Railroaders place to shoot the shit.

Troll · 500 - Internal Server Error

How did this happen? I thought the UTU RCL agreement protected UTU jobs (at the expense of the BLE)

Troll · 500 - Internal Server Error

BLET, UTU file joint petition to prohibit one-person crews

CLEVELAND, June 12 The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the UTU have filed a petition for an emergency order with the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) seeking to prohibit the use of one-person train crews including conventional and remote control yard switching operations.

BLET National President Ed Rodzwicz and UTU International President Mike Futhey signed the petition for the emergency order, which was filed today.

One-person crew operations have been nothing more than the industrys attempt to reduce operating costs to increase profits, at the expense of worker safety, says the BLET and UTU petition seeking the FRA emergency order.

Remote control operations are a very serious hazard for a number of reasons, the petition says. Any person having safety concerns in mind should recognize that a single-person remote control assignment should never be allowed. It puts rail workers at great risk of injury or death.

The FRA is told in the petition, The evidence shows that no conditions exist where a lone engineer or remote control operations are safe.

The need for such an emergency order, says the BLET and the UTU, is demonstrated by a May 10 accident on CSX in Selkirk, N.Y., which killed UTU-represented conductor Jerod Boehlke, who was working alone and using a remote control device.

The workload associated with [remote control operations], while performing other safety critical tasks, demands too much of a single individual, including loss of situational awareness, says the petition. How many more incidents like the one at Selkirk need to occur before such operations are prohibited?

There are numerous incidents of accidents, injuries and fatalities where railroads utilized one-person crews, and the injuries and deaths caused by remote and single-crew operations have continued unabated since its inception in the early 1990s, says the petition. This has been caused in part by the inaction of the FRA to a number of petitions filed both by the BLET and the UTU for emergency orders to prevent such operations.

The petition says that while the FRA has reviewed the safety aspects of one-person crews, it has really done nothing affirmatively to assure the safety of the employees in such operations.

The BLET and the UTU also sharply criticized FRA conclusions that the safety records of remote control and conventional operations are basically the same.

The BLET and UTU petition says a 2006 FRA report titled Safety of Remote Control Operations contains major flaws. Most of FRAs erroneous figures resulted from the formulas used for calculating the statistics. For example, the accident rates calculated for each railroad failed to normalize the data to account for different crew sizes in RCL and conventional operations, even though FRA had previously stated that normalization was required in order to make an apples-to-apples comparison.

After correcting for these errors, the data actually showed that the mean RCL accident rate was nearly 3.5 times the conventional switching rate.

Similarly, correcting mean injury rates reversed the findings of the 2006 report as to which operation was safer. The data actually show a RCL injury rate almost 80 percent higher than the conventional switching injury rate, and the normalized RCL fatality rate was over 3.5 times the normalized conventional switching fatality rate.

An emergency order prohibiting the use of one-person operating crews, including remote control operations, would take effect immediately upon issuance by the FRA.

It is time for the FRA to take a proactive safety stance, and not merely a band-aid reactive approach to this issue, the petition concludes.

Friday, June 12, 2009
bentley@ble.org

-- Edited by Troll on Sunday 14th of June 2009 04:17:32 PM

Calvin · Upgraded Condition?

As ye Sow(utu), Shall ye Reap!!

Recent remote control history clarified

CLEVELAND, May 17 -- In response to the continuing disinformation from the United Transportation Union's propaganda machine, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers' Executive Committee has issued a letter to the union's Advisory Board and its General Chairmen which sets the record straight regarding the recent history of remote control technology.

The Executive Committee, made up of International President Don Hahs, First Vice-President & Alternate President Edward Rodzwicz and General Secretary-Treasurer William Walpert, issued the letter on May 10.

In the letter, the BLE Executive Committee points out that the UTUs leaders are "masters of spin."

"They use half truths, misleading statements and catchy phrases to justify their actions," the letter states. "Railroad employees in general, and train and engine service employees, in particular, should not allow themselves to be derailed by the UTUs distracting public relations efforts..."

Recent UTU propaganda falsely claims that UTU invited BLE to jointly negotiate with the carriers over remote control technology in October of 2001. "This is far from true," the Executive Committee wrote. In reality, the UTU used its remote control letter of intent with the carriers in an attempt to blackmail the BLE's newly elected Executive Committee -- two months before the actual merger vote had been counted.

"This letter became a threat -- merge or else," the Executive Committee wrote. "If (UTU President Byron) Boyd and (UTU Assistant President) Thompson truly wanted that merger to go through, grabbing the letter of intent was about the most counterproductive thing they could have done."

