FELA Lawyer

A Trail of Money - Railroad Companies Actively Donate to Candidates

We all understand how things move in our political system. Legislation and policies are swayed and bumped along by influence, and influence is generally bolstered by access. Access to Senators and Congresspersons is something that's unique to every representative, but it's safe to say that there are some out there who allow one factor to determine a party's access - money. We offer no accusations or allegations of any wrongdoing, but what we would like to offer below is a brief look at some of the political contributions made by railroad companies and how much was given. This is all public record, but in order to remain informed, it's necessary to acquire as much knowledge as possible.

Dakota, Minnesota and Eastern (DM&E) Railroad

One of the most famous, or infamous, contributions made by railroads in recent times was actually featured in a column earlier this year in the Washington Post. It seems that DME was looking to obtain financing to the tune of $2.3 billion which is funded by taxpayers, but the company had poor credit. Senator John Thune of South Dakota was a strong advocate of approving this loan, and Thune became a Senator in 2005 after succeeding Tom Daschle under a platform of reigning in spending. The loan ultimately was not approved, but in addition to having DME sitting in his jurisdiction, it was also discovered that DME had contributed more than $21,000 in campaign money, and prior to Thune's time in the Senate, he received more than $200,000 from DME for serving as a lobbyist.

Union Pacific

Union Pacific appears to have been quite active in recent years in regards to contributions, and it doesn't appear that they necessarily favor one party over the other. A quick search of their contributions returns several interesting entries. For instance, between January of 2005 and June of 2006, Union Pacific donated $100,000 to the Republican Governors Association, and just over $106,000 to the Democratic Governors Association. Generally, it looks as if their contributions are nearly equal in terms of political persuasion, but they were clearly more active in their involvement leading up to the mid-term elections of 2006.

Overall, not much can be drawn simply by looking at these numbers, other than the notion that Union Pacific and others most likely have more access than individuals to those who make policy. One law that hasn't changed is FELA, which has been on the books for nearly 100 years, and it still provides protection to injured railroad workers. If you have been injured in such a context, contact a FELA lawyer at Williams Kherkher today to schedule a free initial consultation.