Year: 2014

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ns_LogoAn acceleration of resource additions, coupled with the annual volume decline after Thanksgiving, should provide incremental improvements in train performance and terminal fluidity heading into next year, Norfolk Southern Corp. officials said in a service update posted on the Class I’s website on Monday.

“As severe winter weather will have an adverse impact to operations, we expect a return to historical train performance and velocity toward the end of the second quarter of 2015,” they said. “We remain committed to an improved operating environment ahead.”

Read the complete story at Progressive Railroading.

Metro-North Railroad and Long Island Rail Road won approval from a committee of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) Board of Directors on Monday, Nov. 17, 2014 to award contracts totaling $34.6 million for the purchase of inward- and outward-facing cameras in the cabs of their rail fleets.

A total of 2,064 rail cars and locomotives will be outfitted under the base, 36-month contract, which the full MTA Board will consider for approval on Wednesday, Nov. 19.

Read the complete story at Railway Age.

Amtrak LogoWASHINGTON – Amtrak is taking action to improve the on-time performance (OTP) of its trains that operate over tracks controlled by other railroads. In a complaint filed on Nov. 17, Amtrak is asking the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to investigate Norfolk Southern Railway and CSX Transportation for causing unacceptable delays for passengers traveling between Chicago and Washington, D.C., on the Capitol Limited service.

Amtrak is taking this action under Section 213 of the Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act which mandates that the STB initiate an investigation upon the filing of a complaint by Amtrak if the on-time performance of an intercity passenger train falls below 80 percent for two consecutive quarters. In addition, under federal law, Amtrak has a statutory right to preference in the dispatching of intercity passenger trains before freight trains.

Due to persistent excessive delays caused by NS and CSXT freight train interference, the OTP of the Capitol Limited at its endpoint terminals was 2.7 percent for the quarter ending Sept. 30, down from an already substandard 33.6 percent the previous quarter. The delays are continuing as Amtrak had to provide bus transportation between Toledo and Chicago for six days in October to better accommodate passengers when Capitol Limited trains had often been eight to ten hours late.

Poor on-time performance creates a major disruption for Amtrak customers due to delayed trains and missed connections. It also negatively impacts Amtrak and state-supported services through decreased ridership, lost revenues and higher operating costs.

Amtrak has taken additional actions to help improve the OTP of passenger trains including filing an amended complaint with the STB seeking an investigation of Canadian National Railway for causing unacceptable delays for passengers on the Illini/Saluki service in Illinois; twice testifying before the STB about the poor OTP of Amtrak trains; and establishing a Blue Ribbon Panel of rail and transportation leaders to identify infrastructure and operational improvements to address rail traffic gridlock in Chicago.

The Capitol Limited operates daily between Chicago and Washington, via Harpers Ferry, W. Va., Cumberland, Md., Pittsburgh, Cleveland, Toledo, South Bend, Ind., and intermediate stops.

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Peachy

In a letter to the editor published Oct. 24 in the Fond du Lac Reporter, SMART Transportation Division’s Wisconsin State Legislative Director Craig Peachy wrote a response to an article that was published Sept. 13 entitled, “More trains lead to traffic delays at crossings.” 

“A train blocked the 175 Highway crossing for more than five hours on Sept. 7.

“Almost immediately, three local misguided Republican Congressman (Tom Petri, Jim Sensenbrenner, Sean Duffy) misdiagnosed the problem and proposed Congress pass a law that would require railroad workers to work longer hours.

“The problem with this incident and almost all like it is not the fault of the crew on the train. Rather, it lies with bad decisions by railroad managers.

“The train blocked the crossing because a railroad manager refused to communicate with the train crew and forced them to pull the train ahead to a point where it blocked the highway crossing, knowing full well there were places where this train could have parked that would not have blocked a crossing.

“Railroads are ever increasing train lengths that are commonly as long as 9,000 to 10,000 feet, when road crossings are generally located on section lines approximately 5,280 feet or a mile apart. Add to the mix that some railroads want to go to one person on a train, which would make it impossible to cut road crossings. All of this means Wisconsinites can just plan on being stuck for hours most everywhere.

