UTU Daily News Digest

Information of interest to operating railroad and transportation employees

Thursday, February 24, 2000

WYOMING: BMWE Strikes Union Pacific Railroad

LYMAN -- The Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees (BMWE) announced in a press release this morning that it has withdrawn services from the Union Pacific Railroad effective 6 AM CST on February 24, 2000 and has set up picket lines with the intentions of shutting down the railroad operation.

Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) announced that the track panel assembly plant in Laramie, Wyoming owned by UPRR and operated under contract by employees represented by the BMWE would be closed down and that future panels would be purchased from outside contractors. Track panels are used in the construction and maintenance of railroad track.

The BMWE is the labor union which represents the men and women of UPRR who construct and maintain railroad track, buildings and bridges for the railroad. The closing of the plant is a direct and unilateral change of the collective bargaining agreement in effect between the BMWE and UPRR. There is no question that the agreement in effect between BMWE and UPRR requires that track panels be fabricated at the Laramie, Wyoming facility. UPRR management refused repeated calls from the Union to negotiate over the illegal closing of the railroad component construction plant.

Dave Tanner, General Chairman of the Union Pacific System Division of the BMWE, which represents the affected workers, stated:

"It is unfortunate that Union Pacific Railroad management has so little regard for its employees and its agreements that they have unilaterally taken the action to close the Laramie facility and threaten the livelihood of our members and their families. Management knows full well that our agreement requires that they fabricate track panels at the Laramie, Wyoming facility. This Union will not stand by idly and permit UPRR to sacrifice the working lives of our members for their insatiable greed and profits. The closing of the plant is illegal and nothing more than greed run amok at the expense of the jobs of decent, hard working American men and women."

---

WASHINGTON: Senate Panel Sides With Amtrak

WASHINGTON -- Senators from both parties rallied to Amtrak's defense on Wednesday, strongly endorsing the railway's plan to expand rather than cut services, the Associated Press reported.

Members of the Senate Commerce Committee's panel on surface transportation also got a key concession when the chairman of the Amtrak Reform Council, which monitors Amtrak for Congress, agreed to lower the threshold it set for determining whether the railway can wean itself from government operating subsidies.

The council released a report in January challenging Amtrak's claim that it is on target to become self-sufficient by the end of fiscal year 2002, as required by Congress. The council questioned Amtrak's contention that some costs, like equipment depreciation, should not be counted against it because the government pays for them.

Amtrak Chairman Tommy Thompson told the subcommittee the council was "just plain wrong'' in proposing to factor in those costs, estimated at $567 million, when projecting the railway's finances through fiscal 2002.

"Everyone knows that adjusting these measurements effectively dooms our chance to be self-sufficient,'' said Thompson, the governor of Wisconsin. "Who wants to invest in a company that's already doomed?''

The subcommittee's chairwoman, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, and ranking Democrat, Sen. John Kerry of Massachusetts, concurred and urged the council to adopt the lower standard. Council chairman Gilbert Carmichael said the panel will do so.

Carmichael, sensitive to charges the council has an anti-Amtrak agenda, told the subcommittee he is "a strong believer in a national rail passenger system'' and came to Congress merely for guidance, not for a fight.

"I kind of feel like the messenger. Don't kill me,'' he said.

The hearing showcased how Amtrak, criticized over the years for needing billions in government support, has attracted new support by pledging to expand and improve intercity rail throughout the country.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., urged Amtrak to resurrect service between Portland, Ore., and Boise, Idaho, which was part of the Chicago-to-Seattle "Pioneer'' route that fell victim to budget cuts in May 1997.

Hutchison urged the railway to consider increasing service on the Chicago-to-San Antonio "Texas Eagle'' route, which now operates just three times a week.

Sen. Max Cleland, D-Ga., encouraged Amtrak to expand a rail corridor slated to receive high-speed train service so it includes Birmingham, Ala., to Atlanta.

The 1997 Amtrak Reform and Accountability Act imposed the 2002 deadline for self-sufficiency and created the council to monitor the railway's performance. If the panel determines Amtrak will need government operating subsidies after fiscal 2002 it will submit to Congress a plan for a "restructured and rationalized national intercity rail passenger system,'' while Amtrak will offer a plan for its own "complete liquidation.''

Hutchison said she doubts it will come to that. "I think Congress will be flexible if we see there's a good chance of operational self-sufficiency,'' she said.

---

WISCONSIN: High-speed trains to cost $4.1 billion

MADISON -- A plan to provide high-speed rail service over 3,000 miles of track in nine states, including Ohio, would cost an estimated $4.1 billion, according to a report released yesterday reported by the Associated Press.

Plans for the rail network to radiate from Chicago originally were unveiled in 1998, with an estimated $3.5 billion start-up cost.

Since then, estimated costs for track improvements, including signal upgrades, additional passing tracks, improvements to highway grade crossings and development of parking and station facilities, have increased by 10 percent, according to the report from the Midwest Regional Rail Initiative.

