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OMAHA — Union Pacific CEO Jim Young announced March 2 that he will take a medical leave of absence to be treated for recently diagnosed pancreatic cancer.

John J. Koraleski, executive vice president for marketing and sales will serve as acting president and CEO during Young’s absence.

Since joining UP in 1972, Koraleski has held a number of executive positions including controller of Union Pacific Corporation and executive vice president-finance and chief financial officer of Union Pacific Railroad. He also has held positions in the railroad’s information technologies, real-estate, and administrative departments. 
 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
 
 
 

Pursuant to a
long-established plan for such situations, John J. Koraleski, executive vice
president-Marketing and Sales, will serve as acting president and CEO during
Mr. Young’s absence.

Steven Rogel,
Union Pacific’s lead independent director, said: “The board has a great
deal of confidence in Jack, Rob Knight our CFO, Lance Fritz our head of
operations, and the entire management team. We are confident that our company
will continue to provide great service to our customers while meeting the
financial and safety objectives we have set for ourselves and our shareholders
expect.”

Since joining
the railroad in 1972, Koraleski has held a number of executive positions
including controller of Union Pacific Corporation and executive vice
president-finance and chief financial officer of Union Pacific Railroad. He
also has held positions in the railroad’s information technologies,
real-estate, and administrative departments. He earned both a bachelor’s and
master’s degree in business administration from the University of Nebraska at
Omaha.

“As Jim
undergoes his treatment, he has the prayers and support of all 45,000 employees
of the UP Team. Our commitment to him, our customers, and our shareholders is
continued strong performance of our Company and another record-setting year for
Union Pacific,” Koraleski said.

The use of a
medical leave of absence by the chief executive officer is consistent with
company policy established several years ago by the board of directors to
ensure management continuity in the case of a change in the status of the CEO.
The policy and the assignment of an acting CEO are reviewed regularly by the
board’s corporate governance and nominating committee.

WASHINGTON – In a Feb. 29, 2012, Federal Register notice, the Federal Railroad Administration provides its interpretation of hours-of-service laws “arising out of some of the complex and important amendments enacted in 2008 to the Federal railroad safety laws that govern such matters as how long a railroad may require or allow an employee in a certain category to remain on duty and how long the railroad must give the employee off duty before the employee may go on duty again.”

The FRA said, “In issuing this interpretation, FRA has considered public comments that it received on its June 2009 document that contained the agency’s interim interpretations.”

To read the 24-page Federal Register notice of Feb. 29, 2012, click on the following link:

Federal Register / February 29, 2012

OSHA logo; OSHAWASHINGTON – Whistleblower protection administered by the Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has been elevated in agency priority, with the program now administered directly by OSHA’s assistant secretary of labor.

The Department of Labor said the administrative change was an effort “to strengthen employees’ voices in the workplace.”

“The ability of workers to speak out and exercise their rights without fear of retaliation provides the backbone for some of American workers’ most essential legal protections,” said OSHA’s Assistant Secretary of Labor Dr. David Michaels.   

OSHA also announced that it has launched pilot projects in 10 field regions that could further strengthen the whistleblower program.

OSHA enforces the whistleblower provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, and 20 other statutes — including the Federal Rail Safety Act of 2007 — protecting employees who report alleged violations of various workplace safety regulations.

Over the past several years, OSHA has cited numerous railroads for violations of whistleblower protection, imposing hefty fines and reparations in favor of injured workers who suffered harassment or intimidation for reporting workplace injuries.

An employee may file a whistleblower complaint directly with OSHA, or may contact a UTU designated legal counsel, general chairperson or state legislative director for assistance.

A listing of UTU designated legal counsel is available at https://www.smart-union.org/td/designated-legal-counsel// or may be obtained from local or general committee officers or state legislative directors.

To view a more detailed OSHA fact sheet, click on the following link:

www.osha.gov/Publications/OSHA-factsheet-whistleblower-railroad.pdf

 

A New Jersey Transit conductor has been arrested and charged with official misconduct, theft and conspiracy, according to news reports, following a seven-month investigation into missing ticket money.

The alleged crime is said to have occurred on NJT’s North Jersey Coast Line between New York City and Bay Head, N.J.

Conductor Robert Broschart was arrested along with a non-NJT employee – Phillip Swanger – on charges brought by the Monmouth County prosecutor and NJT. They are charged with defrauding NJT of thousands of dollars in ticket money over a one-year period. Broschart faces up to 20 years in prison, according to news reports.

U.S. Capitol Building; Capitol Building; Washington D.C.A daily fact of life for train crews is transportation to and from terminals in shuttle-vans operated by firms under contract to railroads.

