I've been hearing a lot of questions and concerns from our radio listeners who are also frontline workers in the railroad industry. They are very concerned that BNSF Railway, and other railroads, are going to try and force the COVID vaccine on their employees, even though Montana law specifically says that is not allowed.

That being said, I wanted to take some of your questions, and give them to the company for a response. So here it is- my questions word for word, along with their prepared statement in response.

Here's the questions I sent their direction:

Q's from Aaron Flint: I’m hearing from several BNSF employees and listeners who are outraged that BNSF is going along with the federal vaccine mandate- even though it is against Montana law and a federal judge has already called for a halt to one effort by the Biden Admin.

Why is BNSF moving forward with this forced vaccination even though it violates state law? Will BNSF do anything to protect their employees from this federal mandate (allow exemptions, use their power as a major US corporation to file a lawsuit etc)?

Here's the response I got from Lena Kent, the General Director of Public Affairs for BNSF Railway:

Lena Kent, BNSF- When it comes to the COVID-19 pandemic, our goals remain the same: Keep our people safe and maintain our essential operations. While we maintain that the decision to be vaccinated for COVID-19 is a personal one—and have encouraged employees to make the decision that is best for them and their families—the Biden Administration’s vaccine mandate now obligates BNSF’S employees to be vaccinated. That said, the company has processes in place for reasonable accommodations for employees exempting them from the vaccination requirement.

To all of our railroad friends out there listening/reading, please keep us posted if BNSF follows through with their pledge to their employees and allows for exemptions.

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