Deregulation. In 2013, the word itself elicits some visceral reactions from people. The reactions tend to be felt through the prism of our ideological leanings.
Those right of center feel all warm and cozy inside when they hear this word as they picture commerce humming along unfettered while birds chirp and angels sing.
Those left of center tend to feel their stomach tighten as they envision robber barons left free to pillage and plunder.
OMAHA – Union Pacific says its third-quarter set revenue and per-share profit records as higher shipping rates helped the railroad offset flat volume overall and the traffic disruption from last month’s flooding in Colorado.
The results released Thursday were about in line with Wall Street expectations and the reduced forecast Union Pacific issued this month.
WASHINGTON – In reaction to a split between the state of Washington and federal agencies over the review process for new export terminals in the Pacific Northwest, representatives from the SMART Transportation Division, formerly the United Transportation Union, and the International Union of Operating Engineers Sept. 25 announced their overwhelming support for the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers environmental review process.
“Recently, the Army Corps of Engineers announced they would conduct their site specific review of the proposed west coast terminals, just as they have always done at other port projects,” said Transportation Division Alternate National Legislative Director John Risch. “That decision is reasonable and rational and we applaud them for it. We support Environmental Impact reviews that have high environmental standards. We support building and expanding ports in environmentally sound ways and ones that require that any environmental concerns are adequately mitigated.”
Labor organizations are concerned about the potential consequences of Washington State’s unprecedentedly broad review of the export projects. Labor organizations fear the precedent set by the state review could impact infrastructure spending, trade investments and accompanying manufacturing jobs. The port expansion projects have been endorsed by a number of national and state labor organizations and will generate significant new union employment opportunities in the Pacific Northwest.
“We believe that Washington State is putting the Northwest’s primary economic driver – trade – in jeopardy with this approach,” said SMART’s Washington State Legislative Director Herb Krohn. “Washington’s proposed review process will set a dangerous precedent across our state, region and country when it comes to the development of infrastructure, and could be applied to many products – from airplanes, cars, to even agricultural or timber products.”
The announcement came in conjunction with the first hearings to be conducted separately by the Army Corps of Engineers and Washington State officials. Some oppose the terminals, on the basis that they will be used to ship coal in addition to other commodities. Increased coal shipments in particular will provide substantial private investment in infrastructure, something that will not only create new jobs, but will make the west coast ports more competitive.
Jeffrey Soth of the Operating Engineers concluded, “We urge the Washington State of Ecology to cooperate with the Army Corps of Engineers to conduct a review that is fair, accurate and timely. Further delays will inhibit the growth of our economy and ensure the world’s growing energy demand is met by other countries that do not share America’s values for protecting workers or the environment.”
Washington State AFL-CIO leaders testified in front of a committee of the King County Council that not only had the state chapter come out in support last year of the Gateway Pacific Terminal, but also that the national AFL-CIO passed a resolution during its convention earlier this month in support of the project.
The King County Council committee put off its vote on a motion to oppose the terminal project after Krohn spoke in support of it.
“The national AFL-CIO resolution joins the state AFL-CIO endorsement from last year, in its strong statement in support of the Northwest coal export projects and echoes what labor in the Northwest has been saying all along — these projects will bring long-term employment for families across the state, millions in private investment for infrastructure, and money for cash strapped schools,” Krohn said.
Pictured, from left, are SMART?Transportation Division Alternate National Legislative Director John Risch, SMART?Washington State Legislative Director Herb Krohn and Jeffrey Soth, assistant director of the Department of Legislative and Political Affairs, International Union of Operating Engineers, at a Sept. 25 press conference at the AFL-CIO in Washington, D.C.
OMAHA, Neb. – CSX Corp. remains optimistic the railroad’s profits will improve over the next two years even though coal demand has remained stubbornly weak.
Officials at the Jacksonville, Fla.-based railroad said Wednesday that shipments of intermodal containers and merchandise will continue to be a larger part of their business.