Over the past year, four crew members died and another was seriously injured in two separate accidents while riding in shuttle vans.

Shuttle-van drivers are almost always non-union and required to work long hours under horrendous working conditions. Understandably, driver turnover is substantial, which has frustrated previous efforts to organize these drivers.

Our National Legislative Office and UTU state legislative directors have long fought for better shuttle-van safety, seeking regulations requiring improved training, hours-of-service limitations and better pay and benefits for the drivers.

In several states, the UTU has been successful in gaining passage of legislation regulating shuttle vans, to include minimum driver-hiring qualifications, maximum hours-of-service limitations, driver drug-testing requirements, fully operational seat belts, annual state DOT inspections of the vans, and state DOT certification of vehicle maintenance inspections and repair records.

Shock resulted last month when Rep. Larry Bucshon (R-Ind.) was successful in adding an amendment to a highway-funding bill in the House of Representatives that would strip shuttle-van drivers, operating in interstate commerce, of minimum wage and overtime protection – a significant step backward in the push for improved shuttle-van safety.

Equally shocking was a news report that the president of one shuttle-van service – Professional Transportation, Inc. – had donated, along with his wife, more than $55,000 in political contributions last year to Republican lawmakers, including Bucshon.

The news report observed that many van-shuttle drivers are paid minimum wage – which no longer would be their wage floor — and sometimes spend 60 hours a week behind the wheel. Other shuttle-van firms that would benefit from this Bucshon amendment include RailCrew Xpress, Renzenberger and Coach America.

Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), who is working to kill the Bucshon amendment, said, “It’s outrageous that House Republicans are trying to take away overtime protections for a class of workers at the behest of a special interest.”

The UTU National Legislative Office is working with other members of the House, who similarly recognize the public safety implications of the Bucshon amendment, to ensure it does not survive.

WASHINGTON – Qualification requirements for first officers who fly for U.S. passenger and cargo airlines would be “substantially” raised under a proposed Federal Aviation Administration new rulemaking to be published in the Federal Register Feb. 29.

The agency, in a notice of proposed rulemaking, is responding to a mandate in the Airline Safety and Federal Aviation Administration Extension Act of 2010.

The FAA, subject to public comment and publication of a final rule, proposes that first officers – also known as copilots – hold an Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) certificate, requiring 1,500 hours of pilot flight time. Currently, first officers are required to have only a commercial pilot certificate, which requires 250 hours of flight time.

The proposed rule also would require first officers to have an aircraft-type rating, which involves additional training and testing specific to the airplanes they fly.

Other highlights of the proposed rule include:

* A requirement that pilots have a minimum of 1,000 flight hours as a pilot in air carrier operations that require an ATP prior to serving as a captain for a U.S. airline.

* Enhanced training requirements for an ATP certificate, including 50 hours of multi-engine flight experience and completion of a new FAA-approved training program.

* An allowance for pilots with fewer than 1,500 hours of flight time, but who have an aviation degree or military pilot experience, to obtain a “restricted privileges” ATP certificate. These pilots could serve only as a first officer, not as a captain. Former military pilots with 750 hours of flight time could apply for an ATP certificate with restricted privileges. Graduates of a four-year baccalaureate aviation degree could to obtain an ATP with 1,000 hours of flight time only if they also obtained a commercial pilot certificate and instrument rating from a pilot school affiliated with the university or college.

To read the notice of proposed rulemaking, click on the following link:

http://archives.gov/federal-register/public-inspection/

The public may comment on the proposal for 60 days after publication Feb. 29 in the Federal Register.

 

BURLINGTON, Ont. – Three Canada VIA Rail crew members riding in the lone locomotive of a five-car passenger train died in a derailment here Feb. 26.

More than 40 passengers and another crew member were injured, many seriously. News reports indicate the fourth crewmember suffered minor injuries.

Burlington, on a shoreline of Lake Ontario, is some 40 miles southwest of Toronto and some 70 miles northwest of Buffalo. The passenger train was enroute to Toronto from Niagara Falls.

The VIA Rail train was operating over tracks of Canadian National.

The locomotive, with the three crew members in the cab, reportedly slid violently into a building alongside the tracks. The dead crew members were identified as Ken Simmonds, 56, and Peter Snarr, 52, both of Toronto, and Patrick Robinson, 40, of Cornwall.

Canada’s Transportation Safety Board was dispatched to begin an investigation as to the cause of the deadly derailment.

The UTU International will conduct a workshop for local treasurers May 15-17 in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Cleveland workshop will be held at the UTU International offices in North, Olmsted, Ohio.

Attendance is limited to 24 registrants at the Cleveland workshop. Newly elected local treasurers are encouraged to attend.

