Montebello Railway Safety Forum
On Saturday, January 10, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and
Trainmen (BLET), the City of Montebello and the 'Coalition of Cities'
sponsored a railway safety forum in Montebello, Calif., to discuss
serious rail safety issues that are impacting LA Metro communities.
Bill Lockyer, the Attorney General for the State of California, met
privately with the sponsoring parties prior to the forum to better
understand the rail safety issues being presented. BLET representatives
were given approximately 45 minutes to discuss remote control locomotive
safety issues with Attorney General Lockyer.
Approximately a dozen residents of Montebello and the City of Commerce
gave personal testimonies expressing their grave concerns for the safety
of their families and community. A young mother from the City of
Commerce told the audience that six months prior, just after the Union
Pacific Railway's runaway train derailed into their Commerce, Calif.,
neighborhood, the UP had promised to take care of the victims. She
explained that her family had lost two homes and after six months of
waiting, her family was still homeless.
At the end of the forum Attorney General Lockyer gave a legal overview
and offered several suggestions regarding where the community and their
elected representatives could possibly go with their railway safety
coalition.
The sponsoring parties and local residents in attendance left this forum
with a better understanding of the many opportunities and possibilities
that are created when cities and transportation workers unite.
Representatives of International Brotherhood of Teamsters Joint Council
42 and Local 952 encouraged BLET representatives in Los Angeles to set
up a meeting as soon as possible with JC-42, so that the BLET may begin
tapping into the power that a 150,000-member strong Joint Council can
provide.
