STRAIGHT TRACK

Mr. Paul C. Thompson

UTU International President

14600 Detroit Avenue, Cleveland Ohio 44107-9400

Dear Sir and Brother:

Thank you for your February 7, 2005, response to my January Email addressed to UTU Safety Chairman and Vice President, Dave Hakey. I do not question UTU's commitment to safety. What I question are the reasons why we are experiencing such an abundance of horrific deaths and amputations on the Union Pacific in the last few years since the merger, or take over of the Southern Pacific. I am not familiar with Union Pacific's safety record prior to 1996, but it is clear to me that after 37 years of railroading, these major catastrophes that used to occur every 10 or 20 years are now happening every 10 or 20 weeks. The question we need to address first is why.

The point of my writings then, is to get to the bottom of the problem before it gets to more of us. I don't doubt the Bush appointed FRA favors remote control operations and will always attempt to put anything the railroads desire in a favorable light. That doesn't mean we have to accept their slanted opinion on face value. We all know too well the railroads as a whole, buy a large favor of political power, especially under the Republican realm in Washington today. This doesn't stop at the FRA as you are aware, it is just a beginning. So the report you enclosed regarding the government's findings on RCO seem irrelevant to what I'm attempting to convey.

It would seem to me, that since safety on the Union Pacific has gone out of control under conventional operations, we as a union representing the interests of the employee subject to dismemberment and death, should call for a halt of the expansion of any new form of technological operation until this railroad corrects it's current problems. There are over 3000 RCL's on the UP now. In 2005 they intend 4000 and more beyond that. I must object to this tolerance and support on the part of our organization of further RCO expansion at a time when no one seems able to remedy the avalanche of safety concerns beforehand. In my opinion, addressing deaths and dismemberment MUST be our priority.

In short, what can be safe about more RCO's when our own railroad's house is so out if order? We're attending too many funerals and hospital prosthesis training sessions. Who in the UTU really thinks more RCO's will improve this? Let's please attend to first things first and focus on eliminating the nightmare, rather risk than expanding it. We all know safety is not something to gamble with. Is it not high time for a reevaluation of RCO the Overview Committee in section 5 of the RCO Agreement provides for?

UTU Local-240 Vice President

Chairman Dave Hakey,

UTU National Transportation Safety Team

As you know we have had a recent rash of serious safety problems occurring far too frequently, some resulting in death or amputations in Los Angeles. None of these were RCO related, but my questions to you are the following;

If the Union Pacific can't seem to stay in the clear of their own red zone under conventional operations, how will the enormous number of UP RCL's (now 3000) enhance safety?

How is the number 3000 RCL's on the UP (soon to be 4000) by anyone's definition to be considered a test "pilot" program without a squeak of protest from UTU?

Dave, it's bad enough here right now, this has to be stopped for a while until we uncover the cause of all these horrific accidents. Something's incredibly wrong when incidents that occurred once every 10 or 20 years are happening every 30 days! We need your help.

Thanks for you're concern in advance,

Bob Webb, VP UTU Local 240