WASHINGTON – Amtrak has successfully negotiated contracts with 19 state transportation departments and other entities to increase state control and funding of 28 current passenger rail routes. America’s Railroad is now poised to move forward with state partners to further expand and improve the intercity passenger rail network.
“We thank these state leaders who have sent a strong message in favor of Amtrak service and the need to offer multiple mobility options for the traveling public across their regions,” said Amtrak President and CEO Joe Boardman.
California-Caltrans, California-Capitol Corridor Joint Powers Authority, Connecticut, Indiana, Illinois, Maine-Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin have each reached agreement for Amtrak to operate their state corridor services.
“These state-supported services are vital links in the Amtrak national network that bring value, connectivity, economic development and jobs to states and local communities,” stated Tony Coscia, chairman of the Amtrak board of directors.
The 28 state-supported routes are in addition to the Amtrak Acela Express and Northeast Regional services in the Northeast and the overnight long-distance trains that connect the regions, which combined have set new records for ridership over the past decade.
“This has been a long process and one that has produced agreements that are fair and consistent while recognizing the needs of these states and the unique qualities of these routes,” Boardman continued. “Many of these are our fastest growing services and we are working on expansion plans with our partners in several states.”
The agreements fulfill Section 209 of the federal Passenger Rail Investment and Improvement Act of 2008 (PRIIA). It required states to share costs with Amtrak under a consistent formula for all routes of less than 750 miles, excluding the Northeast Corridor. During the past four years, Amtrak and the states partnered to jointly develop the cost formula which received approval by the federal Surface Transportation Board.
Under the Section 209 policy, state partners will pay for approximately 85 percent of operating costs that are attributed to their routes, as well as for capital maintenance costs of the Amtrak equipment they use and for support costs such as safety programs and marketing. Amtrak will pay about 15 percent for “backbone” costs such as centralized dispatching and services, and back shops. States will continue to benefit from Amtrak’s incremental cost access rights to tracks owned by host railroads, dispatching priority and Amtrak capital investments that support the entire system such as technology improvements like eTicketing.
“Our state partners have told us they are expecting Amtrak to continue to improve the services we provide to them,” Boardman said. “It is a challenge I know we are ready to meet.”
SMART Transportation Division Local 1715 and Transit Management of Charlotte, Inc., agreed to a contract extension Oct. 14 that will expire Nov. 11, 2013, at midnight, according to Local Chairperson Kevin Moss.
Local 1715 represents bus operators for the Charlotte Area Transit System.
A previous contract extension was set to expire at midnight Oct. 15, the same day the union and CATS management had scheduled a contract negotiations meeting. However, that meeting was canceled because a federal mediator who was scheduled to participate in the meeting was unable to attend due to the federal government shutdown.
The company and the union agreed to have the mediator present at the meeting as this round of negotiations have reached an impasse, Moss said.
“Due to the government shutdown, the union and the company will enter a new extension. A contract extension is necessary for the union and the company until we are able to reschedule our next round of negotiations with a mediator. I am very hopeful that the federal government will resolve the issues that have led to this shutdown. We thank all of the members of Local 1715 for their patience,” Moss said.
WASHINGTON – Amtrak carried a record 31.6 million passengers in fiscal year 2013, delivering nationwide benefits, providing vital transportation services, advancing America’s economy and demonstrating the value and convenience of the national passenger rail network. It is the tenth ridership record in 11 years.
“Amtrak moves people, the economy and the nation forward everywhere the trains go,” said President and CEO Joe Boardman.
“In towns all across America, Amtrak brings economic opportunities for people, businesses and communities to grow and prosper,” stated Tony Coscia, chairman of the Amtrak board of directors.
