As a special session seems likely on rail issues, opponents of the proposed
SunRail commuter system say it's the same old bad deal. The issues: cost,
liability for taxpayers and federal protections for railroad workers on the
tracks the state wants to buy from CSX for Central Florida commuter rail.

Will taxpayers be liable if CSX, which will continue to operate on the
taxpayer-owned lines, causes an accident? Who knows? FDOT isn't producing any
documentation showing what the deal is. Lakeland Sen. Paula Dockery has had to
put in a public records request to find out. No response so far. What will the
cost of the deal be? Who knows? FDOT isn't saying. Will railroad workers, who
enjoy federal railroad protections, lose their labor rights? Who knows? FDOT
isn't saying.

Yet we're going to have a special lawmaking session next week on the matter,
anyway. And the fate of Tri-Rail funding hangs in the balance. So, potentially,
does the state's application for high-speed rail money, which partly depends on
the state showing more support for rail. AFL-CIO President Mike Williams just
wrote a letter asking lawmakers to scuttle the SunRail deal. Expect the unions
to make their case in Washington as well, where a certain president owes Big
Labor a few favors and where mistrust is high of a Republican-led Legislature
that went out of its way to once stop a bullet train plan that they now claim is
a must for Florida.

Below is Williams letter. We asked FDOT for comment. Nothing in response. All
aboard!

“The Florida AFL-CIO has worked tirelessly over the past few weeks in an
effort to play a meaningful and constructive role in crafting a compromise among
all interested parties that would enable the SunRail project to move forward,
the Tri-Rail system to have a dedicated funding source and high speed rail to
move forward.  It was our goal to achieve a compromise that would allow
broad-based support of this legislation that included a wide, bi-partisan
coalition of Republicans and Democrats interested in advancing Florida’s public
rail system, while at the same time assuring such system created the
highest-quality job force and safety conditions possible.  In fact, we believed
based upon the good faith efforts of the Florida Senate that we were very close
to achieving such a compromise.  But due to a lack of cooperation or compromise
from FDOT, the Administration and the Florida House, the legislation being
considered for the proposed special session next week fails Florida workers by
continuing to enable FDOT to have unfettered authority to fire railroad workers
subject to federal railroad protections and safeguards and replace them less
qualified, less experienced transit employees not subject to federal railroad
protections or safeguards.”  
 
“Therefore, the Florida AFL-CIO and our
half-million members across Florida must reiterate our strong opposition to the
CSX/SunRail transaction and the implementing legislation currently being
considered for a special session.  As it has from its conception, this
transaction remains nothing short of government-enabled union busting by FDOT, a
move that threatens vital protections for thousands of workers and, by
extension, the safety of the riding public.”
 
“While we respect and
commend the goal of bringing commuter rail to Greater Orlando, we oppose this
transaction and future transactions authorized by any implementing legislation
that will give FDOT unfettered authority to enter into future projects that
destroy federal railroad worker protections and railroad worker jobs.”

 
“It has become clear that FDOT’s primary purpose of the current SunRail
deal is to ensure that federal railroad worker protections including, but not
limited to, federal collective bargaining rights, federally-protected pension
plans and federal railroad worker’s compensation protections become unavailable
to workers in all future state-acquired rail corridors. FDOT’s goal here is, put
simply, to decimate federal railroad protections in Florida’s railroad system,
putting the jobs of thousands of railroad workers, their families’ livelihoods
and the safety of the riding public in jeopardy.  The Florida AFL-CIO has no
choice but to fight aggressively against the SunRail enabling legislation as
long as getting around federal railroad worker protection laws remains a
component of the deal.”
 
“Today, we began a concerted and aggressive
outreach to our friends and allies in the Florida Senate to oppose this
legislation and to characterize it for what it is:  a direct attack on organized
labor.  We have asked them to stand with us against the implementing
legislation, against a special session being called and against this deal until
such time that a legitimate, meaningful compromise has been achieved on the
labor issue.  Unfortunately, that time has not yet arrived and a special session
on SunRail is premature. Should one occur next week, we will be asking our
friends in the Senate to vote against the implementing
legislation.”
 
“The Florida AFL-CIO stands strongly in opposition to the
SunRail transaction and will continue to fight for the Florida’s railroad
workers until such time that their issues are addressed.  We will fight for
their jobs, their benefits, their rights and their dignity.” 

-- Marc Caputo