2015 PL days in Lieu of Holidays

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2015 ANNUAL ELECTION – PLD IN LIEU OF HOLIDAYS

ENGINEERS WORKING UNDER THE FORMER SOUTHERN PACIFIC WESTERN LINES
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENT WHO ARE ELIGIBLE AND DESIRE TO MAKE ELECTION FOR PERSONAL LEAVE
DAYS IN LIEU OF HOLIDAYS FOR THE NEXT CALENDAR YEAR MUST SUBMIT THEIR REQUEST AS OUTLINED BELOW:
ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEES MAY MAKE APPLICATION BY SUBMITTING THEIR REQUEST THROUGH THE CMTS NON-SERVICE
CLAIM SCREEN. SELECT THE CLAIM TITLED “ELECT PL IN LIEU HOLIDAYS.” IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO PHONE THE
TIMEKEEPING CUSTOMER SERVICE CENTER OR SUBMIT AN ONLINE WEB TICKET TO CONFIRM RECEIPT. YOUR TIMESLIP
IS YOUR CONFIRMATION. EMPLOYEES WILL BE NOTIFIED OF THEIR REQUEST APPROVAL / DENIAL VIA THEIR PAYROLL
RECAP / TRAINSLIP (DECLINATION SECTION).
THE REQUEST MUST BE RECEIVED NO LATER THAN 11:59PM ON DECEMBER 31.

DO NOT SUBMIT A CLAIM UNLESS YOU ARE AN ELIGIBLE EMPLOYEE AND WISH TO MAKE ELECTION FOR PERSONAL
LEAVE DAYS IN LIEU OF HOLIDAYS. THIS PROVISION IS ONLY APPLICABLE TO EMPLOYEES CURRENTLY GOVERNED BY
THE SP WESTERN LINES COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AGREEMENTS.

ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS (BY CRAFT) ARE OUTLINED AS FOLLOWS:

ENGINEERS

ARE GOVERNED BY THE PROVISIONS OF ARTICLE 21 OF THE 1995 SP SYSTEM AGREEMENT (LOCAL ISSUES). IN ORDER
TO ELECT PERSONAL LEAVE DAYS IN LIEU OF HOLIDAYS,

AN ENGINEER MUST BE PERMANENTLY ASSIGNED TO A
POSITION THAT OBSERVES THE HOLIDAY RULE AS OF DECEMBER 1. THEY MUST ALSO HAVE REMAINED CONTINUOUSLY
ASSIGNED TO A POSITION THAT OBSERVES THE HOLIDAY RULE DURING THE PRECEDING 90 DAYS AND HAS / WILL HAVE
WORKED AT LEAST 180 CREDITED TOURS OF DUTY IN THE CURRENT YEAR.

 

ENGINEERS WHO ARE NOT ELIGIBLE OR WHO DO NOT ELECT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF THIS AGREEMENT WILL BE
GOVERNED BY THE PROVISIONS OFARTICLE VI OF THE 1996 NATIONAL BLET AGREEMENT AND NEED NOT SUBMIT A
CLAIM.

personal leave

FRA issues industry-wide safety advisor

Posted on by LCDIV5

FRA Issues Industry-Wide Safety Advisory on Roadway Worker Authority Limits                                                                                          

PRESS RELEASE NUMBER: FRA 17-14
CONTACT: Press Office
PHONE: 202-493-6024
SUBJECT: Safety Advisories, Worker Protection, Accident Reduction
KEYWORDS: safety advisory roadway worker authority limits
ABSTRACT: WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today issued a safety advisory to the rail industry to better protect rail employees working on active tracks, or right-of-ways, under the supervision of a dispatcher.

Federal Railroad Administration Issues Industry-Wide Safety Advisory on Roadway Worker Authority Limits

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Transportation’s Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) today issued a safety advisoryExternal Link to the rail industry to better protect rail employees working on active tracks, or right-of-ways, under the supervision of a dispatcher.

“Clear communication is critical to keeping employees out of harm’s way,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. “I want railway workers to return home safely to their families after their shift and it is the responsibility of the railroads and their employees to keep the work environment as safe as possible.”

