July - December 2010 Meeting Minutes


 

Here's What Happened at the Meeting on Monday, July 19, 2010

Meeting was opened by the President in Due Form.

Members attending – RE Edgar, TP Reddish, RC Tiffany, RM Pratt, C Nibler, RE Huelle, K Huelle, R Jacobs, G Bryson, T Ray, B Bocchi, K Howard, R Burns, K Anderson, R McCartney, K Atwood, D Farrar, R Etienne.

Minutes from June meeting were read and approved.

Finances - We currently have 129 members. Secretary made presentation on current finances, The bills were presented for payment. Motion to pay bills by Brother Bryson and seconded by Brother McCartney. Motion passed

Safety Committee – Safety Cab meeting from Fort Worth states that drinking water must be supplied when serviced. EMD trying to get retro fit for sidewall heaters.

Division Safety Meeting; Mr. Jones states “No pressure can be given by supervisors. Take your time and work safely.”

WPO - protecting shoves; checking switches below 90%; riding tanks 100%.

Local Chairman:

E4 Assignment:

Carrier won't put the old E4 assignment back on as it was, claims it won't make windows in Seattle. We have option if we wish to make it a 3 turn assignment, will ask for increase in trip rate to equal pool, windows for this assignment will be shorter and negotiable.

General Committee and Dues Paying:

New software allows GC Se/Treas to see who's paying dues an who's not. Current CBA's requires that we belong to a union. Records show that some members are not paying dues to anyone. Possibly and oversight and can be adjusted/corrected. Those that are hiding out may be dismissed for not paying dues. Monthly reports will be generated to track this issue.

One Man, One Vote:

The purest form of Democracy is one man, one vote, if everybody votes. Historically, records show that less than 50% of the Union votes. Voters need knowledge of the candidates and a motivated electorate. Members will not vote without it. Results are that not everyone votes or not all are informed. There is a 100% turnout with delegates, which is the same as the electoral college. All are knowledgeable due to one on one interviews with candidates.

RRB& Changing Retirement Age:

An assistant to Mr. Speakman visited us in Vegas. He spoke in regards to the RRB Fund and proposals currently pending. There is currently25 billion + in the fund. That is enough money to pay all retirements planned for the next 50 years. If retirement is changed to 58, the fund will be in the red within 4 years. Over a 75 year period the fund will be 3.4 trillion in the red. If the plan goes into the red, Tier II will go up to as much as the 21.2 & the industry pays. If the plan goes into the red, Congress takes over. Those currently seeking reduced age for retirement wish to undo the cap on Tier II. Opening up the fund for RWU will run the risk of allowing carriers to gt rid of occupational Disability.

Crashes & Burns:

The Carrier has notified organizations that HFRI's are out of control on Division. Leaving tracks unsecured will result in Level S with no alternative handling if found to be responsible. Shoving crashes when not protecting point will result in Level S with no alternative handling if found to be responsible. Running through switches may result in Level S with no alternative handling depending on circumstances. Carrier plans to make these conduct issues. The best thing to do is to protect shoves at all times. Be sure to ask crew if tracks are tied down to protect yourself when working as the Engineer.

Switching in the Short Yard:

The Carrier is not allowing any kicking of cars in the short yard. Cars must have 2 brakes on each of the tracks. No cars may be put on or left on old scales unless attached to an engine and tied down. There has been a recent incident where a switchman was almost killed in the short yard. What saved him was that he was on the other side of the car, otherwise he would have been scraped off of the car.

RCO Mentors:

Seven out of the last ten HFRI's have been RCO. The Carrier plans to have mentors come out from Overland Park July 24-27 to work with RCO's. We offered to put engineers back on jobs, but they said no, finally realizing that they have a problem with all of the young people running boxes.

New Business:

Motion was made by Brother Bryson to have Brother Tiffany become a member of the CAB Committee. Motion seconded by Brother Howard. Vote by those present; Unanimous.

Motion withdrawn to eliminate the WPO by Brother Tiffany.

Motion made by Brother McCartney to close meeting and seconded by Brother Atwood. Motion passed.

Meeting adjourned at 1524.
 

Here's What Happened at the Meeting on Monday, August 16, 2010

Meeting was opened by the President in Due Form.

