UTU News Digest - Friday, February 19,1999

UTU Daily News Digest

Information of interest to operating railroad and transportation employees

Friday, February 19, 1999

Amtrak, Guilford argue passenger service plan

WASHINGTON -- Amtrak and Guilford Transportation Co. continue to wrangle over terms for a new passenger service between Boston and Portland, Maine, on tracks owned by Guilford, a freight railroad.

The Surface Transportation Board (STB) has launched a proceeding to resolve the latest dispute between the parties -- the weight of rail needed to support safe operation of trains at up to 79 mph.

Amtrak asked the STB to step in and decide the appropriate rail weight as an outgrowth of a July 1998 agreement between the carriers that set most terms for upgrading Guilford's tracks for passenger service.

Amtrak, which was joined in its request by the Northern New England Passenger Rail Authority, wants 115-pound rail; Guilford seeks 132-pound rail.

Rail freight traffic up slightly

WASHINGTON, February 18, 1999 - Freight traffic on U.S. railroads showed a small gain during the week ended February 13 in comparison with the corresponding week last year, the Association of American Railroads (AAR) reported today.

Carload freight totaled 352,644 carloads, up 0.5 percent from last year. Loadings were up 4.1 percent in the West but down 3.2 percent in the East. Intermodal volume, which is not included in the carload data, totaled 169,877 trailers and containers, up 2.3 percent from last year. Total volume was estimated at 27.0 billion ton-miles, also up 2.3 percent from the comparable 1998 week.

Loadings of crushed stone, gravel and sand were up 28.6 percent for the week in comparison with 1998. Other gainers included lumber and wood products, up 8.3 percent; grain, up 3.5 percent; and other farm products, up 23.3 percent. Coke was down 26.5 percent from last year, while primary forest products were off 13.8 percent.

For the first six weeks of 1999, the AAR reported the following cumulative totals: 2,049,198 carloads, down 1.8 percent from 1998; 995,213 trailers and containers, up 1.6 percent; and total volume of an estimated 156.8 billion ton-miles, down 0.2 percent from the first five weeks of 1998.

Railroads reporting to AAR account for 92 percent of U.S. carload freight and 98 percent of rail intermodal volume. Railroads provide about 40 percent of the nation's intercity freight transportation, more than any other mode, and rail traffic figures are regarded as an important economic indicator.

Canadian railroads reported an increase in intermodal but a decline in carload freight during the week ended February 13. Canadian carload volume totaled 52,711 cars, down 6.5 percent from last year. Intermodal volume totaled 27,984 trailers and containers, up 10.2 percent from the comparable 1998-week.

Cumulative originations for the first six weeks of 1999 on the Canadian railroads totaled 306,845 carloads, down 4.1 percent from last year, and 158,433 trailers and containers, up 11.7 percent from last year. Loadings of agricultural products were down 21.3 percent from last year, while motor vehicle and equipment traffic increased 18.2 percent.

Combined cumulative volume for the first six weeks of 1999 on 19 reporting U.S. and Canadian railroads totaled 2,356,043 carloads, down 2.1 percent from last year and 1,153,646 trailers and containers, up 2.9 percent from last year.

UP passes ISO benchmark

OMAHA -- Union Pacific Railroad announced this week that it has passed its first audit of core Rail Freight Transportation processes since achieving ISO9002 compliance in July, 1998.

The audit was conducted by Lloyd’s Registrar of Quality Assurance, a major worldwide business process-auditing firm. International Organization for Standardization (ISO) defines system standards targeted to establish, document and maintain effective quality programs.

The auditors found that all items identified for improvement during the July, 1998 certification audit were either corrected or had a well-developed plan being implemented.

The audit found that a number of Union Pacific employees were familiar with their work unit’s Business Objectives and the performance against those objectives is climbing. The Business Objectives process is how Union Pacific ensures that customer requirements are cascaded throughout the organization.

The improvement in Union Pacific’s performance also reflects the Transformation process UP kicked off in September of 1998. All of the key performance indicators continue to show a positive trend.

42 ticketed for rail-grade violations in Louisiana

BOOSIER CITY, La. -- Law enforcement officers from Union Pacific and the Bossier City, La., Police Department issued 42 citations on Wednesday to motorists for highway-railroad grade crossing violations.

"Officer on the Train" is part of the Operation Lifesaver program where police officers ride on trains to observe motorist behavior at highway-railroad grade crossings.

Bossier City was chosen for this enforcement run because several collisions occurred in the area during 1998. In 1997, there were 196 highway-railroad grade crossing collisions in Louisiana resulting in 105 injuries and 29 fatalities, compared to 231 collisions resulting in 109 injuries and 31 deaths in 1996.

AFL-CIO Round up: Labor news from across the U.S.

