Rail workers strike against Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway over claims managers operated trains

Locomotive engineers and conductors have hit the picket lines in Brewster and Akron striking against Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway.

About 140 members of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen walked off the job at noon Wednesday.

Passing drivers honked in support as train traffic at the normally busy Brewster yard in Stark County virtually ground to a halt.

Union representative John Esterly said it's a dispute between workers and management that dates back to 2013 the last time operating crews struck against the railroad.

"13 Years ago in September of 2013 the Wheeling Lake Erie used management to operate trains ," said Esterly. "There was an injunction put into place then and basically the wheeling was told do not do that again."

But Esterly said it happened again last weekend, when two managers again operated a train in violation of the contract something he said can lead to safety concerns.

"We're certified by the federal government so there's requirements with respect to testing, with respect to our familiarity with the territory, management is not hold to these standards in many cases," Esterly said.

Wheeling and Lake Erie Railway bills itself as the largest Ohio-based railroad and among the largest regional railroads in the country, operating in Maryland, Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Ohio, and serving more than 135 customers across the four states.

Did the company use managers to operate trains, and if so, why?

So far, the railroad's CEO Jonathan Carnes hasn't responded to a voicemail seeking those answers.

Esterly said the union hasn't had much luck getting answers or assurances either.

Until they do, he said workers are prepared to stay on the picket lines and out of the cabs of locomotives even if a shipping shutdown does drive up prices as a result.

"I think that's definitely an argument some folks might make. i would just remind folks that the Wheeling Lake Erie had every opportunity to keep this from happening and they chose not to," Esterly said.