The UTU is offering the members of the UTU Alumni Association the vacation of a lifetime — an 11-day excursion to Alaska — at a group-tour price that is hard to beat.
This tour includes a seven-day cruise up the Inside Passage, a flight to Fairbanks and a two-day tour aboard the McKinley Explorer, a luxury train with domed passenger cars.
Vacationers will depart Vancouver, B.C., Aug. 15 aboard Holland America’s five-star cruise ship M.S. Statendam. This vessel boasts fewer passengers, larger staterooms and more space than any other plying the Alaska waters.
Aboard ship you can enjoy a massage in the Greenhouse Spa, a cooking lesson in the Culinary Arts Center or hundreds of other activities.
On day three, you will discover Ketchikan, possibly enjoying a flightseeing trip to breathtaking Misty Fjords National Monument.
On day four, you will explore Juneau. You can wander the lush Tongass National Forest, explore Mendenhall Glacier or go whale watching.
You will be in Skagway on the fifth day of your adventure. This is home to the Klondike Gold Rush National Historical Park and the historic White Pass & Yukon Route Railroad.
On day six, the ship will cruise Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska’s number-one glacier experience. You will cruise from the Reid and Lamplugh glaciers to the mighty Johns Hopkins — surrounded by rugged peaks and unforgettable scenery.
After a relaxing morning at sea on day seven, you will enter Prince William Sound and see the only place in Alaska that surrounds you on three sides with flowing rivers of ice, the College Fjord.
On day eight, you will disembark at Seward and board a motorcoach for a scenic journey through the Chugach National Forest to Anchorage, where you will board a flight to Fairbanks.
You will board the luxurious McKinley Explorer train on day nine where you will take in the sights and sounds of the Alaska Railroad. You will arrive at Denali National Park lodge that evening.
The morning of day 10 is for exploring and side trips. Then you will reboard the Explorer for a trip over the Hurricane Gulch Bridge, alongside lush mountains and raging rivers to Anchorage. You will depart Anchorage the following morning, or stick around and explore if you desire.
The UTU, through its association with Landfall Travel/American Express, is able to offer this once-in-a-lifetime trip beginning at only $1,352 per person. Certain other fees and taxes apply.
This tour is open to all UTU Alumni Association members, family and friends; other UTU members are welcome to join them as space permits.
For more information contact Landfall Travel toll free at (800) 835-9233; log onto the UTU Alumni Association page at www.landfalltravel, or email travel@landfalltravel.com.
Year: 2010
Retired member Joe Alenduff is again organizing an annual picnic for railroaders in the St. Petersburg, Fla., area.
The event, scheduled for Saturday, March 20, will run from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Shelter 15 in Ft. DeSoto Park in St. Petersburg.
Coffee and iced tea will be furnished. Participants are urged to bring two covered dishes to share, their own place settings and cups.
All railroaders, their friends and relatives are welcome and encouraged to pass the word, Alenduff said.
Take U.S. 19 South, or Exit 17 on I-275 at St. Petersburg and follow the signs.
For more information, contact Alenduff at (727) 522-6808 or send an e-mail to him at jalenduff@tampabay.rr.com.
Meet George M. Harris, a UTU Alumni Association member and lifetime member of Local 1518, Indianapolis. Brother Harris, 94, started railroading April 24, 1937, and retired Dec. 7, 1981.
He worked as a conductor for the New York Central, Penn Central and Conrail. He also served many years as local chairperson and vice general chairperson.
“George is probably the oldest New York Central conductor still living in this area, if not the whole Big Four System,” said friend and fellow Local 1518 retiree Jim Arnett.
“George is still in good health, doesn’t take any prescription drugs, works in his vegetable and flower gardens and was, until recently, a regular Lake Michigan fisherman. He used to spend time near Luddington, Mich., fishing every summer. He still gets out and shovels snow in the winter months for exercise.
“George met Cecile Mottu in Frutigen, Switzerland, in 1946 during World War II and they have been married for more than 63 years. They had two children: Alex, a former BNSF engineer in California, and a daughter, Georgiane, of Indianapolis. He has five grandchildren, one of whom was an engineer for the BNSF,” Arnett said.
Harris
By UTU International President Mike Futhey
The National Mediation Board, which administers the Railway Labor Act, proposes changing the rules by which rail and airline employees choose labor union representation. The UTU supports the change.
