UTU wins crew consist payments for engineers on New Orleans Public Belt RR

UTU wins crew consist payments for
engineers on New Orleans Public Belt RR

"This is what happens when UTU represents all operating crafts" -- Little

CLEVELAND (November 19) – The New Orleans Public Belt Railroad (NOPB) is required to continue paying a $15 basic day differential to all engineers, an arbitration board ruled.

The United Transportation Union (UTU) took the NOPB to arbitration because the railroad planned to stop paying some engine service employees the $15 differential the union felt they were entitled to receive. NOPB intended to cease payment of the $15 per basic day differential to certain locomotive engineers who the carrier said were receiving it as a result of payroll error and did not have an engineer’s date prior to August 24, 1990.

But Arbitration Board 574 ruled on November 13 that the NOPB had to continue paying all engineers regardless of the date. The Board said, "NOPB is required to pay the $15 differential to engine service employees who do not have an engineer’s date prior to August 24, 1990, the effective date of the NOPB-UTU Crew Consist Agreement, albeit such employees might otherwise be identified as non-protected employees under said Agreement."

"This is what happens when the UTU represents all operating crafts on a carrier," said UTU International President Charles L. Little. "We fight for the rights of the locomotive engineers we represent and get real results measured in real dollars."

Vice President Pete L. Patsouras, General Chairman W.R. Kerry, Jr., and Past General Chairperson John M. Riolo represented the UTU and the engineers. UTU represents all operating crafts on the NOPB.

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