Members attending – Rick Etienne, Robert Pratt, R Tiffany, M Bahr, H Bailey, K Atwood, T Reddish, D Haney, C Nibler.

Minutes from the July meeting were read and approved.

Finances - We currently have 129 members. Secretary made presentation on current finances, The bills were presented for payment. Motion to pay bills by Brother Haney and seconded by Brother Bahr. Motion passed.

Safety Committee:

If arm rests are not working properly notify mechanical and CAB committee. Try to change lead locomotive to another engine within the consist.

Health Fair is scheduled for September 11th at Firstenburg Center. Four volunteers are needed from the BLET & UTU.

Safety Marathon this week on JSB/HFRI.

CAB Committee:

The 4,000 series engines are showing up a lot. Be sure to report any problems with mechanical and CAB committees. If ice is being put in refrigerators on the engine and it doesn't have a drip tray, this is an FRA defect. Report it. Ensure the lead locomotive is tagged when trailing locomotive is tagged.

Local Chairman:

General Committee and Dues Paying:

Any working engineer that doesn't belong to any organization will automatically be enrolled in BLET Division 758.

GOT V:

Please be sure to get your ballot turned in on time.

Extra Road Switches:

Side letter has been signed to allow road switchers to be called between 0001-0500.

GCA has negotiated 9.4 miles for all EXTRA road switchers, regardless of on-duty time. This doesn't apply to regular RS. This was done to allow extra RS throughout the system. Other than Vancouver, these weren't allowed per agreement.

Mobilization Team Captains:

Team Captains are; Brothers McHenry, Tiffany, Reams, Jacobs, Bailey, Huelle, Allington, Haney, Pratt, Atwood, Nibler and Bahr.

With 12 Team Captains each captain will have around 10 members to contact and help make sure info has been shared. This will get important information out to the Division quickly. Also, encouragement for voting and making sure all members vote will be a priority. Please get involved.

Crashes & Burns:

The Carrier has notified organizations that HFRI's are out of control on Division. Leaving tracks unsecured will result in Level S with no alternative handling if found to be responsible. Shoving crashes when not protecting point may not be granted an automatic alternative handling if found to be responsible. Running through switches may result in Level S with no alternative handling depending on circumstances. Decisions will be case by case. Carrier plans to make these conduct issues. The best thing to do is to protect shoves at all times. Be sure to ask crew if tracks are tied down to protect yourself when working as the Engineer.

Reporting Desertification Events:

Make sure you report a desertification event immediately, not at the completion of the tour, but within minutes after the event occurred. That is the only acceptable thing to do.

RCO Mentors:

RCO Mentors found numerous issues with RCO's. Carrier and Utes are addressing these.

New Business:

None at this time.

Motion made by Brother Haney to close meeting and seconded by Brother Atwood. Motion passed.

Meeting adjourned at 1426.
 

Here's What Happened at the Meeting on Monday, September 20, 2010

Meeting was opened by the President in Due Form.

 Members attending – Rick Etienne, Robert Pratt, C Nibler, T. Jacobs, T. Ponciano, L. Coughlin, R. Tiffany, D. Farrar, R. Hill, T. Reddish, M. Bahr, R. Reams.

 Minutes from the August meeting were read.  Brother Tiffany motioned to approve, Brother Jacobs seconded.  Minutes approved. 

 Motion to pay bills by Brother Coughling.  Seconded by Brother Bahr.

 Current membership = 129

 CAB Committee:

If installed by the manufacturer and does not work as expected, it is an FRA defect.

 Upcoming Dates to Remember:

Safety Marathon will be October 18 & 19th, barbaque is October 12 & 13th.

Santa Train, December 11th

Flu Shots, October 25th at the following times: 0630-0830; 1430-1630; 2230-0030.  Cost for spouses is $20.00.

 Extra Road Switchers:

Side letter has been signed to allow road switchers between 0001-0500.

GCA has negotiated 9.4 miles for all EXTRA road switchers, regardless of on-duty time. This does not apply to regular road switchers.  This was done to allow extra road switchers throughout the system.  Other than Vancouver, these weren't allowed per agreement.