The NMB rules for representation elections now require a majority of employees eligible to vote actually cast a ballot favoring a union before that union is certified as the bargaining agent. Those not voting are assumed to have cast a “no” ballot.
By contrast, the National Labor Relations Board, which administers labor law affecting the bus industry, certifies representation elections based on results of those actually voting — the universal standard in democratic elections.
The UTU submitted comments supporting the change. A final ruling by the NMB may be issued this month.
You might wonder why the NMB has been out of sync with universal democratic voting procedures. The answer is circumstances were markedly different when the rule was first imposed during the 1930s.
Back then, the NMB was concerned with company unions, racial discrimination, conflict among competing unions, lower reading comprehension among union members, primitive means of communication, and even communist agitators.
Two-thirds of the NMB workload in the 1930s involved purging outlawed company unions, which were controlled and financed by management. Requiring a majority of those eligible to vote (as opposed to a majority of those voting) more conclusively communicated to management an employee desire for an independent labor union.
African-American employees often were denied representation in company unions, and were discriminated against in hiring, assignments and discipline. Many railroads back then tried to deny ballots to African-American employees. By certifying representation elections based on the majority of those eligible to vote, the NMB advanced racial democracy.
In that earlier era, dozens of labor unions were in competition for representation, as it was not until 1954 that the AFL-CIO constitution prohibited “raiding” by its member unions. Thus, the NMB sought to “get it right” in determining which union the majority of employees favored.
During the 1930s, only 30 percent of workers held high school diplomas (versus more than 70 percent today), and voting was by mail ballot with detailed written instructions.
Communication also was primitive. This was no small concern, as under the Railway Labor Act, representation is system-wide. It may be hard to believe in this era of cell phones, but during the 1930s, it took up to five AT&T operators to complete long-distance calls, which cost up to $33 in current dollars. By requiring a majority of eligible employees vote in favor of representation, the procedure promoted a more informed vote as union supporters had incentive to educate members on each individual property and encourage them to vote.
Finally, during the 1930s, communist agitators advocated worker militancy. The NMB election procedures of that era sought to prevent a handful of agitators from rigging elections.
Circumstances have, indeed, changed. And that is why the NMB now proposes to bring its 75-year-old representation election voting procedures in sync with the universal rule of democratic elections.
Meanwhile, Congress currently has before it the Employee Free Choice Act, which affects our bus members covered under the National Labor Relations Act. Employers and their friends in Congress have so far blocked passage of that law.
The Employee Free Choice Act would do three things to level the playing field for employees and employers.
It would strengthen penalties against companies that illegally coerce employees from expressing support for union representation; it would require a neutral third party impose a contract when a company refuses to negotiate in good faith; and it would require an employer to recognize a union immediately if a majority of employees sign union-authorization cards.
The UTU supports passage of the Employee Free Choice Act.
WASHINGTON — Revisions to locomotive certification rules (49 CFR Part 240), effective Feb. 22, 2010, were issued by the Federal Railroad Administration Dec. 23, 2009.
Among the revisions:
- Prohibits the practice of re-classiyfing any type of engineer’s certification to a more restrictive class or certificate while the certification is otherwise valid.
- Requires each railroad to identify steps it might take in the event an employee fails a skills performance test, or the railroad finds deficiencies with an engineer’s performance during an operational monitoring observation, or unannounced ride.
- Requires each railroad to describe the scoring system it utilizes in determining a locomotive engineer’s skills during an operational monitoring observation, or unannounced ride.
- Requires that revocation of an engineer’s certification may only occur for reasons specified in the regulation.
To read the final rule, click on the following link:
The following questions and answers discuss the Railroad Retirement Board’s performance in the key areas of retirement applications, survivor applications, disability applications and payments, and railroad unemployment and sickness benefit applications and claims during fiscal year 2009 (October 1, 2008 – September 30, 2009).
Included are the customer service performance goals the RRB set for fiscal year 2009 in its Annual Performance Plan. These goals are revised annually based on such factors as projected workloads and available resources. Also included is information on the RRB’s overall performance, as measured by the timeliness index developed by the agency.
