My Letter to the Railroad
Posted by Lou on Sep 25, 2009
It’s now a week ago that I was very frustrated with the work and furlough Situation that I decided to write a letter to Union Pacific Railroad. I did not expected an answer, just wanted to get something out that’s bordering me. Here is my Letter:
Hello,
Since 2006 I am with Union Pacific Railroad as a Conductor in the Roseville Hub. I love to work for UP – if I only get a chance. In my long Railroad Career (I worked for 17 years with the German Railroad) I’ve never expected a situation like this : several hundreds of Employees are furlough now. The Situation is very bad and the hope to get back to work get’s lower and lower.
There is no financial help or other support from UP for us. I am very glad to have the Health Insurance going on for 4 months.
Every day I am expecting and waiting to go back to work. You can imagine the situation we are in.
What does Union Pacific Railroad expect from me ? Do you want me to come back and be ready for work once there is enough work ?
The answer after the break. Read the rest of this entry »
The Alaska Railroad has laid off 127 employees
Posted by Lou on Sep 23, 2009
ANCHORAGE, Alaska — The Alaska Railroad has laid off 127 employees.
Railroad CEO Pat Gamble announced the move in a company letter late Tuesday afternoon.
The layoffs affect everyone, from high-level managers to workers on the front lines, and include people across the state.
A weakening economy, production cuts at Flint Hills Refinery and less passenger traffic are blamed.
Last week the board said the railroad needed to cut staff to avoid a $10 million deficit next year.
“This downsizing does not, by itself, solve our financial problems … the challenge is not one seen before in the railroad’s history of state ownership,” Gamble wrote in his letter to employees.
“The size of the cuts is surprising for me,” said Jeffrey Davies, the president of the Alaska Railroad Workers Union Local 183.
Davies says his bargaining unit experienced the largest hit, and that 26 of his members are being let go.
“It’s been difficult, the anxiety and not knowing. Now we know and we have to try and understand what that means for the rest of the employees,” said Davies.
One casualty was Anchorage Assembly member Patrick Flynn.
A senior railroad officer who has been with the corporation since 2001, Flynn blogged about how he offered himself up, but hoped it wouldn’t come to that.
“I felt the remaining people were simply too important to daily railroad operations,” Flynn wrote in his blog.
Reflecting on the last few weeks, Flynn says cuts were being made, but suddenly the situation became dire and he was told the process was “too little too late — we needed to make plans for quicker, more significant cuts,” his blog reads.
State labor economist Neil Fried says the cuts are significant, and he emphasized that they are quality jobs that no longer exist.
“So we are talking about high quality jobs being lost so the quality is also a factor because these are good paying jobs in Alaska labor force,” said Fried.
Furlough rate goes up, my mood goes down
Posted by Lou on Sep 15, 2009
This morning I checked the boards. A few hours later the big shock: 71 furlough in Roseville, 54 in Oakland, 24 in Ozol and 12 in San Luis Obispo – not talking about the other stations along the Lines. Within a few hours 11 more furlough in Roseville. That is unbelievable. The Statistics show more Car Loads (the best month since December 2008) – everything is going up, so the furloughs. What’s going on there ?
Oh MAN, I am so mad right now. I want to put my Steel Toe Shoes (still the original once I’d by in Roseville while in the New Hire Class – just don’t have enough time to wear them off) into somebody’s Telly Device – not to get a Brown Nose – the other kind of kicking.
Nice to hear that the German Railroad is offering ~400 new Training positions this year for New Hires with guarantee to work after a 3 year Training period. They know how many people are leaving this year for retirement so they can calculate. Not one of the biggest Railroad in the World can do such thing ? Something is fishy here behind the curtain. I am still too trustworthy to see the big picture I guess.
The new Hours of Service implemented this year did not help at all; at last for us furlough employees. Guys on the Extra Board are still working like crazy with a 14 hour rest between shifts – 6-7 days a week (if the week had 10 days they had/would work 9 days I am sure).
Can’t they spread the work between all of us ? Every time someone on the Extra Board lays off they should call one from the furlough board. How about that ? Everybody works 40 hours a week and if over get somebody from the furlough board or expand the boards so every body has work.
Just a few thoughts from me – nothing will change in the near future I guess/fear. It’s not the Carriers fault, it’s the System behind that lags. Let’s hope the economy will go up again and everybody is happy.
Kicked out
Posted by Lou on Aug 12, 2009
Yesterday I logged into my Employee Web Site to check my furlough status. As anything would ever changed there but hey, keep the flags up and perhaps with a miracle and some help with the guy high above there (not Mr. Young, higher) there can be a chance for me to get back to work. But nothing changed. Some more guys got onto the Cut-Off Board, some left. There is always some movement there. But only the higher seniority once get a chance from time to time to proof they are railroaders.