NOW THIS IS SPECIAL, KMART SHOPPERS—Nearly 600 Kmart distribution center workers in Warren, Ohio, voted to join the UAW Jan. 29. The victory follows the unions recent win at a similar 800-worker unit in Morrisville, Pa. While the momentum generated by the earlier victory boosted the campaign's momentum, UAW organizers credit the 100-worker in-plant organizing committee for reaching into every part of the warehouse to build support.

IT’S IN THE JEANS—Along with the red and silver tabs, look for the union label on more Levi Strauss garments. More than 600 workers at the jeans giants Brownsville, Texas, plant won recognition with UNITE earlier this month. After a two-week campaign, during which a clear majority of the workers signed authorization cards, the company recognized UNITE.

NO MORE SQUEEZING IN ORANGE CO.—Workers at Levy Restaurants in the Orange County (Fla.) Convention Center, seeking a voice in seniority rights, scheduling and health and retirement benefits, joined Hotel Employees and Restaurant Employees Local 737. The 280 workers voted for union membership Feb. 5.

LIGHTING A MENORAH—The 52 registered nurses at Menorah Nursing Home in Brooklyn, N.Y., are now members of SEIU Local 721 after a lightning-quick card-check campaign. Dozens of calls and letters from community residents at churches, synagogues and senior organizations bolstered the drive. Elsewhere, a 178-worker unit of professional employees at the Buffalo, N.Y., Veterans Affairs Hospital voted for SEIU Local 200C. Red Cross home-care workers in North Bay, Ontario, Canada, voted 47-18 to join SEIU Local 478.

BACK TO SCHOOL—The newly merged state affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association in the "Land of 10,000 Lakes" has racked up several organizing victories in recent months. Education Minnesota has brought the benefits of union membership to nearly 200 paraprofessionals and other school workers (such as cafeteria employees, bus drivers, janitors and instructional assistants) in six units.

THE SHADOW KNOWS—Showing that it knows its workers were serious about union representation, Shadow Broadcast Services in Chicago voluntarily recognized AFTRA as the bargaining agent for the services three editors. They join 53 radio and television reporters who voted for AFTRA in December.

UNION HEARTS IN COEUR DALENE—Residents of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, voted last week to restore collective bargaining rights for city employees. After 92 city employees voted to join AFSCME Council 2 in 1997, the city council ignored massive public opposition and repealed a 16-year-old collective bargaining ordinance. The workers fought back, collecting enough signatures to put a bargaining initiative on the ballot. The new law, approved by 59 percent of the voters, also adds binding arbitration provisions and expands the scope of issues that may be bargained.

EC MEETS THIS WEEK—Good jobs, strong communities and corporate responsibility will be the focus of the Feb. 16-19 AFL-CIO Executive Council meeting in Miami. A Social Security community summit today will give South Florida working families an opportunity to speak about what is important to them in the Social Security debate. On Thursday, workers at the Community Hearing on Workers Right to Organize will testify about their job experiences, describe how unions have improved their lives and discuss the roadblocks they faced in trying to join together in unions. During the four-day council meeting, AFL-CIO vice presidents also will hear from Vice President Al Gore, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.), House Minority Leader Dick Gephardt (D-Mo.), Rep. David Bonior (D-Mich.), Labor Secretary Alexis Herman, California Gov. Gray Davis, White House Chief of Staff John Podesta and former Sen. Bill Bradley (D-N.J.).

WORKING ON A BUILDING, SAFELY—The Massachusetts Building Trades Council, representing about 60,000 construction workers, and several major contractor groups have created the Labor-Management Construction Safety Alliance. "The bread and butter of the CSA will be its safety and health education and outreach programs that will promote safer working conditions for union workers, while giving union contractors a competitive edge," said MBTC President Joseph A. Dart. The groups four major initiatives are to improve labor-management communication on safety and health, establish state-of-the-art safety practices through education and technical support, encourage research and build partnerships with the safety and health community. Next month, CSA will begin its effort to make sure all 60,000 construction workers complete a 10-hour course in recognition, avoidance and prevention of unsafe and unhealthy working conditions.

PLAYING IN PEORIA—At community summits across the country, union activists are accelerating their calls to strengthen, not dismantle, Social Security. In Peoria, Ill., summit participants marched to the local Merrill Lynch office to protest plans to privatize the nations most successful social insurance program. "We plan to use our grassroots power to fight privatization and any attempt to raise the retirement age," said Michael McNally, president of the West Central Illinois Labor Council. Fifty Social Security summits--bringing union members, community groups and lawmakers together--are scheduled for the next several weeks, most during the congressional recess between now and Feb. 21.

LETTERS SET SAIL—The 300 stewards at Avondale Industries recently wrote letters to Navy Secretary Richard Danzig asking the Navy to investigate the New Orleans-based shipyards unethical business practices and abysmal safety record. The stewards said they are "appalled that our employer--a company which depends on taxpayers like us for its livelihood--can have such utter disregard for its workers safety and rights." The Navy has reimbursed Avondale for legal costs associated with its five-year effort to thwart workers wishes to form a union and for employee time lost to captive-audience meetings.