1. How does the RRB measure overall timeliness for customer service?
The RRB developed an index to measure the overall timeliness of its customer service in four benefit areas: retirement applications; survivor applications; disability applications and payments; and railroad unemployment and sickness benefit applications and claims. This composite indicator, based on a weighted average, allows for a more concise and meaningful presentation of its customer service efforts in these benefit areas.
2. How timely, overall, was the customer service provided by the RRB in fiscal year 2009, as measured by this timeliness index?
During fiscal year 2009, the overall benefit timeliness index stood at 99.2 percent. This means that the RRB provided benefit services within the time frames promised in the Customer Service Plan 99.2 percent of the time. More detailed performance information for specific benefit areas is presented in the questions and answers that follow.
3. What standards were used by the RRB in fiscal year 2009 for processing applications for railroad retirement employee or spouse annuities and how well did it meet those standards?
Under the RRB’s standards, if you filed an application for a railroad retirement employee or spouse annuity in advance, the RRB will make a decision to pay or deny the application within 35 days of the beginning date of your annuity. If you have not filed in advance, the RRB will make a decision within 60 days of the date you filed your application.
Of the cases processed during fiscal year 2009, the RRB made a decision within 35 days of their annuity beginning date on 94.53 percent of employee and 95.21 percent of spouse applicants who filed in advance. Taking these employee and spouse cases together, 94.86 percent of this group met the agency’s standard for fiscal year 2009. Average processing times for employee and spouse applications were 17.5 and 12 days, respectively; the combined average processing time for these cases was 15 days.
Also, of the cases processed, the RRB made a decision within 60 days of their filing dates on 98 percent of employee and 96.4 percent of spouse applicants who had not filed in advance. Taken together, 97 percent of these cases met the agency’s standard. In these cases, the average processing times for employee and spouse applications were 22.1 and 20.7 days, respectively; the combined average processing time was 21 days.
The RRB’s goals in fiscal year 2009 were 92.75 and 96.8 percent timeliness, respectively, for those filing in advance and those not filing in advance.
4. What standards were used in the area of survivor benefits in fiscal year 2009?
Under the standards, if you filed for a railroad retirement survivor annuity and you were not already receiving benefits as a spouse, the RRB will make a decision to pay, deny, or transfer your application to the Social Security Administration within 60 days of the beginning date of your annuity or the date the application is filed (whichever is later). If you are already receiving a spouse annuity, the RRB will make a decision to pay, deny, or transfer your application for a survivor annuity to the Social Security Administration within 30 days of the first notice of the employee’s death. If you filed for a lump-sum death benefit, the RRB will make a decision on your application within 60 days of the date the application is filed.
Of the cases considered during fiscal year 2009, the RRB made a decision within 60 days of the later of the annuity beginning date or the date the application was filed on 94.4 percent of the applications for an initial survivor annuity. In cases where the survivor was already receiving a spouse annuity, a decision was made within 30 days of the first notice of the employee’s death in 95.4 percent of the cases. In addition, a decision was made within 60 days of the date the application was filed on 97.43 percent of the applications for a lump-sum death benefit. Average processing time for all applications for recurring monthly benefits (initial survivor applications and spouse to survivor conversions) was 17.8 days. The average processing time for lump-sum death benefit applications was 11.5 days.
The goals for fiscal year 2009 were 94 and 95.1 percent timeliness, respectively, for processing initial survivor applications and spouse to survivor conversions. For processing applications for lump-sum death benefits, the goal was 97.25 percent.
5. What standards were used by the RRB in fiscal year 2009 for processing applications for disability annuities under the Railroad Retirement Act?
Under the Customer Service Plan, if you filed for a disability annuity, the RRB will make a decision within 100 days of the date you filed your application. If it is determined that you are entitled to disability benefits, you will receive your first payment within 25 days of the date of the RRB’s decision, or the earliest payment date, whichever is later.
Of the cases processed during fiscal year 2009, the RRB made a decision within 100 days of the date they filed an application on 62.5 percent of those filing for a disability annuity. The average processing time was 97 days. Of those entitled to disability benefits, 96.5 percent received their first payment within the Customer Service Plan’s time frame. Average processing time was 9 days.
The agency’s goals were 70 percent and 95 percent timeliness, respectively, for disability decisions and disability payments.