During FY 2013, Amtrak’s state-supported corridor services grew to a new record of 15.4 million passengers. In addition, all long distance routes combined had the best ridership in 20 years with 4.8 million passengers. Ridership for all Northeast Corridor services reached 11.4 million passengers, the second best year ever. As evidence of a strong ridership rebound following Super Storm Sandy, the Northeast Regional service set a new record.
Also, FY 2013 produced eight individual monthly ridership records, the single best month in Amtrak history and new records on 20 routes. In addition, ticket revenue increased to a record $2.1 billion.
State-supported services are vital links in the Amtrak national network. The power of increasing demand for passenger rail is recognized through state investments to improve service, speed and safety. In addition, states and communities realize stations served by Amtrak are anchors for economic development, catalysts for historic preservation and tourism growth, sites for commercial and cultural uses, and points of civic pride.
Amtrak itself is an economic engine that returns nearly three dollars to local communities for every one dollar of federal investment (FY 2010-FY 2012). This support has allowed Amtrak to place more than $12.6 billion back into the economy through the purchasing of goods and services and employee salaries to maintain, operate and improve its national network.
“This year’s record ridership was achieved station by station in the more than 500 communities across America that Amtrak serves,” said Boardman.
MONTREAL – A former colleague of the train conductor involved in the Lac-Megantic, Que., derailment has set up a legal defence fund for the man. Randy MacDonald, 55, said he “wanted to help out” Tom Harding, the man at the centre of the explosions that killed 47 people in early July. Read the complete story at the Sault Star.
If you already read the Aug. 15 article titled “Great Lakes Faces Shortage of Pilots” that was written by James Chilton and published in the Wyoming Tribune Eagle, you may be interested in a broader view of the story.
In response to Great Lakes’ far-flung exertions across the western United States to garner public support through articles of small town newspapers of the communities to which Great Lakes flies, there may be a few things those articles neglected to tell you.
While it is true that the Federal Aviation Administration recently published the final rule increasing the qualification requirements for first officers from 250 to 1,500 flight hours (among other things), it was hardly the unexpected. You may have seen on the news that the Airline Safety and FAA Extension Act of 2010 included several new rulemakings to ensure the highest level of safety possible for the flying public. That’s right – the Act was created in 2010.
These regulations were quickly imposed following the tragic crash in February 2009 of Colgan Air Flight 3407 in Buffalo, N.Y., in which 50 lives were lost. Back in 2010, other airlines (and most significantly, other regional airlines) immediately began planning for this law and implementing new programs to ensure their compliance with the congressional mandate once it went into effect on Aug. 1, 2013. Great Lakes, however, did not.
Any pilot shortage that Great Lakes is now experiencing is completely self-imposed. In 2012, the company had hired 74 new flight crew members, while during the same time period, 43 members left. This was a net increase of 31 people. In contrast, by this time in 2013, the company has hired 15 new flight crew members, furloughed 25, and 78 members took employment elsewhere. This was a net loss of 88 people. Instead of taking proactive measures immediately following the new law being passed, Great Lakes chose to ignore reality until it was too late.
The company had options to offset the attrition rates and still does. They could pay competitive wages to attract pilots who are just beginning their careers. They could retain pilots by agreeing to the proposed collective bargaining agreement changes that would provide for pay increases, decent benefits and an improved quality of life, thereby enticing qualified individuals to stay.
Instead, in April 2013, Great Lakes Airlines attempted a last minute change in their operations hoping to sidestep the new qualification requirements for pilots by petitioning the FAA for what is known in the industry as a “split certificate.” This would allow the airline to, in effect, run two separate airline operations under the same company name. One operation would fall under the Part 121 certificate, which the airline currently has, and the other would fall under the new Part 135 certificate. Part 121 is what the public generally thinks of when they think of flying – scheduled revenue flights with predetermined departure and arrival times. Part 135 flights are generally considered “on-demand” or charter flights.
The FAA granted the split certificate in June, requiring the airline to physically remove 10 passenger seats from each 19-seat Beechcraft 1900D to comply with Part 135 requirements, thereby reducing the number of available seats on Part 135 routes.
