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Wednesday, March 16, 2005 |
At last an article and an action coming from UTU "Cleveland" that seems to indicate there's trouble in paradise, that the Interest Based Bargaining (IBB) honeymoon is over, and that the National Carriers' Conference Committee (NCCC) is feeling like it is in the catbird seat during the current round of negotiations. Not only did the NCCC reject the Rail Labor Bargaining Coalition's (RLBC) negotiating ground rules, but apparently they made it quite clear to the UTU negotiators that they intend to eliminate conductors on through-freight trains and reform FELA out of existence. UTU appears to be doing the right thing, that being to fight back, and it's turned to the only friends it has left, the Federal Courts. Oh, wait. Aren't those judges the guys who are always getting up in the middle of the night to write up one of those injunctions designed to promote pro-business agendas and further limit labor's small menu of permissible self-help? God help us all.
UTU to defend crew consist, FELA in court
"The United Transportation Union (UTU) on March 15 asked a federal court to prohibit railroads from demanding the union collectively bargain about a carrier notice to abolish all conductor jobs aboard through-freight trains.
The UTU also asked the court to prohibit railroads from demanding that the union collectively bargain about a carrier notice to seek jointly from Congress legislation eliminating the Federal Employers' Liability Act (FELA), a federal statute allowing injured railroad workers to sue carriers for damages arising from unsafe working conditions."
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UTU IP Paul Thompson ends his down-home quotation strike-out streak and finally hits one out of the park with
"Mark Twain warned that when you pick up a cat by the tail, you learn a lesson that cannot be learned in any other way," Thompson said. "The lesson that must now be scratched into the carriers' faces is that they cannot play roulette with the nation's safety and security or with their employees' well being for the sole purpose of fattening the bottom line and executive bonuses.'
We hope he really means it.
12:33:44 PM 
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DOT agency rules against Washington, D.C. attempt to exert local authority to regulate rail carrier. Decision carries no regulatory authority but could influence upcoming court decision:
DOT Agency Backs Carrier on D.C. Hazmat Ban
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Washington, D.C., has no authority to ban train shipments of hazardous materials near the city, despite its dissatisfaction with federal efforts to address freight rail security, a U.S. government advisory panel found on Monday.
The Transportation Department's Surface Transportation Board, which settles railroad industry regulatory disputes, upheld a petition by CSX Corp. that contends a City Council prohibition on hazardous materials within two miles of the Capitol building should be ruled invalid.
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12:09:30 AM
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