Last week, Representatives Mike Lawler and Salud Carbajal reintroduced the bipartisan Railroad Yardmaster Protection Act. This legislation aims to strengthen workplace protections for railroad yardmasters by aligning their protections with those of other railroad workers. Yardmasters are responsible for managing traffic in rail yards and terminals.
Congressman Lawler expressed his support for the bill, stating, “I’m proud to join Rep. Carbajal in reintroducing the Railroad Yardmaster Protection Act, a commonsense, bipartisan bill that closes a long-overdue gap in rail safety policy. Yardmasters are essential to the safe and smooth operation of our freight rail system, and it’s only right that they receive the same duty hour protections as other rail employees. This legislation is about protecting workers, improving safety, and ensuring our rail network continues to serve communities and commerce across the country effectively.”
Congressman Carbajal highlighted the importance of yardmasters: “Yardmasters are the traffic controllers of our country’s railroad network. Like their counterparts in aviation, they play a vital role in ensuring the safety of everyone traveling by train,” he said. “My bipartisan legislation will improve working conditions and support the professionals who keep America’s railroads running safely and efficiently.”
The proposed act would subject railroad yardmasters to federal hours of service requirements currently applicable to safety-sensitive rail workers such as locomotive engineers, conductors, switchmen, dispatchers, and signal employees. The bill mandates that yardmasters cannot be on duty for more than 12 hours consecutively and must have at least 10 hours off duty afterward.
First introduced in 2019, this act passed the House in 2020 as part of the INVEST in America Act. It has received endorsement from SMART (the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers).
Congressman Lawler represents New York’s 17th Congressional District and was noted as one of Congress’s most bipartisan members during his freshman term.
