Progress Through Unity

Rail Boot/Shoe Program & Spring 2022 Shoe Truck Schedule

March 31, 2022 By

To All Rail Employees,

We are happy to announce the 2022 Rail Safety Shoe Program and first round of shoe truck visits! Attached you will find the 2022 Program Information, the new list of boots and shoes available and the Spring Shoe Truck Schedule.

As always, all footwear listed are set at discounted prices exclusively for Rail employees. In addition to this discounted price, all eligible Rail employees may purchase any boot listed and receive one (1) $60.00 subsidy per calendar year for one regular boot or shoe as well as one (1) additional $60.00 subsidy per calendar year for the purchase of one Winter Boot.*

*Please note, employees may make multiple purchases at the discounted prices listed, however employees will not receive additional yearly subsidies beyond the one (1) $60.00 subsidy for a regular boot or shoe as well as one (1) additional $60.00 subsidy for a winter boot.

As usual your input to improve and update our program is always appreciated. Please feel free to reply if you have any questions or comments.

***Please forward and/or print and post all attachments for those not included on this email***

Thank you,

Bill Feeney

Safety Programs Administrator

Office of System Safety, Compliance

One Penn Plaza, Floor 4

Work: 973.491.8945

Cell: 862.279.4727

Efax: 973.609.1978

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Filed Under: Local 60 News

Tell Congress: Listen to Rail Workers

March 17, 2022 By
 

Tell Congress: Listen to Rail Workers

Home>Get Involved>Action Center>Tell Congress: Listen to Rail Workers

They Are the Backbone of This Nation’s Supply Chain

Use the form on this page to join us in telling members of Congress they should back the people who do the work, rather than the rail industry’s financial overlords, who have recently implemented draconian new attendance policies.

On February 22, 2022, the judge considering the case between BNSF and the SMART-TD and BLET unions over the carrier’s new “Hi-Viz” attendance policy ruled that the dispute was “minor” under the provisions of the Railway Labor Act (RLA).

Rest assured that we are all infuriated. One of the largest and richest corporations in America has been given a free pass to continue forcing its employees to work even when they or their families are sick, and when they are fatigued beyond the point of being able to work safely. BNSF is essentially thumbing its nose at the employees who make them billions of dollars in revenue.

Tell Congress: Listen to Rail Workers

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Filed Under: Industry Related, Local 60 News

“Hi-Viz” absenteeism policy

March 17, 2022 By

‘Completely demoralized’: US railroad workers pushed to the brink

Workers are under intense strain amid grueling schedules, union contract negotiations and an arcane attendance policy system

A BNSF rail terminal worker monitors the departure of a freight train on June 2021 in Illinois.
A BNSF rail terminal worker monitors the departure of a freight train on June 2021 in Illinois. Photograph: Shafkat Anowar/AP
 

American railroad workers are criticizing a new restrictive attendance policy at one of the largest railroad freight networks in the US, as they experience grueling schedules and labor cuts in the midst of new union contract negotiations, which have hit an impasse, prompting federal mediation.

The Guardian spoke with several railroad trainmen and engineers who requested to remain anonymous as they are prohibited by their employer from speaking to the media.

 

On 1 February, BNSF Railway, one of the largest railroad freight networks in North America implemented a new point system attendance policy, criticized by workers and unions representing about 17,000 workers, for being more restrictive, incentivizing going to work fatigued or ill, and increasing threats of discipline.

“We feel stabbed in the back, completely demoralized with the work we did through the pandemic, understanding the situation, going the extra mile, and doing what we’re asked to do, and then some without complaint,” said the worker.

The new attendance system appears arcane. Workers are allotted 30 career attendance points and docked several points for taking any days off, with points varying on the time of the week and days designated as high-impact days. Workers can get four points back after working uninterrupted for 14 days. Previously, workers were allotted five weekdays off a month and two weekend days off. Workers are continuously on call and have just over an hour to report to work when they are called in.