6. What were the standards for the handling of applications and claims for railroad unemployment and sickness benefits and how well did the RRB meet these standards?
Under the standards, if you filed an application for unemployment or sickness benefits, the RRB will release a claim form or a denial letter within 10 days of receiving your application. If you filed a claim for subsequent biweekly unemployment or sickness benefits, the RRB will certify a payment or a denial letter within 10 days of the date the RRB receives your claim form.
During fiscal year 2009, 99.5 percent of unemployment benefit applications sampled for timeliness and 99.34 percent of sickness benefit applications processed met the RRB’s standard. Average processing times for unemployment and sickness benefit applications were 0.4 and 3 days, respectively.
In addition, 99.8 percent of subsequent claims processed for unemployment and sickness benefits met the RRB’s standard for fiscal year 2009. The average processing time for claims was 4 days.
The agency’s goals for processing unemployment and sickness applications in fiscal year 2009 were 99.5 percent timely for unemployment applications and 99.25 percent timely for sickness applications. The payment or decision goal for subsequent claims was 99.8 percent timeliness.
7. How did the RRB’s performance in meeting its standards in fiscal year 2009 compare to its performance in fiscal year 2008?
Fiscal year 2009 performance met or exceeded fiscal year 2008 performance in the areas of employee and spouse applications (whether filed in advance or not), initial survivor applications, spouse to survivor conversions, lump-sum death benefits, unemployment and sick
ness benefit applications and claims, and disability payments. Average processing times in fiscal year 2009 equaled or improved fiscal year 2008 processing times in the areas of unemployment benefit applications and unemployment and sickness benefit claims. Also, for fiscal year 2009, the agency met or exceeded all of the customer service performance goals it had set for the year in its Annual Performance Plan with the exception of disability applications.
8. Can beneficiaries provide feedback to the RRB about the service they receive?
A Customer Assessment Survey form is available in every field office allowing beneficiaries to evaluate the service they received and suggest how the agency can improve its service. Persons not satisfied with the service they received may contact the manager of the office with which they have been dealing.
(The preceding release was issued by the Railroad Retirement Board on January 20, 2010.)
The sign-up deadline is nearing for the UTU Alumni Association’s “Pioneer Adventures of the Old West.”
This eight-day adventure starts in Phoenix May 9, 2010. It includes Sedona, Ariz., and the Montezuma Castle National Monument; a ride aboard the Grand Canyon Railway through Grand Canyon National Park; a visit to Monument Valley in southwestern Utah and Lake Powell; Zion National Park; Bryce Canyon National Park; dinner at the Bryce Canyon Country Rodeo; travel through the scenic Virgin River Gorge into southern Nevada and on to fabulous Las Vegas.
The rate is only $1,525 per person based on double occupancy. Airfare is additional. The price includes seven breakfasts and three three-course dinners, as well as airport transfers, hotel taxes, tips for baggage handling and a sightseeing program.
For more information, contact Landfall American Express Travel at (800) 835-9233, e-mail travel@landfalltravel.com, or access the UTU Alumni Association page of Landfall Travel’s Web site, www.landfalltravel.com/UTU.html.
This tour, arranged through internationally known Brendan Vacations, is open to all UTU Alumni Association members, family and friends; other UTU members are welcome to join them as space permits.
The United Transportation Union Insurance Association is looking for a special person to honor as its 2010 volunteer of the year.
Do you regularly volunteer at a hospital or nursing home? Do you lead a Boy Scout or Girl Scout troop or work with the handicapped? Are you involved in some other activity that benefits those in your community?
If so, the UTUIA would like to know about it.
A panel of judges at the UTU International will review all submissions and select the 2010 volunteer of the year.
The individual selected as UTUIA volunteer of the year will receive a $1,000 U.S. Savings Bond and a plaque of appreciation from the UTUIA.
Additionally, he or she will be honored at the 2010 UTU/UTUIA regional meeting nearest his or her home, with all expenses paid by UTUIA.
Also, 20 runners up will be selected to receive certificates of appreciation for their volunteer efforts.
Nominations must be received or postmarked by Friday, March 26, 2010.
The winning individual will be notified by registered mail, and certificates of appreciation will be forwarded to runners up as soon as possible.
The decision of UTUIA judges is final. Previous nominees may be nominated again; however, former Volunteers of the Year are ineligible to receive awards.