Safety Advisory 2014-02 Roadway Worker Authority Limits, highlights the need for railroads to ensure that appropriate safety redundancies are in place in the event an employee fails to comply with existing rules and procedures.  The advisory describes several related incidents and stresses the importance of clear communication and the need for railroads to monitor their employees for compliance. This Safety Advisory satisfies one National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) safety recommendation related to dispatchers and partially addresses another related to redundant signal protection.

There are three safety measures in the advisory designed to reduce incidents that FRA expects railroads to take action on immediately:

1)      Increase monitoring of their employees for compliance with existing applicable rules and procedures.

2)      Examine train dispatching systems, rules, and procedures to ensure that appropriate safety redundancies are in place.

3)      If a railroad determines that appropriate safety redundancies are not in place, adopt electronic technology—such as the Enhanced Employee Protection System, Hi-Rail Limits Compliance System, and the Train Approach Warning System—that  would provide appropriate safety redundancies.

Until such technologies are in place, railroads should stress importance of dispatchers being advised of roadway workers’ whereabouts and work plans; forbid student dispatchers from removing blocking devises until confirmed by a supervisor; and that, prior to passing any absolute signal, a roadway worker should verify the limits of his or her authority.

FRA believes Positive Train Control, a system for monitoring and controlling train movements to enhance safety, would have prevented the incidents described in the Safety Advisory.

However, where Positive Train Control is not in effect, FRA recommends that railroads adopt one or more electronic technologies that may serve to fill the technology gap and safeguard roadway workers.

fra

COMMERCE YARD ACTION

Posted on by LCDIV5

JUST A REMINDER, OUR TEAMSTER BROTHERS (PORT DRIVERS) HAVE A ACTION PLANNED TODAY @ COMMERCE YARD ….DO NOT CROSS PICKET LINES!!

 

Justice for Port Truck Drivers

 

GFS 7.7.14 Picket Teamsters

 

Truck driver strike spreads to intermodal rail yards from the docks, creating logistical nightmare before Black Friday

Commerce, CA – Early Tuesday morning, the port truck driver strike spread from the Ports of Los Angeles/Long Beach to intermodal rail yards that are serviced by Pacer Cartage and Harbor Rail Transport (HRT). These rail yards dispatch cargo to and from warehouses and distribution centers across America. Drivers intend to follow trucks from Pacer and HRT to customer locations, including the rail yards, and picket the trucks while they are working at those locations.

Like drivers at QTS Inc., LACA Express, and WinWin Logistics that went on strike Monday, drivers at Pacer and HRT are striking to end misclassification as “independent contractors,” a scam that has led to massive wage theft and denied drivers basic workplace protections such as safety and health regulations, disability insurance, workers compensation, and unemployment insurance

“We are sick of being trampled upon and mistreated,” said Humberto Canales, a misclassified “independent contractor” from Pacer Cartage. “We are joining the fight and coming out of the shadows to demand our rights as company employees to provide a better future for our families.”

“Now is the time to end this misclassification scheme and provide a better future for our families. These companies have gotten away with this scam for too long. It’s time to make a change,” said Alfredo Reyes of Harbor Rail Transportation.

 

What:      Press conference with truck drivers from Pacer Cartage and Harbor Rail Transport.

Who:       Striking port truck drivers from Pacer Cartage and Harbor Rail Transport.

Where:    Union Pacific Railroad Truck Processing Entrance. 4341 East Washington Blvd, Commerce CA. Location is at the intersection of Indiana and Washington Blvd.

When:     Tuesday, November 18, 2014; 6:30 AM PST

UNION MEETING TODAY 11/18/14 10:30

Posted on by LCDIV5

UNION MEETING TODAY

10:30 AM

Teamsters joint council # 42 

981 Corporate Center Dr #200, DeVry University Pomona Campus,
Pomona, CA 91768

 

unionmeeting

DIRECTIONS

FROM EAST LA

Commerce, CA
Get on I-710 N
1. Head south on S Eastern Ave toward E Washington Blvd
2. Take the 1st right onto E Washington Blvd
3. Turn right to merge onto I-710 N
Take CA-60 E/Pomona Fwy and I-10 E to Corporate Center Dr in Pomona. Take the CA-71 S
exit from I-10 E
4. Merge onto I-710 N
5. Take the exit onto CA-60 E/Pomona Fwy toward Pomona
6. Take the exit onto I-605 N
7. Take the exit onto I-10 E toward San Bernardino
8. Take the CA-71 S exit toward Corona
9. Keep right at the fork, follow signs for S Campus Dr
Turn right onto Corporate Center Dr
Destination will be on the right
981 Corporate Center Dr #200, DeVry University Pomona Campus,
Pomona, CA 91768

