UTU News Digest - Thursday, August 5, 1999

UTU Daily News Digest

Information of interest to operating railroad and transportation employees

Thursday, August 5, 1999

MISSOURI: As FAA nears review, railway gets moving

KANSAS CITY -- Kansas City voters made their decision Tuesday, approving a truck-train hub at Richards-Gebaur Memorial Airport. Now it's up to the Federal Aviation Administration.

Officials with the federal agency had said they wanted to wait until after the election before determining whether to approve leases involved in the intermodal project. FAA spokeswoman Marcie Adams said the agency would review the leases "promptly" but had no timetable for approval.

Meanwhile, Kansas City Southern Railway (KCS), which would lease the land and develop the transportation hub, is doing whatever it can to prepare for business, said Vice President Warren Erdman.

The railway and Missouri Department of Transportation engineers met Wednesday to discuss bid-letting for the Missouri 150 underpass, one of several road improvements planned to ease traffic problems from the hub.

"Our priority is to get the highway improvements under way as quickly as possible," Erdman said. "These improvements will come in almost two years ahead of schedule."

The railroad also is proceeding with preliminary engineering for tracks to the hub and for the first of two automotive-handling facilities envisioned for the project.

Erdman said the railroad wants to show the prospective user, Mazda, that it can have everything ready in time.

"If all that goes on schedule we hope to make that first automotive facility available in April," he said. It would operate separately from the intermodal hub.

Work would then begin on the freight hub itself, which could be in limited operation in October or November 2000.

City officials also are considering a feasibility study for a new runway that would enable Richards-Gebaur to stay open as an airport. The property the railroad wants to lease includes the current runways.

Within 30 days, the City Council is expected to see a contract for the master plan for the new runway. By the end of September, it will have a contract for an environmental study.

The master plan generally takes 12 months, and an environmental assessment also takes about 12 months.

The Aviation Department hopes to start the environmental work as soon as the master plan determines locations for a runway, taxiway and other facilities. If a new runway is approved, the airport would be closed about four years before that runway became available.

ARIZONA: First highway-rail safety program among Navajo Nation opens

WINDOW ROCK -- The Navajo Nation will begin modeling a national highway-rail safety program today that focuses on the needs of native Americans, implemented through a broad partnership of private and public sector groups through Operation Lifesaver.

Leaders from Operation Lifesaver, a national, non-profit public awareness organization, and the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) will join Navajo leaders and representatives from the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Railway (BNSF) and Amtrak to kick off the effort, which took a year of planning.

Arizona Governor Jane Dee Hull commended the partnership in a statement released in support of the program. "This is an excellent illustration and nationwide model of how these differing sectors can combine energies to help better the lives of those in need. You have done a wonderful job keeping the community spirit strong."

The joint program has been developed in full cooperation with the Navajo Nation to bring safety information through native speakers based on Operation Lifesaver training. The unique approach promises to serve as a model for other previously unserved groups across the country.

Participants from the Navajo Nation include Edward Jim, Sr., Chairperson, Public Safety Committee, Lawrence Garnanez, Director, Department of Highway Safety and Kelsey Begaye, President Navajo Nation. Garnanez, speaking as Director of Highway Safety, said there is "strong support" for the partnership to prevent rail tragedies by bringing a safety message to the Navajo.

Gerri Hall, President, Operation Lifesaver, said, "We look forward to the benefits we will gain from the Navajo's strong traditions and community spirit. We hope this program will mark the beginning of a larger rail safety partnership with Native Americans across the United States."

Jolene Molitoris, FRA Administrator, praised the partnership, saying it will raise awareness about safety at the crossings and along rail rights-of- way.

"Together we can ensure that the message of grade crossing safety is spread to all Navajos. We congratulate President Kelsey Begaye and all the leaders of the Navajo Nation for their commitment," Molitoris said.

Rob Roy, Director, Field Safety and Support, BNSF, said, "We see this as a very powerful means of heightening rail safety awareness within the Navajo Nation. This partnership will save lives."

Jim Wolfe, Director, Government Affairs, Amtrak/Intercity/Chicago, said, "Amtrak is excited to support this unique training and safety effort, which will benefit the Navajo Nation."

