Union officials say cost cutting led to significant derailments in U.S.: ABC News

NEW YORK, Feb. 24 (Xinhua) -- Years of cost cutting and staff reductions within the freight rail industry have led to an increase in the rate of derailments and fostered an increasingly unsafe environment for workers and the public, ABC News on Wednesday cited national union officials.

Their comments preceded a Feb. 19 letter from Transportation Secretary Peter Buttigieg in which he accused rail companies of spending millions on lobbying efforts to oppose safety regulations rather than support rail safety, according to the report.

Union officials did not directly connect what they say is the degradation of safety measures, to the derailment of a Norfolk Southern train in East Palestine, Ohio, where toxic chemicals were released into the air and water sources, forcing nearly 2,000 residents to evacuate their homes and leaving lingering environmental concerns.

"However, their letter demanding increased federal oversight was directly prompted by the incident, renewing their stance in the long-simmering debate about the increased focus on profit at the expense of public safety," said the report.

Union leaders called for increased federal oversight of the largest freight railroads, which they allege have "cut corners" and initiated practices that "pose real threats to workers and public safety," it added.