Drones Are Watching: Railroad Irks Workers With Unmanned Aircraft

[question everything]

Union Pacific Corp. riled employees recently when it started flying drones over some of its railroad yards to ensure workers were following safety guidelines.

The aerial spotters were looking for any number of behaviors that deviate from the railroad’s rule book, from passing between railcars that are less than 100 feet apart to climbing off moving equipment.

The response from the railroad workers’ union? Urging the rank and file to flood Union Pacific’s safety hotline with complaints that the drones make their jobs more dangerous.

Workers say that rather than promote safety, the drones create a hazard by distracting them when they should be laser-focused while around 200-ton locomotives and railcars moving along the tracks, according to Steve Simpson, general chairperson with the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers. “They are no longer looking ahead or at their task at hand,” he said. “They’re looking up.”

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As of March 1, Union Pacific temporarily grounded the aerial observation so it can share its findings with the unions but plans to resume the program in coming weeks. “Their leadership will help us establish a collaborative process to address unsafe behaviors and protect employees,” Union Pacific spokeswoman Raquel Espinoza said.

Mr. Simpson said he suspects safety isn’t the company’s only motivation. Workers see drones as a means to discipline them, he said, with escalating penalties that can lead to termination. There is no indication anyone has been fired for an infraction spotted from up to 400 feet in the air, but Mr. Simpson said workers have been cited for violations as a result.

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https://www.wsj.com/articles/drones-are-watching-railroad-irks-workers-with-unmanned-aircraft-1521028800

[LisaM]

1. Ugh. This bothers me.

I hope the union wins out. You want safety? It's easy. Invest time and money in a large, well-trained workforce, with plenty of time to rest and reasonable work hours, not to mention up to date equipment.

Unfortunately, it sounds as if Big Brother would rather spy on people.

[Angry Dragon]

2. Corps are your friend.............Big Brother

[braddy]

3. I have been a service plumber for decades, I always assumed that I was watched or videoed, what

difference is it to me, I do my work the same whether watched, clandestinely videoed, or not.

[LanternWaste]

4. There's certainly a comfort in assuming.

There's certainly a warm comfort in assuming, even if it fails to address the larger point.

[braddy]

5. Assuming being videoed in rich So. Cal. homes makes sense, and not caring that some aircraft can

sometimes observe me doing my routine work outdoors is addressing the OP, I am indifferent to the people I work for observing me laying sewer lines or gas lines or whatever I am doing out in the acreage.