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STRAIGHT TRACK
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Sunday, February 29, 2004 |
ACCIDENT, CARRISOSO, NEW MEXICO
Saturday, February 21
UP NEGLECT AND IRRESPONSIBILITY - UNION PLEAS FALL ON DEAF EARS
For months the Union had been pleading with Union Pacific Crew dispatchers to staff up. Their pleas were ignored. Just 4 days before the NM incident the Local Union Chairman for El Paso received a fax letter from John Marchant, UP Vice President Labor Relations, wherein he stated, “I have been advised that CMS has already initiated procedures to recall several demoted engineers to engine service in El Paso and plans are in place to recall all demoted engineers, if needed, in the near future.”
Too little too late and of course CMS did not do as Mr. Marchant so stated in his letter.
NEW MEXICO INCIDENT KILLS TWO TRAINMEN, SAT, Feb 21, 2004
OUR RAIL SYSTEM DESTROYED BY TWO SELF MOTIVATED MEN
It's time that Dick Davidson and Allan Rutter be held personally responsible for injuries and deaths occuring among our train crews. The FRA and Union Pacific's continued neglect of crew fatigue and deteriorating infrastructure is nothing less than irresponsible. We can only hope that the death of our two dear friends will weigh heavy on both Dick Davidson and Allan Rutter for the rest of their lives...
RRESQ intends to do everything within our powers to ensure that these two self motivated men NEVER FORGET the sorrow they have caused. The ability to prevent these trajedies was held in each of their hands and they both personally chose to ignore it. SHAME ON THE FRA and SHAME on DICK DAVIDSON.
Thank you for your continued support,
RRESQ
www.rresq.com
12:45:36 PM 
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Railroads Run Out of Train Crews ... Again
-- Ron Hume
The nation's large railroads are hiring conductor
trainees in locations throughout the nation. Strong
levels of freight, coupled with short-sighted hiring
policies, have resulted in yet another crew shortage
in locales from coast to coast. The lack of trainmen
and engineers is notably acute throughout the entire
Union Pacific (UP), the nation's largest rail carrier.
Over the last few months on the UP, trains have
been held for lack of rested crews, clogging up
mainlines particularly in the Southwest and
California. While a number of factors have contributed
to the latest crisis in staffing, the phenomenon is
nothing new to an industry which is geared toward
trimming the payroll to the bare minimum. Union
Pacific has been particularly draconian in their crew
management practices, prompting the federal government
in the late 1990s to demand that the railroad hire
more crew member in order to reduce the dangerously
high rate of crew fatigue which UP crews had been
suffering.
The industry will point to an array of factors
which have contributed to this latest debacle.
Intermodal traffic has outstripped projections
recently because of increased container traffic. The
source of this has been traffic diverted from truck to
rail as a result of new regulations upon hours of work
for truck drivers combined with new increased trucking
rates. Also, the economy performed better than
generally predicted in the final two quarters of 2003.
There is some merit to the carriers' claim that these
factors were unforeseeable.
However, other factors, such as the continual
booming of imports from Pacific Rim countries,
particularly China, could easily have been
anticipated. Increased grain loads from a record U.S.
corn crop could have been planned for as early as
mid-summer. And perhaps the biggest factor of all --
increased early retirements as a result of changes in
the Railroad Retirement Act passed in 2001, three
years ago! -- could have been taken into account and
planned for accordingly. Had the rail industry, and
the UP in particular, planned properly in advance for
these retirements, the other factors combined would
not have had the potential in and of themselves to
overwhelm the current train crews' abilities.
So while the industry will once again claim that
the latest crew shortage is the result of
unforeseeable factors, "acts of God", or other reasons
beyond its control, engineers and trainmen know the
truth. For a decade now, railroads have been operating
with skeletal train crews. Beginning in 1985,
railroads began eliminating the caboose from most road
trains, along with brakemen and flagmen. Firemen had
already begun to bite the dust during the previous
decade. Today, most road trains operate with just two
crew members. As a result, the ranks of new engineers
must now be found among the ranks of conductors. But
this system breaks down when the railroad is so
short-staffed it cannot move the trains. To get more
engineers, conductors must be removed from train
service for six months or more while they train for
the engineer position, leaving behind a vacant
conductor job. The railroad, strapped as it is for
both train and engine service personel, can ill afford
to do this.
