A CLC spokesperson reportedly told media that the city has not answered enough questions on the impacts of the proposed CSR sale. Photo: Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council Facebook

A labor council representing thousands of Cincinnati-area workers is walking back its support of Issue 22.

According to media reports, during an Oct. 4 meeting of the Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council (CLC), a delegate successfully motioned to retract the labor council’s previous endorsement of the sale of the Cincinnati Southern Railway (CSR) to Norfolk Southern for $1.6 billion.

CLC’s initial endorsement statement made on Sept. 7 said the decision followed “numerous meetings” with city leadership.

“After a great deal of internal discussion and debate, as well as numerous meetings between The City of Cincinnati and labor leadership, Cincinnati AFL-CIO Labor Council is supporting the sale of the CSR,” the release reads.

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But a CLC spokesperson reportedly told media after the vote that the city has not answered enough questions on the impacts of the proposed sale. They are now remaining neutral on the issue.

Issue 22 in a nutshell

This November, Cincinnati voters will decide whether or not to sell the CSR to Norfolk Southern in exchange for a $1.6 billion trust fund to shore up basic services for the city. The principal balance wouldn’t be touched, meaning the city estimates it would have an annual stream of cash ranging from $50 million to $70 million, which could only be spent on maintaining existing city facilities like roads, rec centers and fire stations.

But the proposed sale of the CSR comes at a time of heightened public awareness of the sins of its buyer, Norfolk Southern.

The push and pull between those who support and oppose the deal is largely rooted in safety concerns following the East Palestine train derailment caused by Norfolk Southern.

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The East Palestine in the room

A Norfolk Southern train derailed in East Palestine, a small Eastern Ohio village near the Pennsylvania border, on Feb. 3. The derailment ignited a chain of events that ended in a controlled burn of the train’s toxic load of chemicals, including butyl acrylate, vinyl chloride, ethylene glycol monobutyl ether and ethylhexyl acrylate. The chemicals are used in industrial processes including the production of lacquers, enamels, inks, adhesives, paint thinners and industrial cleaners, and plastic manufacturing. The colorless vinyl chloride has been associated with an increased risk of liver cancer and other cancers, according to the federal government’s National Cancer Institute.

A plume of thick black smoke from the burning chemicals soared above homes and waterways in East Palestine, painting a dark picture for the weeks to come. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) quickly took over managing the cleanup from Norfolk Southern, promising to hold the multi-billion-dollar rail giant accountable for the disaster, but surveys have suggested most Americans don’t believe the government has handled the fallout in East Palestine to this day.

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Other unions are scheduled to discuss their position on the potential sale in the coming days. The first responders who would be among the first dispatched in the event of a major train derailment, Cincinnati’s firefighters, are expected to make their union’s position known early next week.

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This article appears in Oct 4-17, 2023.