Periodically, the UTU NEWS will contact members at random to report their thoughts on a question of interest to the general membership. This month's question:

Is alcohol and drug abuse an issue in your workplace?

"No, I don't think so. I work from St. Louis to Poplar Bluff on the Union Pacific as a conductor, and almost everybody in the pool has more than 20 years of seniority. We went through the drug culture in the late '70s and early '80s, and it's not a problem now. Everyone knows the penalties, and most are here to make a living. We're subject to random testing, and I've been tested myself. I don't like the deal that you're considered guilty until proven innocent."
-- NORBERT SHACKLETTE, L-1823, ST. LOUIS, MO.

"I've been a public transit bus operator in Los Angeles for 20 years. I think drugs and alcohol were a problem, but it's not the big issue it was in the past. Most of us realize good jobs are not easy to come by. It's just nonsensical to lose your job to drugs and alcohol. If I saw someone not fit for work, I'd talk him into going home. Random testing doesn't bother me. The thought of random testing can keep someone from doing something stupid."
-- HORTENSIA CLEWIS, L-1564, LOS ANGELES, CAL.

"I've been a yardmaster since 1970 with the NS, and with the Wheeling & Lake Erie since 1990. I think random testing is an absolute must. I know people feel it's a violation of their rights, but other workers have a right to know they're in a safe, drug-free zone. If you overlook someone who's impaired, it's almost criminal. I've confronted people, and I've had people go home after they argued with me. But I think fatigue is a much bigger problem than drugs and alcohol."
-- JERRY FORTUNE, L-693, BREWSTER, OHIO

"I'm an engineer on the Florida East Coast Railroad and a local chairperson with 34 years of experience. I know most of the guys, and I don't think it's an issue on our railroad. We've had a couple incidents, but they're very few. Really and truly, I think fatigue creates and causes more derailments and accidents than anything else. It's the biggest killer of railroaders today. I don't think that random drug testing is necessary. I don't think it's right to accuse someone without cause."
-- JOE KIGHT, L-903, JACKSONVILLE, FLA.