FROM COLTON

Bloomington, CA
Get on I-10 W
1. Head south on Cedar Ave
2. Turn right to merge onto I-10 W
Follow I-10 W to Fairplex Dr in Pomona. Exit from I-10 W
3. Merge onto I-10 W
4. Take the exit toward Fairplex Dr
5. Follow signs for Fairplex Dr
Take Murchison Ave and S Campus Dr to Corporate Center Dr
6. Turn left onto Fairplex Dr
7. Turn right onto Murchison Ave
8. Continue onto Ridgeway St
9. Turn right onto S Campus Dr
10. Turn right onto Corporate Center Dr
11. Make a U-turn
Destination will be on the right
981 Corporate Center Dr #200, DeVry University Pomona Campus,
Pomona, CA 91768

Gemco

Union Pacific Railroad Co
Get on CA-170 S
1. Head south on Van Nuys Blvd toward Keswick St
2. Turn left onto Sherman Way
3. Turn right to merge onto CA-170 S
Take CA-134 E and I-210 E to Valley Blvd in Pomona. Take the Valley Blvd exit from CA-71 S
4. Merge onto CA-170 S
5. Take the exit onto CA-134 E/Ventura Fwy toward Pasadena
Continue to follow CA-134 E
6. Merge onto I-210 E
7. Take the CA-57 S/Orange Freeway exit toward Santa Ana
8. Merge onto CA-57 S
9. Take the exit onto CA-71 S toward Corona
10. Take the Valley Blvd exit toward Holt Ave
Take Ridgeway St and S Campus Dr to Corporate Center Dr
11. Turn right onto Valley Blvd
12. Turn right onto Ridgeway St
13.Take the 2nd left onto S Campus Dr
14. Turn right onto Corporate Center Dr
15. Make a U-turn
Destination will be on the right
981 Corporate Center Dr #200, DeVry University Pomona Campus,
Pomona, CA 91768

B.O. cars?…engines? toepaths? No relief crew?

Posted on by LCDIV5

“WE” ARE THE UNION!…JUST LIKE THEY MAKE YOU DO YOUR JOB, MAKE THEM ACCOUNTABLE FOR NOT DOING THEIRS!

what you allow

 

fraLogo

Activities after 12 hours of time on duty or the 24-hour point in a duty tour

• Waiting for and in deadhead transportation from duty to a point of final release is the
only allowable railroad-required activity after an employee has 12 hours of time on duty,
or after the 24-hour point in a duty tour. See Chapter 4, Deadhead from duty to a point of
final release.

• A train crew is not waiting for deadhead transportation when:
o Transportation has not been ordered for the crew, or transportation is available but
the crew is required to remain with the train.

In these circumstances, the crew is considered to be monitoring the train (which is
commingled service), NOT waiting for deadhead transportation, and this time will
count as time on duty.

HOS_Manual_Final_120213 (1)

BLET DIVISION 5 FAX (951) 676 1721

JP016 RE31ADDING MORE TRAINS

Posted on by LCDIV5

BROTHERS

 

CMS HAS NOTIFIED US THEY WILL BE ADDING 5 NEW STARTS THIS WEEK (IVE ALREADY ADDED TWO TURNS) FOUR NEXT WEEK AND SIX THE FOLLOWING WEEK.

PLEASE ATTEND THE NEXT UNION MEETING WE WILL BE DISCUSSING THE MOST RECENT TRIP RATE OFFERED.

 

PAULO

 

 

Post-election: Railroads look OK; rail labor, Amtrak not so good

Posted on by LCDIV5

What does Senate Republican control and the largest House Republican majority since the 1940s mean for railroad reregulation, Amtrak’s future, high- and higher-speed rail, transit funding, Positive Train Control (PTC), corporate tax reform, short line tax credits, the future of coal, and a minimum crew-consist mandate?

Rereg legislation was kaput well before this election. Amtrak, on the other hand, best find a secure hideaway that is “posted” against hunting, because come January, it will be open season on passenger train subsidies. The Republican-controlled House already has closed the books on high- and higher-speed rail funding; and Republicans, as a rule, aren’t too generous with transit. Legislative attempts to mandate two-person train crews? Fuggetaboutit.

