https://nptelegraph.com/business/two-person-crews-to-stay-u-p-norm-under-tentative-deal-with-conductors/article_6ac4eff6-ca99-11ed-890c-574ab8e07ddf.html
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Meanwhile, truck improvements of various types are going to lower their costs of transport lower than those of freight trains. No agreement then is going to save your job. The smartest move you can make now is to support crew consist placement flexibility and guarantee your job for life. Work onboard, work offboard, do other assignments and not get laid off. If you don’t do this soon, and you should forget the idea you will gain more leverage when the cost curve is bent by trucks, it will be too late. Remember, fuel and people are 50%ish for trucking and 33%ish for rail. Asset turnover and equipment replacement for trucking is much faster, and improvements such as aerodynamic improvements will happen faster. . Your Union leaders interests and yours won’t be aligned on this one. There are plenty of analysis reports by outsiders that make this cost related impact very clear; and you don’t need UP data to figure this out. Tick, tock…
In five years artificial intelligence will be operating and dispatching trains. That’s what their working on as we speak.
SAFE till more technology is put in place. No one is ever safe out here,unless you have few years left to retire. Don't get comfortable!
“When’s the last time 2 brakemen walked the train” is exactly the point. It used to be done, but most are too young to remember it. Just because it has not been done for a long time does not mean that it should never be done again. The engineer and a conductor are not enough. They have enough responsibility already, especially being without proper rest.
2 brakemen to walk train if needed? When’s the last time they’ve walked a train.. Just call a Carmen
2 man crews isn’t the issue.. Not having trains properly inspected, is the issue.. If you have conductors/U men inspect trains, there’s your problem
Big deal. Should be 4 man. Two brakeman to walk the train if needed. Maybe if UP starts doing things right they won’t have runaway trains rolling downhill and unmanned @ 118mph.
Good. Hopefully it stays that way. And hopefully it’s not brought to a contract negotiation table ever again either. Should never have been brought up in the first place. UP preaches safety, at the same time tries to pull an unsafe profit making scheme like that.
Great! My higher can smell my parts and 2 day old chorizo burritos