Year: 2013

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Local 30, Jacksonville, Fla.
Two Amtrak conductors were recognized by the carrier’s Southern Division News after their actions resulted in the arrest of a New York murder suspect, Secretary & Treasurer David K. Lee reports. Bruce Brown and Jeremy Lindstam contacted Amtrak Police Det. Steve Chambers after a passenger reported to them a conversation overheard by the suspect in Spanish in which he supposedly discussed the murder. Brown was able to identify the suspect using his e-ticketing mobile device after the suspect approached him regarding the train’s arrival time. He was later arrested by U.S. marshals. “It was shocking that someone like that was on the train, but I was glad we were able to help apprehend him,” Brown said.
Local 196, Beardstown, Ill.
Local Chairperson Robert C. Taylor reports that Richard Whiteman, 64, is retiring after 10 years of service. “Rich started out kind of late on the railroad, but we all wish him the very best in his retirement,” Taylor said.
Local 199, Creston, Iowa
This BNSF Railway local, in December, held a retirement party for numerous members and former members who retired in 2012, Local Chairperson Billi Vavra reports. In other news, Vavra also noted the deaths of former retired Local President Dale Weeds and retired member Edwin Roberts.

Pictured at the 2012 retirement party, from left, are Dennis C. Gross, Vic Sloan, Bob Culberson,
Roger Jackson, Bruce Brown, Bob “Nummy” Williams (back), Keith Hoepker (front), Mark Bacon,
Rich Springer (back), Keith Moore (front), Butch Penno, Jim Mason, Rick Van Pelt, Randy Goodrich (back),
Mark Hayes (front) and Roger Fry.

Local 498, Allentown, Pa.
This CSX local has established a website at www.utusmart498.org, webmaster and Vice Local Chairperson Joanna Sedler reports. Areas on the site include News & Topics, Penalty & Claim Q&A and Safety Concerns, as well as the local’s monthly meeting schedule. Members should contact a board member to access the site’s password-protected area.
Local 594, Mineola, Texas
At a joint meeting of Locals 439, 594 and 976 March 4 in Longview, Texas, International Vice President Troy Johnson and GO 927 General Chairperson Steve Simpson presented engineer and Local Chairperson Ronnie Burris with a pin commemorating 40 years of active rail service.
Local 607, Thayer, Mo.

Vice Local Chairperson Fred Komm, center, and Local Chairperson Doug Cozort present a check
in the amount of $500 Feb. 13 to radio station KKountry 95 (KAMS) Manager Lynn Hobbs
during the station’s annual radiothon in support of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn.Local President Chris Skaggs said the local has supported the hospital through the radio station for the past five years.

Local 662, Richmond, Va.
Former Secretary & Treasurer Jimmy Galbraith reports that Sam and Steve’s House of Beef, located at 10753 Jefferson Ave. in Newport News, was chosen as the local’s new meeting location during odd-numbered months. A 6 p.m. social hour will precede the 7 p.m. meetings. Meetings during even-numbered months will remain at Carini Italian Restaurant, located at 3718 Williamsburg Rd. in Richmond, at the times above. Following adoption of new bylaws separating the offices of local secretary and treasurer, the local will be holding a special election to fill the local secretary position. In other “good news for our members,” Galbraith said that CSX announced many furloughed trainmen will be called back to work by the end of the second quarter, 2013.
Local 1557, Memphis, Tenn.
Ronald Dunn, 42, lost his foot in a switching accident early Feb. 28 at the Canadian National/Illinois Central’s Johnson Yard in Memphis, Tenn. Dunn, who had a UTU seniority date of less than one year, has been in therapy at the Rehabilitation Institute of Saint Louis.
Local 1957, Silsbee, Texas

State Legislative Director Connie English presents a plaque to Local Legislative Rep. Roy McLeod
and members of this BNSF Railway local for their outstanding PAC contributions per person.
“Roy and Vice Local Chairperson Jeremy McCart have worked hard signing up the local’s membership in
Beaumont, Lafayette, Conroe and Longview for contributions to our PAC,” said Secretary & Treasurer Steve Soffes. Pictured, from left, are Local Chairperson James “Mike” Wilson, April Blaze, McLeod, English,
Gerald Maze, Sean Gaffney, Mario Gobert Sr. and Soffes (seated).