Since it was created in 1972, Operation Lifesaver is credited with helping to save 10,000 lives and prevent 40,000 injuries. Nationwide, 49 state OL programs work with 200 trainers and 3,000 volunteer presenters who personally deliver the organization's safety message to over 2 million Americans annually. More than 100 public and private safety groups work with Operation Lifesaver, including the U.S. Department of Transportation, the National Transportation Safety Board, the American Automobile Association, the American Trucking Associations, the National Safety Council, the school transportation industry, law enforcement organizations, federal, state and local governments and the nation's railroads and their suppliers.

INDIANA: Railroad raising speed in Oakland City area

OAKLAND CITY, Ind. - Norfolk Southern Railroad announced Friday that it plans to raise the speed of its trains on a section of rail line near Oakland City.

Beginning Monday, the speed limit on the Norfolk Southern line at County Road 100 near Columbia Mine will be raised from 25 mph to 35 mph.

And one week later, on Aug. 9, the speed limit will be increased to 50 mph.

"We have people handing out fliers right now explaining what we're doing," said Dean Broderick, an operations manager for Norfolk's Kentucky Division.

The higher speed limit is possible because there is less truck traffic at Columbia Mine than there was a few years ago, said Norfolk spokesman Bob Auman.

"My understanding is that the volume of production at the mine has decreased," said Auman.

Officials with Black Beauty Coal Co., which owns the mine, could not be reached for comment Friday.

The area affected by the speed change is about two miles east of Oakland City, Broderick said.

The line passing through the area is Norfolk Southern's main cargo line between Louisville, Ky., and St. Louis. About 12 trains travel the line each day, Broderick said.

Speed limits on rail lines are controlled by state and federal authorities. Broderick said the line at Oakland City is authorized for speeds up to 50 mph.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- FHWA fines school bus companies for safety violations

Federal Highway Administrator Kenneth R. Wykle today announced that severe fines will be levied against two school bus companies for failing to comply with Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations.

"Those who endanger America's school children by ignoring truck and bus safety regulations will pay the consequences," Wykle said. "We have a safety action plan to reduce the number of fatalities associated with trucks and buses and are redoubling our efforts to make sure that companies which violate safety requirements will be punished."

Bee Bus Lines, Inc., and Joy Farm Transportation, Inc., both of Milwaukee, agreed to pay fines in the amounts of $23,000 and $14,000, respectively, for using drivers who were confirmed positive for the use of controlled substance (drugs) to transport school children. The investigations were conducted by special agents from the Wisconsin Division of the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA).

As a result of studies indicating Wisconsin had a high rate of bus crashes transporting school children, particularly in Milwaukee County, the Wisconsin State Patrol and the Wisconsin Division of the FHWA focused attention on passenger carriers.

Bee Bus Lines and Joy Farm Transportation were found to be in violation of the controlled substance/alcohol regulations and have higher than average crash rates than similar carriers transporting school children in Milwaukee. Because both companies had been fined for violating controlled substance/alcohol regulations within the past two years, more severe enforcement actions were taken at this time.

In May, U.S. Transportation Secretary Rodney E. Slater and Wykle announced an action plan to improve motor carrier safety and reduce fatalities associated with trucks and buses by 50% in 10 years.

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- House votes on work-injury rules

WASHINGTON -- New rules to help reduce employee "repetitive strain" injuries could not be issued until after a federal study is completed, under legislation passed by the House.

The White House opposes the bill and has threatened to veto it.

The measure, H.R. 987, passed Tuesday, would force the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to suspend its rule-making process until after the National Academy of Sciences reports its findings to Congress in January 2001.

A companion bill is pending in the Senate.

Critics said the bill would unnecessarily delay rules needed to help the 600,000 workers who suffer from repetitive strain injuries and other illness every year.

Supporters said the science on the issue was murky and that it made sense to require the Labor Department agency to wait for the study before moving forward.

"No one's here trying to prevent forever (the) regulations," said Rep. Cass Ballenger, R-N.C., whose subcommittee has held hearings. "We're here saying, 'Let's do it right. Let's get the scientific evidence first and then proceed."'

Labor Secretary Alexis M. Herman criticized the bill, sponsored by Rep. Roy Blunt, R-Mo., in a statement issued after the vote.