“Fatigue is a chronic issue with almost everyone I know and work with. We manage it so it doesn’t get too severe,” they added. “We’ve been struggling through the pandemic with fatigue, exhaustion, and we have no chance to even catch our breath.”

A Union Pacific rail car is parked at a Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) train yard in Washington, February 2017.
A Union Pacific rail car is parked at a Burlington Northern Santa Fe (BNSF) train yard in Washington. Photograph: Chris Helgren/Reuters

Despite the grueling work schedules, workers explained there is no room for error in the work they do given the important safety components of their job, such as transporting hazardous chemicals.

Workers are legally permitted to work a maximum of 12 hours operating a train, but the worker noted it often takes several additional hours for relief to arrive and to get to a hotel or terminal when away from home. While always on call, the work hours vary widely and often change on a moment’s notice, making it impossible for workers to adapt to healthy sleep schedules, having to piece together naps whenever possible while waiting to be called into work.

Workers say that even though high-impact days, such as various holidays including Super Bowl Sunday, are designated as seven attendance points, workers are not paid any additional pay for working those days.

“You don’t know when they’re calling and they can call you at any time,” a worker said. “We’re still going through the pandemic, whether folks like to believe that or not, or abide by what’s going on or not, even though it’s lessened, you’re forcing folks to come to work sick because they’re scared to use points. You’re literally having them pick between ‘do you go to work sick and ill and not feeling well or do you save that time to be with your kids and your family?’”

Another worker criticized the attendance policy, arguing it makes it even more difficult to take time off for medical appointments or to be able to take time off to spend with family as railroad workers spent most of their time away from home, waiting anywhere from 12 to 30 hours in a hotel room before being called back into work on a return trip to their home.

“There are 17,600 employees that work with this new attendance policy, and not one of them will tell you that it’s a good program at all. It’s completely unmanageable,” they said.

Workers represented by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation unions mobilized and pushed for the right to strike over the new attendance policy, but a federal judge ruled the dispute was “minor” under the Railway Labor Act, meaning workers cannot legally strike over the policy.

“This is a policy that, frankly, is just blind to the moment,” said Greg Regan, president of the transportation trades department, AFL-CIO, which represents 36 labor unions in the transportation industry. “They’re turning around and punishing their employees, because they’re faced with some of the challenges that they created themselves.”

A worker reaches for absorbent pads as residual oil leaks from a train car being readied to be moved following a derailment, December 2020.
A worker reaches for absorbent pads as residual oil leaks from a train car being readied to be moved following a derailment in December 2020. Photograph: Elaine Thompson/AP

The attendance policy change was implemented as workers have continued working through the pandemic via contract negotiations between 10 unions and over 30 railroad companies that have been ongoing since fall 2019 amid widespread labor cuts in the industry since 2017 where over 20% of staff have been cut under a new operating model.

The industry is pushing to reduce two person rail crews, an engineer and a conductor, to one person crews, which unions and workers have criticized as a serious safety issue that will lead to an increase in train derailments, severely affecting communities around the country.

“What the companies are offering at the bargaining table, you would think they’re facing declining revenue and decreasing profits, not recording the highest profit margin in the history of railroading,” Regan said. “It’s clear that the industry does not want to give an inch right now, and they want to continue to claw out as much profit as possible.”

BNSF Railway, owned by billionaire Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, reported record profits in 2021, with operating income increasing 13.7% to $8.8bn.

A spokesperson for BNSF Railway argued the new attendance policy will provide more predictability for train crews and provide more reliable crew availability.

“Our program is designed to provide ample time for obligations outside work, including planned vacations, personal leave days and unplanned absences while ensuring that we have sufficient employees available to work,” a spokesperson said in an email. “Based on initial feedback, BNSF has already modified the program. We look forward to continuing to work with our employees to gather input and refine the program if needed. BNSF team members drive our success and we couldn’t deliver the nation’s goods without them. We understand that change can be an adjustment, but we believe we can adapt together to meet today’s competitive freight environment.”

