The FRA has issued a Safety
Advisory, number 2001-01,
concerning remote controlled
locomotives and the UTU and
the carriers have signed a
letter of intent to
implement..
It is imperative that the
BLE stay on top of this
issue. The carriers would
love nothing better than to
slash jobs by the use of
remote controlled
locomotives and throw safety
out the window in the
process.
We must take a pro-active
position on this issue and
head off any job loss before
it is too late. We must
identify the problems with
remote controlled technology
and push for laws or
regulations that insure that
this technology is operated
by the most qualified
employee's and in the safest
manner available.
In this regard we are asking
you to report any use of
remote controlled engines or
rail car moving devices that
you know of or even suspect
are in operation both in the
private sector and on any
railroad. Please don't
assume that the BLE already
knows any of this
information, fill in the
form, it only takes a couple
of minutes. Also, if there
have been any accidents,
with or without injuries,
please complete the second
half of the form. You must
fill in the contact
information at the bottom of
the form for it to be
accepted.
Please fill out the below
form and either print it and
return to the International
Division at: Brotherhood of Locomotive
Engineers
Attn: Remote Control
Incident Report
1370 Ontario Street
Cleveland, OH 44113-9802