New 1/12/08
The FRA monetary threshold for reporting rail equipment accident/incidents was changed from $8,200 to $8,500 for 2008. This also affects our minimum railroad reportable damage criteria for FRA post-accident testing for Major Train Accidents, Impact Accidents and Passenger Train Accidents so the post-accident testing flow chart has been updated
New 10/17/07
House passes Rail Safety Improvement Act
Today, representatives in the U.S. House passed the Railroad Safety Improvement
Act (H.R. 2095) eliminating camp cars and decreasing limbo time, both important
issues for Teamsters rail conference members.
New 9/9/07
The political race for the presidency is heating up even at this early point in the campaign and there are too many candidates vying (some lying) to get your vote. With all the political rhetoric It is becoming harder and harder to know what to believe. There are at least two web sites that analyze what the candidates have to say and whether we should believe them or not.
Visit these web site to cut through the nonsense:
http://www.factcheck.org/
and
http://politifact.com/truth-o-meter/
New 9/8/07
Amtrak Tentative Agreement failed to pass ratification.
The official vote count: 305 for and 587 opposed.
All you wanted to know
about the Amtrak/BLET conflict is on the
Amtrak/MBCR/Connex General Committee of Adjustment Website.
Read GC
Mark B. Kenny's letter to the
membership
New 9/8/07
Heightened Amtrak
security debuts in N.Y.
Heightened Amtrak security debuts
in N.Y.
(The following story by Robert Gavin appeared on the Albany Times Union website
on September 6.)
RENSSELAER, N.Y. — Nearly six years after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks,
security will be heightened at the Rensselaer train station.
Amtrak passengers will face random luggage screenings, among other changes,
under a new anti-terrorism initiative announced at the station today.
Law enforcement officials said their heightened measures will not be as
far-reaching as those at airports but could still help thwart any potential
wrong-doing. Federal officials plan to use explosive-detecting devices and
sniffing dogs and have a show of force at the rail station.
Other changes could be added, they said.
`'We think this is a significant step,'' said Grant C. Jaquith, chief of the
Criminal Division for the U.S. Attorney's Office in Albany.
He was joined by, among others, Rensselaer Police Chief Rick Fusco and
representatives of the FBI, Rensselaer County Sheriff's Office, U.S Customs and
Border Protection and Amtrak Police.
None provided details of the initiative like cost or start-up date. Jaquith
would only say it will begin soon. He said the initiative is the culmination of
many efforts but did not say what, if anything, prompted the heightened
screening. He did note the March 11, 2004 terrorist bombing of the train network
in Madrid, Spain, which claimed nearly 200 lives.
Jaquith was not expecting any delays at the station, where riders have at times
complained of lengthy trips between Albany and New York City. Some 761,000
passengers use the Rensselaer station annually.
Amtrak officials could not immediately be reached.
Most passengers asked about the changes expressed support.
``It doesn't bother me at all,'' said Justin Bahrami, of New York City, who had
just rode the train from Manhattan.
``This is a long time coming,'' said Joanna Blaisdell of Albany, who was waiting
to board a train to the city, en route to Long Island, and was fine with the
changes. ``I'm just surprised it's taken this long, quite frankly.''
Not everyone was so sure the increased security will be worth it.
`'I don't feel any safer,'' said Anthony Anderson of Albany, as he waited in the
lobby of the rail station. ``If someone wants to bomb the train, they're going
to do it.''
New 8/16/07
What the AFL-CIO
forgot to mention
Thursday, August 16, 2007
As the victim of raiding at the hands
of the United Transportation Union for the better part of the last decade, it is
an understatement to say that the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and
Trainmen takes exception to the AFL-CIO’s August 8 statement.
New 5/19/07
Court of appeals denies carriers request for rehearing
in FMLA case
This means that the unanimous ruling of the three-judge panel upholding rail labor’s position — that the FMLA does not override the right secured to employees in the vacation and personal leave agreements to choose when to use their paid leave — stands.
The carriers now have to decide whether they will seek Supreme Court review of the ruling or honor their obligations under the existing agreements.
http://www.ble.org/pr/news/newsflash.asp?id=4462
New 5/19/07
Metra engineers OK seven-year contract
http://www.ble.org/pr/news/newsflash.asp?id=4465
CLEVELAND, May 7 - Metra commuter engineers (former IC-Electric, MILW and Rock Island) represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen ratified a new seven year contract by a two-thirds majority.