Ironically, groups like RRESQ (Railroad Employees
Safety and Quality) have been protesting the carriers'
crew management policies in recent years, demanding
that the railroad, the unions, and the federal
government all take responsibility for the staffing
crisis and make the necessary policy and hiring
changes. While the UP in particular has dismissed
out-of-hand the courageous group -- mostly wives and
family members of train service employees -- it would
appear that RRESQ has been right on the mark with
their analysis and predictions regarding crew shortage
and crew fatigue.
Like many industries that work employees in
around-the-clock operations, with no set shifts,
forced overtime and overwork, the rail industry faces
a vicious cycle of its own making. New hires often
cannot and will not accept the harsh working
conditions of constant work, and therefore quit. The
obvious solution is, of course, to hire enough
employees, and entice them to stay with increased
wages, benefits and better conditions. Reserve
extra-boards, seasonal lay-offs, and voluntary
leave-of-absence during slack periods are all methods
that can be utilized (and once upon a time in fact
were used) by the carriers to adequately and safely
staff the nation's freight trains. But Wall Street and
the stock holders would no doubt balk at such a
solution.
Whatever the case, Union Pacific has announced
that it will in fact hire as many as 3,000 new train
and engine service employees at terminals throughout
the country in 2004 to alleviate the immediate crisis.
The railroad also announced that it is suspending
"non-essential" track maintenance projects, to free up
work train crews for freight train assignments and to
free up mainline track for 24-hour a day operations.
It is easy to see that the train crews are, and
will continue to be, the ones who pay the cost -- in
some cases the ultimate cost -- for Union Pacific's
crew shortages and deferred maintenance. On February
21, two UP crewmen were killed near Carrizozo, New
Mexico when their train collided with another on the
single track "Golden State Route" between El Paso and
Kansas City. What role crew fatigue played in this
wreck, as in most wrecks, may never be learned, as it
is a factor often very difficult to measure and
quantify. "The train crew messed up" will no doubt be
the official reason for the fatal crash. But why did
they mess up? The engineer had over 30 years
seniority.
RRESQ is calling upon railroaders across the
country to call their elected representatives and also
the media to report their own experiences of fatigue,
exhaustion, and disciplinary measures they have
suffered at the hands of rail carriers when they dared
to take time off of work for necessary rest. In the El
Paso area following the Carrizozo wreck, Union Pacific
employees called in to TV News Channel 9 with accounts
of exhaustion, long hours of work, and the company's
willfull violations of the federal Hours of Service
Act which regulates crew work and rest.
"Union Pacific is forcing people to go to work
tired and exhausted putting both the the employees on
those trains in jeapordy and the general public in
danger as well," said Bill Hannah, General Chairman
for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and
Trainmen. The killed crewmnwe had both been members of
the BLE&T. Hannah says a reason Union Pacific
overworks employees is because it is understaffed,
especially in El Paso. Union Pacific has not responded
to these claims.
12:21:08 PM
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Friday, February 27, 2004 |
| | | Supreme Court Upholds Award
By David Robinson
Arkansas News Bureau drobinson@arkansasnews.com
LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Supreme Court upheld a record $25 million jury award to a Wynne man injured at a Union Pacific Railroad crossing.
The amount is the highest punitive damage award approved by the Supreme Court, which concluded that the railroad company had acted with “a high degree of reprehensibility.”
Chris Barber, 38, and his wife, Claudette, 35, brought the suit after Chris Barber was injured in 1998 while riding in a Browning-Ferris garbage truck that was crossing railroad tracks in St. Francis County. The truck’s driver was killed.
Claudette Barber said she’s thankful the Supreme Court is holding Union Pacific accountable.
“It’s not the money; it’s the fact that the railroad is actually now being forced to change their policy,” said Barber, who added that her husband can walk with a cane but still suffers from head, spinal cord and lung injuries. “God’s hand was there, and we know it.”
