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Arbitrator Frank Quinn, well known to hundreds of UTU officers and members as a long-time educator at UTU regional meetings, a respected neutral in rail arbitration cases and as an author, has died at age 80.

Francis Xavier Quinn earned bachelor of arts, master of arts and master of science degrees in education, theology and industrial relations, and a doctoral degree in alternative dispute resolution.

Quinn is survived by his wife of 30 years, Marlene Stoker Quinn, who frequently attended UTU regional meetings with her husband.

Expressions of condolence may be sent to:

Marlene Quinn
4213 Blackhaw Lane
Ft. Worth, TX 76107

As the initial SMART Transportation Division convention will be held in 2014 – one year earlier than a UTU quadrennial convention that no longer will take place owing to the merger – plus a second SMART convention, UTU delegates are being asked to approve a $1 monthly International dues increase to be deposited into the convention fund.

The increase, if approved by delegates, will become effective Feb. 1, 2013.

Delegates will be participating in two conventions in 2014 – the Transportation Division convention and the initial SMART convention.

In a letter to UTU delegates, UTU International President Mike Futhey said:

“Not only will the time between the 2011 UTU convention and these conventions be reduced from the usual four year period, delegates will be participating in two separate conventions in 2014. Obviously, the total expenses are expected to increase substantially and available funds will be insufficient due to the shortened time period.

“As a result, the UTU Board of Directors voted to present to the delegates the $1 dues increase to be placed in the convention fund. The UTU board said it is their recommendation “to adopt the needed increase assuring your voice will be heard.”

Delegates have until Nov. 30 to return their ballots.

Wier

UTU-represented yardmasters and hostlers employed by the Elgin, Joliet and Eastern Railway have ratified separate new six-year agreements by overwhelming majorities.

The new agreements provide for annual wage increases and back-pay; establish 401-k retirement plans, disability insurance and prior rights; increase life insurance; and place those members under the national railroad health and welfare plan that includes dental and vision coverage and provides for early retirement major medical coverage.

UTU International Vice President Dave Wier, who assisted with the negotiations, congratulated General Chairperson Cory Mayberry and Vice General Chairpersons Kevin Wright and Tommy Collins (all GO 329), for “ their dedication to the membership in negotiating and explaining contracts that provide for improvements in wages and benefits and deliver employment security and parity.” 

In September, UTU-represented brakemen, conductors and yardmen employed by Elgin, Joliet & Eastern Railway ratified a new agreement that also was negotiated with the assistance of Wier.

By John Risch,
Alternate National Legislative Director –

Congressional elections do matter. They make a difference when it comes to our job security, wages, benefits, retirement and our safety in the workplace.

President Obama and labor-friendly congressional representatives and senators not only believe in supporting public transit, Amtrak and high-speed rail, they assured funding was available to purchase more equipment, expand service, repair equipment, provide training and enhance minimum safety requirements.

One of the most important responsibilities of a president is to nominate members of federal regulatory agencies. President Obama nominated former UTU Illinois State Legislative Director Joe Szabo to head the Federal Railroad Administration; and former UTU Associate General Counsel Dan Elliott to chair the Surface Transportation Board, which determines labor protection in rail mergers, line sales and leases. Then, a Democratic-controlled Senate assured these nominees were confirmed to their posts.

A “President Romney” will nominate management-friendly individuals to regulatory agencies such as the FRA, the National Labor Relations Board, the National Mediation Board, the Surface Transportation Board, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, OSHA and the National Transportation Safety Board. A Republican-controlled Senate would rubber stamp his nominations.

Conservative Republicans who now control the House of Representatives have pushed to reduce, and even eliminate, funding for high-speed rail, Amtrak and transit, with no protections for adversely affected workers who lose their jobs. Some conservative Republicans also want to privatize Social Security, replace Medicare with a voucher program, make it more difficult to join a union, enact a national right-to-work (for less) law, and criminalize many labor union activities.

