found to be functioning properly following the incident. As of the date this letter was written, FRA's investigation has yet to develop any factual evidence to indicate that this incident occurred because the employee was working alone. The employee was coupling cars in the same manner* that other employees in both RCL and conventional operations routinely do every day, and have done for many years."
*- Except, of course, he was working ALONE! With a device that directly moves a cut of cars.
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I think LAMCo is done with the neo-nazi CSX rejects -- Pipes FC 8/5/23