The Barbers alleged that overgrown vegetation made the crossing unsafe, that the railroad company knew of the danger from a variety of sources, including its own employees, and destroyed evidence after the 1998 accident.
Besides the $25 million in punitive damages, a St. Francis jury in 2002 awarded compensatory damages of $5 million to Chris Barber and $100,000 to his wife.
In the 5-2 decision, the Supreme Court concluded that the jury’s penalty was reasonable given the evidence and Union Pacific’s $9.5 billion net worth.
Associate Justice Annabelle Clinton Imber wrote for the majority: “... Union Pacific likely knew or ought to have known, in light of the surrounding circumstances, that allowing the vegetation to remain overgrown and allowing trains to pass through Crossing 123 at close to 60 mph would naturally or probably result in injury, and that Union Pacific continued such conduct in reckless disregard of the consequences from which malice could be inferred.” The 43-page decision also states that evidence showed that visibility was impaired so that “drivers had to inch forward to a point where their vehicles were almost touching the track in order to get a clear view down the track. Moreover, by the time a person was able to adequately check the track for trains, he or she was in the zone of danger.”
Testimony came from drivers who had experienced near-misses with trains at the crossing, railroad track maintenance workers who feared for their own safety and Palestine Mayor Willetta Carroll. Carroll named three Union Pacific officials she said she spoke with in 1997 about the overgrown and unsafe crossing.
The Supreme Court also said evidence showed that Union Pacific attempted to conceal or destroyed voice tapes and “slow orders” for trains on that section of track.
“Taken together under all the circumstances, including that Union Pacific intentionally destroyed unfavorable evidence, we conclude that an award of punitive damages was appropriate in this case,” Imber writes.
In a dissent, Associate Justice Ray Thornton, joined by Chief Justice Betty Dickey, said the $25 million is excessive.
Thornton recalled that the Supreme Court had reduced a $63 million punitive damages award in a nursing home abuse case to $21 million. That was in 2001 and stemmed from the death of an elderly woman in a Mena nursing home.
Prior to that case, Thornton said, the highest punitive damages award affirmed by the Supreme Court was $3 million in 1982.
“The facts in this case reflect a non-fatal injury to (Barber),” Thornton wrote.
He also noted that Union Pacific had entered into a contract to clear the vegetation four months prior to the accident, “thereby demonstrating a lack of malice.”
The majority opinion states that, while a contract had been entered, the company “did not allot money for the contract.”
Michael Easley, an attorney for the Barbers, said Union Pacific’s only options are to ask the state Supreme Court to reverse itself and to appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. Such appeals, he said, are rarely taken up by the Supreme Court.
Mark Davis, a Union Pacific spokesman, said company attorneys are reviewing the ruling and had no comment. |
8:29:05 PM
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Thursday, February 26, 2004 |
Who will stop the Bleeding?
Well, seems my rumor was incorrect; the Board of Directors has done nothing as usual? Seems it was Ray Linwebber's Legislative Board that voted to ask for Boyd's resignation. Ah . . . , sorry Ray, the remaining 60,000(?) members could ask for Boyd's resignation and it wouldn't be forthcoming!
Let's see, WE know the Board of Directors and the Board of Trustees are not going to intercede for the benefit of the membership . . . , how about the Executive Board . . ., say starting tomorrow? Well, . . . a quick indication of where they are headed will come within the first 10 or 15 minutes of the proceeding when it is determined IF the Executive Board has used their authority under the Constitution to request ANY of the documents that Mr. Griffeth has requested but been denied by Boyd! If not, expect the proceeding to be delayed and/or proceed upon demand of the Executive Board with "little"or no punishment to be ultimately determined by the Executive Board. With all due respect to Roger's opinion, I don't specifically have the same faith in the Executive Board ("fair and honest with no political agenda") account my own experiences with them in both Smoot and my charges against Little and Boyd!
So the question remains: Who will stop the bleeding of the UTU? Those who were delegates in Anaheim may remember that Boyd made a special trip over to my table to advise that the best "current membership" figure available was 66,368? So what is it now after the Canadian fiasco, the indictments, and the H&W agreement? I'm guessing below 60,000 for the first time since UTU came into existence in 1969 . . ., and sinking rapidly?
