Spring 2003
Volume 110 - No. 1
Spring 2003
Volume 110 - No. 1
Integrity
The word defined by members of BLE Division 648 in Waycross, Ga.
On June 29, 2003, the 60 BLE Brothers and Sisters who work for CSX Transportation in Waycross, Ga., will have worked nine consecutive years without an accident or injury.
On December 1, 2002, they achieved another milestone - more than one million hours of injury-free and accident-free work.
During this time, they have moved eight million rail cars, assembled 75,000 freight trains and operated 18,000 trains over 250,000 miles between Waycross and Thomasville, Ga.
Without a doubt, these Brothers and Sisters are the definition of integrity and professionalism.
CSX's Waycross Yard is the second largest terminal/hump yard on the CSX property, handling 2,500 to 3,000 cars per day. It is one of the most modern and clean yards in the country.
The Waycross engineers have maintained their extraordinary safety record in spite of working in all types of weather - from sub-tropical temperatures in summer months to ice and freezing conditions in the winter.
They have also overcome the threat of fatigue to build their safety record. In years past, critical manpower shortages have forced them to work on their rest day after day.
Even more impressive is the fact that they've maintained their perfect safety record in spite of the threat of job losses to the implementation of remote control technology.
According to Curtis Driggers, a member of the BLE's National Mobilization Team and a SENSE Safety Captain, the people in Waycross care about each other, which helps to explain their dedication to safety.
"Most grew up together and are friends," he said. "Those who have moved to the area are eventually adopted into the Waycross family. They know when one of their brothers or sisters is in need and go to their side, and they celebrate each other's accomplishments and good fortune. I see it as having true family and community values."
According to BLE Division 648 (Waycross) Local Chairman David Johns, in the years they have worked injury free, they have also never been responsible for injury to another crew member.
It has been well documented by labor statistics that when jobs are threatened, accidents and injuries often go up dramatically. As a result, management officials often use this as an excuse for not announcing plant closings or layoffs until the last minute.
Brother Johns said engineers at Waycross stand to lose 37 jobs due to remote control. But as a testament to their integrity and professionalism, the Waycross Brothers and Sisters have kept their noses to the grindstone and continued to work accident and injury free.
"Most stand for road jobs elsewhere, but they chose less money to be at home (in Waycross)," Brother Johns said.
Their efforts have not gone unnoticed. CSX recently purchased a full-page ad in a major Florida newspaper to congratulate the BLE members on a job well-done. The ad was a nice gesture, but some remain critical of the railroad's sincerity, considering its remote control implementation schedule.
"Credit CSX for acknowledging these engineers for this outstanding accomplishment," Brother Driggers said. "But CSX's act of giving praise is tainted by their future plans for engineers at Waycross."
In spite of the weather conditions, in spite of manpower shortages, and in spite of remote control, the engineers at Waycross have remained injury free. They are a model of what is right, what is professional, and what it means to have integrity.
"The BLE members in Waycross, Ga., are among the best of the best the BLE and the railroad industry has to offer," BLE International President Don Hahs said. "They should be proud of the job they've done and the safety record they've achieved. When it comes to integrity, either you have it or you don't. Not only do these members have integrity, they are the very definition of it."
© 2003 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers