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Just Do It

February 8th, 2010

With the start of February, we are approaching one of my favorite events of the year, Railroad Day on Capitol Hill.  This year the event is taking place on February 25, and you can register for it at the American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association’s website: www.aslrra.org.

For those of you who are unaware of this event, Railroad Day is our industry’s opportunity to lobby Congress as a group.  The participants include people from railroads big and small, labor, suppliers, contractors, and just interested citizens.  For me personally it is one of my favorite events of the year, because in this case, everyone is for the most part the same.  The group is the group, and it’s real hard to tell a Class 1 railroader from a Short Line railroader when they are all in business suits.  Over the past 10 years this event has grown from about 275 participants to over 600, which is an indication of how important it is to have our voice heard in Washington.

The topics of discussion have varied over the years, but there are generally two major areas of interest: taxes and reregulation.  The short lines have successfully been able to secure an infrastructure tax credit for the last couple of years, and the battle has not been easy.  Sponsors and co-sponsors are difficult to secure when each representative or senator has their own interests, and unfortunately we have all been in the news for the wrong reasons.  As for reregulation, there are a couple of people in Congress that have tried to put tighter controls on all railroads for various reasons (mostly financial), because they feel that we have too much freedom, and that everyone would be better off if the government had more control of how we do business.

That being said, I always hear a bunch of excuses as to why someone can’t go to Railroad Day, and I thought that I would debunk a couple of them:

  • 1. “It costs too much to do it.” - This is one of the bargains of our industry. If wanted to, you can spend the day on the Hill for only the cost of getting to Washington. There is no charge for the Railroad Day event itself, and in past years you have received a Metro Card to cover your transportation to and from the Capitol. If you want to attend the Legislative Dinner on Thursday night there is a charge of $225 per person, but that’s it.
  • 2. “I speak to my representative/senator all the time.” - That may be, but do you meet with his or her Washington staff, who are doing a good portion of the leg work? You would be surprised to see how much influence a staffer can have on their boss. Right or wrong.
  • 3. “How much influence can I have? I only have (or work for) a small railroad.” - Remember, a representative only has a small district, and it’s pretty likely that your employees or co-workers live in that district. They will always listen to someone who can vote for (or not for) them. Also, nothing beats the image of a group of railroaders, labor reps, local politicians and suppliers all walking in together to deliver a common message.

So what is the bottom line to all of this?  Just do it.  We need your voice to be heard.

—By Steve Friedland

steven-fb.jpgSteve Friedland is a child of the railroad industry.  Following summers and vacations working on the track gang for the family-owned Morristown & Erie Railway, a 42-mile New Jersey short line, he started full-time in 1994.  He has worked in all areas of the railroad, including track, mechanical, signals, and operations, and currently is a member of the management team for the company as director of operations in Morristown, N.J. In 1999, he founded Short Line Data Systems, a provider of railroad EDI and dispatching software, AEI hardware, and management consulting to the short line industry.  He also served as  chairman of the ASLRRA’s Technology Committee for the past four years.

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