From a membership of close to 200,000 in it's heyday with a VP for about every 12,000 members to approximately 60,000 now with a VP for every 4,000 members and a VP for less than 1800 yardmasters? While we will again see as much delay as Johnson can get for the 2003 LM-2, expect it to reflect an end of year balace of about 16 Mil - 9 of which is in GCA/SLD "trust" (if there is such a thing in the UTU?) funds. The top heavy heirarchy with all their benefits and the unreasonable expenses/per diem of the top three officers places UTU in a situation where we have an approximate monthly average deficit spending of 600,000 . . ., or about 7 million a year! In other words, WITHOUT a dues increase, we can operate one more year assuming there is not a significant lose of members in 2004?
When you consider that to get re-elected in 1999, the "New Beginning" bragged about having 44 million, being "strong a stable" finacially, and being the "premier" Transportation Union in North America . . . a reasonable person ("U" - the dues paying member) might conclude that the "New Beginning" was a dismal failure even if the two chief architects hadn't been indicted?
Of course, WE don't know how much money has been used for Boyd's attorneys from either UTUIA or UTU but when that comes out, it should be the straw that breaks the camals back with the membership and lead to criminal indictments of members of the Board of Directors. I did finally receive a response from the Ohio Board of Insurance but it is basically non-responsive to the specific question asked, i.e., how much money from UTUIA funds has been forwarded to Boyd's attorneys for defense of the actions in Texas? In any event, I will get a copy of the report when it is available and share it's conclusions with my readers!
On a brighter note, I have finally been contacted (phone message and left phone message in return) by a agent of the FBI with the request to explain how Boyd and Little's actions have affected the members of UTU? I look forward to having that conversation albeit most avid readers here probably understand that I think the current indictments (personal enrichment by selling designated counsel positions) is minor compared to the activities of this union heirarcy in the Smoot case and in alleged Railroad Arbitration! The wasting of millions for special reps, unity intiative (haha), politics, etc. is another sidebar that hasn't really been investigated at all to my knowledge. I certainly hope the buying of a federal judge and the two specious decisions of the 4th and 6th Circuit Courts of Appeals (wiretap/bankruptcy) gets equal investigation at some time in the future?
What is the legacy of the LittleVoid Regime (Ah . . . "The New Beginning"): in a single word - APATHY! Apathy that caused the membership to disconnect with the International Union altogether account the feeling of futility! Born first by the arbitrated 1996 agreement wherein LittleVoid pulled the rug out from under the membership after they voted against the National Agreement and had it implemented upon them by Smoot styled "Executive Session" standards and then by a process of "favoritism" backed by both union and designated legal counsel funds that disenfrachised all but a small group of local union officers and particularly delegates!
So who can stop the bleeding? Obviously the government can by placing the UTU into trust as was done with the Teamsters when it became to corrupt to function for the interests of the membership! While I don't think we are there yet, the inaction of the International Board of Trustees, Board of Directors, and International Officers has made it more of a possibility than if they had taken some decisive actions last year!
In my opinion, only the delegates can stop the bleeding right now and that is the case regardless of the outcome of Roger's charges (I anticipate nothing which will do further damage to UTU, i.e., confirm the Executive Board is worthless unless charges are filed by the President or the Board of Directors) or the criminal trial in Houston.
While the demise of UTU from the BLE pundits is premature, it is inevitable IF the delegates fail to act soon. When the Executive Board fails to remove Johnson and Boyd from office and without awaiting the outcome of the criminal proceedings in Houston, the delegates must petition for a Special Convention for the purpose of replacing Article 25 with a recall provision! Forget another convention UNLESS the Department of Labor orders it and I don't see that happening as of now! I believe there is latitude to approve a recall provision without having a Special Convention but it would have to have the concurrence of the Board of Directors for mail ballots (and probably government approval).