The 16-month study reviewed financial, operational, ridership and service considerations for the system and found it would cost $652 million to buy 66 train sets -- locomotives with passenger cars -- for the system.

The rail initiative's sponsors, including Amtrak and the nine Midwestern states, are seeking federal funding for 80 percent of those costs.

Plans call for implementing the system over a 10-year period to include Ohio, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, and Wisconsin. The system would link cities including Chicago, Detroit, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Minneapolis-St. Paul and St. Louis. Chicago's Union Station would serve as the system's hub.

When the regional rail service is fully operational, it is expected to carry 9.6 million passengers a year and earn enough money to pay for its operating costs. Travel times on the 110 mph trains are expected to be reduced by up to 30 percent from existing rail service, the report said.

The average fare would be up to 50 percent higher than current Amtrak fares to reflect improved services, the report said. For example, a business fare from Milwaukee to Chicago could cost $35 compared to an Amtrak fare of $19 for a Monday morning trip.

Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson, who also serves as co-chairman of Amtrak, said the study shows that the rail initiative is a sound investment.

"A regionally focused high-speed passenger rail service is an economically viable transportation alternative that will offer travelers fast and frequent access to urban centers and smaller communities along the routes,'' Thompson said yesterday.

The first phase of the Midwest rail initiative in Wisconsin would be completion of the Milwaukee to Madison high-speed rail link, which officials say could be constructed by the end of 2003.

Last November, Thompson signed a $2.5 million contract to study high-speed rail between Madison and Milwaukee. The preliminary engineering study will determine improvements required for 110-mph passenger rail service between the two cities.

Members of a governor-appointed task force to study passenger rail had its first public hearing yesterday.

Last December, the group endorsed an interim report that said legislators should consider borrowing up to $50 million to help develop a high-speed rail system linking Madison and Milwaukee.

"We have stated pretty much where we feel the governor and Legislature should go,'' said Terry Mulcahy, deputy secretary for the state Department of Transportation and task force chairman.

The task force, appointed by the governor, includes government and industry leaders and has been meeting since April to come up with ways for rail travel to become a more viable alternative in Wisconsin.

The interim report, focusing only on intercity rail travel rather than commuter rail service, said competition for limited transportation money is a barrier to implementing a high-speed rail system.

---

CANADA: SEIU Canadian Locals' Leadership supports the International Union

TORONTO -- Yesterday Presidents of SEIU Locals across Canada reaffirmed their allegiance to the Service Employees International Union, a press release said. SEIU is the largest health care union in North America representing 1.3 million members.

Ontario Locals 204 in Toronto, 478 in North Bay, 532 in Hamilton and 663 in Belleville, in addition to all locals in Western Canada, Quebec and Nova Scotia, representing 63,000 members, have rejected outright the raid on its membership perpetrated by the CAW.

"The CAW is not welcome in our house," says Mark Ortlieb, President of Local 204. "The majority of SEIU members in Ontario and across Canada reject the CAW because it has no experience in bargaining for health care workers," Ortlieb says.

"SEIU members in Canada worked hard to create a Canadian Council. Canadians do develop their own programs, budgets and elect their own officers. For the first time the Canadian SEIU Council also includes Quebec locals. On February 14th, 2000 all SEIU Locals in Canada voted unanimously for a new Canadian structure,' Ortlieb says.

"Apparently the only thing that changed is that the former SEIU Canadian Vice President, Ken Brown lost the support of majority of Canadian Locals in his bid for another term as Vice-President. On February 14th, Brown ignored the wishes of SEIU's Canadian membership and crafted a secret deal to deliver a minor portion of SEIU Locals in Ontario over to the CAW. Not until this deal was done did he resign his position as International Vice-President, in order to make sure he would have a job with the CAW," says Ortlieb.

"I think the entire labour movement will abhor the tactics of the CAW," Ortlieb says.

"A strong Union must be based on democracy. It exists to improve the lives of working people and their families. The CAW has violated these principles. SEIU will do everything in its power to stop this illegal CAW action," Ortlieb says.

---

PENNSYLVANIA: Darby mayor blocks tracks again after a CSX train parked in town

DARBY BOROUGH - Mayor Paula M. Brown again parked her car on the tracks yesterday afternoon, removing it only after a federal judge issued an injunction threatening to jail her, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported.

Brown parked her rusty green 1980 Dodge Diplomat, disrupting service for two hours, in protest against CSX Corp., which runs freight trains through Darby Borough and Yeadon on a route between Florida and Maine.

Earlier in the day, a CSX freight train stopped in downtown Darby at Sixth and Main Streets for more than an hour, blocking all vehicular traffic and, Brown said, presenting a danger to the community.

The incident occurred after 3 p.m., as children were leaving three area schools. Brown said that more than 150 children who were trying to get home climbed over and under the stopped train.

