When Bureaucrats Butt In On Strike Negotiations, Railroads Get Costly Mandates And Zero Fixes

To prevent a railroad strike from happening, Congress made a deal with four labor unions that had voted in opposition. Now, a crew size rule is being considered that would be a second blow to the collective bargaining process — imposing by federal mandate what was once a negotiation between labor and carrier and creating rippling economic inefficiencies.

Collective bargaining is the core of the rail sector. It offers both flexibility and compromise for both employees and employers. It allows for economic efficient outcomes through voluntary bargaining, just like all negotiations. While the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), is responsible for determining the number and responsibilities of railroad employees, it is only one part of the puzzle.

The main problem with the negotiating parties is not only the usurping of a contract term, but also the FRA’s crew size rule Is that true? insufficient data It is necessary to justify it. Accident reporting forms There are no categories that can be used to identify the problem. number and location of personnel on trains, the FRA doesn’t have sufficient data to justify requiring two crew members to operate the controlling locomotive in order to prevent or mitigate any incidents.

Furthermore, technology has made it possible to eliminate certain problems with rail transportation, including Positive Train Control technology. Human error has resulted in about 35 percent Train accidents in the United Kingdom last two decades. The technology today can address approximately 47 percent human-caused errors. This leaves approximately 53 percent without human solutions. But even this does not include problems that can’t be solved by additional staff.

Such Massive Interventions Have a Restricted Target

The crew size rule can only be applied to less than 18% of train accidents, as certain tasks and support roles can be performed by technology or ground-based personnel. But in reality, the crew size rule mostly targets freight carriers operating on mainline track — that is, the long and heavy-laden trains moving on long stretches of track. We find this type of operation when we filter the data. only 1 percent Most train accidents occur due to human error on mainline freight operations. This requires personnel to address.

Mobilizing federal government funds to fix a small number of rail accidents is not cost-effective or beneficial. It also sets unrealistic expectations about future collective bargaining. If this rule — a similar rule having already been withdrawn by the FRA — is challenged in court or delayed in implementation, unions may threaten to strike rather than ratify future agreements with rail carriers. The federal interference seems illogical and is not supported with solid and clear data.

The rule may not be warranted even if it is able to address 1 percent of all accidents. However, available data doesn’t support that claim. Evaluation of the potential for single- and multi-person teams to prevent accidents