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Railroad Worker: BART Fatalities Show We Still Aren’t Safe
http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/15790/bart_accident_shows_workers_still_arent_safe/
Friday Oct 25, 2013 12:22 pm By Kari Lydersen
BART strikers struck a compromised deal and reopened subways on Tuesday morning. (Steven Damron / Flickr / Creative Commons)
After a Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) train fatally struck two workers on October 19, the BART union workers’ recent strike, which was on its second day, was catapulted into the national spotlight. The workers, 58-year-old engineer Christopher Sheppard and 66-year-old contractor Laurence Daniels, were hit by a four-car out-of-service train that was being run by a trainee at up to 75 miles per hour “in automatic mode under computer control,” according to media reports. The trainee was reportedly operating the train because of the strike, though the exact circumstances of the accident are still unknown.
Sheppard was a member of American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Local 3993, which represents engineers and supervisors and was not on strike. And as a contractor, Daniels was apparently not represented by a union.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the tragedy; meanwhile, the strike ended late on October 21 with a deal described by pundits as a compromise—workers got raises while agreeing to begin contributing to their pensions, paying more for health care and accepting work rules changes. Meanwhile, general public frustration with the work stoppage and implications that the strike indirectly caused the October 19 fatalities have stoked a push for state legislation that would prohibit the transit workers from striking in the future.
Working In These Times talked with Craig Fleming, a member of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 1021 professional unit and a member of the progressive labor group Railroad Workers United (RWU). SEIU Local 1021 was on strike this month along with the Amalgamated Transit Union (ATU) Local 1555.
How would you describe the main reasons for the strike?
FULL story at link.