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Remote-control trains cross city streets in Lafayette, Ind.
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Remote-control trains cross city streets in Lafayette, Ind.

(The following story by Bob Scott appeared on the Journal and Courier website on February 7, 2010.)

LAFAYETTE, Ind. A reader called the Journal & Courier recently with a comment about signs recently posted at Norfolk Southern railroad crossings on the southside of Lafayette.

"A sign just went up warning people that robots are driving the locomotives," he said.

Well, not quite.

Remote-control locomotives are operated by people -- just not from inside the locomotive. Instead, the operator controls the locomotive by means of a radio transmitter that sends and receives signals from a microprocessor in the locomotive.

According to the Federal Railway Administration, radio controlled operations, or RCOs, are designed to be "fail-safe." If communication is lost, the locomotive is brought to a stop automatically.

Remote control locomotives have been around nationally since the 1980s, used mainly in switching yards.

More recently, however, some railroad companies have been implementing them on a wider scale.

"The Federal Railroad Administration is assessing the operations, with the first priority to ensure that they pose no threat to railroad workers or to the public," according to a statement on its Web site.

Norfolk Southern erected warning signs at seven public railroad crossings between Lafayette and Dayton. The signs draw drivers' and pedestrians' attention to the fact that "locomotive cabs may be unoccupied."

The signs are on tracks that intersect some heavily-traveled city streets, including 18th Street, Ninth Street and Concord Road.

"We have two remote control assignments in Lafayette," said Rudy Husband, a Norfolk Southern corporate spokesman. "We have been using RCL in Lafayette since 2002."

The CSX railroad has no remote control locomotives in Lafayette.

Melody Anderson of Lafayette said she wondered what those signs were near the Eagles Lodge on South 18th Street.

"I haven't really noticed what the signs said. I cross that 18th Street track every night," said the veteran bartender. "That's kind of scary. Unless you really stop to read the sign, it's hard to tell."

Husband said the signs are meant to give drivers an extra warning to be alert.

"The message you should be sending to drivers is that they should exercise caution when approaching at-grade railroad crossings, regardless of how the locomotive is being operated," he said.

According to the Association of American Railroads, a major purpose of RCL is to reduce accidents in rail yards.

Railroad unions, however, have looked at remote control operations as a threat to worker safety and job security.

Walter Flatau, a spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration, said RCL is just one more advancement in technology.

"Technology goes forward," he said. "You know, there are no cabooses anymore because there is end-of-train technology," he said.

"The larger issue is the future of railroads. Unions say the companies are moving to a one-man crew. My agency as no involvement with collective bargaining. They have to comply with our regulations."

He said the federal government is monitoring the use of radio controlled operations.

"We have studied RCO technology and found that it didn't pose any safety hazard if it is used properly and other safety protocols are observed," he said.

"What we found is that where there had been incidents, there was a failure to observe basic railroad safety rules. The same accident would have happened whether there was an RCO or not."

Monday, February 08, 2010



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Somebody deserves a Bromley!!!

Snippy has to check with The Committee to make sure this walk-on is eligible.

Be back later.

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Walter Flatau, a spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration, said RCL is just one more advancement in technology.

"We have studied RCO technology and found that it didn't pose any safety hazard if it is used properly and other safety protocols are observed," he said.

"What we found is that where there had been incidents, there was a failure to observe basic railroad safety rules. The same accident would have happened whether there was an RCO or not."

The committee has ruled!

Warren Flatau, toady for the Friends of Railroad Administrators, you are hereby presented a Bromley!!!!

Who said lying goes unrewarded?



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"Contrary to statements coming from other organizations, remote control operations can and will produce new work opportunities for our members," Babler said.

"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."

 



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

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


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logo.gif

BLE calls into question statements made by UTU President Byron Boyd

UTU contract gives engineer yard duties to RCOs for 46 minutes extra pay

After reviewing numerous inquiries from BLE members regarding the outcome of the January 10 arbitration ruling on remote control, BLE International President Don Hahs called into question certain statements made by UTU President Byron Boyd in a UTU press release.

The January 10 news release expressed the UTU President's opinion of the remote control arbitration and cited several reasons why he entered into the remote control letter of intent and agreement. Boyd called the outcome of the ruling a "victory" and stated that the UTU "did not seek to negotiate on remote control separately."

Recent history indicates that the UTU willingly signed the September 26, 2001, letter of intent with the carriers to begin remote control pilot projects, while the BLE's national convention was still in session and before election of officers was completed.

"If the UTU, as stated, really believed it was important to negotiate together on the issue of remote control, then it appears to BLE that they should have waited at least a few more days to give the newly elected BLE officers an opportunity to participate in remote control negotiations," President Hahs said.

"As you should remember, final resolution of the BLE vote on the UTU merger was still pending on Sept. 26, 2001. We are of the opinion that UTU's zeal to grab the letter of intent was meant to be used to put pressure on BLE membership to merge or be left out of remote control negotiations.

"We believe it was their intent to grab jobs and force the merger instead of the noble ideals presented in their January 10 news release," he said.

President Hahs also disagreed with Boyd's opinion that the January 10 ruling supported the UTU's attempt to force the single craft issue before the National Mediation Board.

"We believe the arbitrator's ruling strengthened the BLE's position that distinct and separate operating crafts exist in the railroad industry," President Hahs said. "The arbitrator provided a clear explanation of the distinct differences separating the locomotive engineer craft and the groundman crafts. In fact, the neutral appears to describe the remote control operator, or RCO, as a new craft that is distinct and separate from the locomotive engineer craft."

President Hahs also called into question Boyd's description of the arbitration as a "victory."

"As stated in the BLE's initial press release of January 10, there are no winners on the side of labor," he concluded. "Rail operating employees are paying a high price with their jobs and only receive a small part of the savings to carriers. The UTU members who don't lose their jobs to remote control will be given massively increased workloads and responsibilities for only 46 minutes of extra pay. After a short two year or so pay back to purchase the remote equipment, carriers will receive nearly 90 percent of the savings as corporate profits. It makes you wonder where are the UTU representatives who negotiated crew consist productivity funds and up front payments in the last round of operating job cuts?

"The remote control ruling may go down in infamy, just like the UTU's 1985 'Halloween Agreement.' Eighteen years later, operating employees still have not recovered from the devastating effects of the UTU's Halloween Agreement. I shudder to think how many operating jobs will be lost 18 years after Friday's remote control ruling.

"The members of both organizations are sick and tired of the UTU leadership's spin on issues they create for their self-preservation that ultimately have a negative impact on workers.

The UTU has hardworking and honorable members who we hope will see through the spin and realize they will end up being the primary casualties of the remote control agreement."

 

 

© 2003 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers



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Snippy wrote:

Walter Flatau, a spokesman for the Federal Railroad Administration, said RCL is just one more advancement in technology.

"We have studied RCO technology and found that it didn't pose any safety hazard if it is used properly and other safety protocols are observed," he said.

"What we found is that where there had been incidents, there was a failure to observe basic railroad safety rules. The same accident would have happened whether there was an RCO or not."

The committee has ruled!

Warren Flatau, toady for the Friends of Railroad Administrators, you are hereby presented a Bromley!!!!

Who said lying goes unrewarded?



 un-Warren-ted Flatulence



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