"The Blunt bill is the wrong answer," she said. "If this legislation were to take effect, it would harm both workers and employers, which is why President Clinton would exercise his veto if it were to reach his desk."

Charles N. Jeffress, the OSHA administrator, said every major scientific, medical and professional organization involved in workplace safety issues has urged the agency to move forward with its new ergonomics standards.

Ergonomics is the science of tailoring a job to the worker to prevent musculoskeletal injuries caused by wear and tear on the body, such as back pain, tendinitis in the wrist and painful carpal tunnel syndrome.

"We're not going to sit and wait and not go forward when the science is in," Jeffress added in an interview after the vote.

OSHA released a draft proposal in February that would apply primarily to industrial jobs, such as meatpacking, sewing and assembly lines. But office workers who perform repetitive tasks such as typing also could be included.

The rules could require employers to alter work stations, redesign facilities or change the tools and equipment their employees use. Businesses also could be required to offer medical care and time off to injured workers.

OSHA has estimated the draft would cost $3.5 billion per year. The agency expects to issue a formal proposal in the fall, Jeffress said.

More than 600,000 workers suffered serious injuries from overexertion or repetitive motion on the job in 1996, accounting for 34 percent of all ailments that caused employees to miss work, according to OSHA.

The injuries, caused when there is a mismatch between a job's physical requirements and the physical capacity of the human body, also cost employers $15 billion to $20 billion a year in workers' compensation, the agency said.

Rep. Henry Bonilla, R-Texas, who supported the bill, said safety measures adopted by the private sector have helped to reduce such injuries by 17 percent since 1995. "There is no crisis at hand," he said.

But opponents said previous studies, including one last year by the NAS and another by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, have confirmed links between repetitive motions on the job and workplace injuries.

They said OSHA should be allowed to proceed with the new rule.

"That delay does not hurt anybody in this room," Rep. David Obey, D-Wis., told colleagues. "The only repetitive motion injury that members of Congress are likely to get are knee injuries from continuous genuflecting to big-business special interests who want us to put their profit margins ahead of worker health."

WASHINGTON, D.C.: AFL-CIO "Work in Progress," August 2, 1999

New Members reported in this week's WiP: 6,418

New Members reported in WiP, 1999: 208,475

WITH UAW, WORKERS KING AT LEAR -- Nearly 2,600 production and maintenance workers at auto seat maker Lear Corp., headquartered in Southfield, Mich., won a voice on the job with the UAW last week. The card-check recognition win came after Lear bought UT Automotive and agreed to stay neutral during the workers' organizing campaign at Lear's eight plants. In addition, 129 workers at Huxley/Pocono Envelope Corp. in Mount Pocono, Pa.; 115 workers at Amco Convertible Fabric Inc. in Adrian, Mich.; and 22 workers at Abitec Corp. in Janesville, Wis., recently chose to join UAW.

A WINNING HAND IN DETROIT -- The Detroit Casino Council, a four-union coalition of Hotel Employees & Restaurant Employees, Operating Engineers, Teamsters and the UAW helped more than 2,220 workers win card-check recognition July 23 at the soon-to-be-opened MGM Grand Casino in the Motor City. Officials at Detroit's other two pending casino projects also have indicated they would not stand in the way of workers choosing to join a union. "We've always said that when employers don't interfere, when they respect the wishes of their employees, then workers are going to jump at the chance to join good strong unions," said UAW President Stephen Yokich. "This unique, multiunion coalition is going to get the gaming industry in Detroit off to a great start," said John Wilhelm, HERE president. IBT President James P. Hoffa called the coalition, "a winning team." IUOE President Frank Hanley said the agreement would set the stage for strong regional economic growth. "Now we're in a position to create and preserve the kind of secure, family-wage jobs Detroit really needs," he said.

