Railroads resist joining safety hotline because they want to be able to discipline workers

By JOSH FUNK
AP Business Writer

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) — The major freight railroads say a disagreement over whether they will be allowed to discipline some workers who use a government hotline to report safety concerns has kept them from following through on the promise they made back in March to join the program after a fiery Ohio derailment prompted calls for reforms. But unions and workplace safety experts say the idea of disciplining workers who report safety concerns undermines the purpose of creating such a hotline because workers won’t use it if they fear retribution. Former Occupational Safety and Health Administration official Debbie Berkowitz said dangerous companies always want to blame workers for safety problems, but statistics show unsafe conditions are usually to blame.