UTU News Digest - Wednesday, March 29, 2000

GEORGIA: Two children die as train hits school bus

TENNGA, Ga. -- By many accounts, Rhonda Cloer is a competent and conscientious school bus driver, according to Duncan Mansfield of the Associated Press.

"Every time that lady has come through there, that bus has stopped at that road," resident Edward Watson said Tuesday after a freight train struck Cloer's school bus, killing two children and injuring five others -- including the driver's daughter.

"If you have children on the bus, even if the train had blowed its horn, she may not have even heard it," Watson said.

An engineer apparently was blowing the train's horn, but federal investigators don't know if Cloer heard it before the train slammed into the bus at 50 mph.

A "black box" aboard the 33-car CSX train and a student-monitoring video camera on the bus may provide clues to the early morning accident, said Kenneth Suydam, lead investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board.

"We have initial, preliminary information from the event recorder on the engine which indicates that the horn was sounding and the bells were continuously sounding as the train approached the crossing," Suydam said.

Traveling under the allowed speed of 60 mph through this 600-member community on the Tennessee-Georgia line, the train hit the bus broadside, spun it around and ripped the body off the chassis.

The one-lane crossing has only a sign. In Tennessee and Georgia, school buses are required to stop at all rail crossings.

"It is unknown at this time in the investigation if this school bus came to a stop," Suydam said.

Kate Pannell, personnel director for Murray County schools, said she knew of no previous accidents on Cloer's record.

Cloer, 34, who has worked as a county school bus driver for three years, had picked up seven students early in her route to Northwest Elementary School near Chatsworth.

Killed were 6-year-old Kayla Silvers and 9-year-old Daniel Pack. The fatalities were the first aboard a Georgia public school bus in 15 years.

Three children were in critical condition and two were listed as serious, said Sharon Cahill, a spokeswoman Erlanger Medical Center in Chattanooga, Tenn. Cloer, whose 5-year-old daughter was among the injured, was in fair condition.

Dana Keeton, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Highway Patrol said it was "way too early" to decide about criminal charges in the accident.

About 150 cars pass the crossing daily, and 13 trains pass the intersection at about 60 mph, said Luanne Grandinetti, spokeswoman for the Tennessee Department of Transportation.

Of the 3,424 railroad crossings in the state, 61 percent are "passive," meaning there is a warning sign, but no lights or gate. Electronic warning systems are only required at crossing where more than 100 cars cross each day, there is regular school bus and train traffic and a fatal accident has happened.

The crossing now appears to meet all those requirements, Grandinetti said. She said some sort of warning system would be installed.

Highway-rail grade crossing collisions and casualties in the United States over the past 10 years:

Year	Collisions	Deaths	Injuries
1990	5,713	698	2,407
1991	5,386	608	2,094
1992	4,910	579	1,969
1993	4,892	626	1,837
1994	4,979	615	1,961
1995	4,633	579	1,894
1996	4,257	488	1,610
1997	3,865	461	1,540
1998	3,508	431	1,303
1999	3,420	399	1,360

WASHINGTON: Industry urged to fight fatigue

WASHINGTON -- The National Transportation Safety Board's chairman asked the transportation industry Tuesday to take the lead in making sure workers get enough rest, according to the Associated Press.

Federal agencies have been slow to change rules for hours of service, so transportation businesses should act on their own to assure the alertness of drivers, train engineers, pilots and others, chairman Jim Hall said.

Hall urged businesses to encourage "strategic napping," noting that no more than 20 to 40 minutes of rest from time to time can restore alertness.

He suggested installation of data recorders on commercial vehicles to make sure that drivers observe rest rules and recommended that businesses restructure work schedules to provide more time between shifts and more regular schedules.

The safety board has long worried about the problems of drowsy drivers and pilots and in January urged testing for prescription painkillers and other drugs in fatal accidents to see if they contribute to sleepiness.

Also Tuesday, the National Sleep Foundation released a survey of 1,154 people that concluded Americans don't get enough sleep.

Americans average 6.9 hours of sleep weeknights, the survey found. Many people reported that both work and recreation keep them up.

Around 27 percent reported feeling drowsy two or more days a week, and one in 14 reported having fallen asleep at work at least once in the last three months.

More than half, 51 percent, reported having driven while drowsy, and 17 percent had fallen asleep at the wheel, according to the poll, which had a margin of error of 3 percentage points.

SAN JOSE: Transportation legislation tackles traffic congestion in Silicon Valley

SAN JOSE, Calif.-- State Controller Kathleen Connell and Senator Richard Polanco (D-Los Angeles), announced the introduction of legislation designed to give tax credits to qualified employers and employees of Santa Clara County who use alternative work schedules to reduce near-standstill traffic during rush hours. The bill, SB 2021, would give a $500 tax credit to each qualified employer and employee who participates in a pilot program that aims to reduce traffic during the worst hours of congestion, according to reports.

"The severity and impact of traffic congestion in Santa Clara County has reached a crisis point, with traffic gridlock costing Santa Clara County's workers and businesses an astounding $77 million annually and 29,000 hours each workday," said Connell, sponsor of the bill. "Santa Clara County has frustratingly seen increases of 20 percent annually from 1996 to 1998, ranks fifth in the state for daily delay and traffic congestion, and experiences commuter congestion on 93 miles of highways," added Connell, citing statistics from the Department of Transportation.