Full article here: 

‘Completely demoralized’: US railroad workers pushed to the brink | US unions | The Guardian

… we have a small favour to ask. Tens of millions have placed their trust in the Guardian’s fearless journalism since we started publishing 200 years ago, turning to us in moments of crisis, uncertainty, solidarity and hope. More than 1.5 million supporters, from 180 countries, now power us financially – keeping us open to all, and fiercely independent.

 

Unlike many others, the Guardian has no shareholders and no billionaire owner. Just the determination and passion to deliver high-impact global reporting, always free from commercial or political influence. Reporting like this is vital for democracy, for fairness and to demand better from the powerful.

 

And we provide all this for free, for everyone to read. We do this because we believe in information equality. Greater numbers of people can keep track of the global events shaping our world, understand their impact on people and communities, and become inspired to take meaningful action. Millions can benefit from open access to quality, truthful news, regardless of their ability to pay for it.

 

If there were ever a time to join us, it is now. Every contribution, however big or small, powers our journalism and sustains our future. Support the Guardian from as little as $1 – it only takes a minute. Thank you.

 
Filed Under: Industry Related

Safety Glasses Program

March 3, 2022 By

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Filed Under: Uncategorized

RAIL MEMBERS’ INPUT SOUGHT BY FRA FOR FATIGUE SURVEY

February 17, 2022 By

Rail members’ input sought by FRA for fatigue survey – Smart Union (smart-union.org)

 

The Federal Railroad Administration is asking T&E rail members of the SMART Transportation Division to participate in a wide-reaching survey of T&E personnel on the topic of fatigue.

Participants working in T&E roles in either passenger or freight service are highly encouraged to help FRA’s Office of Research, Development & Technology: Human Factors Division gather data via the 49-question survey.

“It’s an opportunity to provide any feedback about fatigue, work schedules and work/life balance,” FRA officials said.

Topics include typical work schedules over a period of days, weeks and months, members’ sleep cycles and their commute times, i.e. “the time (or distance) from home to work and vice versa, with ‘work’ referring to the location where crews start/finish their shift. ‘Home’ may also include away sites where crew members rest/sleep away from their personal home.”

Follow this link to participate in this important survey.

Image

 

The first six weeks of 2022 have been quite busy weeks in the transportation industry. Click below to go to the SMART-TD story of interest:

  1. Bill limiting train length in Iowa gains traction.
  2. Two-person crew in Texas saves life of missing woman.
  3. Kansas SLD introduces DOT Secretary Buttigieg.
  4. Year-end financial reports for Class I’s. (Narrator: they made lots of money)
  5. New board member assumes position on NMB.
  6. Rail members’ input sought for FRA fatigue survey.

Better yet, click here to go to the main news page for all the stories. And let’s be careful out there!

 

Sincerely,

Greg Hynes

National Legislative Director

SMART Transportation Division

 
Filed Under: Industry Related, Local 60 News

2021 PTO Payouts

February 1, 2022 By

Unused vacation and personal time for 2021 will start being paid out in week six (February 10th) and should be completed on week 7 (February 17)

If you are not compensated by then, ensure you have completed a E-Timecard for the code of 920 (vacation) or 988 (personal) total hours owed (one timecard each) then supply request number on your shortage submission on Payroll Shortage Form (utulocal60.com)

 

Filed Under: Local 60 News

C3RS Inside The Rail – Issue 15

January 30, 2022 By
 
ISSUE 15 – JANUARY 2022
 
C3RS: Over a Decade of Safety Reporting 
 
In 2011, the Confidential Close Call Reporting System (C3RS) was launched as part of the FRA’s Rail Safety Action Plan risk reduction strategy. The program was modeled after the successful NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (ASRS) with the goal of improving rail safety through the collection and sharing of safety information.
 
C3RS began with a single participating carrier and received 100 reports in its first year. Over ten years later, C3RS has now grown to include 20 participating carriers and has received over 24,000 reports. The information provided in these voluntarily submitted close call reports is invaluable and provides insight into the safety issues railroad employees face on a daily basis.
 
