CSXT Praises BLET Contract Ratification

Cowford wrote:As the resident management crank who thrives on stirring the pot here : ) let me interject some points:

Point 3: One of CSX's biggest staffing challenges is employee availability. Does everyone reading this understand the problems caused by booking off because there's a big (fill in the blank) race/game on today? Do you really think that UPS, et al. give a crap... "Gee, I'm sorry we didn't deliver that those trailers, the Indy 500 was on..." So, how can you blame 'em for trying to instill some attendance discipline? Which brings me to...

Point 4: The life of a T&E employee is unenviable. Long hours, no schedule, significant away-from-home time, boredom... I don't think anyone denies that. I've seen it written in this forum that T&E employees get paid for the life they lead, not the job they do. Putting the emotions aside, T&E folks are compensated pretty well... look at an OH factory worker that just got his pay cut from $28/hr to $14/hr and you may be saying, "there but for the grace of God go I." Your bitches are largely (and justifiably) lifestyle issues; right-or-wrong, $ is usually chosen over quality of life.

You sound like the same kind of idiot trainmaster's we have where I work at------yep you gotta be csx management!!!!!!!!!

Coal Hauler, I don't understand your post. Perhaps you could elaborate where I'm missing the point. In what you quoted, I'm acknowledging:

A) the fact that T+E employees have a tough job- do you not agree?

B) that it's unfortunate that in looking at trade-offs in union contracts, etc. the brotherhood often won't approve rules that would improve lifestyle if it might mean less money in the pocket- T+E folks on this site have confirmed that. And if, in your opinion, railroaders aren't compensated well, I'd be interested to know what you think a fair annual wage should be, on average.

C) employee markoffs caused by NASCAR races and the like are a HUGE challenge for a company that works 24/7. Do you think this is not an issue?

dont make me lock the topic guys, keep it civil

Mr. Cowford:

Cowford wrote: Point 2: IF CSX is "letting the property go downhill" in the name of short term profits, as some would hypothesize, wouldn't that help this contract, as the bonuses are scheduled in the short-term ('07-'09)?

First, these so-called "profits" are coming from cooking the books, jiggering the figures...the deferred maintenance is proof of that by itself. Beyond the folly of using Penn Central performance metrics...there's the dishonesty factor. If it saves the Company money by showing a break-even or even a loss...do you not think the figures could be so massaged? Figures don't lie...but liars do figure.

Beyond that, most of us would rather have the security and smooth daily operation of a well-run, well maintained operation over small-change "bonuses." A business going downhill is no place to place your future.

Cowford wrote:Point 3: One of CSX's biggest staffing challenges is employee availability. Does everyone reading this understand the problems caused by booking off because there's a big (fill in the blank) race/game on today? Do you really think that UPS, et al. give a crap... "Gee, I'm sorry we didn't deliver that those trailers, the Indy 500 was on..." So, how can you blame 'em for trying to instill some attendance discipline?

Unlike many railroad employers, I have worked at other places - including many facets of the transportation industry.

Other industries don't have the absentee problem the railroads do. Why? Because people will, when possible, comply with the rules and parameters, at least for the most part.

If a guy has Tuesday and Thursday off, he will - most people will - comply with it. (Of course, a discipline policy is necessary to instill consequences.)

If employees have NO scheduled time off...they will make that time. They will make it when it's convenient to THEM, not to the company.
You wind up with a free-for-all, which is where CSX was before the Attendance Policy was adopted.

And it's not always the Big Game, guys are marking off for. How about doctors' appointments, daughter's wedding, son's school events?

As for staffing...that is what the Extra Board is for. Can't support so many bodies on the Extraboard? Blank out a couple of pool spots, to keep the board turning...but have enough bodies present to cover for inevitable absences.

Cowford wrote: Which brings me to...Point 4: The life of a T&E employee is unenviable. Long hours, no schedule, significant away-from-home time, boredom... I don't think anyone denies that. I've seen it written in this forum that T&E employees get paid for the life they lead, not the job they do. Putting the emotions aside, T&E folks are compensated pretty well... look at an OH factory worker that just got his pay cut from $28/hr to $14/hr and you may be saying, "there but for the grace of God go I." Your bitches are largely (and justifiably) lifestyle issues; right-or-wrong, $ is usually chosen over quality of life.

Yes. As a colleague puts it, "We're paid for our inconvenience."

Well and good. I can handle being called out at in-opportune times. I didn't go into this expecting every run to be a daylight, in the bright warm sunshine. And the transportation industry, all across the board, requires long hours and weekend work.

But...we are not military. We're not at the beckon call of Crew Management, the way a buck private is at Camp Swampy. We, all of us, in every business, need to balance WORK, REST, and RECREATION.