The agreement provides wage increases of 16.5 percent over the life of the contract, which runs through July 1, 2001. Members will also receive a 2.5 percent lump sum bonus (a minimum of $1,200) and retroactive wage increases dating to July 1, 2006.
Other wage increases will come in the form of an increased certification allowance. This allowance, paid to locomotive engineers who are federally certified to operate locomotives, will increase several times over the life of the agreement: to $10 per tour of duty on April 19, 2007; to $12 on July 1, 2009; and to $13 on July 1, 2011.
"I commend the members of the Metra negotiating team, who had the difficult job of negotiating wage increases at a railroad that receives half of its funding from public funding," said BLET National President Don Hahs. "The negotiating team did a tremendous job."
BLET Vice President Richard K. Radek assisted three General Chairmen on the negotiating team - John Koonce (former IC Electric); Mike Priester (MILW North and West Lines); and Mike Taylor (former Rock Island).
"One of the most problematic things was the fact that Metra is about 50 percent publicly tax supported, and that funding source is shrinking due to lower tax revenues and highly increased demand for the funds, both from other agencies and because of public employee pension underfunding in the State of Illinois," Vice President Radek said. "Another problematic issue was the ever-increasing cost of the benefit package, including health care coverage. I think we did well in obtaining the core economic portion of this agreement."
Metra engineers will enjoy cost-free health care until Jan. 1, 2009. After that, members will contribute $50 per month until Jan. 1, 2010, when the cost will increase to $75 per month. The contribution will be capped at $80 per month starting Jan. 1, 2011.
"We were able to increase our certification allowance to $13 per tour and obtain a higher general wage increase, which more than offsets the health care contribution," Vice President Radek said.
Other contract provisions include:
An increase in company-paid deferred compensation to the employees 401k plan, bringing the company's payment to $8.40 per tour of duty on Jan. 1, 2012;
The right to use personal leave days as days worked for the calculation of overtime on yard assignments;
The personal leave day rate of compensation will be the full pay of the last regular assignment;
Personal leave days banked will be increased from 90 to 150 days;
Engineers that exhaust all of the year's personal leave days will be able to use banked personal leave days in the same year;
Payment of bereavement leave will be at the same compensation earned if the engineer would have remained on his assignment. Regular days off will not disqualify Engineers from the three days pay, thereby allowing the three consecutive days to be split with regular assigned days off; and
Lost earnings paid for jury duty minus court payments for all time held.
"We would like to thank Vice President Radek for all his help in reaching this settlement," the three General Chairmen said in a statement.
New
4/2/07
Board names new NJ Transit director
| 4/2/2007, 11:22 a.m. EDT
By JANET FRANKSTON LORIN
The Associated Press |
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) — The board of New Jersey Transit on Monday named as its new executive director an employee who has helped shepherd a massive $7.5 billion tunnel the state is building with New York.
Richard R. Sarles, 62, will succeed George D. Warrington, who left last month after five years in the job.
Sarles, currently the agency's assistant executive director for capital programs and planning, has worked at NJ Transit for five years, said state Transportation Commissioner Kris Kolluri, who serves as the agency's board chairman.
A professional engineer, Sarles said one of his goals is to encourage New Jerseyans to see public transit as a "preferred choice."
"It'll get better and you'll want to get out of your car," he said, adding that he grew up in New Jersey taking trains and buses. Sarles was born in Passaic and raised in Nutley.
He currently lives in Philadelphia and commutes daily on the Northeast Corridor line, though Kolluri said his contract requires him to move to New Jersey.
Sarles came to NJ Transit in 2002 and managed its annual capital program and three light rail operations — the River Line in South Jersey, the Hudson Bergen Light Rail and a new 1-mile connection that opened last year in Newark.
He previously worked at Amtrak for six years. Before that he worked at the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey for 28 years, overseeing the modernization of major trans-Hudson facilities including the PATH train system.
Sarles was one of six finalists for the job, Kolluri said, and will take a 13 percent pay cut from his predecessor. His salary increases will be based on performance measures — an idea suggested by Gov. Jon S. Corzine, Kolluri said.
Sarles will make $252,000 initially — a bump of $50,000 from his current job — and begin after his appointment Monday
His one-year contract must be approved annually and is renewable for up to five years; Sarles can receive an annual bonus of $10,000 based on his performance. If he meets all goals, Sarles could make as much as $302,000 in five years, Kolluri said. Warrington made $289,000.
One of the most important criteria Sarles will be evaluated on is his progress moving forward the massive $7.5 billion proposed commuter tunnel under the Hudson River.