Brown said the entire Darby Police Department had to patrol the length of the track to ensure the children's safety.

"You never know when the train will start and one of these kids will get killed," said Brown. "We are blocking the tracks until CSX rectifies the situation."

In response to Brown's action, CSX spokesman Bob Sullivan apologized that the train had blocked the crossings, but he accused Brown of "endangering public safety.

"The mayor has taken an action which is rash and which endangers the welfare of not only its residents and our employees," he said.

Yesterday's incident comes amid growing tension between CSX and officials in Darby and Yeadon because of derailments in the area. Brown said there have been six derailments so far this month, the last occurring late Wednesday.

Officials from CSX said this week that there have only been three.

On Sunday, after a CSX trail derailed near an apartment complex, Brown parked her car on the same tracks for the first time, and then replaced it with a borough police car, delaying efforts to remove the derailed freight and shutting down the line for about 12 hours.

In yesterday's incident, Brown again blocked the tracks after CSX freight train finally moved. She said she was hoping to prevent another train from passing through.

The mayor was flanked by several members of the community angry with CSX.

"My son hopped on one of these stopped trains last year and was badly hurt when he jumped off after it started moving again," said Carla Stevenson, a resident. "But this kind of thing happens every day."

Borough Solicitor Fincourt B. Shelton served the mayor the injunction, which was requested by CSX. Shelton negotiated with CSX on Sunday. Yesterday, he participated in a hearing from the site of the blockade by cellular phone with U.S. District Court Judge Jan E. DuBois.

DuBois said he understood Brown's position, but warned that it was illegal. Shelton said that although he was an officer of the court, he regretted having to serve the mayor the injunction.

"The judge agreed that it was dangerous, but said we have to move," said Shelton. "So I will have to serve her, even though I don't like what I am doing."

Shelton served the injunction at 6:35 p.m., and Brown moved her car 15 minutes later.

"I'm going to move my car on the sole condition that somebody listens to us," said Brown. "I'm only doing this because I need to stay here and I can't lose time by going to jail."

---

UTAH: Loose Bolts on Switch to Blame for TRAX Derailment

SALT LAKE CITY -- Loose bolts on a track switch caused Monday's TRAX derailment, Utah Transit Authority investigators said Tuesday, a wire service reported.

The loosened switch on 700 South, west of Main Street steered the last of three outbound cars onto inbound tracks, said UTA General Manager John English. The misdirected rail car then slammed into a power pole at 15 mph. Eight riders were treated at a hospital for minor injuries, and 14 more were helped at the scene.

There are eight such switches at four downtown crossovers. They are meant to guide light-rail trains onto the parallel tracks in case of emergency. To prevent a repeat of the accident, UTA workers inserted wooden blocks into each switch to prevent the tracks from moving.

"We'll leave them that way until we come up with a fail-safe solution," English said.

Monday's wreck created a commuting havoc at one of the worst possible times -- through afternoon rush hour and a Utah Jazz game at the Delta Center. Although TRAX riders were forced onto buses and downtown service was disrupted for the evening, the snarl was cleared and the trains and platforms were full as usual by Tuesday morning's commute.

UTA spokeswoman Coralie Alder said she does not expect the accident to hurt ridership on the nearly 3-month-old system. "Passengers realize that things like this can happen, and they feel so much safer on TRAX than they do out in cars," Alder said.

---

KENTUCKY: Trucker killed in collision with train, fireball envelops truck and locomotive

HENDERSON -- Mike Scott heard an explosion that sounded like a bomb and then realized something horrible had just happened, the Evansville Courier & Press reported.

A delivery driver who had just completed delivering a load of industrial gases to Hazex Construction Co., where Scott works, had collided with a CSX Transportation train.

Scott said he and other Hazex employees ran to the grade crossing with fire extinguishers. There were more than 50 cylinders of gas, many of them flaming.

But they were unable to provide any assistance to truck driver Michael Frisby, 43, of Henderson. He was killed in Monday's 10 a.m. crash, which happened on Kentucky 136 near U.S. 41.

A fireball enveloped the truck and locomotive as the impact sheared the steel bed off the tandem axle International truck and scattered debris on both sides of the track. Frisby was driving an Airgas truck carrying compressed industrial gases: industrial oxygen, nitrogen, acetylene and carbon dioxide. They are used for welding.

The track at the accident site is approved for speeds up to 60 miles an hour, said CSX Trainmaster Keith Kelly. He said the train, which struck Frisby’s truck, was traveling at 45 miles an hour. It had a two-man crew, an engineer and conductor, neither of whom was injured, Kelly said. The locomotive sustained some damage, he said, but was able to continue on to Evansville when the tracks were cleared at 1 p.m. The truck's cab was knocked about 70 yards from the crossing, where it overturned and lay crumpled in a roadside ditch.