If the Company doesn't want to accept this reality, they're living in a fantasy. Unless they want to provide us with foodservice, laundry and barracks, we are going to need TIME to fill those needs ourselves.

And how about the mental-health and morale issues? As you note, this is a job laced with boredom. We're not curing cancer or designing cars. This is a job that is OPERATING EQUIPMENT. Or, more often, sitting and waiting - at a red signal - for the chance to operate equipment.

A dull job, no time away, the endless threats from management...it will twist a person's mind. The human needs play; more so when his work is not creative in the first place.

C_E, I appreciate your comments... my point re profits is that if they are "cooking the books," the benefit will go to the unions in the form of profit-based bonuses. And CSX is NOT cooking the books - deferred maintenance is not evidence of financial hanky-panky. If that was the case, everyone who needed to paint their house or fix their driveway would be a crook. Not sure what performance metrics are PC-originated.

RE booking off - of course the company plans for certain percentage of booking off- it's allowed in the contracts. It really does casue scheduling havoc when there is a big game/weekends.

Honestly, I'm surprised that the rank-and-file hasn't made more noise about quality of life issues. I expect it'll happen as the average age of the workforce goes down.

Cowford wrote:
RE booking off - of course the company plans for certain percentage of booking off- it's allowed in the contracts. It really does casue scheduling havoc when there is a big game/weekends.

I am not a railroad guru-and I have only worked for CSX at several different terminals ----but I have never heard the term BOOKING OFF used for calling in sick, laying off-etc.

What geographical area do you work in Mr. Cowford? You keep talking about the BIG GAME---INDY 500 as for reason 's that people layoff. I disagree with you on this-----I have never seen a large layoff for a big game. But then I am not in CSX management either.

Cowford wrote:C_E, I appreciate your comments... my point re profits is that if they are "cooking the books," the benefit will go to the unions in the form of profit-based bonuses.

A pittance when weighed against the cost in time, and eventually earnings, from endless delays. For example, when the triprate figure doesn't allow overtime until 11 hrs 40 minutes (185 miles) - and the average trip time has lengthened from seven hours to twelve hours...how many MONTHS free time is the Company taking each year? What CUT in annual income is it?

And CSX is NOT cooking the books - deferred maintenance is not evidence of financial hanky-panky. If that was the case, everyone who needed to paint their house or fix their driveway would be a crook. Not sure what performance metrics are PC-originated.

Deferring maintenance while declaring record profits is deceptive. And doing so to gin up the stock price (three years ago Mike Ward was ON RECORD as setting a certain stock price AS A GOAL) is either securities fraud or at the least, misfeasance.

PC metrics? What I meant was, PC-style metrics. Dishonest measurements intended to deceive investors and enable management to lie to itself.

For example: Terminal superintendents are instructed to avoid dwell time in terminals; and are rewarded for compliance. BUT...what is happening is that trains are kept JUST OUTSIDE of terminals, ON MAINS, waiting to get in...when the delay is waiting for departing crews to come on duty, or similar.

So, this standard does NOT speed up trains - it take LARGE CHUNKS of workers time, of their LIVES, and THROWS IT AWAY.

How much wasted time is in a year, if every workday you spent three hours, not paid extra, sitting in the dark doing NOTHING but waiting?

Another: The ONE Plan (NO Plan) was supposed to incorporate "scheduled trains." But those "schedules" seem to only be BLOCKING of work...twelve hours, recrew to recrew.

Cleveland to Buffalo, twelve hours.

Buffalo to Willard, twelve hours.

Buffalo to Selkirk, twelve hours.

That isn't speeding trains up - it's WASTING TIME, the shippers' and the workers.' What it does is cut our yearly wages, make a day insufferably long, while deceiving outsiders.

This "blocking" also apparently is used as justification for not removing the fifty-odd slow orders on the Lakeshore Sub...why get the speed up, when we can make it in with the slow boards?

This is dishonest...Penn Central-style dishonest.

Booking off- sorry from a pre-CSX employer.

[/quote]Deferring maintenance while declaring record profits is deceptive. And doing so to gin up the stock price (three years ago Mike Ward was ON RECORD as setting a certain stock price AS A GOAL) is either securities fraud or at the least, misfeasance

It's worthwhile to read the annual report. The company is spending more money this year than it made last year. And for Ward to go on record as setting a stock price goal, that's accepted practice. It's a goal, not a promise, and every investor out there should know that. They also go on record as estimating future revenue and earnings goals - it's in the annual report that's subject to GAAP, Sarbanes-Oxley compliance and audited by E+Y. Investors NEED this information in order to make informed purchasing decisions.

