Confessions of a Railroad SignalmanFagan, James O. (James Octavius)
History
Confessions of a Railroad Signalman
Fagan, James O. (James Octavius)
Railroad accidents; Railroads; Railroads -- United States -- Employees
It is a well-known fact that the American railroad man, the trainman
and engineman in particular, has deep-rooted objections to being
“posted” in any way. We have consistently emphasized our objections
from the time, years ago, when our likes and dislikes first began to
cut a figure in the plans of the management. So to-day we are prepared
to go to almost any extreme rather than submit to any system of
discipline that will publish our mistakes and advertise us personally
by name as examples, even although such action can be shown to be
absolutely indispensable for the proper safeguarding of life and
property. With all the facts against us, we think we can be trusted
to render the best service and to live up to the rules without the
assistance of publicity in any form. We consider discipline to be a
private matter, to be settled between ourselves and the management;
and thus the workings of the system have been arranged without any
reference whatever to its effect on the interests of the millions of
people whose lives are placed in jeopardy by its arrangements. As a
matter of fact, then, the system of discipline which I have described
is the result of long-continued pressure and consequent concessions
by the management to the demands of employees. These concessions have
been granted for the most part in the interests of harmony. What the
exact nature of this force or pressure is, which, acting on behalf of
railroad employees, has been able to influence railroad legislation and
management to the total exclusion of the public interests, calls for
the closest investigation.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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