As for the other rail-related issues, including highway funding, the forecast is more clouded.

Note that before the seating of the 114th Congress in January, we must endure a lame duck session of the dysfunctional 113th. Putative Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) said, however, that he would defer to the 114th Congress most major legislation, preferring that the remainder of the current Congress—in lame duck session—concentrate only on so-called continuing resolutions that keep existing programs funded, as well as moving some tax bills such as tax credits (Section 45G of the Tax Code) for short line railroad capital spending programs. Until January, Harry Reid (D-Nev.) remains in control of the Senate docket.

Rail labor most certainly is the biggest Election Day loser. With a new round of national contract negotiations about to commence, the increased number of anti-labor conservatives in both chambers portends treacherous shoals should an impasse lead to a threatened work stoppage and congressional intervention.

Especially alarming to the operating crafts representing conductors is the ennui among Democrats attending legislation to mandate two-person train crews. Most Republicans will have nothing to do with such mandates.

Separately, the departure of FRA chief Joe Szabo (http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/regulatory/fras-szabo-headed-back-to-chicago.html?channel=40) places in even greater jeopardy his personal cabal with rail labor to mandate, via an FRA rulemaking, two crew members on every train absent supporting data, or recognition of the purpose and capabilities of soon-to-be implemented PTC(http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/blogs/frank-n-wilner/data-phobic-fras-book-of-mormon%E2%80%9D.html). While not yet consigned to the dust bin of history, such an FRA initiative is likely now to disappear with Szabo’s departure.

Railroads properly lament the Election Day loss of Rep. Nick Rahall (D-W.Va.), the senior Democrat on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. Although not always a fellow traveler with railroads, Rahall fully understood the negative implications of reregulation legislation and the convolutions attending too-hastily-mandated implementation of PTC.

Rahall’s sudden and unexpected availability is propagating speculation he could be Szabo’s successor at the FRA, or be headed to the lobbying shops of the Association of American Railroads, CSX, or Norfolk Southern. Informed supposition also has Rahall headed to the STB should Chairman Dan Elliott depart that Democratic seat. Elliott has been awaiting renomination to a second term for more than a year, and must depart, by statute, Dec. 31 if not renominated and confirmed by the Senate. (http://www.railwayage.com/index.php/blogs/frank-n-wilner/sen-durbin-emerging-as-stb-chairmans-nemesis.html?channel=62)

Succeeding Rahall as the ranking Democrat on the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee will be Peter DeFazio (D-Ore.), known to relish, unlike Rahall, the occasional partisan quarrel. Committee Chairman Bill Shuster (R-Pa.), and Rail Subcommittee Chairman Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), gain greater strength owing to the Republican pick-up of at least 14 House seats. Florida’s Corrine Brown is likely to remain ranking Democrat on the rail subcommittee.

Most freight railroad concerns are not at great risk within the T&I Committee, although Republicans there—and on the Ways and Means Committee that considers tax policy—are chary to upset long-standing policy that funds highway construction through a per-gallon fuels tax. Economic efficiency augurs, instead, for a user fee based on axle weight and distance traveled, which would more properly match pavement damage responsibility, yet increase trucker costs. Railroad intermodal market share and intermodal pricing are sensitive to shifts in motor-freight fuel costs. DeFazio has expressed a third approach to highway funding: taxing crude oil at the refinery and linking the tax to inflation.

Often ignored is the House Appropriations Committee—specifically, its Transportation Subcommittee. Although guided by T&I authorizations, the Appropriations Committee effectively controls transportation funding. Subcommittee chairman Tom Latham (R-Iowa) is retiring at year-end, as is the second senior Republican, Frank Wolf (R-Va.). Who will move up or over (from another committee) as chairman is not clear. The Democrats’ ranking member, Ed Pastore of Arizona, is retiring.

Senate changes

On the Senate side, railroads silently welcome the retirement of Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), who has spent three decades mocking railroad deregulation. Republican control will move Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.) into the chairmanship—another railroad baiter, but not nearly as caustic and shrill as Rockefeller. Sen. Bill Nelson (D-Fla.) will be the ranking Democrat. Attempts at intimidating the allegedly independent Surface Transportation Board to bend to shippers will likely will ebb with Rockefeller gone.

