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Rally & Press Conference, Lac-Mégantic Train Wreck defendents
Source labornet.igc.org
Date 18/01/02/12:43

Safe Trains Now!

No More Lac-Mégantics!

Harding and Labrie are not guilty!

Rail Workers Did Not Cause the Lac-Mégantic Train Wreck

Drop the Charges NOW!


San Francisco Rally-Press Conference
Thursday January 4, 2018 12:00 PM
San Francisco Canadian Consulate
580 California St. San Francisco

Chicago Rall
Thursday January 4, 2017 1:00 PM
180 N. Stetson St.
Chicago, Illinois


OVER THREE YEARS ago, a runaway train carrying dangerous Bakken crude oil crashed in the small Canadian town of Lac-Mégantic, Quebec, killing 47 people and burning half the town. People naturally wanted to why this tragedy happened.

The easy answer is always “human error” – some worker must have done something wrong. That way nobody looks at the complex system of risky corporate management rules and government oversight that determine how safe the railroad really is. So it’s no surprise that rail workers Tom Harding and Richard Labrie are on trial in Quebec, facing 47 counts of homicide for causing the Lac-Mégantic crash.

The trial has been going on for over three months. Over 30 witnesses have been asked who or what caused the crash. Witness after witness tore big holes in the government case. They testified under oath about management policy after policy made the railroad less safe, or about lax or even non-existent oversight by regulatory agencies. One last point: These witnesses, every one of them, were government witnesses.

The trial testimony is clear. No, the actions of rail workers Harding and Labrie did not cause the Lac-Mégantic tragedy. No, Tom Harding and Richard Labrie did not cause 47 deaths. There is no good reason for this case to go on. There is no good reason for a judge to decide on the fate of these two workers. DROP THE CHARGES NOW!

We All Need Real Rail Safety Now!

Just about every time a government witness talked about unsafe railroad management policies and procedures the trial judge jumped in: “The MMA Railroad is not on trial.” Real accountability for the people of Quebec and everywhere in North America requires a full inquiry and prosecution of those who created the risky conditions that still exist today. As long as railroad management calls the shots without accountability, there will be more Lac-Mégantics, more Seattle and Philadelphia crashes. More too long and too heavy trains, work schedules that guarantee exhausted crews, more trains with one crew-member on dangerous mile long trains. Rail workers need more rail safety. So does everybody who lives near a train line or rides a train. That means all of us. Dropping the charges against Tom Harding and Richard Labrie is just the first step.

Endorsed by:
Railroad Workers United (RWU)
Workers Solidarity Action Network (WSAN)
United Public Workers For Action (UPWA)
Transport Workers Solidarity Committee (TWSC)
Fresh Air Vallejo

For more information
Workers Solidarity Action Network
www.workerssolidarityactionnetwork.org
415-282-1908


https://www.facebook.com/SafeTrainsNow/
https://www.facebook.com/Hardingdefense/
https://www.facebook.com/saferailsnow/
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1453355224911841/
#Megantictrial
#LacMegantic
#LacMégantic

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