More Important Questions & Answers

More Important Questions & Answers

for all

Operating Railroad Employees

UTU International President Charles L. Little responds to a recent letter from UTU Member W. S. Chambers (Local 1573 in Klamath Falls, Oregon) asking 9 important questions concerning the Operating Unity Initiative. Brother Chambers is a Conductor with more than 21 years of service and membership. Here is an excerpt of President Little’s letter:

In order to create a "Railroad" union that will benefit the trainmen and enginemen, is the U.T.U. still going to have bus drivers and other transportation workers as a portion of their membership?

UTU is still going to represent bus drivers and all other transportation workers in that industry, along with the many non-operating members working on railroads throughout the US.

Since you are asking the National Mediation Board to "order elections" among operating rail employees on the Union Pacific, is the U.T.U. prepared to lose the election in favor of the B.L.E.?

You ask whether UTU is prepared in the event the members choose the BLE over UTU to be their representative. This is not about UTU winning - it is about the membership winning. And the membership will have stronger representation with a single voice speaking for the operating employees.

Should the B.L.E. win the election on the Union Pacific, is the U.T.U. going to pursue further elections on other railroads or will the issue of further elections be dropped?

UTU will pursue representation elections throughout the U. S. regardless of the outcome of the UP representation election.

Is the U.T.U. looking for complete control of the operating employees for all of the nations railroads.or on a carrier by carrier basis if the elections are split among the different carriers?

Again, the Operating Unity Initiative is not an attempt to gain control of the operating employees as the BLE is contending. It is about unity of the Train and Engine Service Employees working on the nation's railroads.

How does the U.T.U.'s asking the N.M.B. for these elections fit into the by-laws of the A.F.L.-C.I.O.?

UTU's request for a representation election is not contrary to the by-laws of the AFL-CIO or its Constitution in our view, and we will continue to press our case on that point.

Since the members of the U.T.U. and B.L.E. have seen many takeovers., mergers, and sales of the nations railroads, is this the beginning of the takeover of the B.L.E. or does the U.T.U. just not accept the "NO" answer from the B.L.E. regarding the merger of the unions?

This is not a takeover - hostile or otherwise. It is the BLE which initially raised the issue of a "representation dispute" solely within the jurisdiction of the National Mediation Board in response to a protest by UTU to the exclusive representation agreements made by BLE. But when the Board failed to render a decision after more than four years, during which the law and the facts developed indicating the propriety of a craft or class of Train and Engine Service Employee, UTU decided upon the current course of action. The BLE now contends that UTU's action is underhanded, in violation of the AFL-CIO Constitution and tantamount to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. BLE further attempts to confuse the nature of this request by contending the intent is to eliminate engineers. Nothing could be further from the truth. As stated above, the sole purpose of this Initiative is to consolidate representation to reflect reality and to face the mega-carriers with one voice for operating employees. All existing seniority and historical craft autonomy rights will be preserved.

Would the memberships of both the U.T.U. and B.L.E. benefit more if a new union was created solely for railroad employees?

The membership of the UTU and the BLE would definitely benefit from representation by a single union. But it is not necessary to create a "new" union solely for railroad employees. When UTU was founded in 1969, the Bus Department was a part of that merger, and it has continued to thrive and prosper.

Will the memberships of both the U.T.U. and B.L.E. be given all of the necessary information which we will need in order to make an educated decision for the elections?

The UTU is furnishing all factual information regarding this Initiative through correspondence such as this, the use of the UTU Web Site and the UTU News. It is our goal to furnish facts. We will not try to disparage the fine Brothers and Sisters of the BLE. However, the BLE President has chosen to spread rumors and falsehoods about this Initiative, and attack the Officers and members of the UTU for the sole purpose of confusing the members, trying to create an atmosphere of fear and hatred. UTU will continue to inform the membership of both unions, rather than alarm them.

Are Yardmasters going to be able to decide who they would like representing them since they also "share a community of interest" on the railroads?

The representation of Yardmasters will not be affected by this Initiative as they are not included in the class of craft of Train and Engine Service Employee.

Note: President Little has already pledged that the historical craft of locomotive engineer, including firemen and hostlers, would be doubly protected under the UTU Constitution and Unification Agreement and that existing seniority rules on each property will continue to govern job selection.