The Biden Administration rejected efforts by transit executives to sideline workers when drafting mandatory safety plans addressing assaults, equipment malfunctions, traffic accidents, and other on-the-job hazards – a big win for workers and for The Transport Workers Union.
The American Public Transportation Association wanted federally mandated safety committees with worker representatives to be advisory panels only without real decision-making power. The trade association also wanted agency executives to have the final say on safety-related policies and initiatives when the committees – comprised of an equal number of labor representatives and agency executives – hit a stalemate.
But at the TWU’s urging, the Federal Transit Administration declined to include APTA’s proposals in a final rule issued Tuesday. The rule essentially interprets and advances into practice elements of the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
“This new rule ensures transit workers, through their union reps, will have an equal say on how to make the workplace safer,” TWU International President John Samuelsen said. “Management has fought against this at every step, and it’s a credit to President Biden, Secretary Buttigieg, and Acting FTA Administrator Vanterpool that they all held the line with the TWU to reject attempts to weaken the safety committee process. It makes perfect sense for the working people who operate, maintain, and service our transit systems to be part of safety decisions from the very beginning. All of us are going to be safer because of this rule.”
Congress passed the Infrastructure Law in 2021. It included the requirement that transit authorities establish safety committees and draft Transit Agency Safety Plans to make bus and rail systems safer across the board. All the transit agencies employing TWU members, except one, have filed plans. The range of strategies adopted by committees include a commitment by one transit agency to install floor-to-ceiling “cockpit” enclosures to prevent assaults. Others require management to include worker reps in post-accident reviews and share incident data with union representatives.
Final Rule link: https://www.transit.dot.gov/regulations-and-programs/safety/public-transportation-agency-safety-program/final-rule-public