July 19,2003

To the Vancouver Safety Committee,
Vancouver WA

Sirs:

I would like to bring up an issue that I feel is a safety concern. That is the poor line-ups for the extra board employees. I would first like to tell you that I base my sleep and life by these line-ups. When I am working on the extra board waiting for a call lo work I have lo check the line-up about every three hours because of the way the projected train calls and manpower demands change. After working on an extra board for years it is as much experience as well as instinct that guides my day to day interaction with the extra line-ups. I believe that it is an art form.

I also know that many things and people have influence over my extra board that are beyond anyone’s control. Example: Train derailments, locomotive shortages, not up dating the projected train calls, employees laying off sick, employees laying off on call, or just missing a call, trains not making connections, etc., etc. These issues seem to plague the extra boards all over the system and will take a real human effort to bring them under control. I would like to bring up one more influence that has come to the extra board line up that I feel we can control. This influence is known layoffs after 0001. Because of the attendance guidelines and the advance layoff privilege, this is a relative new force in my extra board world and it packs a lot of force. A Force I feel we can manage.

Here is an example of the problem that we face as employees and managers. An Engineer, Conductor or switchmen is working their respective extra board or assignment. He/she is in the advance layoff for the next day. Nobody knows this but him/her. The laying off employee will not layoff early because he/she doesn’t want the half day or quarter day layoff (which, under the attendance guidelines, automatically are logged as a full day) held against his attendance record even though there is no chance that the employee will work before 0001 the next day. So, nobody working the respective extra board knows that there is a pending vacancy to be protected until after 0001 the next morning when the VRU obediently shows the vacancy. The late evening and early morning is when most people are asleep resting for the next working day. This is when that new day vacancy shows and people get called for them with little sleep and ill prepared for work during the strongest part of the human sleep cycle. The vacancy was not part of the projected work line up but is a known vacancy. It is known to the computer. Unfortunately, there is no current software programming available at this time. Each year, the request for such programming is presented for funding, but is denied each year.

The solution to this is simple. These are known vacancies people have asked for. These days off are sometimes scheduled months in advance yet these vacancies are not listed on the extra boards. This includes vacations, layoff personal, and layoff personal leave day. The types of layoffs I have just listed are usually planned days, weeks or months in advance.

My solution is to list these days with a new field on the extra boards. It could be called layoffs after 0001. This new field would only show layoffs scheduled for the next day. The benefits would be great. It would eliminate the Monday morning vacation surprise. I feel surprised, if not down right angry, when I find out the first three engineers in long pool had vacation this Monday and were scheduled for call after midnight.

I see accurate line up as a safety issue. I think that listing the known layoffs after 0001 would improve the line up greatly. It is sad that the funding for these changes have been proposed for some years now, with denial for said funds following fast at the heels of each request. What price ceilings shall we put on safety?

Yours truly,

William M. Knowles
BLE local 758

CC:  Rick Etienne BLE Local 758
        Jay Schollmeyer UTU 1637
        Terry Reddish BLE Safety Coordinator