STRENGTH IN NUMBERS—Mobilizing support for the Coalition for Workers Rights, Social Justice and Economic Fairness, Executive Vice President Linda Chavez-Thompson last week urged Kansans to rally around a legislative agenda that includes prevailing wages, repeal of the sales tax on food and public employees right to organize. "What you’re doing here is a model for the rest of the country," she told the hundreds of union, farm, religious, academic, feminist, environmentalist, veteran, civil rights and community activists who met with her at four locations in the state. "When we act as one, when we build coalitions with each other, it makes us stronger and more effective than we could ever be if we were out there alone."

COUNTDOWN TO SHOWDOWN—AFL-CIO President John Sweeney and SEIU President Andy Stern joined Connecticut nursing home workers Feb. 8 in their fight to improve the quality of care for residents by retooling the states flawed funding system. Some 6,000 District 1199NE workers at 50 homes have waged a five-month campaign for more funding so additional funds can be designated for direct patient care. GOP Gov. John Rowland proposed a 4 percent increase over two years in his Feb. 10 budget proposal, which the Hartford Courant called "a pittance." The workers have set a Feb. 24 strike deadline.

BOTTLE BATTLE BREWING—The Glass, Molders and Pottery Workers asked the Labor Department to freeze Anheuser-Busch’s plan to import $200 million worth of glass bottles from an Anchor Glass subsidiary in Mexicali, Mexico, where workers earn $7.50 a day. The union, which asks consumers to insist on "American beer in American bottles," says the outsourcing opens the door to further industry layoffs. Ball-Foster Glass gave up producing bottles for the brewery because the giant brewer demanded too low a price. Anheuser-Busch says it couldn’t get the bottles made in the United States, but the GMP cited plenty of unused capacity at American glass plants.

HIGH-POWERED LOBBYISTS—The leaders of two of New York City’s largest unions joined with community leaders and elected officials to form the New Century Movement, a lobbying group. Dennis Rivera, president of 1199/SEIU Health and Human Services Employees, and Randi Weingarten, president of the United Federation of Teachers (AFT), joined in the groups call for a 12-point program with education issues such as class size, teacher quality and parental involvement. The plan also includes expanded health care coverage for low-income workers and safe and sane staffing levels at health care facilities.

DELIVERING A MESSAGE—Letter Carriers President Vincent Sombrotto says the NALC has agreed to expedited mediation with the U.S. Postal Service, set to begin by March 15 and to end no later than mid-April. The message to the USPS will be the same, says Sombrotto: NALC will not agree to a contract that "does not provide a significant wage increase for letter carriers." The union will hold membership meetings in March in Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles and Philadelphia to discuss bargaining goals.

WORK FAIR? —AFSCME District Council 37 is suing New York City and its Parks and Recreation Department, alleging they replaced low-wage park workers with workfare participants. State law prohibits displacing employed workers with persons on workfare. Some 400 unionized park worker jobs have been lost since 1993, while more than 5,000 new workfare participants have begun work.

UNION, JACK—In the wake of a British bill to restore a right to organize that was destroyed by former Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, U.S. union-busting firms are scrambling to advise companies in the United Kingdom how to keep their workplaces union-free. London’s The Observer describes the companies as "notorious firms of union-busters--renowned for using dirty tricks to help corporations keep out trade unions." Companies are looking for ways to get around the new Fairness at Work bill, which gives new legal rights to workers.

IN SOLIDARITY—Two union leaders from Phillips Van Heusen's only unionized plant in Guatemala, where 500 workers were fired two weeks before Christmas, are in this country to gather up support for their cause. PVH claimed the loss of a major customer caused the plant closure, but most of the company’s apparel is made in lower-wage, nonunion sweatshops. The workers are maintaining a 24-hour vigil inside the plant to save their jobs and to keep management from carting away machinery and fabric. Union leaders Claudia Ochoa and Dora Morales also plan to meet with PVH CEO Bruce Klatsky to urge him to reopen the plant. To support the Guatemalan workers, ask Klatsky to reopen the Camisas Modernas plant. Contact him at Phillips Van Heusen, 1290 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10104; fax 212-247-5309; or phone 212-541-5200, ext. 7200.

Y2K SAFETY WARNING—Computer chips embedded in safety systems, valve controls, air monitoring equipment, electrical supplies and telephone systems could be affected by the Y2K bug (failure of computer chips that cant recognize the four-digit year 2000). The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health set up an interactive Internet site (www.cdc.gov/niosh/y2k/y2k-hmpg.html) as part of an educational program designed to prevent occupational disease and injuries that may result from failures in computer-controlled equipment.