CSX Operation RedBlock shutdown draws SMART-TD backlash

CSX Operation RedBlock is being eliminated, SMART-TD says, and the union argues the union-run substance abuse program has long provided substance abuse prevention and worker support across the railroad, as reported by Trains.com.

This is reported by the railway transport news portal Railway Supply.

SMART-TD opposition to CSX plan

The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers-Transportation Division calls Operation RedBlock — founded in 1984 — “the gold standard” for a rail industry substance abuse program. SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson said ending the initiative harms not only union members but also management. In his statement, Ferguson said the program “saved lives,” protected careers, and helped prevent incidents that could have cost the railroad more than the program itself.

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CSX said the change is intended “to align with current market realities,” while adding that comparable services and resources will remain available to support employees.

How Operation RedBlock worked?

SMART-TD said it learned Wednesday that CSX plans to end Operation RedBlock (SMART Union Transportation update). That was also the day CSX announced management layoffs, conductor furloughs, and other cost-cutting moves.

The union says the program worked because it operated independently from carrier discipline and management control. In SMART-TD’s view, that separation made it easier for workers to recognize when they were unfit for duty, take action, and pursue long-term solutions to underlying issues. The union ties that approach directly to public safety, fitness-for-duty, and employee well-being.

Concerns about replacement programs

Ferguson said Operation RedBlock endured for 40 years because its value reached well beyond labor. He argued that programs without wide-reaching value do not last 40 years in the rail industry, and said the initiative benefited public safety, supported the railroad’s bottom line, and improved workers’ quality of life.

SMART-TD said CSX’s move follows the end of similar union-run programs at Amtrak and Union Pacific, where replacement efforts later lost effectiveness or disappeared. Mike Jackson, a longtime Operation RedBlock coordinator and a SMART-TD member with the local based in New Castle, Pa., said that when management took over comparable programs elsewhere, decades of peer-prevention work were discarded. He added that Operation RedBlock depended on employee trust, and that the decision threatens that trust.

CSX said its commitment to safety, fitness-for-duty, and employee well-being is steadfast, adding that its dedication to employee well-being will not change. For background, see CSX Operation RedBlock program information. The company said it will continue working with union leadership to uphold high standards of safety and support for CSX employees.

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