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U.S. Capitol Building; Capitol Building; Washington D.C.WASHINGTON – A two-year blueprint for transportation spending has emerged from the Senate, but House action still is required before a bill is ready for President Obama’s signature into law.

Notwithstanding the headlines, the Senate’s passage of the two-year S. 1813, “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century” (MAP 21), is but one congressional action necessary before Amtrak, bus, transit, high-speed rail and commuter airlines will see any new federal dollars flow their way.

The focus now shifts to the House of Representatives, which previously failed in an effort to pass a multi-year transportation spending authorization bill. There was speculation that the House would simply let the Senate act and then vote the Senate bill. That now may not be the case, and the entire matter of a multi-year transportation authorization bill continues to be enveloped in a fog.

Here’s what’s important:

The Senate bill delivers flexible spending options to transit systems, meaning they can use funds otherwise and earlier earmarked for new equipment instead to maintain service and bring furloughed workers back to the job. Recall that conservatives in the House opposed such flexibility. The Senate approval of that provision will make it more difficult for House conservatives to succeed on that issue. (One might hope House conservatives will view reality differently now — especially given that 85 percent of transit systems have been forced to cut service or furlough workers in the face of record ridership as gasoline prices soar In many cases, new buses sit idle because their are no funds to employ the drivers).

Additionally, MAP 21, as approved by the Senate:

* Continues the use of a portion of the highway-fuels tax for transit subsidies — another provision that House conservatives oppose.

* Instructs the U.S. Department of Transportation to develop a long-range national plan for further development of high-speed rail. House conservatives oppose additional spending on high-speed rail.

* Includes provisions to strengthen Amtrak and improve Amtrak’s Northeast Corridor linking Washington, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and Boston. House conservatives want to privatize Amtrak; and presidential hopeful Mitt Romney said this week he would seek to end all federal support for Amtrak.

* Authorizes additional federal dollars for transit passenger safety and security efforts, including additional transit-worker training.

* Rejects privatization initiatives that would open transit system employment to non-union operators intent on cutting wages and benefits.

* Strengthens “Buy America” requirements for new transit equipment and projects.

Safety 1st; Safety FirstJob briefings can prevent serious injuries and fatalities, says the Federal Railroad Administration in a switching fatalities and severe injury update. The FRA cites 23 fatalities that have occurred as a result of what it terms “inadequate job briefings.”

The FRA offers the following tips for “an effective job briefing”:

* First, a job briefing is different from a safety briefing. A job briefing is specific to upcoming work and its interrelated and independent tasks. A safety briefing is more general, often occurring at the beginning of a shift

* Ongoing communication is crucial among employees during the entire time switching operations are being performed, including periods when tasks are changing or when anomalies occur. Thus, it is important always to monitor work-in-progress, especially for anomalies. When work changes occur, the employees involved may not maintain current with these changes. They may be unaware of the tasks to be performed, and this may place them in peril.

* All crew members should be empowered to stop work and request a job briefing

* A job briefing is a two-way exchange of information to reach an understanding of the tasks being performed. All should participate in the job briefing, regardless of seniority. All should be heard about concerns of upcoming work. All should understand the exact nature of work to be performed

* A job briefing cannot be standardized, generalized or simply rule based. Switching acts can be unique to circumstances and location. A briefing must be adequate and specific to the acts. Fatalities have resulted even after a job briefing because the briefing was not adequate

* At a minimum, a job briefing should include:
  
       * Who will act
       * What act is to be done
       * Where the act will occur
       * When the act will occur
       * Why the act is being done

* An effective job briefing can prevent harm to employees monitoring switching operations for anomalies from what was planned. Stopping work when appropriate, and holding an effective job briefing, are part of safe operating practices.

For more information on FRA safety advisories, click on the following link:

www.fra.dot.gov/Pages/1781.shtml

To review the first quarter, 2012, Switching Operations Fatality Analysis (SOFA) report, click on the following link:

https://www.smart-union.org/td/switching-operations-fatality-analysis/
 

Positive train control (PTC) is modern technology to reduce train accidents, save lives and limbs, improve on-time performance and produce revenue-enhancing business benefits for railroads.

PTC utilizes the satellite global positioning system (GPS), wireless communications and central control centers to monitor trains and prevent collisions by automatically applying the brakes on trains exceeding authorized speeds, about to run a red light, violate a work zone or run through a switch left in the wrong position.

For two decades, the National Transportation Safety Board has had PTC installation at the top of its public-safety objectives. The UTU worked with labor-friendly lawmakers to include a mandate for PTC installation in the Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008, with a 2015 implementation deadline.

However, the Association of American Railroads, which represents the freight railroad industry – and which 30 years ago was an aggressive proponent of an earlier version of PTC, called Advanced Train Control Systems – is lobbying Congress for a multi-year delay in widespread PTC installation, while offering other options for safety improvements instead of PTC.

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington says lawmakers supporting the lengthy delay – including House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee Chairman John Mica (R-Fla.) and House Rail Transportation Subcommittee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.) – are among the biggest recipients of freight-railroad campaign contributions.