“What is the solution? Better management decisions, shorter trains and the continuation of at least two persons on every train.

“As a 23-year operating railroad employee, I can assure you the last thing a train crew wants to do is block a crossing longer than is absolutely necessary. Train crews have family, friends and neighbors that live in the community and may need emergency assistance at any given time. Blocking road crossings for hours in a non-emergency situation is not only immoral, but should not be tolerated by Wisconsinites.”

During each shift, Frank Rodriguez typically operates an Indiana Rail Road Co. (INRD) train by himself from Indianapolis to Switz City, Ind., and back. The locomotive engineer has covered the 180-mile round trip as a one-person crew for more than 10 years.

Although there isn’t anyone to talk to during the trips, Rodriguez prefers to operate a train alone instead of being paired with a crew member who might be difficult to work with.

Read the complete story at Progressive Railroading.

SOFA LogoThe upcoming months are historically the most deadly time of year for railroad workers, with more career-ending injuries than any other period of the year.

In February 1998, a Switching Operations Fatalities Analysis (SOFA) working group, with representatives from the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), labor and management, was formed at the request of the FRA to review employee fatalities and to develop recommendations for reducing fatalities in switching operations.

It is a voluntary, non-regulatory, workplace-safety partnership that looks for commonalities among the fatalities that occur during switching operations.

SOFA consultant Dr. David Skinner, who has been a part of working group since its inception, has compiled a summary notice to both railroads and rail crews currently experiencing winter-related conditions. The notice can be viewed here.

As the onset of winter is upon us, please take note of the following safety measures to help avoid a career-ending injury or loss of life during the winter months:

  • Be sure winter clothing does not restrict movement, or degrade hearing and vision.
  • Identify any winter-related conditions affecting safety. For example, ice can cause derailments. Ice, snow and mud can cause falling. Snow can muffle sound and reduce visibility.
  • Adjust productivity expectations based on darkness and weather.
  • Discuss winter conditions in safety briefings and post any weather-related concerns on bulletin boards.
  • Do not lose situational awareness, no matter the other circumstances in your family or personal life.

Minnesota State Legislative Director Phillip Qualy (650) and Kansas State Legislative Director Ty Dragoo (1503) represent the SMART Transportation Division in the SOFA group.

“Please review the bulletin from Dr. Skinner and share that information with your fellow employees. It’s all about worker safety. The goal of SOFA is zero railroad fatalities,” Qualy said.

As always, keep in mind SOFA’s recommended five life-savers:

  1. Secure all equipment before action is taken.
  2. Protect employees against moving equipment.
  3. Discuss safety at the beginning of a job or when work changes.
  4. Communicate before action is taken.
  5. Mentor less experienced employees to perform service safely.

SMART_CONSTITUTION_FINAL_11-11-2014_cover_webThe official SMART Constitution, as amended by SMART delegates at the first SMART General Convention, is now available on both the SMART website at smart-union.org and the Transportation Division website at www.utu.org.

In January 2014, the SMART Sheet Metal and Transportation Division officers completed constitutional modifications required by the terms and conditions of the merger between the two predecessor organizations. That document incorporated the former UTU Constitution into the former SMWIA Constitution as Article 21B of the merged document. At that time, all conflicts between Article 21B and the remainder of the constitution were resolved in order to effectuate the merger.

Earlier this year, delegates to the Transportation Division convention proposed recommendations for amendments to the constitution. At the first SMART General Convention held Aug. 11-15, those amendments were debated and resolved.

The August proceedings in Las Vegas closed with a show of unity, cooperation and newfound strength.

Of significance to SMART’s Transportation Division membership, the amended constitution contained provisions for the addition of a second vice president to the division’s Bus Department and the addition of a member of the Aviation Department to the division’s board of appeals.