While I am not adverse to a two day Special Convention, if absolutely necessary, it will drain approximately 40% of the capital left in theUTU general fund, require an immediate dues increase, and possibly be counterproductive, i.e., cause more loss of membership to BLE (Ah . . ., assuming the trainmen don't have to pay the exhorbitant dues engineers in BLE are paying). Ultimately, the delegates must provide the recall provision that will change the face of the current UTU leadership (particularly Board of Directors) wherein the UTU Board of Directors mandates extreme cost cutting measures (cut VP's to 10 and salaries to VP/Internation Officers by 25%) as a show of good faith (and common sense) BEFORE they vote the membership on the amount of dues increase and/or "special assessment" necessary to survive to the next convention. Absent that showing of good faith and itemizing what changes will be made specifically (in UTU news), they cannot pass the necessary dues increase to make UTU viable into the future.
And I would comment here that both BLE and UTU members better realize that two man crews is the only battle cry of both unions for the next decade that makes sense IF Public Safety is the prime consideration. That needs to be a Conductor and Engineer until the attrition of the conductors and then become Engineer and Co-Engineer! Of course the problem is that Public Safety isn't the main concern of Railroad Management and both unions would agree to engineer only road jobs IF they could gut the other union (similar to the RCO issue that is turning out to be the "lack of production" nightmare to the Carriers that anyone with common sense already predicted).
A significant hindrance to any plan to rectify the problems in UTU - the International Officers themselves . . ., none have ever spoken up in public and on the record for reform of UTU and most are only looking to survive a few more years until they take their multiple pensions and $100 a month lifelong health insurance into retirement (if one looks at their current duties each year many are already into semi-retirement)!
Paul Thompson should retire and the Board of Directors should do whatever is necessary to support attriting the AP position as soon as possible. The members, through their delegates, actually have the fate of UTU in their hands now because any significant dues increase without substantial reform of UTU will lead to mass migration of members that leaves UTU unable to meet their overbloated payroll and into bankruptcy! Hell, then our international officers can worry about their H&W payments and pensions in just like our members and retirees do!
Management of UTU by the President, Assistant President, and GS&T from Seattle (Austin), Shawnee Mission, and California has been a proven failure; when do we get top International Officers to actually run the union from Cleveland and also stop interferring with the duties of the SLD's and GCA's? Inquiring Minds Want to Know?
UTU remains viable today because of the hard work of Local Union Officers, SLD's, GCA's, and some International Officers despite an overbloated International heirarchy that has placed their own self-interest above that of the membership and has remained absolutely silent in the face of wrongdoing for years! It can't and won't remain that way much longer! In my view, without immediate action in the next 4 months . . . UTU is history and those that caused it's demise will still be blaiming non-union websites like this and "alleged" criminals like Ken Smoot? Hang in there and always have a nice day!
10:49:48 PM
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Talks to resume in CN strike; some shippers complain of deteriorating service
11:32 PM EST Feb 26
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Striking Canadian National Railway workers walk the picket line at the company's intermodal yards in Montreal. (CP /Ryan Remiorz) |
ALLAN SWIFT
MONTREAL (CP) - Some Canadian National Railway clients reported a deterioration in service on Wednesday as the company and the union representing 5,000 of its striking workers agreed to resume contract negotiations.
However, operations resumed at Ford of Canada plants in Ontario where thousands of workers had to be sent home earlier this week due to the strike. The return to the bargaining table came on the sixth day of a nationwide strike by clerical, shopcraft and intermodal yard workers represented by the Canadian Auto Workers.
"Federal mediators today directed CN and the CAW to resume contract talks," said company spokesman Mark Hallman.
The mediators had been trying to get the two sides talking since contract talks broke down last Thursday.
The railway says its operations are running close to normal. Earlier this week, CAW assembly line workers refused to load or unload parts from CN railcars or load trains with new vehicles, forcing Ford Canada to shut down some lines.
However, Bob Ballantyne, president of the Ottawa-based Canadian Industrial Transportation Association, said some of its members reported a drop in service.
"We're starting to get more information that people are finding the service is really deteriorating," Ballantyne, whose group represents rail-users, said in an interview.
"Certainly some shippers are saying that the reality they're experiencing is different from what CN is reporting in their press releases."
One shipper reported that CN has put a de facto embargo on inbound refrigerator and heated cars because the company will be unable to inspect temperatures, Ballantyne said.
