Federal Railroad Administrator Jolene Molitoris notified UTU International President Charles L. Little in a letter dated October 27, 1999 that safety data for the first four months of 1999 reveals "an alarming increase in railroad accidents caused by human error." In response to this trend, Ms. Molitoris has called for "an industry-wide safety initiative," which will include an increased presence of Operating Practices inspectors; "on-board inspections on locals, yard assignments, industrial switchers, and through freight trains, with particular focus on the operating and safety rules associated with the causes of accidents/injuries at that location;" and "...operational tests with railroad officials..."

Now as never before, our membership must take extra precautions to insure full compliance with all operating and safety rules. Under this FRA safety initiative, our members will be approached by FRA inspectors and interviewed about safety issues. Members will have an excellent opportunity to explain the unreasonableness of the Carrier's Availability Policy in view of the lack of accurate lineup information, insufficient rest and leisure time, excessive hours on duty, constant use of hours of service relief crews, pressure from officials to put productivity before safety, etc. Every member must be constantly vigilant and must remind his co-workers to do likewise, so we can show conclusively that management alone is responsible for the current slide in railroad safety.