So I logged in and got a Message telling me that, if I had one, I have to empty my locker and get everything out there. Ok, I understand that there might be a demand on lockers and there might be some lockers that have been never used (I might wonder why ???). But just getting this message dropped my frustration level more down. Will there be EVER a chance to get back to work or is that a ‘little’ sign to show me there is no room (!!) for me at this place ? I don’t know.
Down the Hallway I saw one of the Big Bosses and I thought : get a $20 out of my pocket and slip it to him while shacking his hand. Ok, a small grade I was going to walk but hey, for a good joke and a reason to have some talk with the guy, I give it a try. Thanks-fully he understood my scene of humor. “Hey Boss, get me back to work. That’s for you. If you need me to broom stick the Parking lot or polish the switches, I am your man. Just get me back to work”. I only got back a smile and a sorry. Do you know how many sorry’s I get every time I visit the Office ? Way to many. But at last they think of us furlough personnel from time to time.
Thanks guys, for thinking about me. And I love to give up my locker (if I had one) for someone who needs it and who is able to work.
What does furlough mean ?
Posted by Lou on Aug 6, 2009
Major railroads announced more furloughs of employees in recent days as they try to decide between getting rid of workers completely or keeping them on retainer in hope the economy will improve soon.
CSX Transportation announced recently it is furloughing 27 shop workers at Corbin, Ky.
BNSF Railway last week furloughed 100 mechanical department employees at its Alliance, Neb., shop.
CSX gave the Corbin shop workers no idea when they might be called back because the railroad’s management is uncertain how long it will take for shipping demand to pick up. They were given assurances of four months of health benefits.
CSX has furloughed 2,400 employees and put 30,000 rail cars in storage in roughly the past year.
Some railroads – like Union Pacific – have furloughed about 10 percent of their workforce in a belief they need to be ready when demand for rail shipments picks up as soon as this year.
Others – like BNSF Railway – have laid off a greater percentage of their workforce amid economic predictions the current recession is likely to last a long time. About 7.8 percent of BNSF’s workers are furloughed.
Read the rest of this entry »
EMPLOYEES IN FURLOUGHED STATUS
Posted by Lou on Jul 2, 2009
The Railroad Economic Stimulus Plan: Can the Railroads End The Recession
Posted by Lou on May 31, 2009
Can the railroads end the recession? Here is a plan that could help the country get back on it’s feet. There are a few steps that each railroad needs to take that would create jobs and make our country stronger. This plan call for a little sacrifice on the CEO’s and their Executive Officers. Also, this plan requires the senior railroad workers to become true mentors to co-workers. This is the Yin & Yang plan that would help the entire country to survive a recession. Read the rest of this entry »
Mad As Hell
Posted by Lou on May 31, 2009
Oh yeah, that’s how I feel today after checking the board standings. I feel my Company gave up on me and let me fall. Hired at a time when UP thought of 1000’s of retired people for the next few month. Everything we gave up to get a good nice job with a ‘Great’ Company – many promises were made. Do you remember the Newspaper Adds or the Hiring Sessions nationwide : Come to the Railroad and earn between $40.000 and $70.000 a Year. How can someone miscalculate the retirement of employees so bad ? How can someone willingly destroy hundreds of peoples live ? Nobody would have ever thought that the recession is hitting so bad, but that all happened before the recession started. Did you ever saw someone going on a street telling the people what’s happening here ? How Company’s treat their employees ? Sure, it’s getting old seeing and hearing stories about mistreated employees. It become a normal thing. Nobody, besides the families, care’s about us. I certainly don’t get any nice treatment from the Company. Only two positive things I can remember how I was treated well : when I get the monthly newsletter (but never mentioned anything about furlough employees) and the Company pay’s the health benefit for 4 months. Do they think I will be thankful for that ? Guess I am, because after being furl ought for almost a year, just a call : Be there in 90 minutes will have me ready with my gear and getting the papers to get the Job done. Getting the job done after all this treatment I reserved is my first thought. And getting my family supported who suffered from wrong decisions some managers made.
Furlough Chart Roseville Hub
Posted by Lou on May 27, 2009
Here is the newest Furlough Chart for the Roseville Hub, UP. Collected by French Morgan, SLO Trainman. Welcome to the newest Record High. If you among them, be proud of the Record. If not, be happy.
Please Click on the Picture to see it in it fullest Glory.
198 on 5/11/2009, 197 on 5/15/2009, 191 on 5/18/2009, 221 on 5/21/2009 and 240 on 5/27/2009.
UP keeps furloughed workers at hand
Posted by Lou on May 19, 2009
The rail-shipping business is off by double-digit percentages, but railroad giant Union Pacific Corp. doesn’t want to worry about meeting demand if and when it rebounds, according to the Wall Street Journal. For that reason, almost a third of Union Pacific’s 5,000 furloughed workers are operating on a retainer, with full benefits and partial wages, even though it is costing the company $50 million a year.
James R. Young, Union Pacific’s chief executive, said the company is determined to avoid a repeat of a 2004 fiasco, when it was caught unprepared for a sharp upturn in business.
Read the rest of this entry »