It is only because Democrats control the Senate (and labor-friendly Republicans who vote with them) that these terrible bills did not become law. If conservative Republicans take control of the House and Senate, they will pass these anti-worker bills; and Mitt Romney, if elected, will sign them into law.

Yes, elections do matter. This election will make a difference in job security, our safety in the workplace, our pensions and whether transportation workers can effectively bargain collectively. 

No matter the result, National Legislative Director James Stem and I, with help from state legislative directors and our new SMART partners in the Sheet Metal Workers International Association, will work to educate all elected lawmakers and appointed regulators.

Our efforts to protect UTU member jobs, paychecks, benefits, retirement and workplace safety will be considerably easier if we elect labor-friendly candidates to Congress and return Barack Obama to the White House.

I urge you to review the UTU voting recommendations in the centerfold of the October issue of the UTU News and recognize the importance to you and your family of voting Nov. 6.

You may also view the UTU’s congressional endorsements by clicking on the following link and scrolling down to “Congressional Endorsements: 2012”:

https://www.smart-union.org/news/vote-on-november/

If you are voting absentee by mail, note that your ballot might need extra postage. 

Many absentee ballots for the Nov. 4 presidential election are so long and weigh so much that mailing them back to elections supervisors requires extra postage, in many cases. 

The U.S. Postal Service generally returns mail with insufficient postage to the sender, but that can take days.

Mailing costs vary, depending on everything from the size of the envelope to the weight of the paper. Check with your local postal authorities for proper postage.

This article, provided by Palmetto GBA Railroad Medicare, outlines the various “parts” of Medicare and explains which types of services are covered under each.

What Is Part A?

Part A includes inpatient hospital, skilled nursing facility (or SNF), nursing home, hospice and home health services care. It also includes long-term care acute care (LTAC). Part A Medicare claims are processed by the local Medicare administrative contractor for your state. Railroad Medicare processes your Part B claims, while your local Medicare administrative contractor handles your Part A claims.

 What is Part B?

Part B services include medically necessary services and preventive services provided by doctors/physicians/surgeons and practitioners (such as nurse practitioners, physician assistants, qualified clinical psychologists, clinical social workers, certified midwifes and certified registered nurse anesthetists). Other providers and suppliers in the Part B program include chiropractors, podiatrists, ambulance services, and laboratories. Claims for these types of services are processed by Railroad Medicare/Palmetto GBA in Augusta, Ga.

 What is Part C?

Part C is Medicare Advantage plans, such as Health Maintenance Organizations (HMO) and Preferred Provider Organizations (PPO). These plans are offered by private companies that contract with Medicare to cover your Part A and B benefits. Other Medicare Advantage Plans include:

* Private Fee-For-Service (PFFS) – PFFS are offered by private insurance companies and let you receive health care from any doctor or other health care provider or hospital in the PFFS plan. Prescription drug coverage may also be offered by a PFFS plan.

* Special Needs Plans (SNP) – SNP limits membership to patients with specific illnesses and customizes their benefits to serve the needs of their members. For more information on SNP, please visit www.Medicare.gov.

* Medical Savings Accounts (MSA) – MSAs have a high deductible and in many cases only pays for covered Part A and B services once you have reached your deductible.  The plan deposits funds (which typically are less than the deductible) into a designated account to pay for your health care services during the year.

 What is Part D?

Part D is coverage for prescription drugs, and like Part C, the program is administered by private insurance companies. Part D plans have their own list of covered medicines, with a tiered pricing system. This means that some drugs, such as generics, may be in the lowest tier and have the lowest copayment. Drugs in the highest tiers would have the highest copayment. If you sign up for a Part D plan when you are first eligible you avoid paying a penalty. A penalty would be assessed if you don’t join when you were first eligible and you don’t have other drug coverage or don’t receive “Extra Help”. Beneficiaries with limited income and assets may qualify for “Extra Help” to help pay for prescription drugs. This program is administered through the Social Security program and Medicare. For more information, please visit www.SSA.gov/prescriptionhelp/.