The BLE Executive Committee wrote that railroad workers across the country have been -- or will be -- negatively impacted by this UTU-carrier letter of intent.

"The railroad put the remote control operations into effect without an agreement," the Executive Committee wrote. "Train service employees have been performing engineers' work at lesser rates of pay than they would normally have received. They now have more onerous jobs that they are not properly trained for, which makes those jobs potentially unsafe. All this strategy has accomplished is the loss of hundreds of engine and train service jobs with all the reduction in labor costs going toward the railroads' bottom line."

The Executive Committee also gave its perspective on the UTUs "pro company" approach to representing its members.

"UTU's leadership has adopted an approach different from the rest of Labor," the Executive Committee wrote. "It is a defeatist approach. It has been described to us by UTU's leaders as being modern and recognizing that Rail Labor 'doesn't win,' for the Carriers have the upper hand in government, the federal agencies, the courts, and therefore, we have to stop butting our heads against the brick wall and join the railroads."

The letter describes this "defeatist approach" as the UTU's "let's join 'em" policy.

-- Edited by Calvin on Sunday 14th of June 2009 06:08:12 PM

Calvin · Upgraded Condition?

"John Babler has shown what real leadership is about," said UTU International President Byron A. Boyd Jr. "He has taken new technology and made it an ally of the members he represents. He has protected and created new jobs. I salute him for a job well done."

Here's what whistledick extraordinaire and company puppet Bill Stephens wrote in Trains magazine..( THE MAGAZINE for Whistledicks)...

In none of the instances was the remote control technology at fault, and no one has been injured, according to the FRA, the railroads, and remote control manufacturers. Instead, the incidents -- which ranged from minor collisions and derailments to running through mislined switches -- have been blamed on crew error.

-- Edited by Calvin on Sunday 14th of June 2009 06:05:03 PM

Calvin · Upgraded Condition?

A PROMISE YOU CAN WIPE YOUR ASS WITH!!

BENEFITS of UNIFICATION

by UTU International President Byron A. Boyd, Jr.

(Originally posted, July 24, 2001)

The most enduring lesson workers have learned is that there is strength in unity. Unity gives us the courage, power and stamina to take-on and defeat the corporate wolf when it bangs on the door, insisting our families accept less so its investors may have more.
The corporate wolf also has a strategy to deal with unions. It's called divide and conquer. When successful, that corporate strategy pits union sister and brother against union sister and brother in a race for the bottom.
The United Transportation Union does not participate in races for the bottom. The only race we run is the race for the brass ring, and we call that workplace dignity.
Indeed, workplace dignity is what our merger with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE) is about. We will become a union of almost 200,000 dedicated and proud members possessing unprecedented moral and financial resources to stand tall, strong, undivided and unbending in defense of workplace dignity. As never before, we will fight victoriously with single purpose for fair wages, access to healthcare, quality of life and the right to return home to our families in one piece.
For our railroad members, a combined UTU-BLE will, for the first time, place operating employees -- those who ensure trains run safely and on time -- under a single protective umbrella stronger than any previously seen.
The most compelling reason for a UTU-BLE merger is preservation of jobs. On this subject, history teaches us two lessons we must not ignore. A bitter lesson is that technology cannot be stopped. A more positive lesson, and one driving this merger, is that the introduction of technology can be managed so that it doesn't destroy jobs.
Our forefathers fought bravely in the face of impossible odds against radios, elimination of the caboose and introduction of the rear-end device. Each time, carriers had their operating unions in full retreat, every sister and brother for themselves. As the divided operating unions retreated, each desperately seeking survival, management sharpshooters picked off jobs by the hundreds of thousands.
This time, railroads are not going to use a divide-and-conquer strategy that wrecks our families, puts us in the unemployment lines and weakens our unions. Carriers may introduce new technology, but in doing so, they will be forced first to collaborate with a single, powerful and savvy union of all operating employees.
We will be a union advancing the cause of our members. We shall sit at the head of the table with carrier management to plan and control the introduction of all new technology, including remote control. There will be no distractions, no internal union fights for survival, no carrier wedges to separate and distract us, and no destruction of union families. A combined UTU-BLE shall take from management forever the ability to use fear and uncertainty to turn us upon one another.
A combined UTU-BLE will face technology head-on to plan its orderly introduction, make sure it works before it is introduced, assure there is proper training and, foremost, guarantee that introduction of new technology does not destroy union jobs or reduce workplace safety.
A merged UTU-BLE also will produce substantial financial savings. No longer will dues dollars be spent fighting one another. No longer will we be distracted from our most important mission: Protecting jobs, obtaining fair wages, assuring access to health care, improving the quality of members lives and making the workplace safe.
Combining the unique and very valuable talents of railroad operating employees into a single, invincible UTU-BLE will not and I repeat, will not trample the very proud heritage of these organizations.
The heritage of locomotive engineers will be preserved, and so will the craft of locomotive engineer. Our single national negotiating team will be a powerhouse, making clear to the carriers that operating employees stand as one. But this is not at the expense of craft autonomy. Locomotive engineers covered by the agreement will ratify it separately as do all combined UTU crafts.
Sisters and brothers, we are on the verge of creating a union whose power, purpose and prestige is unprecedented in history. A combined UTU-BLE will achieve for members and their families what those who preceded us could barely imagine. Arm in arm, united in strength, let us realize that dream.
Byron A. Boyd, Jr.
UTU International President