Regarding metrics, I'm sure there are occasions of front-line managers tweaking operations to affect the metrics. Overall, any "cheating" doesn't significantly affect the statistics... and the numbers are taken very seriously in Jax.

A lot of the fear of deception and cheating are fueled by rumors and speculation. I don't know if agreement employees are encouraged to listen to (or even told about) the quarterly earnings conference call. This will give you a better view of the what's happening in your company. It's posted on the CSX website... anyone can call to listen in, and there's also a presentation posted to accompany each call. Investment analysts can sometime throw some hardball questions.

I must have screwed up the close quote icon...

from raillaborfacts.org:
"The average rail employee’s compensation puts them in the top nine percent of all wage earners in United States"

how many hours a week?

"Given limitations on resources in a capital-intensive industry, railroads need flexibility to make sound decisions about investments that can best improve efficiency, safety and security, including the technology and staffing levels needed to operate the trains. Current work rules covering job categories and staffing requirements restrict this flexibility."

just how greedy can they be?

"Do the railroads think there will there be a strike this time?

The railroads do not believe a strike will occur as a result of the current national bargaining. Virtually all past national rail negotiations have resulted in settlements without service interruptions. In the past 30 years, only six days have been lost to rail strikes over nationally handled disputes. On those rare occasions where disruptions to rail service growing out of a national labor dispute are imminent or have occurred, Congress has stepped in to prevent or terminate a rail strike."

I think its high time we shut em' down.

"The railroads seek reforms to existing health care arrangements that will bring the costs and benefit designs of those plans more into line with comparable plans in place in other mainstream American businesses, which includes a greater level of employee participation in the cost of health care."

With the level of stress and lack of sleep that comes with this job, health care should have remained free - how much is Michael Ward and Tony Ingram paid again?

"What is remote control of a locomotive?

Remote control for locomotives, or RCL, was developed in part to reduce accidents and injuries in rail yards. RCL involves use of a small control device that transmits signals to a microprocessor on board a locomotive, allowing an employee on the ground to operate and control its movement at a safe distance."

It's actually a 250 ton steel object operated by someone with zero experience and six months on the railroad. Because anyone who has been around long enough to know better and really cares for their own personal safety won't have anything to do with them.

Thank goodness our general committee refused this stinker of a contract. These dixie rebels can take it and stick it. They can also take the National and blow it out their hind end as well.

Here's a quote from your UTU President: "BLET officers left our negotiating table and immediately conspired... in a manner lower than a snake's belly in a wagon rut... put UTU-represented employees and their families on the unemployment line. This leopard cannot change its spots. Shamefully, the BLET is reverting to its infamous past"

Snake's belly in a wagon rut??? Wow! Sounds like sour grapes. I guess the UTU needs better leadership to take on the evil empires -are the past presidents, messers Little and Boyd out on parole yet???

Cowford wrote:Here's a quote from your UTU President: "BLET officers left our negotiating table and immediately conspired... in a manner lower than a snake's belly in a wagon rut... put UTU-represented employees and their families on the unemployment line. This leopard cannot change its spots. Shamefully, the BLET is reverting to its infamous past"

Snake's belly in a wagon rut??? Wow! Sounds like sour grapes. I guess the UTU needs better leadership to take on the evil empires -are the past presidents, messers Little and Boyd out on parole yet???

In my opinion, the leadership of the UTU is composed of liars, convicts and
cut throats. You can take your pick. In some cases, all three apply.
Noel Weaver

Mr Weaver. Next time in the area, I'm gonna buy you the BIGGEST, fattest juciest steak, and Florida Lobster dinner, with all the trimmings. UTU has put more men "on the street and in the un-employment line" than the BLE(T) ever could, even IF they were actually trying. Kudos, Sir, for a well worded retort. Regards.......

What did you expect them (or the BLE & T) to do? Do you think either would come out with a press release saying how bad the contract was?
I imagine most on this forum do not work under union contracts. There's a LOT more than just raise increases and bonus money.
The recent "System" agreement on CSX is potentially going to be one of the more "changing" agreements that we've have in the last 30 years. The "electronic bid system" is going to be up there with the '85 deadhead rule changes, entry rate pay, trip rates, changes to basic day mileage and moving the clerks to Jacksonville. This agreement has the chance to have the most influence on rail labor since the 1985 Halloween agreement.
That's not to infer that the agreement is "bad" or "good". Obviously, in any negotiation, both sides win a little and lose a little.
But, there's a very vocal part of rail labor that has an inherent distrust of Rail management.

Noel Weaver wrote:
In my opinion, the leadership of the UTU is composed of liars, convicts and
cut throats. You can take your pick. In some cases, all three apply.
Noel Weaver

That is a good one, I am still laughing!