 DMEPOS

DMEPOS stands for coverage of Durable Medical Equipment, Prosthesis and Prosthetic Devices, Orthotics and Supplies. DMEPOS would include items such as walkers, wheelchairs, diabetic shoes, and hospital beds, to name a few. Claims for these and many more products are filed to Durable Medical Equipment (DME) Medicare Administrative Contractors. Railroad Medicare doesn’t handle DME claims.

 An example of how the letters work together

An example of how one procedure is covered by multiple parts of Medicare is for individuals receiving a cardiac pacemaker. The actual pacemaker (which is a DMEPOS — prosthetic device) is billed to your local DME Medicare administrative contractor.  Hospital charges fall under your Part A benefit, and the physician’s fee, including post-surgical care, is billed to Part B.

 If you have questions about your Railroad Medicare (Part B) claims, call Palmetto’s beneficiary contact center at (800) 833-4455, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. until 7 p.m. ET. For the hearing impaired, call TTY/TDD at (877) 566-3572. This line is for the hearing impaired with the appropriate dial-up service and is available during the same hours customer service representatives are available. You can also visit Palmetto’s website at www.PalmettoGBA.com/rr/me.

For more information about the general Medicare program, or specifically about Part C or Part D, you can contact your local state health insurance counseling and assistance program, or SHIP. SHIP is a free program offered by all 50 states, as well as Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. SHIP counselors can help you learn more about the Medicare program and Medicare supplemental plans, as well as other long-term insurance options. To find a SHIP office for your state, visit http://www.medicare.gov/contacts/organization-search-criteria.aspx and enter “SHIP — State Health Insurance Assistance Program” and select your state. Or you may call (800) MEDICARE for more information.

Conservative Republicans Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan are committed to repealing the Affordable Care Act.

Conservative Republicans also are committed to privatizing Social Security and turning Medicare into a voucher program with more costs coming out of retirees’ pockets. By contrast, President Obama is committed to preserving Social Security and Medicare as we know it.

When it comes to collective bargaining rights, conservative Republicans Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan have publicly congratulated the conservative Republican governors of Wisconsin and Ohio who pushed to curtail and eliminate those rights – especially for public employees. Contrast that attack on collective bargaining rights with the Democratic Party platform position, which is also the Obama/Biden position:  

“Democrats believe that the right to organize and collectively bargain is a fundamental American value; every American should have a voice on the job and a chance to negotiate for a fair day’s pay after a hard day’s work. We will continue to fight for the right of all workers to organize and join a union.”

We in the transit industry have held our own in these difficult economic times because the Obama administration and our labor-friendly allies in Congress – labor-friendly Republicans as well as Democrats — fought to preserve transit funding. We know what would happen to transit funding if conservative Republicans control the White House and Congress, as they have made clear they would reduce transit funding.

Had conservative Republicans been the majority in the Senate as well as the House, many of our bus operations would have been privatized, our collective bargaining rights would have been curtailed, and our wages, benefits and work rules would be in jeopardy.

All brothers and sisters in organized labor face attack by conservative Republicans. On Election Day, we must take the time and effort to cast our ballots – and encourage others to cast their ballots – to return President Obama and Vice President Biden to the White House and cast ballots for the labor-friendly candidates. A listing of labor friendly candidates is provided by clicking the following link and scrolling down to “Congressional endorsements”:

https://www.smart-union.org/news/vote-on-november/

This election is about saving our middle class. Let us stand strong against those corporate-backed candidates who want to destroy labor unions and curtail worker collective bargaining rights. Our job security, pay checks, health care and retirement are at stake.

Eligible railroad employees and/or dependents can now complete their annual re-enrollment online at the Railroad Information Depot website.

The website also contains information about the Flexible Spending Account (FSA) now available for employees of participating railroads.