While Senate Republicans have never stood as firmly as House Republicans in opposition to railroad reregulation, a Republican-controlled Senate is considered less perilous than under Democratic control. Look for Ray Blunt (R-Missouri) to chair the Commerce Committee’s Surface Transportation Subcommittee.

As with the House, the Senate Appropriations Committee—again, its Transportation Subcommittee—controls transportation funding. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) will move to the subcommittee chairmanship in place of Washington-state Democrat Patty Murray. Collins and Murray jointly have exhibited support for federal funding assistance of short line railroad safety initiatives.

In the Senate Finance Committee, where tax decisions are made, Sen. Orin Hatch (R-Utah), who opposes an increase in motor fuels taxes, and who might, of necessity, embrace a more economically efficient alternative, is in line for the chairmanship. Hatch could also support, as do other conservatives, shifting the highway tax burden from the federal government to the states, but that could adversely impact a seamless national highway network. The current chairman is Ron Wyden (D-Ore.).

The separate authorizing committee for a new highway bill is Environment & Public Works, which will be chaired by Sen. Jim Inhofe (R-Okla.), a rare conservative who advocates increased infrastructure spending. Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) currently is chairman. The committee’s Transportation & Infrastructure Subcommittee will be chaired by John Barrasso (R-Wyo.). It currently is chaired by strong highway spending advocate Tom Carper (D-Del.).

The Senate Banking Committee’s Transportation Subcommittee, which authorizes transit programs, will be chaired by Jerry Moran (R-Kans.). The current chairman is Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), whose constituents are heavily dependent on public transportation.

The macro view is that, notwithstanding Republican Senate control, Republicans lack a super-majority of 60 votes needed to choke minority party opposition to proposed legislation. As a general rule, if a bill does not have a minimum of 60 supporters, it is not brought to a floor vote. Yet with an increased number of tea party conservatives having been elected, and expected to put pressure on moderates such as McConnell (R-Ky.), bare knuckles fighting may be in store.

Already, McConnell has threatened to take the nation to the brink of another government shutdown if Democrats interfere with a conservative Republican legislative agenda next year. Prior to the election, McConnell said, “Make me the majority leader … and we’ll put points on the board and take America in a different direction.” Post-election he promised a more conciliatory approach.

In fact, the politics of the upcoming 114th Congress things could get terribly brutal, but Republicans must weigh their tactics in light of the 2016 presidential election. Not to be ignored is that while a majority of Americans age 45 and older are more supportive of Republicans, Americans under age 44—and especially between the ages of 18 and 29—are more favorably disposed to Democrats, according to a Washington Post analysis. Such numbers have longer term political implications.

If history is a guide, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Ronald Reagan spent their final two years in office—as will President Obama—with the opposition party in control of Congress.

A billion here, a billion there

By the way, did you know that, collectively, Democrats and Republicans spent $5.6 billion over this two-year election cycle supporting their candidates and lobbying for preferred legislative outcomes? The U.S. Chamber of Commerce alone spent $160 million. Furthermore, according to data compiled by the non-partisan Center for Responsive Politics:

BNSF and its officers and employees contributed $3.4 million to candidates, political parties, and an array of political action committees (PACs); and spent $3.9 million on congressional lobbying activities.

CSX contributed $2.7 million toward election outcomes and spent another $5.7 million in expenses related to lobbying Congress.

Norfolk Southern contributed $1.9 million toward election outcomes and spent another $5.1 million on lobbying.

Union Pacific contributed $2.5 million toward election outcomes and spent another $9.9 million on lobbying.

The Association of American Railroads spent $11.5 million on lobbying.

The American Short Line and Regional Railroad Association spent $800,000 on lobbying.

Among labor unions, the United Transportation Union (now the Transportation Division of SMART), spent $2.1 million on lobbying, while the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers spent $1.1 million.

By contrast, Dow Chemical and the Edison Electric Institute—each advocating railroad reregulation—spent $23 million and $17 million, respectively, on lobbying activities.

Humorist and author P.J. O’Rourke termed Congress, in his best-selling book, “A Parliament of Whores.” We prefer the lifetime achievement of Nobel laureate economist James Buchanan, whose public choice theory explained that those in the public sector are driven by the same incentives as those in the private sector—rational self-interest. That’s what makes capitalism and democracy the very worst systems—except, of course, for all the others.

UTU Cartoon