Secret one-sided stacked vote being held between corporate, local supervisors, union heads, and FRA. Vote is to implement new BHE inspection, or to eliminate all intermediate inspections outside of Kansas City, Corwith, Chicago, Alliance Nebraska, Barstow, and Galesburg. It would implement truck only staffing or on a case by case basis of a 2 truck and 2 shop mechanical personnel. FRA waiver would require C1 and C1A inspections only at initial terminal, traction motor defects requiring set out of engine will only be performed by Holsher or RJ Corman in order to place idlers in locos to get to previously mentioned shop locations. Intermediate carman inspection will be performed by road truck on a case by case basis, through flagging of defective equipment with appropriate color code through machine vision or other associated programs. No intermediate inspections will be authorized otherwise unless authorized in advance by highest ranking company officer on duty. All SFS inspections will be performed by laborers on fuel racks, with defects being assigned by foreman or company officers, with repairs only being made if necessary to get to previously mentioned shop locations. All other defects will be labeled as en route failures. Emergency repairs will be made by road trucks crews. Daily inspections will be performed by TY&E crews as needed to satisfy inspections with defects being reported to mechanical help desks, or through the notification of appropriate shop foremen. Program is to implemented immediately after vote taken without delay, all affected personnel will be placed on appropriate forced reduction boards, and recalled as needed.
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@gg hi, anyone willing to speak with a journalist about what's happening here? fill in me on your perspective? email me: ddasilva@klkntv.com
Union heads were part of this decision, the were present in the meeting that conducted a vote to ensure this happened. All Union leadership was in Washington last month for a meet and greet with company officers, and no longer serve the members. A wildcat is coming as Union leadership sold out its members in secrecy. If BNSF is going to take jobs anyway, and force out employees, the RLA is not protecting anyone, let the company sue the unions, what’s it matter to workers at this point anyway, they earned it, and need the wake up call, as they no longer protect members. Walk out, union leadership can sanction the wildcat, or be punished by the company because of it.
@d6 They would be doing the same thing if we were making $20/hr. They'll always cut as much as think they can get away with.
@fg They have been doing that for sometime now, nothing new.
Yall post the numbers for each location
Yall thought it was a game, tried to warn you what was happening over the weekend, typical
Labors are now being trained to do m184 and m368 inspection!!
@OP notices coming out today.
Union pacific shut down two shops recently. Bnsf fallows suit. Every railroad will end up doing it. Here is the hard truth... When wages go up, they have to cut. Union isn't doing their job plain and simple. FRA is letting railroads do whatever they want. BNSF will sell to a private company and they are going to do whatever it takes to show how much money they can make. They do this by selling locomotives instead of leasing, directional traffic on loops, cutting maintance and sub contracting out to scabs, etc. Its sad. I'm in one of those locations and the higher ups are leaving and gettting new jobs. They are cutting everywhere so hopefully you live somewhere cheap.
How will this effect if at all the havelock/Lincoln locations?
@OP inspections will no longer be required to be performed by mechanical craft, only defects are going to be required to be reported to mechanical help desk, so defects can be applied and repaired at designated facilities. BNSF found the loop hole that crew members are required to perform inspections of locos, and sign cards, same as laborers on fuel facilities. The loophole was that they just had to perform, nothing said they have to repair. So reported defects can be repaired anywhere, BNSF only had to petition the FRA to sign off on wayside reader inspections, and the utilization of fuel rack and crew inspections between initial and terminating points, to eliminate the need for inspections anywhere in between, or as the paperwork stated…”technology benefits the railroad.” With BNSF utilizing resymbols of trains, it effectively eliminates in any between points of repairs or inspections, and simply 100% of the brakes have to work before a train leaves an initial terminal. Everything else is semantics. Emergency repairs will only be authorized by company officers, which means never.
It’s already being implemented, BNSF management put out the paperwork this past week, it’s being put in place immediately so saying otherwise is factually wrong, which is why union leadership was called in for the crafts, to make them feel as if they would have a voice in it, but it was simply to let them know this upcoming week it’s going into effect.
It’s being implemented everywhere, conditional was just to open the door, no different than point to point, one main crews, or any other FRA waiver that BNSF is given an inch and they take a mile. But I guess that last response lets people know the outcome of the vote.
Any petition for a waiver for non-compliance can be viewed on the federal register. BHE has only been conditionally approved for certain points on the system.
It’s not as easy as just telling the FRA you’re not going to do something that’s written in the CFR. You’d have to petition the FRA for a waiver of non-compliance and wait for the comment period to end. Then, if it do end up being approved, it doesn’t happen overnight. The problem with your logic is that most trains don’t see C1A at various locations. Any location with a hump yard and mechanical personnel must have the inspections completed by mechanical crafts. And the idea that this will circumvent many locations with extended haul locations is laughable.
While I could see it being plausible, it would most likely take months, if not years to implement.
And how about the 1-800-Help (Responders)? Hahaha
Rumor is this week if vote completed and FRA approves it. While no certainty due to parties involved, as soon as it’s approved, BNSF will implement immediately that day.
How soon?