In an effort to better communicate information as quickly as possible to the Local 60 Membership, here is the ” HOT TOPICS” for this week.
A) This past Monday I was in NY Penn Crew base to meet with Members and address their concerns. Gas mileage, overcrowding, understaffing, Governor Murphy’s effect on NJT and assaults were all topics that were discussed. I appreciate all of the Members who took the time to discuss these issues and I am actively working to correct the issues for the future.
B) I have received a few emails from Members about transferring into an engineer’s training program. I do have an Agreement already in place that states if for any reason you can not complete the program, your seniority would remain intact on our roster. I am waiting on further information that Members raised to be answered by the Carrier. If you are interested please send me an email at sburkert@utulocal60.com
C) I urge all Members to please list all mechanical defects on your 1155 forms. If the train is delayed without the explanation that “ door stuck open” or train “wouldn’t take power” it is being listed as Crew Error. I will not stand for anyone making unfounded or derogatory remarks against our Members but I do need information that will prove it was a mechanical defect that caused the delay. Please list also how long the defect has been reported.
D) I met this week with the Carrier about yard and passenger assignments. I have concerns about both areas and spoke about needed changes in the near future. The Carrier is under an audit from Governor Murphy in all aspects of operations including this topic. There will be no changes made until that audit is completed. The Carrier was not opposed to ideas brought to the table that concerned crew utilization and safety. I look forward to meeting again and putting some of the new ideas into fruition.
E) I met with Chief Trucillo and Deputy Chief Clark of the NJTPD this week over current events. We discussed recent events in NYC and how our CODE BLACK needs to be updated for our Members. There is a new poster being sent to local communities with restaurants or bars near our stations. This is a proactive measure to decrease assaults on our train crews. We will see an increase in police patrols onboard our passenger trains to assist in situations that require it. The matter of a NJTPD substation in NY Penn Station was also discussed and I fully support the idea. Our crews that work in that terminal welcome a police presence while boarding. It is a fact that in Hoboken where our own Police officers assist boarding late night trains the assaults and incidents have fallen dramatically.
Please email me feedback or suggestions, I am here for you the Members. sburkert@utulocal60.com
Fraternally,
Stephen J. Burkert
General Chairman