A QUICK PACE -- Volunteer member-organizers and staff at PACE International Union pitched in and helped workers at several sites gain a voice at work. More than 450 workers at a DuPont plant in Buffalo, N.Y., joined PACE in June, despite a "shrine" at the main gate intended to scare workers with samples of competitors' products and pictures of closed unionized facilities and vacant fields. In Conway, Ark., 248 workers at Rock-Tenn Folding Carton joined the union after organizers proved false the company's claim that workers at nonunion plants earned better wages and benefits. "When people saw the company was not being straightforward with them, they came over to the union side," said Larry Abel, PACE Region 7 international representative. Meanwhile, 200 workers at ASCG Inspection Inc. in Alaska joined PACE in June, as did 11 Equilon drivers, mechanics and other workers in Cleveland. In March, 40 employees at Cedars of Austin nursing home in Austin, Minn., joined PACE Local 7-578.

CAREGIVERS CARE FOR AFSCME -- Their caseloads soared, but their paychecks didn't for five years. So, 150 psychologists and counselors at the Columbia River Mental Health Center in Vancouver, Wash., voted to join AFSCME Council 2 July 7. A few weeks earlier, 25 counselors at the Children's Center, also in Vancouver, chose Council 2. Meanwhile, in St. Paul, Minn., 33 workers at the Women of Nations, a shelter for battered Native American women, voted for AFSCME Council 14.

BOSTON WORKERS CHOOSE SEIU -- Eighty-nine workers at the Boston Public Health Commission joined SEIU Local 285. A unit of eight RNs and 29 program employees won voluntary recognition, while a unit of 12 addiction service workers and a unit of 40 program employees voted for SEIU.

CALL NOW: 'NO' ON H.R. 987 -- U.S. workers could be put at even further risk of ergonomic injury when the House votes tomorrow (August 3) on legislation that would ban OSHA from issuing ergonomic standards to protect workers from crippling injuries and illness. Call 1-877-722-7494 and strongly urge your representative to vote "No" on H.R. 987. More than 600,000 workers a year suffer ergonomic injuries, but the bill's backers, including many Big Business groups, claim that there is no scientific basis for an ergonomic standard. The legislation calls for another study that could take up to two years to complete. The lack of evidence claims are debunked by a 1998 National Academy of Sciences study and report; a 1997 National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health review of more than 600 epidemiological studies on musculoskeletal disorders; and 2,000 articles in the scientific literature on musculoskeletal disorders and the workplace. In addition, such safety and health organizations as the American Public Health Association, the American Industrial Hygiene Association, the American Society of Safety Engineers, the American College of Occupational and Environmental Medicine and many more say OSHA should move forward now on an ergonomic standard to protect workers. The legislation could be debated in the House in the morning, so call now and tell your lawmaker to vote "no" on H.R. 987.

PRO AIR PRO-UNION -- Flight attendants at Pro Air, a small, Detroit-based air carrier, voted to join the Flight Attendants. Concerns about pay and scheduling prompted two Pro Air attendants to attend an IMPACT AFA meeting--a union education and training program--and then begin urging their co-workers to organize. The unit of 51 attendants works on flights mainly carrying General Motor Corp. and Chrysler Corp. employees.

NOT BLUE IN HAWAII -- Thirty-five workers at K.D. Construction Co. at Wheeler Air Force Base in Oahu, Hawaii, voted to join Operating Engineers Local 3 this month.

FOLDING IN TO SEIU -- The Laundry and Dry Cleaning International Union has affiliated with SEIU. The 11,000- member, 17-local, Pittsburgh-based union will become a national local of SEIU. Both unions' executive boards approved the affiliation, which became effective July 1.

COME TOGETHER -- More than 20 volunteers from the Kenosha (Wis.) AFL-CIO pitched in with Teamsters Local 43 on a recent two-day "House Call Blitz" to talk with the 300 workers at Deluxe Video's warehouse who are seeking a voice at work. It was the first action for the council's newly formed organizing committee. "Talking to nonunion workers was a real eye-opener. I did not realize how serious the issue of job security is for nonunion workers," said Greg Starks of UAW Local 72. Along with Local 43 members, the blitzers included union members from Food and Commercial Workers Local 1444, SEIU Local 150 and UAW Local 72.

