Union seeks to stop remote-controls

Bloomberg Business News

DENVER -- Union Pacific Corp.'s rail unit was sued Friday by the locomotive engineers union, which claimed "a serious safety threat" from use of remote-control equipment to move trains in freight yards of the largest U.S. railroad.

The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers sought an injunction in U.S. District Court in Denver against remote-control units operated by train-crew workers who are members of the United Transportation Union. A person not on a train can use the devices to move locomotives and freight cars, replacing engineers.

Analysts estimate the equipment may save as much as $250 million a year.

Union Pacific spokesman John Bromley said the units are safe, with no technical problems since they were introduced in Des Moines, Iowa, and Hinkle, Ore. He said there was one derailment in Des Moines, which he attributed to human error.

John Bentley, a spokesman for the engineers union, said there have been five incidents such as the derailment involving the remote-control equipment in the past month.

Union Pacific, based in Omaha, Neb., doesn't expect to lay off any of the 500 engineers who work in freight yards, Bromley said.

The railroad, which has 8,000 engineers, will need those now working in yards to run trains between cities and replace workers who retire, he said.