For more than a decade, NASA C3RS Expert Analysts have gleaned important safety insights from these reports including the factors that contribute to common safety events such as overspeed and doors off platform events, as well as identifying new and emerging safety issues related to the introduction of Positive Train Control (PTC) and the COVID-19 pandemic.
 
In 2021, the DataBase Query Tool (DBQT), full of de-identified reports, went on-online1 marking a major milestone for safety in the rail industry by allowing anyone to review and learn from these close call reports. NASA also shares safety information from these reports with the rail community by issuing Alert Bulletins / For Your Information Notices, Quick Response data summaries and extensive research studies.
 
What has been truly notable is the participation of the different carriers, crafts, unions, and organizations that contribute to make C3RS a unique safety reporting system that is unparalleled world-wide. Below are samples of close call events submitted by reporters from key railroad groups: Engineering, Signal, Transportation, Mechanical, and Dispatchers. Each report provides a unique close call event that highlights and suggests corrective actions to prevent the incidents from happening again.
 
Engineering Close Call Event
 
A Manager provides insight into how a communication breakdown during an emergency repair caused a close call event involving energized electric rail.
 
The Construction gang was on the rail repairing a pole line cable that came down during the overnight storm with Track and Time and an electrified rail outage. During the cleanup, an electrified rail man told us the rail became re-energized through a back feed. We had crews actively working on removing strand and cable that could have been in contact with the electrified rail. There were no injuries and everyone stepped clear of anything metal.
 
 
C3RS Expert Analyst’s Callback Summary:
 
The reporter, a Manager, stated that a crew of fifteen plus employees were working on Track and Time authority issued to them by the Dispatcher… The reporter explained that the crew was not certain as to the exact circumstances involved, but at some point the power was restored to the track segment where all the employees had been working. During the cleanup process, the Electric Traction Manager informed the Manager that the electrified rail had become energized due to a train down the line “bridging the gap.” None of the employees were making contact with the tracks at that time…
 
Signal Department Close Call Event
 
A Signal Maintainer explains how human factors and deviating from procedure set up a close call event when disconnecting breakers in a signal bungalow.
 
At the Interlocking, I was removing old equipment to be salvaged. The last piece of equipment to be removed were snow blower breakers. All of the breakers were in the off position. I had cut out four of the smaller breakers before I got to the large main breaker… On the fifth wire, I saw a bright flash from the sixth wire. I believe that making an assumption that the power had been turned off along with not having a multi-meter available to verify, was the cause of this incident. I believe that it is imperative to always verify that the circuit is not live before disconnecting anything from it.
 
 
C3RS Expert Analyst’s Callback Summary:
 
The reporter, a Signalman, was working alone disconnecting power to equipment near control points that were going to be upgraded. Power had been shut off several weeks prior. The reporter said there were no lights in the bungalow and assumed the power was off on the circuits as well, but did not initiate steps to verify they were off. The Signalman was unaware the circuits were on a separate feed and that they were energized… The third wire to be cut had faulty insulation and touched the breaker panel, which was connected to the ground and created a flash and an arc… To prevent mishaps like this in the future, the reporter said there needs to be an Electrician or other qualified employee to perform electrical work. The Signalman also recommended improved communication among the crafts as well as implementing a proper Lock Out/Tag Out procedure.
 
Transportation Close Call Event
 
Protecting a shove at restricted speed as a train approached a blind curve, a Conductor discusses why communication and situational awareness are so important.
 
The Train departed Station X on time. We were shoving with the Dispatcher’s permission on a routine move to Station Y. We received a restricting indication at the Interlocking, which was a blind curve. After making the curve, I observed two track workers sitting in the gauge working on a metal box. I blew the proper whistle warning and the workers immediately jumped out of the gauge…
 
 
C3RS Expert Analyst’s Callback Summary:
 
… The Conductor was in the rear control car and was in control of the shoving move. The crew was in the process of shoving their train one mile so they could pull into the other station… The reporter suspected the workers were contractors who were stealing foul time as they had no authority to occupy the track as the train had a restricting signal… The reporter concluded by saying there was no Foreman present to obtain Track Authority for the workers.
 