The Transportation Division’s board of directors selected former Alternate Vice President – Bus Calvin Studivant to serve as the division’s second bus vice president to serve the Bus Department’s growing membership.

A member of Local 759 at Newark, N.J., Studivant was born June 18, 1960. He served his country in the U.S. Army from 1982 to 1986. He has been employed at Community Coach Transportation in New Jersey since June 1993, where he served his local as both a general chairperson and delegate. He also served as a Transportation Division organizer.

To fill the vacant office of alternate vice president– bus, the board of directors elevated former board of appeals member Alvy Hughes to that position.

Hughes began his transportation career with Charlotte Transit in 1995. As a member of Local 1596 at Charlotte, N.C., Hughes has served as local vice president and as both secretary and general chairperson of General Committee of Adjustment GO TMM.

On Oct. 23, the Transportation Division’s board of directors selected Charlotte Transit GO TMD Vice General Chairperson Brenda H. Moore (1715) to fill the open bus position on the board of appeals.

The board also chose Great Lakes Airlines Local 40 (Denver) President John Nolan to fill the position of aviation representative to the board of appeals.

The complete constitution, as amended, can be viewed here.

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Croes

Retired former Local 911 (Minneapolis) Chairperson Fred J. Croes Jr., 78, a mentor to many United Transportation Union and SMART Transportation Division officers in the Upper Midwest, died Nov. 12 of natural causes.
Croes was born May 18, 1936, in St. Paul, Minn. At age 18, he joined the former UTU predecessor Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen Lodge 804 after being hired as a switchman by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad (Milwaukee Road).
During his railroad career, he served his local in a variety of capacities, most notably as local chairperson, legislative representative and delegate. He also served as a vice general chairperson of Soo Line – Milwaukee Road GO 261. He attended UTU International conventions from 1971 to 1999. He retired in May 1998.
Croes was praised by a number of former UTU and current Transportation Division officers.
“Brother Croes was a remarkable leader. He was a fixture at regional meetings and conventions for years. I remember Willis Croonquist once telling me, ‘Croes knows the federal regulations better than the FRA inspectors do,'” said Transportation National Legislative Director John Risch.
“Freddy Croes was a true gentleman. A wily, very effective, low-key local chairperson on the Milwaukee Road at St. Paul Terminal, Fred was the glue that held everyone together during the 1994 UTU-Soo Line strike, which lasted for 44 days. He attended the 1969 UTU merger convention and was a fixture at conventions until 2000. Brother Croes also served on the Minnesota Legislative Board from 1984 to 2000. He will be missed,” said retired former UTU Alternate National and Minnesota State Legislative Director Willis Croonquist.
“Brother Croes was one of the great ones, one of the most effective local chairpersons ever. He has been a trusted adviser and mentored many officers in the upper Midwest. He is a hall-of-famer,” said Minnesota State Legislative Director Phillip Qualy.
“Fred was one of the unsung heroes of this labor union as a local officer. He has set the bar high for conscience-driven representation against unscrupulous carrier management teams,” Canadian Pacific (Soo Line) GO-261 General Chairperson James H. Nelson. “Freddy used to drive Milwaukee Road/Soo Line hearing officers crazy, due to his meticulous procedural standards and cross examination of witnesses. Again, this man was one of the leaders, with a conscience and conviction for the dignity of labor.”
“Fred has helped many, many workers and their families over five decades,” said former UTU Executive Board Member and current Transportation Division Designated Legal Counsel Mike Tello.
Croes is survived by his wife of 59 years, Jan; children Andrea, Denise, Marcia (Ken) Gallaway, David (Sherry), Lisa (Doug) Strenke; 10 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.
Visitation will be held Nov. 17 from 4 to 8 p.m. and one hour prior to funeral services at the Sandberg Funeral Home at 2593 E. 7th Ave. in North St. Paul.
A funeral service will be held Nov. 18 at 11 a.m. at the Sandberg Funeral Home, followed by interment at Evergreen Memorial Gardens.