Well over a year before its string of death and derailment, Metro North was subjected to the first Federal Rail Safety Act whistleblower jury trial in the nation, Barati v Metro North. During that trial, cross examination of the Heads of Metro North’s Safety, Training, and Track Departments exposed the disconnect between the Railroad’s
FRSA retaliation
“Good Faith” Reporting of Hazardous Safety Conditions
By Charlie Goetsch on
Posted in Federal Rail Safety Act
Today’s front page article in the New York Times exposes the fundamental problem with the rail management’s safety culture. When a mayor and her fire chief went to the site of a liquid gas derailment in their town, the railroad threatened to arrest them. Describing the railroad’s response to their legitimate concern over an obvious…
The Long And The Short Of FRSA OSHA Complaints
By Charlie Goetsch on
Posted in Federal Rail Safety Act
There now are two formats for filing a Federal Rail Safety Act whistleblower retaliation complaint with OSHA: short form and long form.
On Line Short Form
OSHA recently gave workers the option to file a whistleblower complaint on line, using the form available at OSHA’s web site. This may be a good option for a worker…
FRSA Federal Court Jurisdiction Clarified
By Charlie Goetsch on
Posted in Federal Rail Safety Act
The latest Federal Rail Safety Act district court decision confirms that the statutory jurisdiction of the federal courts over railroad whistleblower cases can not be limited by DOL regulations or actions.
After trackmen Donald Glista and William Orr reported injuries, Norfolk Southern Railway fired them for "conduct unbecoming" and for making "false and conflicting statements." For that blatant…
7th Circuit Pulls the Plug on Election of Remedies Defense
By Charlie Goetsch on
Posted in Federal Rail Safety Act
For years, railroads have argued that a worker’s pursuit of collective bargaining agreement arbitration constitutes an “election of remedies” defense to a Federal Rail Safety Act claim. But after being rejected by half a dozen judges, that bogus defense was on life support. Now, in a devastating decision, the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals has…
Safety Trumps Discipline Thanks to FRSA
By Charlie Goetsch on
Posted in Federal Rail Safety Act
The message of the Federal Rail Safety Act is clear: "safety trumps discipline." And until railroads fully embrace that new reality, the number of FRSA complaints will continue at a record pace.
Williams v. Grand Trunk Western Railroad is the latest confirmation of this new reality. In addition to elucidating the employee friendly standards governing…
FRSA Prohibits Railroad Interference With Medical Treatment
By Charlie Goetsch on
Posted in Federal Rail Safety Act
Thanks to the Federal Rail Safety Act, railroads can no longer interfere with the medical treatment of injured employees. That fact is being reinforced with punitive damage awards against railroads who ignore this new reality.
In the landmark decision of Santiago v. Metro North Railroad, the Administrative Review Board held that FRSA "Section…