UTU Main Page

Copyright © 2001 United Transportation Union
Last modified: October 22, 2001

Calvin · Upgraded Condition?

The agreements require that every train have a conductor, the UTU says, and the union would discuss one-person crews only if that one person is a conductor and if safe and reliable technology is available for computerized trains." "Nonetheless, Wilner said one-person crews are "highly probable" someday, and the UTU must move to protect its members. "No union has ever stopped the introduction of new technology and no union ever will," Wilner said. "As a union, we would rather explain to our members why we have the work involving this new technology than why we didn't get the work."----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Who made the above statements, and who made similar statements and continues to make similar statements about RCO?Frank Wilner is the public relations officer, the spokesman and voice of the UTU. These statements and corresponding actions have and will continue to result in the loss of thousands of union jobs. They are not taken out of context.

Calvin · Upgraded Condition?

Remote belongs in UTU hands

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Leadership is taking challenges head-on and not running from them. That is precisely what the UTU has done in the face of a rail industry intention to implement remote-control operations.

Either we learn from history or we repeat past failures. When labor unions fought elimination of the firemen and cabooses, firemen and cabooses were eliminated anyway.

The bitter lesson is that we cannot stop advances in technology -- not automobiles replacing the horse and buggy, electricity replacing gas lamps, computers replacing manual typewriters or remote control replacing an engineer.

What we can do -- and are doing -- is to assure something of value in return. The UTU has achieved its goal that the remote control belongs to UTU-represented employees, that there will be no reduction in UTU-represented jobs or compensation, that UTU-represented employees will receive adequate training, and that remote control will not be introduced until its safety is assured.

Pilot projects will help us to determine how this technology will affect workers and what permanent safeguards are required. Not until we are assured of the protections we demand will the UTU send out for ratification a permanent agreement. Our leadership position means we are managing the result, not reacting to it.

January 22, 2002

http://www.utu.org/worksite/detail_news.cfm?ArticleID=155

Calvin · Upgraded Condition?

SO, 5 YEARS AGO BLET SAID RCO NOT SAFE. UTU SAID RCO IS SAFE AND JOINTLY AGREED WITH ITS BED PARTNER THE COMPANY. ANY YOUNGER GUYS NEED TO READ AND REALIZE THAT IS ALL THE UTU IS. UTU THE COMPANY UNION (R).

http://www.aar.org/Pubcommon/Documents/UTUletter.pdf see here also...(other letter from utu)

March 27, 2004

BLET continues fight for remote control safety improvements

CLEVELAND, March 26 -- Leadership of the United Transportation Union reinforced their reputation as a company union earlier this week by jointly lobbying with rail carriers to block the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmens (BLET) efforts to improve the safety and security of remote control train operations.

Using false and misleading information, the UTU leaders also employed scare tactics in an effort to portray the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen in a negative light.

Earlier this week, the BLET worked with Teamster and TTD lobbyists to craft language for an amendment that would boost the safety of remote control train operations. Currently, the operation of remote control trains in the United States is unregulated, creating a safety and security gap in a time of increased terrorist threats.

The industry has also been plagued by a number of very serious remote control train accidents in recent months, including one accident where a UTU members foot was amputated and another where a UTU member was killed.

The BLET amendment would have provided a safety net for workers by legislating improved training for remote control operators in the absence of enforceable federal safety regulations.

The UTU leadership, in an attempt to portray the BLET and its safety efforts in a negative light, issued a news release claiming that the amendment would cause UTU members to lose their jobs.

In reality, there is a dangerous shortage of rail workers throughout the United States, particularly locomotive engineers, trainmen and conductors. The Union Pacific Railroad just announced plans to hire nearly 4,000 new workers this year alone.

Intelligent rail workers were able to see through the UTU leaderships false claim that jobs were at risk by the BLET amendment. It was just another case of the UTU leaders using scare tactics that insult the intelligence of their own members.

