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BLE President Clarence Monin was part of the FRA Administrator's Roundtable on Intimidation and Harassment, a newly formed group aimed at changing the safety culture of the entire railroad industry.
FRA Administrator Jolene Molitoris.
"The short term goal is to eliminate intimidation and harassment in
the workplace," Monin said after the group's initial meeting on October
21 in Washington D.C. "But in the long run, it is a full-fledged effort
to change the whole culture."
In attendance were leaders from every rail labor union along with representatives from Union Pacific, Burlington Northern-Santa Fe, CSX Transportation and Norfolk Southern. FRA Administrator Jolene Molitoris led the roundtable discussion.
"We asked ourselves, 'What do we want and need to know from railroad workers regarding their understanding and perception of the railroad safety culture?'" Monin said. "We decided to conduct a review of the safety culture of Class I railroads to identify strategies and opportunities for safety culture improvements."
The group plans to achieve its goals by establishing focus group sessions consisting of front-line employees and conducting one-on-one interviews with railroad executives and managers.
Fifteen to 20 front-line workers will be selected at random for the focus group, representing maintenance of way and operating crafts at various levels of rank and responsibility.
There will be six to eight focus group sessions conducted on each Class I railroad, which will be facilitated by the Evans Planning Group.
BLE International President Clarence Monin, left, and Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen President W.D. "Dan" Pickett.
The intent is to gather the workers' perceptions of safety and to use that information to improve the safety culture of the rail industry. All workers will be asked the same questions during each focus group session.
"Because of the current state of harassment and intimidation in the industry, all workers who participate in the focus groups will be assured complete confidentiality and immunity," Monin said.
"Since they're looking for workers' perceptions of safety, there are no right or wrong answers. This is not a test."
President Monin said the random selection and interview process will begin this year and unfold in early 1998. He encourages all BLE members selected to participate in the program. ·
Members of the BLE's Board of Appeals finished their decision-making processes in Cleveland on October 31. The five member board issued rulings on four cases involving interpretation of the BLE Constitution & Bylaws.
The Board consists of five representatives from Canada and Eastern, Southeastern, Southwestern and Northwestern United States, in addition to one alternate.
Seated above, from left, is Chairman L.G. English (Northwest), Eugene, Ore. Division 476, and Vice-Chairman R.G. Leggett (Canada), Jasper, Alberta, Canada Division 898. Standing, from left, is Member R.H. Lindsey (East), Waterbury, Conn. Division 867; Member C.R. Pinson (Southeast), Bruceton, Tenn. Division 610; and Secretary A.J. Morris (Southwest), El Paso, Texas Division 22. Not pictured is Alternate Member S.J. Golubic from Tacoma, Wash. Division 238.
According to the BLE Constitution & Bylaws, the Board members were compensated on a per diem basis at the same rate as delegates attending the most recent BLE International Convention, which was $523.93 per day. Brother English was paid $21,439.20 for 40 days of service, Golubic $9,954.67 for 19 days, Leggett $30,911.87 for 59 days, Lindsey $28,816.15 for 55 days, Morris $32,384.73 for 61 days, and Pinson $28,292.22 for 54 days. The total amount paid to Board of Appeals members was $151,798.84.
Members sustained the appeal in Case No. 45, remanded to the International President on Appeals Case No. 46, sustained the appeal in Case No. 47, and denied the appeal in Case No. 48.
The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers continues to work with Union Pacific officials in an effort to alleviate the railroad's severe safety and congestion problems.
In late October, an agreement was signed by UP President Jerry Davis and FRA Administrator Jolene Molitoris which provides two guaranteed days off from work after working 14 consecutive days with no layoffs.
President Monin said the measure will not cure everything, but is a step in the right direction.
"We're continuing to express our concern while attempting to initiate additional safety measures," he said. "But the 14 days is a start without entering into the collective bargaining arena.
"The role that I played in the process was to help the FRA bridge the carrier's attempt to place the proposed agreement in the bargaining arena. I refused to let that happen because the safety of workers and of our members is not negotiable."
Administrator Molitoris announced the agreement at a hearing before the federal Surface Transportation Board in Washington.
"We must never forget that safety and service are inextricably linked," Molitoris said. "The most critical safety issues facing UP train crews today are fatigue and stress caused by long hours, many consecutive work days without a break, and the unpredictability of work schedules."
The pact reads as follows:
"I grew up in this business at the bargaining table, and I know the 'I-give-and-you-take' part of the process very well, and this is not one of them," Monin said. "This did not belong at the table.
"I did agree with both of the parties that the policy that was introduced was not in violation of an agreement, which cleared the way for the carrier and FRA to adopt the policy as you have seen it. The SACP committee has the responsibility to take the policy now and evaluate modifications."
The SACP committee was scheduled to meet with the carrier and FRA in mid-November. However, results of their meeting were not available at press time.
"We believe that these measures can provide a much needed improvement to both the safety and efficiency of UP operations," Molitoris said.
"We are mainly interested in the safety of our membership," Monin said, "and I'm happy we can ensure that and at the same time help UP with their congestion problems."
In spite of a 24 hour-a-day, 14-day safety audit of UP in September, collisions and derailments have persisted and backlog problems have choked the nation's largest railroad. On October 25, two UP trains collided in a non-fatal head-on incident near Houston, Texas.
"Labor, management and FRA safety teams are working in every department of the UP, and yet the UP is still having collisions," Molitoris said.
"We are not claiming any victory because matters have gotten so bad that any improvement at all would be a giant leap forward. We will have to keep plugging and plugging," Monin said.
"We now have the attention of the carrier, FRA and the media. Those that have perished have not left us without giving us the tools to change the entire culture of this industry, and that culture will be changed." ·
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