Kolluri said Corzine, a former co-chairman of Goldman Sachs, asked for a compensation package based on Sarles' performance with safety, reliability, financial operations and progress with the tunnel.
Called "Access to the Region's Core," or ARC, the tunnel would connect New York and New Jersey and double commuter rail capacity between the two states. Construction on the planned second commuter tunnel could begin as soon as 2009 and be complete by 2016.
Kolluri said Sarles has been a driving force behind the project.
"He's been the silent architect behind the whole ARC project, the person to shepherd the project through the state," said Kolluri, "and he will continue to do that and focus on both our rail and bus capital and operational issues, going forward."
Sarles takes over as NJ Transit is about to approve fair hike — 9.6 percent on a systemwide average to accommodate expanded services — later this month that would begin on June 1. Warrington said the agency faced a deficit of about $60 million in its $1.5 billion budget.
NJ Transit is the nation's largest statewide public transportation system, providing nearly 857,000 weekday trips on bus routes, light rail and commuter rail lines. Systemwide ridership is up 4.6 percent so far in this fiscal year, the third year of record-high levels.
New 3/9/07
Appeals court upholds Rail Labor's position in FMLA case
CLEVELAND, March 8 - Rail Labor scored another major court victory in its ongoing battle to protect workers' rights under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA).
On March 2, the three-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals in the Seventh Circuit unanimously upheld the District Court's January 3 ruling in favor of the unions' challenge to the major rail carriers'' decision to force employees to use their vacation and personal leave days for FMLA purposes, rather than at the times the employees choose as provided in the collective bargaining agreements. The Court held that in order to do that, the carriers first have to bargain changes in the agreements under the Railway Labor Act.
"This is a hard fought victory for hard working railroaders," said Don Hahs, National President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen. "Many unions worked together to achieve this outcome, which is yet another sign of our unity and strength."
However, he cautioned that the carriers would possibly appeal the decision.
"We're not out of the woods yet," President Hahs said. "It's possible the carriers could appeal the decision again through the court system, or may attempt to take cases to arbitration. It would be unfortunate if railroads choose to do so, as we are confident any other court or arbitrator would rule on Rail Labor's behalf."
According to its decision, the Court "focus[ed its] discussion on the important principle at stake, rather than the intricate differences between various collective bargaining agreements."
The Court rejected the carriers' argument that reconciling the FMLA and the RLA meant that "the FMLA, being the newer and, in their view, the more specific Act, trumps the RLA and controls the situation, thus giving the carriers authority to unilaterally institute its anti-stacking policies." In the Court's opinion, the more specific needs of the railroad industry, its "special characteristics [and] unique problems," and how Congress determined they should be addressed - through mandatory Section 6 bargaining - prevail over the FMLA provision that merely permits employers to require substitution. The Court put it this way:
"Section 152 Seventh of the RLA tells railroads what they must not do - change working conditions except in the manner dictated by the agreements or in § 156, which requires notice, a conference, and, in some cases, mediation. Section 2612 of the FMLA simply tells employers what they may do - require substitution - not what they must do. A reasonable conclusion is that, while substitution is allowed, the carriers cannot require substitution without complying with procedures set out in the RLA. Using those procedures, the carriers can bargain for substitution provisions."
The Court also recognized that the rights contained in the National Vacation Agreements and supplements were "the subject of hard bargaining [and t]he right to time one's vacation and, to a perhaps slightly lesser degree, personal leave, is a hard-won right of railroad workers."
"It would seem quite odd indeed," the judges said, "that this elaborate process, and the decades of bargaining, can be wiped out by unilateral action on the part of the carriers, based on a statute which says they may require substitution, but which says nothing about the process for instituting a substitution requirement."
The bottom line: "The carriers must comply with the RLA in implementing their actions under the FMLA. In short, the FMLA does not allow the carriers to violate contractual obligations protected by the RLA regarding paid vacation and personal leave time."
"Obviously, this is a major victory for rail labor," said Mike Wolly and Margo Pave of Zwerdling, Paul, Kahn, & Wolly, P.C., successfully represented the interests of five of the eleven rail labor unions involved in the case, in addition to BLET - the IBEW, ATDA, BRS, NCFO, and SMWIA. "The dispute is not yet over, but this is a major step toward ultimately upholding the members' contract rights. We appreciate all your help in providing us with the necessary factual basis for supporting the arguments we were able to make on your behalf and we congratulate you on achieving this victory that we will work equally hard to preserve."