Before the BLET amendment was even introduced, BLET leaders knew it would be withdrawn. The original intent was to introduce the amendment and attach it to a transit spending bill in the U.S. House of Representatives. Leaders of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure asked all legislators on the Committee to refrain from trying to attach any amendments to the bill because of its importance and the need to pass it quickly. As a result, more than 25 amendments were withdrawn, including the BLET amendment.

In other words, withdrawing the amendment had nothing to do with the efforts of the UTU.

Even though the amendment was never introduced, Congressman Mike Capuano (D-MA) agreed to read a statement into the record supporting the BLETs position on remote control. He criticized the Federal Railroad Administration for inaction, failure to enact enforceable safety regulations, and the threat this oversight poses to rail safety and national security.

The UTU leaderships efforts revealed something else that each and every railroad employee should know. For years, many have referred to the UTU as the company union. A few years ago, for example, when the railroad carriers wanted to implement remote control technology without enforceable safety regulations, they turned to the UTU -- their old friend who comfortably resides in managements hip pocket.

So earlier this week when word of the BLET amendment leaked, the UTU once again played the role of company lap dog. The UTU signed a joint letter with the Association of American Railroads opposing the BLET amendment. The joint UTU-AAR letter supported the status quo on remote control and was sent to leaders of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure.

A copy of the letter is available below so members can see how the AAR and its lap dog union, the UTU, work together so comfortably. A portion of the letter reads, Experience has shown that remote control is safer than conventional operations. Its unbelievable that UTU leaders would agree to this statement when their own members are being maimed and killed by remote control operations, but sadly, they did.

In conclusion, the facts are clear: The UTU leadership claimed the BLET amendment would cause loss of jobs in an industry that needs to hire thousands of new workers, which is untrue. The UTU leadership claimed that the BLET amendment was withdrawn due to the UTUs political influence, which is untrue. And in the end, the UTUs leadership showed their true colors and provided clear evidence that they are in bed with the rail carriers. Instead of fighting for improved remote control safety, they are working jointly with the rail carriers against it. They do not have the best interest of their members at heart.

The BLET had hoped to take the high road, but the UTU leadership has chosen to make political hay out of this issue in an attempt to portray the BLET in a negative light. We cannot and will not allow their misleading statements and distortions go unchallenged.

The text of the letter is below. A copy of the letter with signatures reproduced is available on the BLET website as a PDF at:

http://www.ble.org/pr/pdf/aarutu.pdf

March 23, 2004

The Honorable Don Young
Chairman
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
U.S. House of Representatives
2165 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

The Honorable James Oberstar
Ranking Member
Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure
U.S. House of Representatives
2163 Rayburn House Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20515

Dear Chairman Young and Ranking Member Oberstar:

The Association of American Railroads (AAR) and the United Transportation Union (UTU) are writing in opposition to an amendment by Congressman Capuano that would effectively prohibit the use of remote controlled locomotives. The amendment is expected to be offered during markup of the TEA-LU reauthorization.

The Capuano amendment would do nothing to promote railroad safety. The amendment would have the opposite effect since remote control is safer than conventional operations. Experience has shown that remote control reduces yard accidents and injuries. Train accident rates in Canadian rail yards have been cut by almost half over the past decade where remote control has been used. U.S. railroads have also experienced a decline in accident and injury rates using remote control compared to conventional yard operations.

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) is closely monitoring the use of remote control technology. FRA regulations already govern the training of employees operating remote control devices as well as device inspection. Moreover, FRA Administrator Allan Rutter has stated, Based on safety data gathered to date, there is nothing to indicate that remote control operations should be banned from use.

Remote control is not a safety issue -- it is a collective bargaining issue involving a dispute over the assignment of work. In 2002, railroad reached agreement with the UTU over implementing the technology. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLE) challenged this agreement because it wanted the remote control jobs. After losing its challenge, BLE began claiming that remote control operations were not safe, seeking to usurp FRAs authority in this area. Ironically, BLE has signed agreements giving it control over remote control implementation on at least two large regional railroads. On these railroads, BLE is not challenging the safety of remote control.

AAR and UTU urge you to vote no on the Capuano amendment.

Sincerely,

/s/ Edward R. Hamberger
President and CEO
Association of American Railroads

/s/ James Brunkenhoefer
National Legislative Director
United Transportation Union

-- Edited by Calvin on Monday 15th of June 2009 09:24:12 AM

Calvin · Upgraded Condition?

Railroaders place to shoot the shit.

This is the official end of my post.

This is the official end of my post.

This is the official end of my post.

This is the official end of my post.

This is the official end of my post.

This is the official end of my post.

This is the official end of my post.