Railroad signalers union to conduct safety program with Norfolk Southern

The Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS) announced two endeavors Thursday involving the two Eastern U.S. Class I railroads: a collaboration with Norfolk Southern for a pilot safety program with Norfolk Southern (NS) and a sick leave agreement with CSX. 

BRS’ collaboration with NS (NYSE: NSC) will consist of a one-year pilot program developed with input from the Federal Railroad Administration. The program will look at identifying safety improvements and best practices when sharing information and conducting training and joint inspections, NS said Thursday. The program will be called Signal Safety Collaboration, according to a letter leaders sent to BRS members at NS.

“The first phase includes field visits, team-building sessions, and working meetings to gather input from front-line supervisors and craft employees. To ensure all participants can speak up and provide candid, critical feedback, Norfolk Southern has underscored its commitment that no one will face adverse impacts from input they provide through the program,” said the letter to BTS members. The letter was signed by BRS President Michael Baldwin and Ed Boyle, NS vice president of engineering. 

The letter continued, “To ensure the program produces tangible improvements, Norfolk Southern and BRS have mutually committed to work together to implement findings from the program. They have also agreed to advocate together in favor of regulatory changes that emerge as opportunities to enhance safety. Moving forward, BRS and Norfolk Southern will hold quarterly reviews on safety and issue timely updates on the work of the program.”