A copy of the 7th Circuit Court's decision is available
on the BLET website at:
http://www.ble-t.org/pr/pdf/FMLADecision.pdf
New 2/11/07
Cost cutting measures in the rail industry cost lives
There are safety problems on
the Canadian National railroad due to cost cutting measures to increase profits
and stock values but this is not a problem that just concerns the citizens of
Canada. We should all be concerned by the emphasis on cutting costs in all
aspects of the transportation industry.
Safety in the rail transport industry is being adversely
affected and that affects everyone.
Watch the video from CTA-W5 Broadband:
Best with Microsoft IE
Read the 2006 Convention report by Rich Darcy, Local Chairman, BLE&T Division 373
President Bush signs H.R. 5483
CLEVELAND, January 17 -- President George W. Bush signed H.R. 5483, the Railroad Retirement Disability Earnings Act, into law on Friday, January 12.
The U.S. Senate passed the bill by voice vote on December 9, and it was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives on September 28.
"Congratulations to all of those in rail labor who worked on this legislation," BLET Vice President and National Legislative Representative John Tolman said. "I would especially like to thank those BLET members who wrote letters, called, faxed and emailed their Senators and Representatives. The signing of this legislation provides much needed relief for our Brothers and Sisters on disability."
The new law will raise the outside earning limits of retired railroad workers from $400 to $700 per month. The measure becomes effective immediately, and will also create an indexing formula to provide for automatic increases in the future. The $400 cap was established more than a decade ago.
"This bill will allow our retirees to earn more money to supplement their Railroad Retirement income," said BLET National President Don Hahs.
"Passage of this bill represents a victory for our Legislative Department, Rail Labor, but most importantly, our retirees."
http://www.ble.org/pr/news/newsflash.asp?id=4416
All is not sweetness and light in the Rail Passenger business
The New Jersey Association of
Railroad Passengers has rejected the ARC (Access to the Region's Core)
project.
Read why!
The National Association of
Rail Passengers is working hard to save Amtrak
by
debunking the lies of the
Bush administration.
Take a look at what's going on in Amtrak
land
Read what the
Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO has to say about
The Privatization
of Amtrak
Most of the information you need on the problems of Amtrak are on the
General Committee of Adjustment
Amtrak/MBCR/Connex's
Amtrak Crisis Home
Page
For another take on the Amtrak funding situation go
to the web site of the
United Rail Passenger
Alliance
For those of you who turn on you
rest, Beware!
Read about the New Drowsy Driver Law passed in New Jersey.
Subject: Cell Phone Use
Probers seeking data on cell use
30 December 2003 Chicago Tribune
The personal cell phone records of the Metra engineer at the controls during a high-speed derailment two months ago have been subpoenaed to determine if he was talking on the phone when the train barreled through warning signals and jumped the tracks, federal authorities said Monday.
Investigators with the National Transportation Safety Board are focusing on whether the rookie engineer on the Rock Island District Line was distracted while driving the commuter train 67 miles an hour through a 10 m.p.h. track-crossover zone near 47th Street on the South Side.
Testing has ruled out signaling failures and other equipment problems as the cause of the Oct. 12 derailment that injured 45 passengers and resulted in more than $5 million in damage to two new locomotives and several passenger cars on the Joliet-bound train.
"We asked the phone company to provide the records and are waiting to see what they show," said NTSB spokesman Ted Lopatkiewicz. The phone logs should be ready in a couple of weeks, he said.
Metra regulations prohibit crew members from having personal cell phones turned on when they are behind the controls of a train or the train is moving, said Metra spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet. Metra issues company cell phones to employees for use as a backup to radio equipment.
An internal Metra investigation, which blamed the derailment on operator error, determined that the engineer was not using the Metra cell phone at the time of the accident. Metra suspended the engineer, who took over the job in July, without pay immediately after the accident.
Metra sources said federal investigators learned through interviews with other Rock Island employees that the engineer, who has not been publicly identified, previously violated the ban on using personal cell phones. He was alone in the locomotive cab on the day of the derailment, officials said.
Tests on the signaling system concluded the engineer had sufficient time to obey two signals to reduce speed to 10 m.p.h. and switch tracks safely, investigators have said.
The engineer told authorities he believed the signals were set for him to stay on the same track, which would have allowed him to operate at up to 70 m.p.h.
The use of cell phones was partially responsible for the collision of two Burlington Northern Santa Fe freight trains in May, 2002 near Clarendon, Texas, that killed the engineer on one of the trains, according to an NTSB investigation.
