Spring 2003
Volume 110 - No. 1
Spring 2003
Volume 110 - No. 1
Communications
UP slogan: 'Building Ameritrade'
(Editor's note: The following letter by BLE Local Chairman Jim Fender was also published in the February 2003 edition of Railway Age.)
To the Editor:
I found your article "UP at 140" (Railway Age, October 2002) to be very informative. While I am sure many railroad enthusiasts enjoyed the historical content, it was the financial news that caught my attention. As a locomotive engineer employed by the Union Pacific, I can assure you the only way to improve the closing quote in this article ("Not having to worry about physical survival, Union Pacific is focusing on surviving and prospering in the marketplace.") would be to put an exclamation mark on it.
This statement rings true. As the nation's economy continues to be rocked by the effects of corporate pilferage, UP reports a net income of $437 million in the third quarter of 2002. A year ago, their net income was $260 million for the same quarter. In the wake of this good news, UP management calls for job cuts systemwide in an effort to further increase shareholder returns.
The obvious is true. This is no longer a railroad intent on "Building America." It is a corporation like any other in search of maximizing profits for shareholders at the cost of its employees. As the profits grow and job cuts increase, I believe UP should change its public marketing campaign to reflect their true goal of keeping the profits at the top.
The current UP commercial starts by panning a line of shiny new locomotives running down the track and closes with "Building America." A more accurate account would be as follows: The camera pans an unemployment like of furloughed UP employees. Dick Davidson brags about record profits, then the new motto is displayed, "Building Ameritrade." Fade to black.
Members deserve best health care
Dear Editor,
This is in response to the Focus article on health and welfare in the Fall 2002 Locomotive Engineers Journal.
The article gave three options to pay for rising costs, all of which would cost union members money. There are more options that were neglected. The following are my suggestions:
1. The carrier pays the increases with their record setting revenues and labor cost savings they enjoy due to the courts forcing inferior contracts upon the work force; and
2. The employees pay for all increases with our new pay scale that is in-line with other crafts of the same skill level. For instance, airline pilots pay as opposed to millwrights-level pay that we receive now.
Also, one article talked about an unhealthy lifestyle. If the railroads want their employees available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, then they need to bear the burden of our health insurance. Rail workers lead a very self destructive lifestyle - we do not have regular sleep patterns and our diets suffer due to the availability of decent food at 3 a.m. Inactivity will remain a major health concern for rail employees as long as we are required to work 10-12 hours in a locomotive cab and receive only minimal time off (eight hours for most extra boards) between trips. Rail workers are forced to choose between sleep, family, or exercise.
As I see it, if the carriers want to save money on health insurance, then they should look at changing their attitude towards our work schedule. We are at this impasse because of the carriers' desire to regulate the number of workers. They can either spend money on more employees or on health care.
BLE must make a stand on health care issues
Dear President Hahs and Editor:
I am outraged. In more than 23 years as a locomotive engineer and BLE member, it seems that the BLE is always giving concessions, concessions, concessions to the carriers. Contracts continue to get worse for the worker - we have never had a better-then-before contract offered. No mention is ever made concerning holiday pay, weekend differential, or rest days for road crews. Quality of life doesn't get discussed. And now the companies want our money to offset health care costs, according to the Fall 2002 issue of Locomotive Engineers Journal. Is the BLE considering another concession?
Let's look at some of the facts. For the Union Pacific worker, harassment, investigations, and/or termination, continue for being too fatigued and/or sick to work. Being fatigued and having poor sleep patterns, by UP's own literature, adds to increased health problems. Increased health problems leads to increased usage of the health care system and often to an increase in the need for prescription medications. This cycle drives the costs of the health care packages upward.
Union Pacific had over $1 billion in profits in 2002. So whose efforts made these profits? BLE members. At what expense were these profits obtained? The health and quality of life of BLE members.
The Journal article asks, "Where does the BLE go from here?" It is time to follow RRESQ's lead and stand up to UP and the other carriers. If they insist on creating an environment that leads to increased health problems, increased usage of the health care system, and an increase in the need for prescription medications, then they should bear the costs. The BLE must take a stand and not let UP take any more away from us. They have our lives - often our health. Let us keep our money. Stop giving concessions, and stop expecting the women of RRESQ to fight our battles against the carriers.
Other unions agree that the time has come for companies to stop raking in profits off the backs of their workers. As noted by Edmond Lococo of the Bloomberg News, "union workers at General Electric Co. are planning their first national strike in more than 30 years as the company prepares to raise health-care co-payments." I am not advocating a strike; I am advocating the BLE take a stance that favors its members and not the carriers.
Two Brothers, dear friends, will always be remembered
Dear Editor:
Recently in South Morrill, Neb., we had a double tragedy with the deaths of two of my friends, Ron Ash and Floyd Manning. Both of these members had been or were currently acting local chairmen for BLE Division 303.
A few years back, Floyd defeated Ron in a run-off election and was serving as our acting chairman when he passed away in December. Three days after Floyd's death, Ron died. It was well-known among all of us here that there was quite a rivalry between these two respected men. I have a lot of great memories of both of these guys and will miss them both. At the local level, their loss has been a terrible loss to labor involving both the BLE and the UTU.
Our Christmas dinner was very somber this year due to Floyd passing away the same day. I remember Floyd and I trying to get a gym set up for everyone at Bill, Wyo., many years ago. He was quite an avid lifter in those days and that is where he and I bonded - in the gym. I used to chuckle whenever he brought up his rivalry with Ron. Let me be perfectly clear, Ron and Floyd were always looking out for the good of their members and it is going to be tough for anyone to fill their shoes.
My favorite memory of Ron was watching him work all day on a high-dollar remote control airplane and then seeing its 15 second flight into oblivion as it did a kamikaze flight into the road - so much for two weeks of work. We were going to get together with our telescopes and look at the skies, but we both kept putting it off and now I will never have that chance with him.
This letter is probably some sort of personal therapy for me to help me get over the loss of these guys, which has me very upset. No longer will I miss a hug to my wife or kids as I head out the door. I can only imagine those two, Ron and Floyd, upstairs arm-wrestling. My New Year's resolution will be not to take anyone for granted again. This is the first time I have lost two close friends this close together and then gone to see their families. I hope both of these men will be remembered first as loving husbands. Sandi Ash and Karen Manning sure miss their best friends.
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© 2003 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers