Federal railroad safety inspectors would receive pay increases of roughly 19% under bipartisan legislation introduced in the Senate on Sept. 22, aimed at correcting a pay grade gap that has persisted since 1979.

Sens. Gary Peters, D-Michigan, and Jim Justice, R-West Virginia, co-sponsor the bill, which targets the salaries of railroad safety inspectors and railroad safety specialists at the Federal Railroad Administration. According to Peters' office, the current pay structure leaves FRA inspectors one full grade level below comparable federal accident-investigation positions. The last pay level adjustment geared specifically toward these workers came in 1979, although wages have risen with general increases since then.

For workers currently at step one of their grades — $76,463 for inspectors and $90,926 for specialists — the proposed change would equate to increases of about 18.91% and 18.17% respectively in much of the country, with some positions already receiving locality adjustments based on metropolitan area.

The bill has been referred to the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs. How quickly it could advance remains unclear.

Peters' staff pointed to recent rail safety incidents in framing the proposal, including the February 2023 Norfolk Southern derailment in East Palestine, Ohio, which forced evacuations, released hazardous materials and prompted ongoing environmental monitoring. They also cited two Michigan derailments this year that did not involve hazardous materials: one in Washtenaw County in February and another in Owosso in August.

"Outdated pay levels are forcing too many qualified railroad specialists to seek new opportunities outside of the Federal Railroad Administration," Peters said in a statement to the Detroit Free Press. "Making their wages more competitive would help recruit and retain the skilled workers we need to adequately monitor the roughly 160,000 miles of railway in service across America and reduce potential vulnerabilities before a disaster arises."

Peters, the ranking member of the Commerce Subcommittee on Surface Transportation, Maritime, Freight and Ports, framed the measure as a recruitment and retention fix with direct safety consequences. Inspectors verify that railroad tracks, equipment and operating practices remain safe, and Peters said competitive wages are imperative for that mission.

"Making sure we can recruit and retain highly skilled professionals for this essential workforce will improve railway safety in communities across the country," Peters said. "This bipartisan, commonsense bill would help us do just that by providing federal rail inspectors with more competitive wages for the critical work they do."

The staffing numbers behind the bill illustrate the coverage gap. Scott Hoose, president of the American Federation of Government Employees Local 2814, which represents FRA employees, said about 336 rail safety inspectors and roughly 100 specialists currently cover approximately 160,000 miles of track and thousands of hazardous materials facilities nationwide. A union analysis puts the required number of inspectors alone at a minimum of 425 — a shortfall of nearly 90 positions against the current complement.

Hoose described recruitment and retention as the "biggest challenge we face," noting that equivalent positions pay considerably more in the private sector. He characterized the situation as a "kind of revolving door."

The attrition is measurable. The FRA reached a staffing peak last year, according to the union, but 11 inspectors left within eight months for higher-paying jobs.

Everett Kelley, the union's national president, said the legislation addresses a structural problem rather than a market fluctuation. "This bill would address a fundamental flaw in federal rules that prevent railroad safety inspectors and specialists from advancing beyond their entry pay levels, resulting in many leaving the agency for higher paying jobs elsewhere once they've been trained," Kelley said.

The FRA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

If the bill clears committee and passes both chambers, the pay adjustments would apply to the federal workforce responsible for inspecting track, rolling stock and operating practices across the national network — a corps the union says is already short of the level needed to cover 160,000 route-miles and the hazardous materials facilities along them.