But flights operated under Part 135 are not held to the same federal regulations and safety standards as flights operated under Part 121. This means that the airline would be able to dodge the new law and continue to hire pilots with less than 1,500 hours of flight time, since Part 135 operations are not required to comply with the new ruling.
The new law did not “force the airline to drop 30 pilots” as the company stated. The company simply chose to drop those pilots, some of whom had been flying for the company for over a year, because they were no longer qualified under the new regulations. Should those pilots have been required to get their 1,500 hours at their own expense to continue flying for Great Lakes? Of course not, but the airline required them to do just that. This approach by Great Lakes Airlines was not only unfair to the pilots, but also to the flying public whose service is now being disrupted, while the EAS tax dollars continue to flow into the airline’s pocket .
Prior to Aug. 1, 2013, the SMART Transportation Division had been researching possible solutions to the quickly approaching deadline in an effort to save the jobs of approximately 40 pilots – a full 15 percent of our membership. For months, SMART had encouraged the company to explicitly make the contractual scheduling rules more flexible to allow the lower-time pilots to optimize their opportunity for flight hours. The company has hindered those efforts. Individual pilots networked with ATP Flight Schools, who bent over backwards to offer the airline incredible deals that would have saved the company time and money.
The SMART Transportation Division approached Congress and the FAA to request a short extension “grandfather clause” to allow the affected pilots the ability to continue flying under the old regulations in order to achieve the required hours. Congress indicated that they would have agreed, pending a forthcoming collaborative letter from the airline. The company refused to write the letter.
So, where does this leave you? Pure and simple, Great Lakes’ pilots need your help. Contact your mayor and town council. Your airport manager, your congressional representative, your senator. Your local newspaper, your local television station, your favorite blogger. Your best friend’s cousin who knows a “guy.” Give them the link to this ruling.
Tell them that you don’t think it’s right that Great Lakes Airlines uses loopholes to avoid legislation. Tell them that you don’t think it’s right that the pilots at Great Lakes Airlines are working for less than minimum wage. Tell them that you don’t think it’s right that Great Lakes Airlines substitutes the Part 121 service that they agreed to provide to your EAS community with a Part 135 service because YOU, the flying public, will have fewer seats available, a less-experienced flight crew, and less frequent service while the Airline will continue to receive EAS taxpayer funding.
Tell them that you don’t think it’s right that the pilots at Great Lakes Airlines are required to work more grueling schedules, under more difficult conditions, with less sophisticated equipment, into more challenging environments, while working for lower wages and under rest rules that provide for less sleep than pilots at any other airline in the country.
Tell them that you don’t think it’s right that Great Lakes Airlines profits off the backs of hundreds of hardworking employees, just like you, who do the right thing and come to work every day, just to make sure that your family gets home safely.
Deregulation. In 2013, the word itself elicits some visceral reactions from people. The reactions tend to be felt through the prism of our ideological leanings.
OMAHA – Union Pacific says its third-quarter set revenue and per-share profit records as higher shipping rates helped the railroad offset flat volume overall and the traffic disruption from last month’s flooding in Colorado.
OMAHA, Neb. – CSX Corp. remains optimistic the railroad’s profits will improve over the next two years even though coal demand has remained stubbornly weak.
Philadelphia police are investigating three separate accidents involving SEPTA buses in Philadelphia.
WASHINGTON – Amtrak has successfully negotiated contracts with 19 state transportation departments and other entities to increase state control and funding of 28 current passenger rail routes. America’s Railroad is now poised to move forward with state partners to further expand and improve the intercity passenger rail network.
SMART Transportation Division Local 1715 and Transit Management of Charlotte, Inc., agreed to a contract extension Oct. 14 that will expire Nov. 11, 2013, at midnight, according to Local Chairperson Kevin Moss.
If you already read the Aug. 15 article titled “