The Volunteer of the Year program is an opportunity for the men and women of the UTUIA to let their fraternal lights shine.
It also provides an opportunity for UTUIA to recognize its volunteers for their outstanding contributions to others.
Nomination forms should be mailed to: UTUIA Volunteer of the Year, Attn.: Tony Martella, Director of Insurance, 24950 Country Club Blvd., Suite 340, Cleveland, OH 44070.
Do not forget to include a separate sheet of paper describing the applicant’s volunteer activities.
By UTU International President Mike Futhey
What should have been a joyous holiday season ended all too tragically Dec. 29 with the death of 44-year-old UTU Local 1000 member Samuel Lundy in a switching accident in Minneapolis. He leaves behind a loving wife and three children.
Brother Lundy was the eighth UTU member killed in the line of duty during 2009. We grieve for each of them, and I am inspired by the somber words of Local 1000 President John Haggarty, who observed — and this applies to each of our fallen brothers — “If this could have happened to him, it could happen to any of us.”
Railroaders work in one of the most — if not the most — dangerous industries in America, where accidents, rather than resulting in sprains and broken bones, too often result in career-ending injuries and death.
Death and dismemberment stalk operating crews every moment of their working hours, and there is no greater priority — none! — than returning home to our families in one piece.
Worker safety is the number-one priority of every labor union, and the UTU works closely with every labor organization in this effort. There is no stronger bond among labor organizations, and the working men and women in America, than the joint objective of improving workplace safety.
Within the UTU, we have three separate safety initiatives in place. This is in addition to our efforts at the negotiating table; our joint initiatives with other labor organizations; our communications and meetings with federal regulatory agencies, Congress and state legislatures; and our Designated Legal Counsel program.
Progress is being made, but we cannot, should not, and will not retreat from this fight. It is the most vital duty we owe our membership.
Our most recent safety initiative was the creation, earlier this year, of the UTU Rail Safety Task Force, whose mission is to identify and communicate best practices and techniques to improve situational awareness and keep situational awareness at its highest level.
Additionally, the UTU participates with other labor organizations and rail management in the Federal Railroad Administration sponsored Switching Operations Fatalities Analysis (SOFA) working group, whose mission is to develop recommendations for reducing fatalities in switching operations. The SOFA group has developed best practices for yard workers to help ensure their safety.
The UTU also has a 13-member Transportation Safety Team that assists National Transportation Safety Board investigators in on-the-scene determination of facts in rail-related accidents. Members of this team are selected based on their knowledge of operating rules and understanding of general railroad operations, train movements and dispatching. Team members also receive special training in NTSB procedures. A team member was on the scene within hours of Brother Lundy’s death to assist the NTSB in its investigation.
In Washington, the UTU National Legislative Office spends a considerable portion of each workday in meetings with FRA, Federal Transit Administration, Federal Motor Carriers Safety Administration and Federal Aviation Administration safety officials; the NTSB; other labor organizations, academics, and key congressional staff discussing and pushing for improved workplace safety improvements.
Our state legislative directors similarly are involved, on a daily basis, in investigating member concerns and working with state officials and lawmakers on workplace safety issues. These efforts include gaining state regulations requiring safer walkways alongside yard tracks, improved sanitation and crew facilities, and protecting bus operators from unruly passengers.
Within hours of Brother Lundy’s fatal accident, Minnesota State Legislative Director Phil Qualy called on “all railroad management teams voluntarily to clear our walkways of snow and ice, to rebuild and maintain the walkways at yard, industry, and mainline alike, and help us advance safety and service in this industry.”
Finally, our Designated Legal Counsel are an essential component of our workplace safety efforts. These attorneys are uniquely qualified in bringing civil actions against railroads under the Federal Employers’ Liability Act (FELA), which is one of the best friends railroaders have in pressuring railroads to improve workplace safety.
Please visit the various safety-related pages on the UTU Web site to keep informed and stay up to date on best practices designed to bring you home safely to your family.
And when you do spot a workplace safety problem, immediately inform the carrier, and also inform your local legislative representative and your state legislative director at your earliest opportunity, providing as many facts as you are able regarding location and the nature of the safety problem.
I pledge to each of you that workplace safety will remain the UTU’s single highest priority.