Some commuter railroads and Amtrak view matters quite differently – especially Los Angeles Metrolink, where 25 people died and 135 were injured in a 2008 head-on train accident at Chatsworth, Calif., that safety experts say could have been prevented had PTC been in place.

Amtrak (on track it owns), Metrolink, Chicago Metra and Southeast Pennsylvania Transportation Authority (SEPTA) — in conjunction with owners of track over which they operate — are among commuter systems striving to have PTC operational as early as 2013. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said BNSF will meet the current 2015 implementation date.

Sadly, according to news reports, 24 other commuter railroads and the American Public Transportation Association place a higher priority on spending for gussied up passenger stations, platforms and even new office buildings for executives, and are supporting the delay in PTC implementation.

Los Angeles Metrolink President John Fenton, who adamantly places safety first, told Congress, “We don’t think there is any time to waste given the unforgiving nature of the environment in which we operate.” In bitter memory of the Chatsworth disaster, Fenton and Metrolink employees wear green wrist bands with the words, “Never Again.”

Metrolink is leading the fight against any delay in widespread PTC implementation, explaining that PTC installation costs would be far lower were PTC architecture and components purchased in greater quantity, which would create vendor competition, introduce standardization and spread overhead costs among all railroads.

“PTC can be the technological edge that helps Metrolink achieve the safest operations possible,” says Fenton. “We believe PTC is perhaps the most important safety innovation in our lifetime.”

UTU National Legislative Director James Stem and Alternate National Legislative Director John Risch have been delivering a single message to Congress: “Implementation of PTC is a small price to pay for saving lives and limbs. We need this modern technology safety overlay to protect passengers, the public and train crews.”

In another sign the economy is improving, Norfolk Southern Railway says it needs to hire more conductors in Pennsylvania.

The company says it plans to hold recruiting sessions Tuesday, March 20, in Harrisburg, Pa., and Thursday, March 22, in the Allentown, Pa., area to seek candidates for train conductor positions. 

Those selected will join NS as conductor trainees, who operate switches, couple rail cars, and work on trains in yards or over the road. 

NS says it has hired more than 600 people since January and expects to add another 2,000 workers in 2012.

For more information, go to the NS website.

 

 

Local treasurers should note that employees will continue to receive the benefit of reduced payroll taxes and access to extended unemployment benefits under legislation signed by President Barack Obama on Feb. 22.

That law, the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, maintains a reduction in the social security payroll tax on employees, and the corresponding tier I payroll tax rate on railroad employees, of two percentage points.

It also provides that out-of-work members can obtain extended unemployment benefits through the end of calendar year 2012.

To view the U.S. tax amounts and percentages for 2012, click here.

BOSTON — Have you ever thought it would be nice to hear an employer give credit to the front-line workers who do the heavy lifting?

Well, such long overdue recognition came from Massachusetts Bay Commuter Railroad (MBCR) General Manager Hugh Kiley Jr. March 1, and he should know it didn’t go unnoticed or unappreciated.

In reporting a record on-time performance for Boston’s commuter railroad, whose conductors – the men and women who decide when the wheels turn and when they don’t — are represented by the UTU, Kiley said, “Credit must go to the 1,900 men and women who focus every day on the customer experience, as well as the union leadership, which has created a true partnership with management to provide excellent results for customers.”

Indeed. Trains don’t run on time on their own. It is the union-represented men and women on the front lines who ensure the trains run on time – and Kiley said what has long needed to be said by senior management.

Kiley took over as GM of MBCR in October 2010, following some 40 years of achievement with Conrail and Norfolk Southern, and as co-chair of a talented team that designed, in Chicago, a public-private transportation partnership to improve the efficient flow of rail freight and rail passenger trains through that congested region – the $3.2 billion Chicago Region Environmental and Transportation Efficiency Program (CREATE).

Kiley began his railroad career as a brakeman on Penn Central.

As for the record performance, MBCR posted a record 94.7 percent on time percentage in February for its commuter trains – a continuation of a high-level of MBCR service that began in 2011.

In praising MBCR employees and their union leadership, Kiley also cited the hiring of additional train and engine crews and MBCR’s emphasis on training.

MBCR provides service to 40 million commuters annually to and from some 80 cities and towns in Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

There is a smartphone app for SMART TD members covered under the Railroad Employees National Health and Welfare Plan or the National Railway Carriers and SMART TD Health and Welfare Plan.
The  mobile app is available for users of iPhone, Blackberry and Droid platforms, and the app will link to Aetna, Highmark BCBS, United Healthcare and Medco.
The app will allow you to:
* Obtain your member number and other pertinent information, and even allow you to print a temporary medical ID card.
* Obtain cost and quality data for certain providers and services (transparency tools can help you make more informed choices).
* Access claims information, popular tools and explanation of benefits.
* Find providers in your area, call them and obtain directions to the provider.
* Check your benefits and coverage information.
* Contact member services via phone or email.
Here is how to download the app:
* Log onto your secure member sites of Aetna (www.aetna.com); Highmark BCBS (www.highmarkbcbs.com); United Healthcare (www.myuhc.com); or Medco (www.medco.com).
You will need your secure user ID and password to proceed. If not registered on the site, you will have to do so when you log on.
Once logged on, you will find information on how to download the provider’s app to your smartphone.
Remember that federal regulations or employer policies may prohibit your using electronic devices, including smartphones, while on duty.

