The Teamsters are proud to endorse the bipartisan Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2024 (H.R.8996) led by Representatives Troy Nehls (R-TX) and Seth Moulton (D-MA). This legislation includes several Teamsters priorities, such as requiring a qualified engineer and conductor on most freight trains and providing essential equipment to roadway workers to ensure protections from being struck by trains and other railroad vehicles while working on track.

“The Teamsters Union proudly support the Railroad Safety Enhancement Act, and the essential requirements it includes,” said Teamsters General President Sean M. O’Brien. “Our rail members come to work every day to face employers who not only don’t care about their safety but are actively taking steps to put them and the public at higher risk. Particularly following East Palestine, we are done waiting for the railroads to fix their own problems—the only path forward is strong, bipartisan Congressional action.”

For years, the Teamsters and its affiliated railroad unions, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWED), have demanded rail safety legislation to address degrading conditions in the industry. The Teamsters consistently must fight against the railroads’ persistent prioritization of profits over safety for members and the communities that freight trains operate through. Following the East Palestine disaster, the need for comprehensive legislation has only become more evident.