 General Committee and Paying Dues:

Any working engineer who is working in Vancouver, and who does not belong to any organization will automatically be enrolled in BLET Division 758,

 Advance Layoff Policy:

Both General Committees are working on having meetings with the Carrier about this policy.  Currently have no information, but will pass it on to the Membership when we receive it.  No one agrees with the policy.

 Crew Responsibilities:

Carrier is taking the position that both crew members are responsible for train handling.  Going to the bathroom is not an allowable excuse.  It doesn't matter how much job briefing or JSB, it is recommended that the train be stopped whenever one crew member requires the use of the bathroom. USE COMMON SENSE.  Cannot justify stopping if you have been sitting stopped somewhere for a time.  Please use discretion, but protect yourselves.

 Crashes & Burns:

The Carrier has notified organizations that HFRI's are out of control on Division. There are too many Decerts and speed violations.  The Carrier is over-reacting on discipline and investigation notices. 

The Carrier is citing ABTH 102.14.1 – Crew member must take action if speed of train gets 5 mph over speed limit of train.

Likewise, if we don't ask if tracks are tied down, we will be held responsible if any are left unsecured.

 Remote Testing:

There are two groups of people now viewing our tapes.  The Remote Desk is also doing Ops testing with our tests, checking radio communication and tapes, speed limits and turn-outs.

The other group are Remote Road Foremen.  They build slow orders and from B's into the programming, and are able to see exactly when and where we slow down or enter form B's.  This group is devoting their time to catching us in errors.  If you make a mistake, report yourself.  If you do a decert, stop and report immediately.  If you're not sure if it's a decert, report it as soon as you get to the other terminal.  Everything is fixable, other than dishonesty or a felony conviction.  It's your job – you've been warned.

 Yard Focus Group:

There is a Yard Focus Group to help with the continuing crashes and burns.  We have two locomotive engineers in this group.  Their goal is to educate all yard crews on how to keep from having incidents.

 Deadheading and Driving Personal Vehicle:

If you are called to deadhead to any outlying area, be sure to get authority from the Train Master on duty.  Payment for code MR may not be paid unless permission is obtained first.

 Motion made by Brother Jacobs to close meeting. Seconded by Brother Etienne.  Motion passed.

 Meeting adjourned at 1506.

Here's What Happened at the Meeting on Monday, October 18, 2010

Meeting was opened by the President in Due Form.

 Members in attendance – Rick Etienne, Robert Pratt, Todd Jacobs, Dave Haney, RE Huelle, Robert Maggio, Harvey Bailey, Darren Farrar, Don Robertson, JD McHenry.

 Minutes from the September meeting were read.  Brother Harvey motioned to approve, Brother Haney seconded.  Minutes approved. 

 Motion to pay bills by Brother Haney.  Seconded by Brother Bailey.

The current membership is 128. 

Advance Layoff Policy:

Both General Committees are working on having meetings with the Carrier about this policy.  Currently have no information, but will pass it on to the Membership when we receive it.  No one agrees with the policy. It is suggested that you lay off sick when you need a day off.  Single day vacation & PLD appear to be awarded by seniority when booked more than 60 days in advance.

  Remote Testing:

There are two groups of people now viewing our tapes.  The Remote Desk is also doing Ops testing with our tests, checking radio communication and tapes to verify, speed limits and turn-outs. If you dump above 5mph over the designated speed, report yourself; ABTH 102.14.1.

The other group are Remote Road Foremen.  They build slow orders and from B's into the programming, and are able to see exactly when and where we slow down or enter form B's.  This group is devoting their time to catching us in errors.  If you make a mistake, report yourself.  If you do a decert, stop and report immediately.  If you're not sure if it's a decert, report it as soon as you get to the other terminal.  Everything is fixable, other than dishonesty or a felony conviction.  It's your job – you've been warned.

GOTV

Elections for several National Division Officers will be happening next month.  The last election garnered 25% of the total membership, which is very poor participation. 

Our National Division President, Secretary/Treasurer and Vice President in charge of arbitraion are some of the most important positions. Whoever gets elected will guide this Organization into the future. All members need to vote, regardless of who you want to vote for.  Fill out the ballot, put the stamp on it and drop it in the mail.

