Unions fire back at U.P.
By Dick Reynolds
The North Platte Telegraph
The subject of absenteeism at the Union Pacific Railroad in North Platte has numerous employees upset.
Bill Elliot, chairman of the 275-member Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers in North Platte, said that over the past six months about 55 letters of initial contact have been sent to employees in the division that runs from North Platte to South Morrill.
“They send out a letter that they need to meet with you because they feel you have an absenteeism problem, and we have told all our guys we represent they need to contact their local chairmen and we go in and collectively try to work this out,” Elliot said.
“However, Union Pacific took the stance we are going to work every weekend. They want us available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and our guys just can’t work like that.”
In an article in The Telegraph Thursday, Union Pacific public relations spokesman John Bromley said three registered letters have been sent out containing notices of investigation.
Elliot said that is correct and that is the third step in a three-step process. He said an employee is called in two times before the third letter is sent out.
“The first time we go in, we talk, they ask what the problem is and if you have medical conditions, family problems or whatever,” Elliot said.
“They tell you that you will do better or else, and if you don’t do better in 30 days they bring you in again. They tell you that you are not doing better, and the third time the notice of investigation is sent.”
There are several employees scheduled to go in next week for their second-letter conference.
Elliot speculated 90 percent of the initial contact letters would go to letters of investigation. He said they have tried to work with the company to get a work-rest cycle where employees work seven days on, and three days off.
“We had that for a while, but they elected to take that away from us,” he said.
“You know when you go to work, and when you will be off, but the way it is now you don’t know when you go to work.”
The initial contact letters say the person receiving the letter has 10 days from the date of the letter to schedule an informal conference to discuss attendance as it relates to employment as an engineer. They can have their union representative with them if they choose.
Failure to schedule the informal conference within the 10 days will result in the field manager scheduling the conference at his or her earliest convenience.
In a press release issued from Lincoln late Friday afternoon, the Nebraska Legislative Director for the United Transportation Union fired back at Bromley, challenging him to an open forum on the issue of employee availability and fatigue in the railroad industry.
Ray Lineweber said in the release, “U.P. has created their problems with some inept management decisions, causing their employees and shippers peril, while remaining in denial.”
The release states that train and engine crews are required to be available 75 percent of their time, or 126 hours a week.
Bromley told The Telegraph Thursday, “We are asking our employees to stay available on weekends and particularly through Thanksgiving holiday, because we are anticipating a heavy amount of business. It is not a demand or order that we are looking at here, but we going to urge them to do that.”
Bromley said no official memo has been sent out, but employees are being asked to be more available.
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