UTU News Digest - Friday, May 21, 1999

UTU Daily News Digest

Information of interest to operating railroad and transportation employees

Friday, May 21, 1999

OHIO: UTU to get NMB July hearing on representation vote

CLEVELAND - The United Transportation Union said it has been notified by the National Mediation Board that a hearing will be convened on the union's request for a representation election among train crew members on Union Pacific Railroad, the Journal of Commerce reported today.

According to UTU, the hearings are to begin on July 12 and extend for up to five days.

UTU has asked the federal agency, which oversees rail labor issues, to determine whether the locomotive engineers, conductors and brakemen represent a single craft of employees that should be represented by a single union.

The UTU effort, which began in January 1998, has been opposed by the smaller Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers, whose leadership claims that the UTU move amounts to a takeover effort.

BLE and UTU have renewed decades of feuding in the past 10 days.

UTU renewed its request for a representation election last week after a proposed merger of the BLE and UTU was called off by the BLE. That merger agreement reached late in 1998 was the product of negotiations that began in the spring of last year under the auspices of the AFL-CIO. AFL-CIO asked the unions to discuss a peaceful combination after several months of squabbling that included a 'raiding' complaint filed by BLE after the UTU's request for the representation election on UP.

Union Pacific employs approximately 20,000 workers to operate its trains.

The BLE claims the merger was called off due to concerns about UTU's finances. However, the UTU claims the reason was an effort by BLE president Clarence Monin to block a recall election by members of his union.

Washington: STB rules on competitive issues from Conrail merger

WASHINGTON – The Journal of Commerce reported today that the Surface Transportation Board (STB) yesterday issued three last-minute decisions related to competitive issues arising from the Conrail, Inc. acquisition by CSX Corp. and Norfolk Southern Corp. that becomes effective on June 1.

The most potentially far-reaching decision involved terms for competition between Canadian Pacific Railway and CSX Transportation, Inc. on a current Conrail line between Albany, N.Y. and New York City that CSX will own after the breakup.

The other decisions involved access to a General Mills, Inc. facility in Buffalo, N.Y. and an Indianapolis Power and Light Co. plant in Indianapolis.

Service by CP and CSX will create the first major rail-to-rail competition for shipments moving east of the Hudson River since Conrail was created in 1976. New York City and state officials pressed for renewed competition in light of the Conrail acquisition plan that created new competition between NS and CSX across the river in New Jersey.

CP and CSX have been battling at STB over the terms for the Canadian carrier's access since the July, 1998 decision that approved the CSX/Norfolk Southern acquisition and CP's rights to service New York City.

In its decision Thursday, STB reduced the trackage rights fee CP will pay for each carload from 71 cents a mile to 52 cents a mile. The per car switching charge in New York City will be $128 per car, instead of the $250 per car that was set by the original Conrail decision.

'This decision means we can be competitive,' said CP spokesman Terry Liston. 'The bottom line is that as of June 1 we will be able to have trains down the east side of the Hudson River to serve New York. The decision will enable us to give competitive rates and access to Harlem River Yard. We are pleased and I am sure New York will be pleased as well.'

While it approved the reduced fees, STB declined to broaden the service authority that CP will have. In an earlier decision, the agency ruled that the CP could handle business moving between Albany and New York City, but not serve any intermediate points.

In the General Mills decision, STB rejected a request for a declaratory order that would have given direct access to the GMI's plant by NS and the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad, a regional carrier, in addition to the Conrail service that CSX is assuming.

The board ruled that General Mills was entitled to reciprocal switching service that CSX would offer for the other two railroads at a $250 per car fee, as provided in the 1998 Conrail decision.

The grain shipper had argued that it was entitled to direct three-railroad service under a trackage rights package that was created for shippers on a 6-mile branch line that is adjacent to the GMI plant.

The Indianapolis decision also involves competitive issues arising from the 1998 decision.

STB said last year it was preserving competition by NS to serve the plant through reciprocal switching by a CSX subsidiary or by allowing a build-out from the plant to either NS or Indiana Southern Railroad, a short line.

CSX asked for clarification of a subsequent decision involving the terms of service being discussed NS and Indiana Southern.

In Thursday's decision, STB reiterated that NS and Indiana Southern could serve the Stout plant in order to provide competition to CSX.

The agency said it was premature to conclude that it would be operationally difficult for NS and Indiana Southern to provide service until such a service starts after the June 1 breakup of Conrail.

ILLINOIS: Hundreds flock to tour Postal Service train

SPRINGFIELD -- More than 900 families, schoolchildren, history buffs and civic leaders shared in a historical legacy as the Celebrate The Century Express train opened for public touring today. The train is located at Third and Washington Streets in Springfield. Public tours are free and continue until 6 p.m. today.

"The Celebrate The Century Express delivers American history and culture to our community through two American classics -- trains and postage stamps," said Springfield Postmaster Don Babb, who joined Springfield Mayor Karen Hasara, and U.S. Postal Service Board of Governors' Chairman Einar Dyhrkopp at a ceremony to welcome the train's arrival. "We're delighted to have the Express in our backyard," said Postmaster Babb.

During the day's activities, the public, including school children were invited to put their own stamp on history by voting for subjects to be featured on 15 stamps honoring the 1990s.

The Celebrate The Century Express began its tour on March 11, 1999, in Tampa, Florida. A colorfully painted Amtrak P42 Genesis series diesel locomotive pulls a restored vintage Railway Post Office (RPO) car; a stamp exhibit car with educational, multimedia displays; a classic business car and a baggage car.

When asked what she liked best, fifth grade Springfield Trinity Lutheran School's Alyssa Furling said, "I really liked seeing how the clerks put out and picked up the mail on the pole," referring to the vintage era catcher arm that automatically snatched mail from railroad landings in towns across the country. "It was real scary. I don't know how they didn't fall out of the train," said Furling.

The train will stop in 100 cities around the country by the end of the year 2000. Other cities the Express is scheduled to visit next month are: Green Bay, Wisconsin, June 4 - 6; Oshkosh, Wisconsin, June 11 - 13; Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota, June 18 - 20; Fargo, North Dakota, June 25 - 26; and, Harve, Montana, June 25.

NEW MEXICO: Bid to move rail relic stalled

SANTA FE -- Time is running out in Santa Fe on an effort to move a stone railroad turntable off the soon-to-be construction site of Community Bank.

With city reviewers nearly ready to issue a building permit for the bank, no money has come forward toward the 150-thousand needed to move the historic structure. Project architect Jon Dick says the bank plans to break ground by June first at the site near Paseo de Peralta and Guadalupe Street.

Dick says The project would remove about half of the 132-ton turntable foundation, leave a six-foot portion exposed outside the building, bury the rest and possibly incorporate some of foundation's stones into the teller line inside the bank. Some of the other stones will likely be displayed in nearby neighborhood parks.