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UTU, BLE, CSXT to sign "revolutionary" disciplinary policy today

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – About 200 operating craft employees will join UTU International President Charles L. Little, BLE International President Clarence Monin and CSXT President and CEO Pete Carpenter today as they sign a new employee development and accountability policy that replaces the carrier’s former disciplinary procedure.

This is the first time such a policy has been jointly developed by unions and a carrier. The new policy provides that all CSXT operating employees begin with a "clean slate" today with regard to application of the new policy.

The signing ceremony is taking place at 11:30 a.m. at CSXT’s Moncrief Yard. Federal Railroad Administrator Jolene Molitoris will also participate.

"Every operating employee on CSX literally begins his or her working life today with a fresh start from a carrier that is asking them to participate in creating the best working environment on an American railroad in history," said Little. "This is an opportunity we intend to seize and turn into a success."

Little added: "Today, we begin writing the first words in a new book about how labor and management should work together on the railroad of the 21^st Century in a partnership of mutual respect and accountability."

In a press release, Carpenter said, "For nearly a century, we’ve largely addressed rules violations by our operating employees by assessing discipline without collaboration with the employees’ labor representatives. This policy moves us from a unilateral approach to one of partnership with the labor organizations. The credit for this historic policy goes to Charles Little and Clarence Monin for their vision, as we break from the past and set a new standard for the rest of the rail industry."

Positive corrective action, not punishment, is the cornerstone of the new policy. Minor rules infractions by an employee will be addressed jointly by the local CSXT manager and the union local chairman. Positive corrective action could include providing the involved employee with additional formal or on-the-job training or assigning the employee to an experienced employee from the same union who volunteers to assist.

Repetitive cases of minor offenses and first-time serious rules violations will be handled by non-punitive methods, such as Incident Review Committees and Time-Out sessions. IRC’s are composed of fellow craft employees, who will develop the root cause of the problem and prescribe appropriate corrective action.

Time Outs bring together the involved parties to develop the root cause and corrective solution. Only in cases of continued serious offenses or egregious rules violations will the new policy require formal hearings under the terms of the applicable collection bargaining agreements.

UP says rail workers aren’t to blame for service slowdown

WASHINGTON – Breaking from recent statements about labor woes, Union Pacific Railroad’s weekly report to the Surface Transportation Board (STB) said the carrier "is not blaming its train and engine crew employees for congestion or service problems. These employees are carrying the burden of UP’s service recovery efforts. They are entitled to time off, and UP management appreciates their efforts."

The United Transportation Union has vigorously criticized UP for blaming train and engine crew workers for its service problems. UTU has said UP’s statistics on crew layoffs were inflated and wrong.

"We are glad to see that UP is now publicly saying that the workers are not the problem, but have been working hard to save the railroad from its own problems," said Charles L. Little, UTU International President.

UP also acknowledged that almost all train crews spend the maximum 12 hours on duty and return to work soon after their shift ends.

UP said it is making efforts to increase the number of train crews with more than 2,400 new workers expected to be hired by year-end.

Democrats avoid TWU pickets in Philly

PHILADELPHIA – Members of the Democratic National Committee promptly left town rather than cross TWU picket lines here yesterday and risk conflict. The DNC was in town to scout Philadelphia as a possible site for the next national convention.

The TWU broke off talks with SEPTA after 4 hours yesterday, after which union leaders said Mayor Ed Rendell "sold them out" and "double-crossed" them.

TWU had already offered a zero-cost contract to SEPTA so the agency would not have to raise fares to pay its unionized workforce of 5,200 workers. But union sources said SEPTA wanted TWU to give back $15 million over 3 years to help its budget deficit.

Then SEPTA said it wanted to hire a minimum of 100 part-timers. TWU Local 234 President Steve Brookens said he believed Rendell told him the issue of part-timers was off the table and accused the mayor of being a "double-crosser."

Amtrak Montreal train service sidetracked

ALBANY -- The train route from Albany to Montreal has been sidetracked. Amtrak service is shut down until the middle of the month after heavy rains in the north country damaged tracks last weekend. A 100-foot section of the track was washed out by the torrents. However, Amtrak is still running passengers to Montreal by bus, and commercial traffic on its way to Plattsburgh is being re-routed through Buffalo.

Russian Coal Miners resume rail blockade

MOSCOW – Coal miners demanding back wages have launched a new blockade of the Trans-Siberian railroad.Miners blocked rails and highways in three towns in the Kemerovo region in central Siberia. Miners say the federal government has paid only two-thirds of a $160 million sum that was promised after they stopped a rail blockade in May. This strike will last two days, and then union leaders will meet to discuss the next step.