LABOR IN THE PULPITS -- For the fourth year, the AFL-CIO and National Interfaith Committee for Worker Justice are co- sponsoring "Labor in the Pulpits," with union members and activists taking part in worship services during Labor Day weekend. The services--in churches, synagogues, temples and mosques--highlight the many ways in which faith, work and the union movement are intertwined in bringing forth a new vision for justice in communities. The "Labor in the Pulpits--Labor Day Organizing Kit and Worship Resources," outlines how persons, whether in the religious community or within the union movement, can institute Labor in the Pulpits within local congregations and also provides an extensive range of materials that can be used by presenters, clergy members and congregations. For more information on the multidenominational program or to order the organizing and resource kit, contact Michael Szpak of the AFL-CIO Field Mobilization Department at 202-637-5284 or Regina Botterill of the NICWJ at 773-728-8400.

CWA SHORES UP JERSEY PACT -- Some 40,000 Communications Workers in New Jersey will vote soon on a tentative pact with the state. The state employees, whose contract expired July 1, reached the agreement late last month. The four-year pact includes a 14.5 percent pay raise. "We were dealing with a ruthless, anti-union administration," said CWA Vice President Larry Mancino. "But our members' mobilization activities, particularly the pressure we placed on the legislature, forced the administration to reach a fair agreement with CWA." Negotiations continue for about 16,000 workers represented by AFSCME, AFT and other unions.

RICH SAY 'MORE,' SENATE SAYS 'YES' -- The U.S. Senate voted to give the nation's wealthiest citizens even more July 30 when it approved a $792 billion, 10-year tax cut for the rich and Big Business. Polls show the majority of Americans think that the nation's budget surplus should be used to strengthen Social Security and protect Medicare. The Senate chose instead to give some three-quarters of the massive tax cut to the richest 20 percent of Americans. Almost 30 percent of the tax cut bonus is earmarked for the wealthiest 1 percent--those who already pocket almost $301,000 a year. The House passed a similar bill, and the differences will be ironed out before it is sent to President Clinton, who has vowed to veto the legislation.

SOCIAL SECURITY FIRST, YOUNG ADULTS SAY -- By large majorities, young people support Social Security and think it is more important to strengthen it than to cut taxes, according to a new poll. The survey, conducted by Peter D. Hart Research Associates Inc. for the 2030 Center, found that 81 percent of 18- to 34-year-olds support the program. Fifty-nine percent of young people would rather use the federal budget surplus to strengthen Social Security than to provide a tax cut (32 percent). There's support for Medicare: 67 percent would use the surplus for the universal health insurance program for the elderly instead of for a tax cut (27 percent). "Young people are just like everybody else," says Hans Riemer, director of the 2030 Center, a public policy institute dedicated to improving young adults' economic circumstances. "They think Social Security works, they want their benefits to remain intact and they don't want politicians playing games with their future."

WAGES SHUFFLE UP IN BUFFALO -- A three-year fight for a living wage standard in Buffalo, N.Y., came to a successful end July 27 when the city's Common Council approved the wage measure 12-0. The new law, championed by the Coalition for Economic Justice/Jobs with Justice and the Buffalo AFL-CIO Council, calls for all workers under city service contracts and subcontracts to be paid $8.08 an hour with health benefits or $9.08 without benefits. About 1,000 food, clerical, janitorial, security, landscaping and waste management workers are affected by the new law. Buffalo's unions stressed that the living wage vote would be a major factor in election endorsement decisions.

NEWPORT STRIKERS VOTE -- After nearly 16 weeks on strike, the 9,200 Steelworkers at Newport News (Va.) Shipbuilding ratified a 58-month contract July 31. The key issues in the strike were wages and pension benefits; the new contract raises wages by 24 percent over term, increases pension benefits, adds a successorship clause and limits subcontracting. The members of USWA Local 8888 walked out April 15.

FRESH START IN KENTUCKY -- Ending nearly 10 months under an emergency monitor, the Kentucky State AFL-CIO special convention adopted a new constitution, elected officers and began to gear up to build the state's union movement. Bill Londrigan, a member of the Carpenters, is president, and Chris Sanders of UFCW is secretary-treasurer. Lee Jackson of AFT, who was elected vice president, and Kathy McCormick of SEIU, the recording secretary, are the first African American and first woman, respectively, elected to Kentucky state federation office. AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Richard Trumka exhorted the delegates to organize and mobilize because "the only people who are ever going to stick up for working people are other working people."