Those interested in attending should contact Nancy Miller, executive assistant to the general secretary & treasurer, at (216) 228-9400, or email her at n_miller @utu.org, as soon as possible.

The three-day session will include all training and materials at no cost to local treasurers. The local is responsible for other costs associated with the treasurer’s attendance, including travel, lodging and meals. These expenses, as well as lost time or salary, may be reimbursed as an allowable expense if pre-approved at a local meeting.

The workshops will provide local treasurers with hands-on training on the responsibilities and reporting duties of their office, including instruction on direct receipts and Winstabs. The workshops will also focus on completion of mandatory filings for LM reports, Form 990 and Department of Labor requirements.

The Cleveland workshop will be held at the UTU International Headquarters at 24950 Country Club Blvd., Suite 340, in North Olmsted. UTU corporate room rates of $78 per night, plus tax, are available at the Radisson Hotel Cleveland Airport located at 25070 Country Club Blvd., which is conveniently located adjacent to the UTU Headquarters. The Radisson hotel provides complimentary airport shuttle service to Cleveland Hopkins Airport and a breakfast buffet.

Rooms are based on availability and will only be held for our group until April 30. Reservations can be made by calling the Radisson directly at (440) 734-5060. Provide the code “UTU” when making reservations. Remember, attendance is limited to 24 registrants.

Training sessions will be conducted by UTU International Auditors Stephen Noyes, Bobby Brantley and Mike Araujo.

Because space is limited, attendees will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. 

Treasurers should bring a notebook computer and a USB flash drive.

For news regarding future workshops for local treasurers, visit the UTU website regularly at www.utu.org.

Bates

Just ask UTU District of Columbia Legislative Director Willie Bates about safety standards for rail-transit systems.

Unlike freight and passenger railroads, rail-transit systems are not bound by federal construction standards, nor are their workers in safety senstive positions governed by federal hours-of-service limitations, says Bates.

As a member of the Obama administration’s 20-person Transit Rail Advisory Committee for Safety, Bates is collaborating with his fellow committee members to draft federal regulations for 47 separate such systems that currently set their own safety rules and procedures.

Congressional action will be needed to put them in place, as a 1964 law prohibits federal oversight of transit agencies. Bates supports giving the Federal Transit Administration regulatory authority for transit-system safety, pointing to a 2011 National Transportation Safety Board report citing “inconsistent practices, inadequate standards and marginal effectiveness with respect to state safety oversight of rail-transit systems.”

Bates last year was named by Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood to the Transit Rail Advisory Committee for Safety for good reason. In 2009, Amtrak’s highest safety honor — the Charles Luna Memorial Safety Award — was bestowed upon Bates, who has worked injury-free for 25 years as an Amtrak conductor, and never had a safety-rules violation. The award is named for the UTU’s first International president, who later was an Amtrak board member.

And in 2011, the Governor of Virginia bestowed upon Bates the Governor’s Transportation Safety Award for rail transportation. Bates formerly was president and vice local chairperson for UTU Local 1933 in Richmond.

The efforts of the Transit Rail Advisory Committee are supported by the UTU National Legislative Office, which is educating congressional lawmakers on the importance of standardized federal safety standards for rail transit systems.

UTU LogoUTU locals and state legislative boards in Minnesota and North Dakota are collecting non-perishable foods to aid union brothers and sisters who have been locked out of their jobs in six states by American Crystal Sugar (Bakery, Confectionary, Tobacco Workers and Grain Millers International) and Cooper Tire & Rubber (United Steel Workers).
This Journey for Justice, which involves other labor organizations, follows a December holiday toy drive benefitting children of the locked-out workers.
Beginning with a solidarity rally in Fargo Feb. 22, the Journey for Justice will make stops in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Minnesota and Ohio.
Cooper Tire & Rubber locked out more than 1,000 workers at its Findlay, Ohio, plant just after Thanksgiving, while American Crystal Sugar locked out some 1,300 of its workers at seven facilities more than six months ago, refusing to negotiate.
Journey for Justice leaders are using social media – Twitter and Facebook – to help publicize the effort on behalf of the locked-out workers, which is expected to add to the collection of non-perishable foods for their families.
“These anti-union employers think nothing of treating their workers as nothing more valuable than a used No. 2 pencils, to be discarded at will,” said UTU Alternate National Legislative Director John Risch, who formerly was state legislative director in North Dakota.
Said Minnesota State Legislative Director Phil Qualy: “These loyal and productive workers — our union brothers and sisters — have been locked out of their life-long jobs through no fault of their own. As fellow middle-class Americans and trade unionists, their plight is our plight and they need and deserve our help.”