He said he couldn't mention names but added that complaints from shippers are coming from the Maritimes, Quebec and Western Canada, "both carload shippers and intermodal as well."
"And it appears that people taking containers in and out of CN's intermodal terminals are finding long waits now."
Hallman said CN trains "continue to operate at near normal levels."
He added that Ford requested train shipments of car parts to resume at its plants in St. Thomas and Oakville. Ford had to send home 3,700 dayshift workers from three assembly plants on Tuesday.
The CAW workers, almost a third of CN's Canadian workforce, surprised their union leadership by rejecting a negotiated settlement with wage increases of three per cent in each of three years. Their previous contract ran out Dec. 31.
CAW official Abe Rosner said the main outstanding issues are wages and working conditions, especially disciplinary procedures.
"Our members feel they have lost, in the last while, respect for themselves and the work that they do," Rosner said. "Some of these elements can be negotiated."
10:35:04 PM
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Thursday, February 26, 2004
Railfax: Day of Dialogue Draws to a Close
At 3:30 pm EST on Thursday, February 26, the full bargaining committees of the CAW and Canadian National Railway met for the first time since January 23.
Last night and this morning, the union bargaining representatives met to review the momentous events of the first week of the CN strike of 2004. They reported on picket-line experiences, handling of scabs, injunctions and police, mobilizing support, the impact on CN customers and other challenges. The enthusiastic atmosphere reflected the militancy and unity of our members all across the country in their fight for a common cause.
After noon, the CAW committee welcomed the three government mediators - Elizabeth MacPherson (Director General of Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service), Arnie Powers, and Réjean Bercier - and gave them a detailed account of the rejection of the tentative agreement by the membership and the steps that had led to taking strike action. It was made extremely clear to the representatives of the Labour Minister that our members would continue their strike for as long as necessary to achieve the terms that they need and deserve.
At 3:30, the parties met face to face. Three CN vice-presidents joined the usual company committee for the occasion. The Union outlined in detail the dramatic deterioration in working conditions, the decline in respectful treatment of workers, and the unanimous opposition to the Company’s new harsh discipline system, characterized by heavy suspensions, “deferred suspensions”, harassment of employees for real or perceived safety and rules violations, etc. The Union emphasized that unless this situation was halted and reversed, there was no possibility of reaching a new settlement and ending the strike. Company representatives listened seriously and offered some comments and questions. We are awaiting their reply.
The next step will be the presentation to the Company of the needs of the membership on the fronts of compensation, benefits, retirement, shift and weekend work, etc. – including getting rid of some items from the rejected offer. The CAW committee is meeting in caucus in order to prepare its presentation.
It is much too early to say whether there will be a basis for continuing negotiations at this time. We will evaluate whether CN is prepared to consider our issues seriously and report back to the members accordingly. Meanwhile, strike action will continue and escalate as required.
We take this opportunity to send our greetings and congratulations to all our members on the picket lines for their hard work and daily sacrifices.
10:33:46 PM
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Wednesday, February 25, 2004 |
DEAR RRESQ SUPPORTERS. With the horrible tragedy that occurred over the weekend that resulted in the death of two of our own men, we must now act. Below is a news flash from KTSM-TV9 in El Paso Texas. Many individuals are now picking up the phone and reporting their issues to media. We MUST NOT be afraid to do this. We must prevent any further tragedies. Please I urge each and everyone of you to get involved now. Call your local media and report your long hours, absenteeism investigations, and the continued abuse by Union Pacific Railroad. You want change...MAKE IT HAPPEN NOW. Below is also an email received by RRESq from a concerned wife. I urge this individual to pick up the phone and call the media, call your congressman, call your Senator. Demand that Union pacific be held accountable.
Union Pacific overworking train crews
KTSM-TV9 - El Paso, Texas - February 23 2004
EL PASO, Texas -- Union Pacific employees have called News Channel 9, wishing to be unidentified, with stories of exhaustion and long hours of work.
Federal law requires train workers to work in shifts no longer than 12 hours with a break no less than 10 hours.
But the train crews News Channel 9 spoke with say Union Pacific often breaks this law. One worker reported a time where he worked an 18 hour day with as little as three hours off between his next shift.
