For the third year in a row, railroad workers in Washington have been dealt a defeat in the legislature.
The state Senate Tuesday killed a proposal to further regulate shuttle companies that transport rail crews by van and SUV.
Senate transportation committee chair, Republican Curtis King, said he believes the union-backed measure was designed to put the shuttle companies out of business.
“They want to call it a safety bill and when you read it I think it’s more about other things than safety,” he said. “Safety may be an element of it, but I think it goes way beyond that.”
King said he especially objected to a provision in the measure that required shuttle companies to carry multi-million dollar uninsured motorist coverage.
The bill faced opposition from the shuttle industry and the railroads. A representative of the railroad union countered that the goal of the proposal was to protect workers and says the union won’t give up on the issue.
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