Ohio train derailment reveals need for urgent reform: The Guardian

LONDON, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) -- The United States railroad unions say rail companies' desire for increased profits is driving up safety risks -- and more accidents will happen without action, The Guardian said on Monday.

They said that the train derailment in Ohio, which forced thousands of residents to evacuate and is now spreading a noxious plume of carcinogenic chemicals across the area, should be an "eye-opening" revelation for Congress and "an illustration of how the railroads operate, and how they're getting away with a lot of things," the report said.

Workers and union officials cited the Norfolk Southern Railway derailment in early February as a glaring example of why safety reforms to the industry -- which include providing workers with paid sick leave -- need to be made, it said.

Unions and rail companies have been at loggerheads for years over new contracts that would address what workers describe as poor working conditions, and would provide paid sick days amid grueling schedules caused by labor cuts, it said.

"Without a change in the working conditions, without better scheduling, without more time off, without a better work-life balance, the railroad is going to suffer," said Ron Kaminkow, general secretary of Railroad Workers United. "It's just intrinsic, with short staffing. Corners get cut and safety is compromised."