 Incentive for GOTV

We are considering ways to increase the voter participation for  the elections.  A lottery for those who mail their ballots back?  Give away $100.00?  Those interested in getting into the lotter would have to turn their sealed/stamped ballots in to one of three people, who would then note their name, and mail the ballot for them.  The security of the ballot would be maintained as the envelope would already have been sealed by the voter prior to giving it to the Officer for mailing.

 When the election closes, all members who have turned in their ballot would be enrolled in a raffle and a drawing would be held.  The award could be cash or a gift car.

 Raffle for Injured/Sick Employees

Don Byrum has been working on getting vendors to donate goods for a raffle.  The end result of the raffle would be cash and a holiday meal for those in need of assistance.  Any interested parties should get a hold of Don and let him know. A neutral party would be responsible for the drawings.  Both Organizations are invited to take part in the raffle.  Interested parties send a pledge to Don for the quantity of raffle tickets desired.  Please help to support our families.

 Vacation Request Forms

Vacation Request Forms are out.  Please complete the form and turn it in. Remember to look at the form carefully – request 1st choice (all of them), 2nd choice, etc. If you feel the form out incorrectly, we don't know what you are really asking for.  Please do not enter the information into the computer.  This work still belongs to our Organization.

 Safety Summit II (Fox's letter)

The Carrier sent letter to all GC's stating their position on Safety Summit II.  There are 4 primary topics;

1.                  No more automatic alt handling for life Critical/Safety Critical rules. These will be case by case issues

2.                  No more automatic alt handling for attendance. These will be case by case issues.

3.                  Requirement for involvement with local chairs and supervisors for alt handling plan.

4.                  More involvement with safety coordinators.

 Motion made by Brother Bailey to close meeting. Seconded by Brother Huelle.  Motion passed.

 Meeting adjourned at 1450.

Here's What Happened at the Meeting on Monday, November 15, 2010

Meeting was opened by the President in Due Form.

Members in attendance – Rick Etienne, Robert Pratt, Dave Haney, RE Huelle, Harvey Bailey, R. Tiffany, K. Dunn, C. Marsh, R. McCartney., K. Atwood, T. Ponciano, R. Chacon, S. Barnes.

Minutes from the October meeting were read.  Brother Atwood motioned to approve, Brother Haney seconded.  Minutes approved. 

Motion to pay bills by Brother Ponciano.  Seconded by Brother Bailey. Motion passed.

The current membership is 128.

Safety Committee – HFRI are still extremley high.  Be Careful.  

Advance Layoff Policy:

The Carrier has rescinded that part not allowing purging of lay off requests within the 48 hour window.  When putting in for layoffs, be sure to to them one day at a time. 

When you put a group of day in 90 days out, they won't be approved until the last day in within the 60 day window, so others may get approved before that day becomes inside the 60 days. 

 GOTV

Ballots were mailed out Nov 15th, be sure to fill out yours and vote, if you don't vote, the  may not  

be something you like.  Remember, disgruntled people vote, so if your happy, you need to vote also, to counter there vote.

Raffle for Injured/Sick Employees

Don Byrum has been working on getting vendors to donate goods for a raffle.  The end result of the raffle would be cash and a holiday meal for those in need of assistance.  Any interested parties should get a hold of Don and let him know. A neutral party would be responsible for the drawings.  Both Organizations are invited to take part in the raffle.  Interested parties send a pledge to Don for the quantity of raffle tickets desired.  Please help to support our families.

Vacation Request Forms

If you don't have your request in yet, do so ASAP.  Vacation allocations aren't out yet, but hope to have vacation done by early December.

Hotel

Inspection of he hotel is being done by the General Committee, waiting for when and results.

 New Business -

Motion by Brother Ponciano to have a special meeting to replace the normal meeting on the 3rd  Monday of the month of December.  Date to be determined between the 6th and 9th of December.  Seconded by Brother Marsh.  Motion  passed unamiously.

Motion made by Brother Huelle to close meeting. Seconded by Brother McCartney.  Motion passed.

Meeting adjourned at 1435.

Here's What Happened at the Meeting on Monday, December 20, 2010

Due to a lack of a quorum, there was no meeting on December 20.