The “Mentor Program” which is part of the “Conductor Training Program” will resume on Monday August 8, 2016. Modifications in the process have been enacted to provide a better learning experience for the students. There will be regular meetings between the Carrier and SMART TD to further enhance this learning period.

Fraternally,

Stephen J. Burkert

General Chairman

Members, I have signed a new ” Tentative Agreement” with the Carrier. I will be discussing the scope of this agreement at Sunday’s union  meeting. Due to the short time frame I will not have copies available for you at the meeting. I will be starting the required voting process as soon as possible. All eligible members will be receiving a ballot in the mail to cast their vote.

Thank you all for your professionalism during this very stressful time.

Fraternally,

Stephen J. Burkert

General Chairman

Members, we DO NOT have a Temporary Agreement as of today.  I, HAVE NOT AGREED, at this point to extending the cooling off period as has been mentioned in the news media. I am ready to sit and negotiate a new temporary agreement whenever the Carrier is ready to talk.  The cooling off period ends on June 30th, 2016, next Thursday.  I will update you on the current situation as it arises, I urge all members to please attend our Local meeting this Sunday. There will be special announcements/ plans coming soon based upon how the talks are progressing or not progressing. I can assure all of the members, we have the full support of SMART -TD INTERNATIONAL.

Fraternally,

Stephen J. Burkert

General Chairman

We are still meeting with New Jersey Transit Rail to try and settle the contract issue. I will let all members know as soon as there are new developments. The only official news to report at this time is that we are still at the table talking.

Thank you and be safe.

Stephen J. Burkert

General Chairman

Effective today 5/9/2016 all members who mentor in yards or on the trains will cease this practice. All of the mentoring will be done by the Carrier, they will be solely responsible for this aspect of training. I will keep you informed of any future changes.

Fraternally,

Stephen J. Burkert

General Chairman L-60

Members, the tentative agreement will be voted on by you in the near future for ratification. I am working on getting all of the figures and variations in one cohesive format. It will be coming out as soon as possible. I hope to have a special meeting set up soon to go through the entire proposal. It will take a few days so please be patient. The proposal is for longer term than the PEB recommendations, with the general wage increases rising accordingly. I want to thank you all for an outstanding job during a very stressful period.

Stephen J. Burkert

General Chairman

This is in reference to the letter today from Lavell,threatening you, while we are still trying to settle a 5 year old  contract.

IF, we elect to go on strike anyone choosing to report to Ferry street or any other location will be considered a “strike breaker or scab”.

There is a $1000.00 dollar fine per day. Any money the Carrier compensates you will also be fined at triple the rate. If you earn a $100.00 ,the local will then fine you $300.00. You will also be brought up on charges by the local and if found to have worked while we were on strike you will be expelled from the local and lose your employment.

The covers every member from #1 on the roster to the ACTP classes, you are all to report to the locations that you were given, if needed.

Stephen J. Burkert

GC L-60

Well written and comprehensive explanation regarding our negotiations;

NJT negotiations

I urge all Members of Local 60 and their families, to please refrain from discussing and/or debating our current contract negotiations on public forums. I understand these are very stressful times and some things that are reported in the press releases sometimes are not accurate. I further understand that the comments made by the public, who are unaware of all of the training required to do our profession, are sometimes unpleasant. Please do not comment on the articles since most of the derogatory statements are intended to provoke an emotional response. We have handled this unfortunate situation with class every step of the way and I intend on continuing to do so in the future. If you are using Facebook, that is absolutely not the proper forum to be debating the merits of what we are trying to accomplish. I am sure that there is only good intentions when these actions are taking place, but rest assure what you write on these forums is being evaluated by many interested parties, not all of them for a good reason.

Please rest assure they we are doing everything in our power to avert a work stoppage. We are also cognizant of the fact that it is almost 5 years without a contract that you all so rightfully deserve. Please ” Stay Calm and Carry On ” as the slogan goes, and we will continue to negotiate on your behalf.

Fraternally,

Stephen J. Burkert

General Chairman