The Railway Supply Institute (RSI) is asking for railway supply workers to be considered as early candidates for the COVID-19 vaccine.
RSI sent a letter dated Thursday to the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices, a group affiliated with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, asking for essential critical infrastructure representing the transportation and logistics and the critical manufacturing sectors to be included in Phase 1B of the vaccine distribution.
Doing so would “ensure that our transportation systems can continue to operate safely and without disruption,” said the letter from Nicole Brewin, RSI vice president of government and public affairs.
Brewin argued in the letter that railway suppliers and their 125,000 workers in the industry provide service to support rail passenger and freight rail operations, which have been deemed essential by the federal government.
“The availability of a vaccine for these workers would significantly enhance this industry’s ability to perform its duty to maintain the essential rail supply chain and provide services to support critical rail operations while also ensuring the health, safety, and well-being of our workers and the residents of the communities in which we live and work,” Brewin said.
RSI’s letter comes after hundreds of workers, particularly in the Midwest, have contracted COVID-19 this fall and since March.
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Stephen Webster
Health care workers in hospitals and nursing homes have to come first. The people over 75 or living nursing homes and all other health care workers, fire police medical and key military personnel. Next air pilots and crews bus drivers and transit staff in key positions all key railroad employees employees over $25.00 U S per hour. Next frontline workers in certain essential businesses that make over $25.00 U S per hour including danger pay including certain drug store employees. repair personal key personal at warehouses,. Key personal in transportation of goods and anyone working as essential workers over 60 . Also anyone over 7 0 years of age. Next group all essential workers making under $25.00 per hour and anyone over 60 years of age. Next group all other people over 60 all those living in overcrowded housing and taxis drivers. I would shut down Uber temporarily for a minimum of 28 days now . Next group all those over 50 or underlying conditions and all other front line workers. Next anyone else who wants the Vaccine. The priority is to save both the highest and the people who are the hardest to replace and in healthcare because training and length of time required. In Ontario Canada almost 70 percent of truck drivers are doing other things and many are working at other places that pay over $30.00 cd per hour like Ont hydro , T T C , Firemen or in construction. The trucking companies , Amazon , Uber certain other so called essential Industry need to look at why they have a bad record of treatment of employees and turnover.