Ohio Rail Disaster: Still More Questions Than Answers; Restaurant Union Busting | Julia Rock | TMR

The Lever's Julia Rock joins the program to discuss the East Palestine Train derailment. Norfolk Southern, a US railway company, helped kill a federal safety rule aimed at upgrading the rail industry's Civil War-era braking systems, according to documents reviewed by The Lever. The rule would have required rail cars carrying hazardous flammable materials to be equipped with electronic braking systems to stop trains more quickly than conventional air brakes. Norfolk Southern had previously touted the new technology, known as Electronically Controlled Pneumatic (ECP) brakes. The company's lobby group nonetheless pressed for the rule's repeal, telling regulators that it would "impose tremendous costs without providing offsetting safety benefits". This decision effectively exempted many trains hauling dangerous materials, including the one in Ohio that derailed and burst into flames, from the "high-hazard" classification and its more stringent safety requirements.

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I want to welcome you to the program Julia Rock. She's a staff reporter at the lever or lever? That's the first question I'm going to ask you, Julia. and I'll say we you know we had originally booked you to talk about a great piece that you wrote on one of those National Restaurant Association meetings where they're talking about how they're going to go about union busting essentially. and in the meantime, you've written a couple of pieces about the rail companies in the wake of this rail spill essentially in Palestine Ohio. So let's start with that. That's I should also say that's one of the things I really like about the lever you guys do some great reporting. first question lever or lever. I say lever but I'm gonna say on this show lever. I like how it sounds. it's a little bit more elegant. I'm gonna stick to the lever. yeah. All right, fantastic. So let's start with this. You've written a couple pieces along with Rebecca Burns and one with Sirota and Matthew Cunningham about what may very well be and we don't know for sure at this point exactly what contributed to all the factors in this accident in Ohio. but why don't you let us know what we do know is clearly you know has been clearly identified as at least a cause? and then from there, we can go backward on the rollback of safety regulations that essentially may have allowed this and the failure of this Administration to reimpose them. yeah, so the cause of the derailment as it's currently sort of being reported and understood by Regulators was a broken mechanical axle. that was apparently on fire for at least 20 miles before the Train derailed. so the train did an emergency stop and that sort of led to the derailment. the backstory as you allude to is a much longer story that has to do both with sort of what rail workers are now referring to as the Buy-Back era and the railroads. which is the era of the 2010s when railroad companies spent far more on stock BuyBacks than you know investments in infrastructure on the railroads. they slashed their workforce by nearly 30 percent in an attempt to beef up profits. now inspection times are falling or inspections aren't happening altogether on the trains. so it sort of created a perfect storm in some sense for what just happened in East Palestine.

[MindCrime]

I have worked at a few restaurants through the years and i've had labor/pay issues at all of them. Like one would be they schedule you but don't let you clock in until they actually need you. Or giving you your lunch break 30 mins after your shift starts because it's slow.

Anyways, im thinking ill get a job at a place like dominos, try to organize a union with my coworkers, and then get fired for it and sue them and win. Please steal this business plan.

[slavajuri]

It was very fun to listen to. One thing I appreciated about the interviewee in particular was how comfortable they were admitting that not all the sought answers were unambiguous. Some parts of the story appeae very clear - others seem to need more thought and investigation to unravel.

[billybigwig]

Great interview. Keep up the great work! Left is best.

[ocsrc]

The official report shows that the bearings in the railcar began to overheat over ninety miles before the derailment

The bearings overheated and triggered the device called a hotbox detector which is solely designed with a FLIR camera that shows heat signatures and the exact temperature of the bearings in the wheels

The first alarm was triggered and dispatch was busy with three other alarms in three other states and there's only one dispatcher for 7000 trains running all at the same time across America

Dispatch never notified the engineer and the radios in the bungalows that house the detectors equipment did not radio the engineer as they are supposed to but they were not working

The second detector sent electronic notification to dispatch but again the dispatcher was handling other alarms on other detectors for other trains

10 miles before the derailment the detector sent a critical alarm that said" HotBox detector mile post xxx.x critical alarm !!! STOP TRAIN

( 10 SECOND PAUSE )

Hot Box Detector mile post xxx.x Critical Alarm !!! STOP TRAIN !!!! "

But again the radio was not in good working condition and the signal did not reach the engineer and again the dispatcher was still dealing with other emergencies on other trains

At this point where it hit the third detector the bearings had fractured from heat and the wheel had lodged against the brake frame bheem and the wheel had stopped moving and was lodged sideways and was dragging along the rail and that is the Sparks you see in the ring video

We used to have regional dispatchers

But in the early 2000s all of the regional dispatchers were eliminated and all operations were consolidated to one Central Dispatch location

1 dispatcher has to handle 7000 trains each day and ALL the switches, signals, sidings and detectors and ALARMS.

[bkbland]

Nationalize the railroads. It's the only way that will work. Business won't do it.

[ChosingGod]

These people should not sit down to this outrageous act of denial!!!! They should be losing their minds in anger, no holds barred.

[DJchestr]

The bottom line is regulation and saftey is slower and slower means less profit

[colonialstraits]

There was a Norfolk Southern train derailment, this past Thursday, in Van Buren Twp., MI (25 miles southwest of Detroit and just west of Detroit Wayne County International Airport and several densely populated suburbs). There were chemical tanker cars on the train and we’re being told “nothing leaked”. This country is fucked.

[letsgobrandon]

Why did Pete Buttjuggs flee to Portuguese wine country on a private jet the day of the disaster?

[lduff]

Wow. Never thought I would see grifter, Sam Seeder, take a break from obsessing over Jordan Peterson to talk about real news. I guess he's trying to follow Breaking Points whonare getting way more views on this an have been reporting on it since day one.

[ChosingGod]

Sad part, these people are going to have to be hospitalized, diagnosed with chemical disease, to get any compensation. They should not sit down to this outrageous act of denial.

[ChosingGod]

They need to find out what OSHA regulations were broken, what NTSB regulations weren't followed, never sign a contract to take away their indelible human rights for themselves and future generations.

[DougGrinbergs]

"NLRB is an independent agency created during the New Deal in 1935 to enforce the rights guaranteed by the National Labor Relations Act"

[GHOSTPLANEtable]

Lotsa stinky stuff on that dang choo choo, probly the warcrimey kinda train juice baybee

[alabamaman]

Remind us all again why we should be applauding AOC for crushing the rail workers strike?

[oscarwarren]

Look...ninjas, the flying coloured ones, landed on the train, exploded bombs, to make the unwoke guilty. Case closed. Watch Charlie and Tuckler for the real truth.

[basedtruthpiller]

I'm yet to see a rail strike the Squad wouldn't crush.

[alabamaman]

There isn't a picket line AOC wouldn't cross.

[johnrangel]

In the future, when CIA Pete launches his next presidential attempt. He's gonna go to those airline and railroad cartels n say, "I covered your culos, now pay up!"

[basedtruthpiller]

AOC: I'm proud to have crushed those pesky rail workers strike! Get back to work!

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