A union representing workers helping with the Norfolk Southern train derailment cleanup says that those workers are getting sick.
CNBC obtained a letter written by union representative Jonathon Long that stated that rail workers at East Palestine, Ohio, crash site had fallen ill.
The letter reads: Many other Employees reported that they continue to experience migraines and nausea, days after the derailment, and they all suspect that they were willingly exposed to these chemicals at the direction of NS [Norfolk Southern].
It then continues by saying: This lack of concern for the Workers safety and well-being is, again, a basic tenet of NSs cost-cutting business model.
A train derailed in East Palestine, Ohio, on February 3rd and released hazardous materials into the local area. Given this derailment, residents who lived in the immediate area were evacuated because of the potential danger in their communities.
Fox News reports that the letter talks about a situation where one worker was ignored by his supervisor after he asked to be taken off the site due to concerns about his safety. Other workers say that they asked for personal protective equipment but were ignored by Norfolk Southern.
The letter from the union ended by asking Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to bring about necessary changes to prevent any similar derailment situations in the future.
The letter was sent out the same day that 12 union leaders met with Buttigieg and Federal Railroad Administration administrator Amit Bose to discuss their concerns.
Mike Baldwin, president of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, spoke with CNBC to say:
My hope is the stakeholders in this industry can work towards the same goals related to safety when transporting hazardous materials by rail.
He continued:
Todays meeting is an opportunity for labor to share what our members are seeing and dealing with day to day. The railroaders labor represents are the employees who make it safe and they must have the tools to do so.
Fox News reports that earlier in the same day, a bipartisan group of lawmakers introduced the Railway Safety Act of 2023. This measure seeks to put new safety measures in place for the operation of rail vehicles. It would also have stricter regulations on the movement of hazardous materials.
Ohio Senator J.D. Vance said: Through this legislation, Congress has a real opportunity to ensure that what happened in East Palestine will never happen again, and We owe every American the peace of mind that their community is protected from a catastrophe of this kind.
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