"Union Pacific is forcing people to go to work tired and exhausted putting both the the employees on those trains in jeapordy and the general public in danger as well," said Bill Hannah, General Chairman for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen.
Hannah says a reason Union Pacific overworks employees is because it is understaffed, especially in El Paso.
Union Pacific has not responded to these claims.
Dear rresq-- I am so glad to see rail wives getting involved. I think we could run this company together in a much more efficient way! Beyond that i would like to address the issue of the fra law that says that the conductors are not to be "on duty " for more than 12 hrs. My husband has sat on his unit for up to 16 hours , 4 hours past dead time, waiting for his relief crew. Now you say to management this and their response is the same. " well he is off duty cuz the train isnt in service at the moment" Oh really, so does that mean that i can go pick him up myself?! Well of course NOT ! He MUST stay and protect the train. So i ask How is that NOT working??? Basically they need to be relieved in plenty of time to avoid this! I am not so unreasonable to know that there will be exceptions, however this has become the consistant pattern over the past few years
Thank you for your continued support,
RRESQ
www.rresq.com
9:51:48 AM
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Attention News Editors:
Teamsters Canada Rail Conference is concerned with safety at CNR due to
CAW strike
MONTREAL, Feb. 24 /CNW Telbec/ - Teamsters Canada Rail Conference,
representing Locomotive Engineers and Rail Traffic Controllers, today
expressed their concerns with the safety of their members employed by
Canadian National during the ongoing CAW legal strike.
With the strike now in the sixth day, the Rail Conference is now
becoming aware of certain shortcomings relative to equipment and train
inspections. It is very unfortunate that Canadian National appears to
have neglected the main priority of their operation - safety.
The Rail Conference will not allow their members to be forced to
operate
in an unsafe atmosphere and is dealing with these items directly with
Transport Canada.
The Rail Conference supports the CAW in their efforts to secure a
proper agreement with Canadian National, and we are well aware of our
responsibilities, both under the Canada Labour Code and our Collective
Agreement. Nevertheless, our members' safety and that of the general
public is a major concern of the Rail Conference.
The Rail Conference is also in the midst of negotiations with
Canadian National and will be advising the employer that they will not
meet with the Company until there is a resolution to the strike by our
CAW sisters and
brothers. One common area of concern for locomotive engineers and rail
traffic
controllers is the manner in which Canadian National treats their
employees.
Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, (formerly the Brotherhood of
Locomotive
Engineers), represents employees on Canadian National Railway, Canadian
Pacific Railway, VIA Rail Canada Ltd, and numerous shortline railways
across Canada.
For further information: TCRC Headquarters, (613) 235-1828
9:43:44 AM
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Canadian rail workers go on strike
(The Associated Press distributed the following article on February 20.)
TORONTO -- About 5,000 workers at CN Rail went on strike at midnight Thursday after last-minute talks with the railway ended without an agreement, union officials said.
The Canadian Auto Workers announced the strike plans in a news release issued from Toronto, saying talks that have intensified since Tuesday concluded with ``no agreement in sight.''
CN's shopcraft, intermodal and clerical workers were walking off the job at midnight local times, the union said.
The CAW, Canada's largest private-sector union, said it was willing to resume talks at any time.
``Our one and only aim is to secure an agreement that can earn the support of our members,'' CAW chief negotiator Gary Fane said in a statement.
The union agreed Tuesday to a request by Labour Minister Claudette Bradshaw for both sides to attend meetings in Montreal.
The latest logjam between the two sides occurred after union members rejected a three-year offer with annual wage increases of three per cent.
CN has said it has contingency plans to keep moving freight in Canada in the event of a strike, and the CAW has pledged not to interrupt passenger services such as the GO Transit system in the Toronto region, commuter trains in Montreal and Via Rail service.
The union obtained a 90 percent strike mandate from its members last month.
Besides salaries, employees are dissatisfied with working-condition provisions, including disciplinary matters. The employees' average annual salary is about $33,827 (45,000 Canadian dollars.)
CN is Canada's largest railway company and a major North American freight hauler. It has operations from coast to coast in Canada and down into the U.S. Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico.