"This bill not only promises a reduction in traffic congestion and improved worker productivity but also improved air quality," said Senator Polanco. Polanco stated that traffic congestion in his Los Angeles district spurred him to author the bill. "This is a practical, common sense solution that makes more efficient use of the infrastructure we already have," Sen. Polanco added.

SB 2021 would offer to a qualified taxpaying employer, on or after January 2, 2001, a $500 income tax credit for every employee placed on an alternative work schedule. Only newly created positions would be eligible. For part-time employees, the employer could aggregate to obtain the credit, such as five people who telecommute one day a week.

This same $500 credit would be available to the employee who takes advantage of this alternative work schedule. Full-time employees eligible would meet certain qualifications such as three days telecommuting per week or work a compressed schedule. Employees also must travel a minimum of nine miles to their workplace and commute outside of times other than between 6:30 a.m. and 8:30 a.m., and that end at times other than between 4:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Across the state, Californians are losing more than 400,000 hours each workday to traffic problems. The pilot program is planned to be launched in regions of the state suffering from the worst traffic congestion. In Northern California, the counties include Santa Clara, San Francisco, San Mateo, Contra Costa, Alameda, Marin, Napa, Sonoma and Solano. Southern California counties include Los Angeles, Ventura and Orange. The bill will remain in effect for five years, but after four years, the Franchise Tax Board will report to the Legislature on the annual total amount of tax credits claimed under this act.

"Once the pilot program rolls out in areas suffering from major congestion in Northern and Southern California, other parts of the state may follow," noted Connell, who also chairs the Franchise Tax Board. "We need to seriously consider such innovative solutions as alternative work schedules geared around telecommuting, flextime, compressed workweeks and weekend workdays to significantly decrease the amount of traffic in congested areas."

"Not all solutions can be found in brick and mortar," Sen. Polanco said. "We need to 'look outside the box' and identify creative solutions that make sense and save dollars. SB 2021 promises to do just that."

The bill is set for hearing in the Senate Revenue and Taxation Committee on April 12, 2000.

WASHINGTON: President to approve Social Security Bill

WASHINGTON -- Without a dissenting vote, Congress sent President Clinton legislation repealing a Depression-era law that reduces the Social Security benefits of thousands of older workers. The president intends to sign the bill into law, according to the Associated Press's Curt Anderson.

The bill, passed Tuesday by the House on a 419-0 vote, will scrap a law that would have cut benefits this year by $1 for every $3 a Social Security recipients age 65 to 69 earns in outside income above $17,000.

"The victory today goes to the hundreds of thousands of older Americans who don't see retirement as an end, but as a new beginning," said Rep. Bill Archer, R-Texas, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.

About 800,000 people are directly affected, including 415,000 due refunds averaging $3,500 each because of deductions made since Jan. 1 from their Social Security. In all, older workers or their dependents stand to gain $6 billion in Social Security benefits this year, or $6,700 each on average, according to the Social Security Administration.

The House had previously passed the bill unanimously, followed by the Senate 100-0 last week. The House's action Tuesday was necessary because of minor changes made by the Senate.

Rep. Charles Rangel of New York, senior Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee, called the legislation "long overdue" and said it demonstrates that Democrats and Republicans can work together.

"There are plenty of differences between our parties," Rangel said. "Certainly, there should be a lot of things we can agree on."

Although the legislation would not affect the financial soundness of the Social Security trust fund over the long term, it does carry a price tag of $35 million to implement this year. Clinton has asked Congress to approve that amount for administrative costs and additional claims expected from people who delayed retirement because of the cap.

Social Security Commissioner Kenneth Apfel said the agency's computers will identify which people are affected and who gets retroactive payments. People should only contact the agency, he added, if they've recently changed their address or their bank.

About 7.5 million people between the ages of 62 and 70 who receive Medicare, Social Security or both will receive notices in the mail detailing the change.

LOS ANGELES: In L.A., unions hope togetherness pays off

LOS ANGELES - The Los Angeles County Federation of Labor is launching a major campaign to win better benefits and higher wages for nearly 300,000 union members whose contracts expire this year.

Union leaders say that even with a hot economy, workers aren't getting their fair share of the wealth.

For example: Since 1990, while Los Angeles's population has grown by 8.4%, poverty has risen by 64.5%, and 844,000 more people have fallen into poverty, according to the union.

The campaign marks the first time that 20 different unions -- from Los Angeles Unified School District teachers to members of the Screen Actors Guild -- will rally together to win better bargaining contracts.

Says federation head Miguel Contreras: "We're trying to stop the slide into the poverty. We want to make L.A. a home for the middle class."

WASHINGTON: Daylight Time Begins Sunday, April 2, for most Americans

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- Most of the nation will return to daylight saving time at 2 a.m. Sunday, April 2, when clocks will be set ahead one hour. The change will provide an additional hour of daylight in the evening.

Under law, daylight saving time is observed from the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October. This fall, the nation will return to standard time starting Sunday, Oct. 29.

The federal law does not require any area to observe daylight saving time. But if a state chooses to observe daylight time, it must follow the starting and ending dates set by the law.

U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater reminds Americans to change the batteries in their smoke detectors when they change the time on their clocks.

In those parts of the country that do not observe daylight time, no resetting of clocks is required. Those states and territories include Arizona, Hawaii, the part of Indiana located in the Eastern time zone, Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands and American Samoa.

The U.S. Congress, in the Uniform Time Act of 1966, established uniform dates for daylight saving time and transferred responsibility for the time laws to the U.S. Department of Transportation from the Interstate Commerce Commission.