John,

Thousands of dead fish and animals. Contaminated air, water and soil. The
residents of East Palestine, Ohio, may face serious illness and future
health issues caused by the derailment earlier this month of a Norfolk
Southern freight train carrying toxic chemicals, including the
cancer-causing vinyl chloride.^1 In order to prevent the train from
exploding, authorities burned the chemicals, creating a giant smoke cloud
that shrouded the area.

This disaster was preventable. Railroad workers have been sounding the
alarm on train corporations rolling back safety measures to maximize
profits.^2 At least three other train derailments have occurred since the
one in East Palestine, including one outside of Detroit that also involved
toxic chemicals.^3,4

Given how frequently these dangerous trains run on tracks
disproportionately built through Black communities, it’s only a matter of
time before another derailment or accident triggers health and ecological
disaster in a predominantly Black community. Tell Norfolk Southern to
listen to its workers and implement safety measures!

[ [link removed] ]TELL NORFOLK SOUTHERN TO PUT SAFETY OVER PROFITS!

Black communities are no stranger to what is happening in East Palestine.
Norfolk Southern turned East Palestine into a sacrifice zone, an area
concentrated with industrial activity, higher levels of pollution and an
elevated risk for cancer.^5 More than half of Black Americans live in the
South, which has also become a hub for the nation's "sacrifice zones."^6
Predominantly Black communities have more than double the estimated cancer
risk as compared to predominantly white communities.^7

On top of the threats of pollution and cancer, an estimated 25 million
people live within a mile of a train route carrying explosive crude oil in
the United States.^8 This is concerning, particularly because an average
of more than 1,700 derailments occur each year!^9

Record profits mean cutting corners and compromising safety. Norfolk
Southern saw a record profit of almost $5 billion at the end of
2022.^10 That money was amassed through lobbying three presidential
administrations for exemptions from safety requirements and killing a rule
that would have required better braking systems on trains.^11 Without
these regulations, Norfolk Southern hoarded millions of dollars by
neglecting maintenance of its trains and refusing to upgrade its braking
system.^12,13 Rather than invest in safer working conditions, Norfolk
Southern bought back $10 billion of its own stocks and inflated its value
for shareholders.^14 

Record profits are stolen wages. Norfolk Southern, along with other major
rail networks in North America, have built their empires through the
exploitation of slave labor.^15 Now these corporations understaff their
trains while overworking their workers. They have ignored unionized
railroad workers’ calls for safer working conditions, which drove them to
threaten a strike towards the end of 2022.^16 While President Biden
imposed a contract to avoid a strike, workers are still organizing for
safer working conditions, such as paid sick leave and hiring more
staff.^17

Corporate greed is a danger to workers, our planet and to us all. Join
Color Of Change in demanding safer working conditions for railroad
workers!

[ [link removed] ]KEEP US SAFE, MAKE OUR TRAINS SAFER

Until Justice Is Real,

COC’s Corporate Accountability Team

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

References: 

 1. Li Cohen, “Thousands of dead fish and contamination in waterways: How
the Ohio train derailment is affecting the environment,” CBS News,
February 15, 2023,
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
 2. Aaron Gordon, “‘32 Nasty:’ Rail Workers Say They Knew the Train That
Derailed in East Palestine Was Dangerous,” Vice, Feburary 15, 2023,
[ [link removed] ][link removed] 
 3. [ [link removed] ][link removed] 
 4. [ [link removed] ][link removed] 
 5. Al Shaw and Lylla Younes, “The Most Detailed Map of Cancer-Causing
Industrial Air Pollution in the U.S.,” ProPublica, March 15, 2022,
[ [link removed] ][link removed] 
 6. Ken Ward Jr., “How Black Communities Become ‘Sacrifice Zones’ for
Industrial Air Pollution,” ProPublica, December 21, 2021,
[ [link removed] ][link removed] 
 7. Ibid.
 8. Amanda MacMillan and Nicole Greenfield, “Protect Your Community from
‘Bomb Trains’,” NRDC, May 11, 2022,
[ [link removed] ][link removed] 
 9. Travis Schlepp and Nexstar Media Wire, “How often do trains derail?
More than you think,” The Hill, June 28, 2022,
[ [link removed] ][link removed] 
10. “Norfolk Southern Reports Q4 and Full-year 2022 Results,” Norfolk
Southern, January 25, 2023,
[ [link removed] ][link removed] 
11. David Sirota, Julia Rock, Rebecca Burns, and Matthew Cunningham-Cook,
“Rail Companies Blocked Safety Rules Before Ohio Derailment,” The
Lever, February 8, 2023,
[ [link removed] ][link removed] 
12. Ibid.
13. Ibid.
14. Ibid.
15. James Cox, “Rail networks own lines built with slave labor,” USA
Today, February 21, 2022,
[ [link removed] ][link removed] 
16. Rachel Lerman, Lauren Kaori Gurley, Hamza Shaban, and Jaclyn Peiser,
“What you need to know about the threat of a rail strike and
Congress,” The Washington Post, November 30, 2022,
[ [link removed] ][link removed] 
17. “Rail and Labor News from RWU,”
[ [link removed] ][link removed]



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