Mechanical Close Call Event
 
Communication and job safety briefings are critical to railroad safety. Here is a report from a Machinist highlighting an instance where neither were properly applied in a blue flag protection situation.
 
Blue lights were removed by a Laborer from the end of the track and train before an onboard brake test was completed. Lack of communication to the Electricians on the other end of the train in the cab car left them unprotected by blue lights. It was discussed about, what and why it happened afterward.
 
 
C3RS Expert Analyst’s Callback Summary:
 
The reporter, a Machinist, conveyed the Laborer was the employee that called in Blue Light Protection. While sitting in the engine the reporter observed the Laborer remove the blue light, which left the Electrician unprotected… The reporter cited a lack of communication as the contributing factor to the event. In the future, better communication by everyone in the group will help prevent incidents like this from happening again.
 
Dispatcher Close Call Event
 
A Dispatcher shares a deviation from track blocking procedures that could have resulted in a serious incident.
 
… Foreign Carrier’s Train arrived in the Station after midnight with an extra electric engine that had to be removed and brought to the Foreign Carrier’s Yard. I gave the appropriate signals for the light engine to proceed west and switch blocked the route. I realized after the light engine had already made its way to the Yard, I had the switch blocked as necessary. I did not apply a track block to prevent the Foreign Carrier’s Train from coming in on top of the light engine. That being said, no signal was given on top of the light engine and no incident occurred.
 
 
C3RS Expert Analyst’s Callback Summary:
 
The reporter, a Dispatcher, stated that the move being made with the train was routine. However, in this particular instance the Dispatcher was distracted due to working from a different location than normal. The reporter explained that periodically, the Dispatchers are required to work from a different location so that the usual dispatching office can be disinfected for COVID-19. Therefore, there was an unusual amount of noise and activity, which is a distraction.
 
  1. To search close call events that are submitted to C3RS, visit the C3RS website Online Resources page and click on Confidential Close Call Reporting System Online Database. https://c3rs.arc.nasa.gov /resources.html
 
Did You Know?
 
If you submit a C3RS report, a NASA C3RS Expert Analyst may call you if you do not include enough information or to better understand the safety issues you are sharing. It is very important that you return our call within three days so that your identification (ID) strip (sent by the U.S. Mail) can be returned to you quickly.
 
The more information you include in your report, the faster the ID strip can be returned to you!
 
 
Report Intake By Craft
January through December 2021
 
Transportation – 2,824
Engineering – 108
Mechanical – 72
 
Monthly Report Intake
Previous 3 Months
 
October – 287
November – 301
December – 261
 
 
Inside The Rail – Issue 15
 
 
Online Resources
 
  • Visit c3rs.arc.nasa.gov for a detailed overview of C3RS, instructions on how to submit C3RS reports, report forms and a list of Frequently Asked Questions. 
 
  • See the FRA C3RS web page for more information and access to the IMOU agreements of the participating railroad carriers and unions.
Report to C3RS
Contact the Editor
 
NP-2022-01-XX-ARC
 
NASA Confidential Close Call Reporting System | c3rs.arc.nasa.gov
Filed Under: Industry Related, Local 60 News

Free COVID Tests Available

January 18, 2022 By

The White House announced last week that it would publicly launch the site covidtests.gov on Wednesday. However, some early visitors to the website Tuesday morning were already able to see a button to order their free tests — a limited rollout that appears to have been expanded to more visitors later Tuesday afternoon. 

Filed Under: Uncategorized

COVID Protocol

January 14, 2022 By

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Filed Under: Uncategorized

Payroll Newsletter 2022

January 13, 2022 By

 

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Filed Under: Local 60 News
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