Letter: Railroad pact wrong

Forcing the railroad workers to accept this contract was wrong. It interferes with their right to have a say in their working conditions. Their demands are reasonable.

RR operating crews' lives are unnecessarily difficult. No sick days, often on call 24/7 or 6, with long hours and shifts that can change every day without a plan or warning. No ability to take a day off unless the bosses feel generous.

I was a RR engineer for 30 years, much of the time under these conditions. My life and whether I could show up for important life events like holidays, weddings or time with family was completely at the whim of my bosses. Because of this work hours issue, I helped start a union on that railroad.

We were also exposed to excessive noise and vibration, silica and asbestos dust and diesel exhaust fumes. This is not the way it is in all countries. When I did research on hearing loss in 1983, I found that several countries, even Communist Poland, had much more comprehensive workplace health regulations than we do in the U.S.

Around 2000, I worked with some engineers from the New Zealand Rail system. Unlike us, they had regular schedules with time off. Even those on the "extra list" had a schedule with days off and regular shifts that they would be liable to work if needed that they knew for a long time in advance.

So they could only be called to work during a certain window of time and only work their one shift.

In contrast, American railroad practices are a great hazard to health and seem intended to destroy their workers' quality of life. This is not the way it has to be.

Dan Bailey

Wheaton