The CAW represents about a quarter of the CN's 22,000 employees.
Last year, CN moved about 4.2 million carloads of freight across Canada and through the U.S. Midwest to the Gulf of Mexico.
Friday, February 20, 2004
12:13:58 AM
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Monday, February 23, 2004 |
http://www.borderlandnews.com/stories/borderland/20040223-84761.shtml
Borderland Monday, February 23, 2004
Federal agency, union inspect fatal train wreck
Louie Gilot
El Paso Times
The deadly collision of two Union Pacific freight trains in Carrizozo, N.M., that killed two El Pasoans on Saturday morning is being investigated by a federal agency and a national union, officials said.
The wreck killed train engineer Anthony C. Rodella, 57, of the 4200 block of Siete Leguas in the Upper Valley, who was driving the locomotive; and conductor Jeffrey S. Bohler, 32, whose address was unknown, Union Pacific officials said Sunday.
Rodella had been with Union Pacific since 1973 and Bohler since 1998, company spokesman John Bromley said.
People at the Rodella home declined to comment to the El Paso Times, while the Bohler family could not be located.
The National Transportation Safety Board, which is charged by Congress with investigating train wrecks resulting in deaths, took over the investigation Sunday morning, Bromley said.
Bryan Cartall, a lawyer for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, based in Cleveland, was in El Paso on Sunday to visit the Rodella and Bohler families. He said the union, which just merged with the Teamsters, is conducting its own investigation.
"Union Pacific is running so short on manpower that they have only a third of the engineers they need. Fatigue is common. Fatigue is a factor in any railroad accident," Cartall said.
Union Pacific officials told the El Paso Times that they are working to correct manpower problems by trying to hire 3,000 employees this year, as they did last year. They would not comment on the possibility that one of the train drivers was fatigued.
Saturday, the empty train carrying Rodella and Bohler was en route from Mira Loma, Calif., to Kansas, officials said. It was moving onto a sidetrack in Carrizozo at about 8 a.m. when it collided with a train carrying grain headed from Kansas to El Paso.
Cartall said trains move to sidetracks when engineers have worked the maximum continuous hours allowed by law -- 12. The engineers then wait for a replacement crew to take over. This is a common occurrence on long stretches in the Southwest, Cartall said.
Investigators will also look into the possibility of an equipment malfunction, Union Pacific officials said.
Union Pacific workers had to replace about 800 feet of track before reopening the tracks at about 5:30 a.m. Sunday, Bromley said. The cars that weren't damaged were sent to their original destinations.
Louie Gilot may be reached at lgilot@elpasotimes.com, 546-6131.
Copyright © 2001 El Paso Times.
Use of this site signifies your agreement to the Terms of Service (updated 8/10/2001)
1:06:04 PM
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Subject: Wake-Up Call
Got this from a conductor I know in LA. Looks like Ollie is at it again...
Look how "Ollie" Cromwell signed this - "Yours Truly"!
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2004 2:12 PM
10:30:24 AM
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Sunday, February 22, 2004 |
2 railroad workers die in New Mexico train wreck
Sunday, February 22, 2004 Posted: 0335 GMT (11:35 AM HKT)
CARRIZOZO, New Mexico (AP) -- Two workers were killed when the freight train they were on hit another train in southern New Mexico on Saturday, officials said.
More than 15 Union Pacific railroad cars lie crumpled and twisted following the collision.
12:41:16 PM
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Monday, February 16, 2004 |
From www.reformit2004.org
A.P. Thompson To Represent Boyd and Johnson at Trial
In a letter to addressed to the Executive Board, AP Thompson advises Chairman Houston that he will serve as President Boyd representative at the Article 25 proceedings in Cleveland. Click Here To View Thompson's letter.
If you wish to read my response, click here.
Boyd Refuses To Produce Documents For Trial
Today I received correspondence from IP Boyd denying my request to produce documents.
4:05:56 PM
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This bulletin is distributed to all City/County Councils who passed resolutions regarding RCO, hundreds of news media and hundreds of politicans.
Thank you for your continued support,
RRESQ
www.rresq.com
9:45:41 AM
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Last update: 5/25/2005; 4:28:59 PM.
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