CSX GO 347
This general committee of adjustment has established a website for CSX yardmasters and for a number of short line railroads that fall under the committee’s jurisdiction, webmaster Steve Cline reports. The site can be found at www.go347.org and contains news, officer contact information, agreements, claim forms and other information.
Long Island Rail Road GO 505
The UTU’s Long Island Rail Road General Committee of Adjustment is hosting its annual golf classic May 13 to benefit families on Long Island affected by autism. The gold classic will tee off at 9:30 a.m. at the Hamlet Wind Watch Golf & Country Club in Hauppauge, N.Y., and GO 505 is seeking both sponsors and participants for the event. The cost for participation in the tournament is $225 per person, which includes breakfast, 18 holes of golf with cart, drinks, snacks, cocktails and buffet dinner with dessert. A registration form for participants and sponsors can be found at www.utulocal645.com by clicking on the Social Events tab. For more information, contact GO 505 Vice General Chairperson Vinnie Tessitore at (631) 661-3500.

U.S. Capitol Building; Capitol Building; Washington D.C.WASHINGTON — Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) and ranking member Nick J. Rahall II (D-W. Va.) April 16 announced the members of a special panel tasked with examining the current state of freight transportation in the United States and how improving freight transportation can strengthen the U.S. economy.

The full committee’s Vice Chairman, Rep. John J. Duncan Jr. (R-Tenn.), will chair the “Panel on 21st Century Freight Transportation.” Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) will serve as the panel’s ranking member. By the rules of the committee adopted at the beginning of the Congress, the special panel will serve for a period of six months, beginning with its first scheduled hearing on April 24, 2013.

The Republican members of the panel are: John J. Duncan Jr., Tenn., chairman; Gary Miller, Calif.; Rick Crawford, Ark.; Richard Hanna, N.Y.; Daniel Webster, Fla.; and Markwayne Mullin, Okla.

The Democratic members of the panel are: Jerrold Nadler, N.Y., ranking member; Corrine Brown, Fla.; Daniel Lipinski, Ill.; Albio Sires, N.J. and Janice Hahn, Calif.

“Given that freight transportation cuts across many modes, this panel will play a critical role in providing recommendations on how to improve the efficient movement of goods between highways, ports, inland waterways, railroads, air carriers, and pipelines,” said Chairman Shuster. “I am confident Chairman Duncan and the members of the panel will provide the committee with valuable insights for the improvement of freight transportation and our nation’s economy.”

“Almost all manner of goods sold or produced in this country take a ride on our rails, pass through our ports, wind down our waterways, or travel our highways,” said ranking member Rahall. “The smooth movement of cargo across all these modes of transportation is essential in keeping our economy moving which is why this panel’s task of improving the efficiency of our interconnected freight network takes on such importance.”

“In the past, the conversation about freight transportation and goods movement has focused only on one specific mode of transportation or another,” said Rep. Duncan, the new panel’s chairman. “But freight doesn’t move just by ship, or by rail car, or by truck. Chances are the goods you buy at the store got on the shelves thanks to all those methods of transportation. Bottlenecks during any leg of that journey from the manufacturer to the market drive up costs. That’s why improving the flow of freight across all modes of transportation is so critical to a healthy economy.”

“The movement of freight is one of the most critical transportation questions for the 21st century,” said Rep. Nadler. “How we prioritize, invest, and develop freight infrastructure will have considerable bearing on how our economy grows, how we compete on the world stage, and how we create a sustainable and environmentally clean future at home. I look forward to working with Chairman Duncan and my other colleagues on this important panel to give freight movement the attention it deserves.”

Wisconsin Rally; Wisconsin; Rally; protestWhether we like it or not, union busting is a part of our world history. Unions have always fought against big business, government and those that would trample the everyday union worker.

The union busting that occurred last year in Wisconsin, Ohio, Arizona and other states continues today, with local and state governments trying to push through right-to-work (for less) legislation.

The death of the “Iron Lady” Margaret Thatcher makes us remember that union-busting is not just here in the United States, but is a world-wide issue. During her time in office from May 1979 to November 1990, Thatcher’s legacy of union busting was world renown. She was able to pass legislation to take away the rights of the union worker like none other was able to do before her.

Last year, Gov. Scott Walker tried to take a page out of Thatcher’s notebook when he tried to put through union-busting legislation in Wisconsin. Many were shocked when they heard about the legislation that Walker was trying to pass. Other states were quick to follow Walker’s example and tried to push through their own right-to-work and union-busting laws. This was our wake up call to come together in solidarity and fight like the unions fought in the days of Thatcher’s reign.

We must not allow ourselves to become complacent. For it is when we become complacent and stop keeping watch over our rights that we open ourselves up to our enemies’ strikes against us.

We must be diligent in our watch and stay informed about those who want to take away our rights as workers. One way to do this is to contribute to the UTU’s PAC fund. This fund enables us to stay alert and fight the legislation that would harm the middle-class worker and take away our hard-won rights.