Employees covered under the NRC/UTU Health and Welfare Plan and the Railroad Employees National Health and Welfare Plan have received information in the mail recently announcing the open enrollment and have been provided the log-in code necessary to view the online information.

Go to www.rrinfodepot.com and scroll to the bottom left corner for the link to enter the enrollment page.

Note that this enrollment is only for those employees covered under the NRC/UTU Health and Welfare Plan and the Railroad Employees National Health and Welfare Plan.

 

You can’t vote often on Election Day, Nov. 6, but you can vote early.

Most states permit early voting by those who may not be near their voting location on Election Day.

For UTU members who work unconventional hours and are frequently at away-from-home terminals, early voting assures you will be able cast a ballot.

Early voting is different than casting an absentee ballot.

To determine if your state permits early voting, and to view the instructions and dates for casting an early ballot, click on the following link and scroll down to your state:

http://www.longdistancevoter.org/early_voting_rules#.UGBaipgzK5R

There is also time, in most states, for requesting an absentee ballot. For more information on obtaining an absentee ballot, click on the following link and then click on your state:

http://www.longdistancevoter.org/absentee_ballots

This may be the most important election in the careers of transportation workers and their families. Don’t allow others to determine your future.

Also, if you are voting absentee by mail, note that your ballot might need extra postage. 

Many absentee ballots for the Nov. 4 presidential election are so long and weigh so much that mailing them back to elections supervisors requires extra postage, in many cases. 

The U.S. Postal Service generally returns mail with insufficient postage to the sender, but that can take days.

Mailing costs vary, depending on everything from the size of the envelope to the weight of the paper. Check with your local postal authorities for proper postage.

 

The airline industry is in a sorry state of affairs. From the bungled merger of U.S. Airways with America West in 2006 to the recent efforts of American Airlines to use the bankruptcy process to cancel its union contracts, the industry is attempting to return to profitability at the expense of its employees.

The take-it-or-leave-it negotiating tactics that result from bankruptcies and mergers are all too common in today’s airline industry.

Throughout the turmoil, the employees of the nation’s airlines continue to show up for work and staff more than 25,000 flights every day. UTU members who fly for Great Lakes Airlines are no exception – at least for the time being. Local 40 flight attendants were at the bargaining table with Great Lakes management for 10 years; and Local 40 pilots have been facing a negotiating stone wall for three years.

Following years of fruitless negotiations, and under provisions of the Railway Labor Act, the UTU asked the National Mediation Board to declare an impasse in talks and proffer binding arbitration. “As the NMB mediator has observed, Great Lakes management is not bargaining in good faith and has declined even to consider UTU contract changes,” said UTU Assistant President John Previsich, who is assisting in negotiations.

Local 40 pilots continue to await a decision from the NMB. If the NMB does make that proffer, and Great Lakes rejects it, the clock will start a 90-day countdown to either a negotiated settlement, presidential emergency board recommendations for settlement or a work stoppage if a settlement cannot be reached before the 90-day clock expires.

“Self-help is not UTU’s desired outcome for this process, as it would have a significant negative impact on our members and the public,” Previsich said. “The UTU’s desire is that the parties reach a mutually satisfactory agreement and avoid any interruption in service as Great Lakes is the lone airline serving many small cities and towns.

“The fact remains that our pilots’ working conditions and wages at Great Lakes are substandard, putting daily pressure on those pilots whose highest priority is to fly passengers safely,” Previsich said. “Great Lakes pilots, with extensive training and experience, are among the lowest paid of any scheduled passenger airline in the United States, with some paid less than entry-level retail and food service jobs.”

While the consequences of a work stoppage can be severe for both the company and its employees, the pilot group on Great Lakes stands united, awaiting action from the NMB.

In the words of a member of the negotiating team: “The airline refuses to pay a living wage while reaping millions in profit every year. The pilots are tired of it and we will do whatever it takes to improve the conditions for our members.”