VSP Vision Care is working to fulfill the eye care needs of those directly affected by recent tornadoes throughout the Midwest.

* Any VSP member who has lost or broken their eyewear due to the tornadoes may call the VSP member services support line at (800) 877-7195 to have their VSP benefits reinstated regardless of eligibility.

* Individuals without VSP coverage can contact their local American Red Cross chapter and request a VSP eye care voucher.

UTU members hearing about a National Sleep Foundation study just released might be tempted to roll their eyes and ask – depending on craft – “Does ballast contain rip-rap? Do buses have headlights? Do airplanes have wings?”

Yet, sometimes, what is as obvious to transportation workers as closed eyelids on a fellow employee isn’t so obvious to those who shape and make laws and regulations at the state and federal levels. For all the efforts of the UTU’s National Legislative Office and state legislative directors, too many lawmakers still don’t properly understand the problem of transport worker fatigue — that, at worst, it  kills and maims, and habitually distrupts family life.

So when a nationally recognized and well-respected research organization, such as the non-partisan, non-profit National Sleep Foundation speaks, many ears among opinion leaders and decision makers that previously weren’t listening elsewhere tune in.

This is what the National Sleep Foundation reported March 3:

* The people we trust to take us or our loved ones from place to place struggle with sleep.

* Pilots and train operators are most likely to report sleep-related job performance and safety problems.

* About 25 percent of railroad and airline workers in safety sensitive positions admit that sleepiness has affected their job performance at least once a week. This compares to about 17 percent of non-transportation workers.

* One-in-five pilots and almost one-in-five rails has made a serious error or had a close call due to sleepiness.

* Six percent of transportation workers — air, bus and rail — have been involved in car accidents due to sleepiness while commuting to or from work. This compares with just 1 percent of non-transportation workers.

* Among all workers, airline and rail workers in safety sensitive positions report the most workday sleep dissatisfaction.

* Almost two-thirds of rail workers in safety sensitive positions and one-half of airline workers in safety sensitive positions say they rarely or never get a good night’s sleep on work nights.

* If given one more hour off between work shifts, over one-half of pilots and rail workers in safety sensitive positions report that they would use the hour for sleep.

* Transportation workers have challenging schedules that compete with the natural need for sleep.

UTU National Legislative Director James Stem says that “while there has been some improvement in safety laws and regulations aimed at combating fatigue affecting transportation workers, those laws and regulations fall far short of what is needed.

“There remains a total lack of predictable work schedules for safety critical operating employees,” Stem says. “And there remains a misapplication of existing work-rest provisions that actually make fatigue-reducing applications worse – especially for regularly scheduled yard assignments.

“For commuter airline pilots, the problem of fatigue abatement is especially severe,” Stem says. “Commuter airline pilots and flight attendants in safety critical roles are not furnished lodging during break periods, requiring them to use public airport facilities, rather than hotel rooms, for rest periods.”

The UTU National Legislative Office and UTU state legislative directors will be using the results of this National Sleep Foundation study to educate lawmakers and regulators – a study that will beef-up existing education efforts.

Meanwhile, the National Sleep Foundation offers the following advice, which, in some cases, will help transportation workers obtain better rest:

* Use your bedroom only for sleep to strengthen the association between your bed and sleep. It may help to remove work materials, computers and televisions from your bedroom.

* Select a relaxing bedtime ritual, like a warm bath or listening to calming music.

* Create an environment conducive to sleep that is quiet, dark and cool, with a comfortable mattress and pillows.

* If you can’t sleep, go into another room and do something relaxing until you feel tired.

* Exercise regularly, but avoid vigorous workouts close to bedtime.

* If you are experiencing excessive sleepiness during work hours, contact your health care professional for a sleep apnea screening.

MINNEAPOLIS — The United Transportation Union and Progressive Rail have finalized a first-time collective bargaining agreement for Progressive Rail train and engine workers represented by the UTU.

Progressive Rail is a shortline with four locations around Minneapolis, interchanging with major railroads.

UTU International Vice President John Previsich, who assisted in the negotiations – aided by a mediator with the National Mediation Board – said the agreement “provides for significant wage increases with pay classifications equal for all, a grievance process and a seniority preference for assignments and bidding. Overall, this is an excellent first agreement that dramatically improves wages, rules and working conditions for Progressive Rail employees.”

Previsich said the agreement received “overwhelming approval by the covered employees, who are to be commended for their solidarity and perseverance through a long and drawn-out negotiating process.

Praised were the negotiating efforts of General Chairperson James Nelson (GO 261), “who was instrumental in obtaining the fair and equitable agreement that the Progressive Rail employees deserve,” Previsich said. “Also deserving of recognition are Minnesota State Legislative Director Phil Qualy and the officers and members of UTU Local 911, all of whom supported the negotiating effort during every step of the process.”