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CLEVELAND, May 13 -- About 40 Union Pacific District Coordinators identified three key collective bargaining issues at a two-day BLE mobilization rally in Las Vegas last month.
Improving quality of life issues, eliminating the two-tier pay system, and increasing job security are the top three issues UP locomotive engineers want to address during the next round of collective bargaining with the carrier, which begins next year.
National Mobilization Team Member Curtis Driggers takes notes during a group discussion to identify key contract issues for the next round of collective bargaining.
The mobilization meeting was also used as a training session for District Coordinators on the UP mobilization network.
Major presentations were given by President Clarence Monin, Vice-President William Walpert, Vice-President Ed Rodzwicz, and Larry James, Coordinator of the BLE Education & Training Department.
"We went over the responsibilities of District Coordinators, the structure of the mobilization network, and the role of the District Coordinators within that network," Brother James said. "They received very in-depth training and left Las Vegas knowing their responsibilities."
Steve Blasyak, a UP District Coordinator and Member of Los Angeles Division 660.
About 40 District Coordinators from across the UP system attended the meeting. They were broken down into four groups and given different brainstorming assignments. It was during these brainstorming sessions that the three key contract issues were formalized.
After each group finished brainstorming, everyone was brought back into a single group where they compared their answers.
President Monin talked with members during a question and answer session. He discussed the results of the brainstorming meetings, including the three contract issues members felt were most important.
CLEVELAND, May 13 -- In spite of Union Pacific's claims that the traffic jams on its 36,000 mile system have cleared, BLE President Clarence Monin invited the company's top executive to a face-to-face meeting at the BLE's headquarters.
In an April 29 letter, Monin invited UP President Jerry Davis to a closed meeting to resolve problems afflicting BLE members on the nation's largest railroad.
President Monin addresses members while at the podium during the BLE's mobilization rally in Las Vegas last month. Lining the walls are various collective bargaining issues BLE members want to see addressed during contract talks with the carriers.
Monin said the meeting would cover "the most common and consistent problems in regard to safety, violations, unacceptable company policies, collective bargaining agreements that are being consistently violated, and any other issues (members) would like for me to address."
"It will be a one-on-one meeting," he said. "There will be no group present to hinder open and frank discussions and there will be no facilitator. The meeting will be between me and Jerry Davis."
Union Pacific has suffered from what experts called "the worst traffic jam in U.S. history." UP is currently being sued by several major chemical and manufacturing companies, including Dow Chemical, for failure to deliver shipments as promised. In addition, UP has been blamed for manufacturing losses and plant shut-downs in Texas and Louisiana.
UP's upper management has had numerous meetings with the BLE, other rail unions, and various government bodies. However, Monin said the results have yet to "trickle-down" to members in the field.
"It appears the promises and commitments made by (UP) management at the meeting table are not finding their way to (UP's) middle and lower level management people in the field," Monin said. "Therefore, I must look in the direction of innovation, rather than continuation, in trying to relieve the burdens being placed on our members and address the problems on the UP system.
"We have seen veiled efforts on the part of UP management to correct some of the problems that have been brought to upper management's attention. These efforts have just not produced the results at this time that our members are seeking and rightfully deserve. I cannot sit in this office and allow these dangerous and abusive practices to continue."
Meetings of the joint labor-management Safety Assurance and Compliance Program (SACP) on UP are effective, Monin said, but are not producing immediate results.
"I strongly support the efforts being progressed through SACP process, but the input I am receiving from our UP officers and members indicate this process is not bringing about results in a timely manner," Monin said.
Davis has yet to accept the invitation, but Monin said "I fully expect that he will."
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