Let Thatcher and Walker be reminders to us that we need to band together as unions in solidarity and continue to stay alert to fight against union-busting legislation.

 
 
 

NMB logo; National Mediation BoardWASHINGTON — President Barack Obama last week re-nominated three individuals to serve on the National Mediation Board, which administers the Railway Labor Act affecting railroads and airlines.

Nominees Harry Hoglander and Linda Puchala are current members of the board. The third nominee is Nicholas C. Geale, a Republican staff member of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.

Hoglander, an attorney and NMB member since 2002, previously was a senior staff member for former House member John Tierney (D-Mass), an executive vice president of the Air Line Pilots Association, an airline captain flying for TWA, and a U.S. Air Force pilot.

Puchala, an NMB member since 2009, previously was an NMB mediator and International President of the Association of Flight Attendants.

Prior to his work with the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, Geale was an attorney in the Labor Department.

Democrats Hoglander and Puchala hold expired seats on the board and await Senate reconfirmation. The law permits NMB members to continue serving, following expiration of their term, until a successor is confirmed or they are reconfirmed.

President Obama previously nominated Geale on Dec. 17, 2012. Because the Senate failed to act on his nomination prior to Dec. 31, the president had to make new nominations when the new Congress was seated in 2013.

If confirmed Geale will succeed Republican Elizabeth Dougherty, who resigned in July 2012 following expiration of her second term. Obama nominated Republican Thomas Beck to succeed Dougherty, but after the Senate failed to hold a confirmation hearing on his nomination, he withdrew his name.

Typically, Republican and Democratic nominees are paired for confirmation.

The SMART Transportation Division’s CSX B&O General Committee (GO 049) has reached agreement with Bombardier Transit Services on a new contract for employees who will operate the Maryland to Washington commuter service known as MARC.

A new agreement is required due to the selection of Bombardier to operate the service after CSX announced it would not renew its current contract with the agency. 

The new agreement will provide wages and working conditions very similar to those enjoyed by our members who currently operate the service under the CSX collective bargaining agreement. Bombardier will accept applications for employment from CSX employees, with first priority given to those who are currently operating the service, followed by those who are qualified but not currently assigned to the service, and finally to all CSX employees on the Northern Mid Atlantic seniority roster.

Bombardier will send invitation letters to the employees who are currently assigned or qualified to operate the service. All others who are interested in applying for employment should contact Bombardier directly.

A hiring pool will be created in the event that applications exceed the number of positions available at startup. CSX employees who accept employment with Bombardier will be placed on the new seniority roster in the same relative order as on the CSX roster. The terms and conditions for a leave of absence from CSX are still being negotiated.

The negotiating team was led by General Chairperson Steve Mavity, with the assistance of Assistant President/GS&T John Previsich, and included Vice Chairpersons Jeremy Ferguson and Jamie Modesitt.

“The team did an excellent job of securing National Agreement wages and working conditions for employees of the new operator,” said Previsich, who added, “this will protect current employees who choose to work for the new operator and, in addition, provide industry-standard wages and benefits for all future employees of the service.”

Bonnie Morr

As I work with our members from around the country I hear about struggles that we are facing.

Whether it is discipline where our members may be losing their jobs, or a legislative issue that will impact our work, the union voice is there. 

All of us deal with negotiations. Some negotiations are for our labor agreements, some are with our supervisors about which job I will have that day. Some negotiations deal with our pay claims, but whatever the situation, we are always negotiating.

There is nothing better or stronger than the collective voice. We have seen that around the country as we fight for the rights of workers, health and safety issues and pensions.

I am thankful that we have the union voice to get our message out and to let our voices be heard. If we did not have the union voice, things would be a lot different. The people would not be heard and our needs would go unmet.

Because we have the union voice, we can negotiate for things such as better working conditions, raises and time off.

I get calls from our membership asking about how we can assist them in various situations with the resources we have.

With the union voice I can reach out to many different areas, both in our organization and to other unions and government agencies to get the answers our members need and deserve.

When we come together we have the union voice and we are all stronger.

John Previsich

By John Previsich, Assistant President/General Secretary & Treasurer – 

Discipline’s roots in the rail industry reach back nearly 150 years. Following the Civil War, the industry was expanding at a breakneck speed, with Congress and the American public being hornswoggled on a continual basis by the robber barons of the day.

From the “every other tie” strategy of Union Pacific to Southern Pacific’s importation of Chinese laborers by the boatload, the railroads were in a race for territory that required not only the rapid expansion of employees and track, but also the need for experienced managers at every level.