Tom Roberts, General Chairman
International Brotherhood of Teamsters
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen
Conrail SAA/CSXT Northern District GCA
Forwarded by Ken Michel, Chairman, NJSLB
Keep up to date on Remote Control.
Its not just for freight
railroads any more.
Remotely Controlled
Trains are coming to a freight yard near you and on the biggest railroads
the best employees are not being used to run them!
Remote Control Technology.
What's in it for you?
New Jersey
Transit's Policy for Management Personnel!
1. Never walk without a document in your hands
People with documents in their hands look like hardworking employees
heading for important meetings. People with nothing in their hands look
like they're heading for the canteen. People with a newspaper in their hand
look like they're heading for the toilet. Above all, make sure you carry
loads of stuff home with you at night, thus generating the false impression
that you work longer hours than you do.
2. Use computers to look busy
Any time you use a computer, it looks like "work" to the casual
observer. You can send and receive personal e-mail, chat and generally have
a blast without doing
anything remotely related to work. These aren't
exactly the societal benefits that the proponents of the computer
revolution would like to talk about but they're not bad either. When you
get caught by your boss - and you *will* get caught -- your best defense is
to claim you're teaching yourself to use new software, thus saving valuable
training expenses.
3. Messy desk
Top management can get away with a clean desk. For the rest of us,
it looks like we're not working hard enough. Build huge piles of documents
around your workspace. To the observer, last year's work looks the same as
today's work; it's volume that counts. Pile them high and wide. If you know
somebody is coming to your desk, bury the document you'll need halfway down
in an existing stack and rummage for it when he/she arrives.
4. Voice Mail
Never answer your phone if you have voice mail. People don't call
you just because they want to give you something for nothing - they call
because they want YOU to do work for THEM. That's no way to live. Screen
all your calls through voice mail. If somebody leaves a voice mail message
for you and it sounds like impending work, respond during lunch hour when
you know they're not there - it looks like you're hardworking and
conscientious even though you're being a devious weasel.
Always try to look impatient and annoyed to give your bosses the
impression that you are always busy.
6. Leave the office late
Always leave the office late, especially when the boss is still
around. You could read magazines and storybooks that you always wanted to
read but have no time until late before leaving. Make sure you walk past
the boss' room on your way out. Send important emails at unearthly hours
(e.g. 9:35pm, 7:05am, etc.) and during public holidays.
7. Creative Sighing for Effect
Sigh loudly when there are many people around, giving the impression
that you are under extreme pressure.
8. Stacking Strategy
It is not enough to pile lots of documents on the table. Put lots of
books on the floor etc. (thick computer manuals are the best).
9. Build Vocabulary
Read up on some computer magazines and pick out all the jargon and
new products. Use the phrases freely when in conversation with bosses.
Remember: They don't have to understand what you say, but you will sound
impressive.
10. Have 2 Jackets
If you work in a big open plan office, always leave a spare jacket draped over the back of your seat. This gives the impression that you are still on the
premises. The second jacket should be worn while swanning around elsewhere.
Always remember: A meeting that generates minutes is still a meeting regardless of whether anything positive was accomplished and that, in itself, is justification enough!
Regular Features:
Follow the legislative process in New Jersey.
How a bill becomes law in New Jersey:
(Engineer's
version) (Trainman's
version)
Find
out who your Congressmen are and how they voted here!
H.R. 1119 - A bill to allow employers to substitute compensatory time off in lieu of overtime pay. How does this bill affect you? Check it out!
Working families win! President
Bush's overtime pay cuts suffered a major setback today when the U.S.
Senate voted to block the overtime pay takeaway.
The fight is not over! See article on the News Page.
H.R.2329 Title: To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a credit to holders of qualified bonds issued by Amtrak. Sponsor: Rep Houghton, Amo (introduced 6/27/2001) Latest Major Action: 6/28/2001 Referred to House subcommittee. This bill may cause the total restructuring of Amtrak.
S.
250 Title: High-Speed Rail Investment Act of 2001. The
Senate version of HR 2329.
S. 1925 Title:
H.R. 2596 Title: To provide for the protection of train employees. A railroad carrier and its officers and agents may not require a train employee who has been on duty or available for duty for any portion of each of 7 consecutive days to go on duty or be available for duty until at least 72 consecutive hours have passed after the employee is released from duty or from being available for duty.
S. 1103 Title: To amend title 49, United States Code, to enhance competition among and between rail carriers in order to ensure efficient rail service and reasonable rail rates in any case in which there is an absence of effective competition, and for other purposes.
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