102 Dems to STB: Put labor first in UP-NS rail merger review

More than 100 House Democrats, led by Rep. Valerie Hoyle (D-Ore.) , sent a letter Thursday to the Surface Transportation Board demanding that the proposed Union Pacific–Norfolk Southern merger be evaluated first and foremost for its impact on railroad jobs, safety and accountability. In a rare showing of party unity that comes just weeks before the crucial midterm elections, the Sept. 3 letter, signed by 102 members and coordinated with the Teamsters Rail Conference union, arrives as the STB moves into the next phase of its review of the $85-billion transaction that would create the first transcontinental freight railroad.