Where, in that era, could a company find management expertise that was familiar with a widely spread work force that was largely self-supervised while in the field? There was really only one source and, interestingly enough, that source fit almost perfectly into the requirements of the time.

The country was awash with ex-military personnel newly released from their Civil War obligations, both enlisted men and officers, most of whom were looking for work anywhere they could find it. Once hired into the railroad industry, the new employees helped to define discipline and labor practices that mirrored those of their former military careers and that continue to influence railroad labor relations into the modern era.

The “command and control” environment implemented by the railroads adopted the terms general manager and general chairman (authority figures similar to a military officer), investigations and hearings (court martial), firings and dismissal (dishonorable discharge).

Such procedures were intended to provide an orderly process for fair handling of employee issues, but instead they proved to be a poor substitute for due process, and employees were too often on the receiving end of unfair and discriminatory job practices. Consequently, it wasn’t long before the employees’ fraternal associations blossomed into full-fledged collective bargaining organizations.

The unions fought long and hard from the waning years of the 19th century all of the way through World War I to obtain the collective bargaining rights to which our members were entitled and the due- process handling of discipline and grievances they deserved.

Such battles promoted an adversarial relationship between the employees and railroad, with unfair labor practices and service interruptions a common occurrence.

The railroads were the primary mode of transport for people and goods in that era and such interruptions had an enormous impact on the economic vitality of the country and the day-to-day convenience of the newly prosperous and mobile population.

As a result, the voting population grew weary of the continual turmoil and demanded that something be done to stabilize the industry.

During that era, unlike today, when the voters spoke Congress listened. The result, passed in 1926, was the Railway Labor Act, the law that to this day still governs the handling of disputes in our industry.

In my next column, we will explore the relevance of the Railway Labor Act to modern times and how it affects our members in today’s world.

To read Brother Previsich’s earlier article on discipline, go to www.utu.org and click on “Leadership Messages.”

The Association of American Railroads has issued a safety alert for all railroads in North America.

The safety alert is to advise of the recent discovery of barbed wire found on safety appliances of a multilevel car.

This photograph was taken in the Quebec City, Quebec, area on March 26.

“Please distribute this information to coworkers, contractors, customers and all personnel who deal with these types of cars,” said James P. Grady, AAR assistant vice president for technical services.

 

The Obama Administration strongly opposes H.R. 1120, which would prohibit members of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) duly appointed by the president from taking any action.

If the president is presented with legislation that would undermine the functions of the National Labor Relations Board, his senior advisors will recommend that he veto the bill.

H.R. 1120 was introduced March 13 by Rep. David P. Roe (R-Tenn.) and has 25 co-sponsors.

The Obama administration said “This legislation hurts middle-class and working families, weakens the economy and undermines America’s economic competitiveness.

“H.R. 1120 would needlessly place the rights of millions of American workers in jeopardy and erode financial security and economic opportunity for middle class and working families. The National Labor Relations Act charges the NLRB with preventing and remedying unfair labor practices and defending the right of employees to join a union and bargain collectively with their employers.

“These protections are fundamental to growing the economy and creating jobs from the middle class out by ensuring better wages and working conditions for American workers and an open, fair, and prosperous economy for all.

“The Administration rejects the premise of this legislation, as the NLRB properly continues to act while courts resolve legal challenges to the President’s recess appointments, which the Administration believes are valid and constitutional.

“By depriving the NLRB of statutory authority, H.R. 1120 would compromise the President’s constitutional authority to make recess appointments.

“The legislation poses additional constitutional concerns because it would effectively remove the President’s recess appointees from office, authority that resides with the President. Rather than attempting to pass unfounded legislation such as H.R. 1120, the Congress should swiftly confirm the President’s nominees to the Board, which would resolve a situation that is of the Congress’s own making.”

UTU Golf Outting; Golf Outting; GolferAll railroaders and their friends and relatives are invited to participate in the 12th Annual FSC Rail Classic golf tournament at 1 p.m. Monday, May 6, at Sierra Lakes Golf Course in Fontana, Calif., according to Local 240 Chairperson Harry J. Garvin Jr.
The cost of the four-person scramble, shotgun-start tournament is $75 per person and includes a tri-tip barbecue, great prizes and great fun.
At least one member of each foursome must be a railroader.
Participants should commit and remit to Frank Carmona at 30250 Pebble Beach Dr., Sun City, CA 92586, by April 15. Contact Carmona at (951) 301-6525, (909) 770-3366 or by email at FSCRail@hotmail.com.
The tournament is sponsored Carmona’s Collision Repair.