Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers Division 34

Since 1863, A Tradition of Forward Thinking

The UTU is threatening our Conductors

Brothers and Sisters,

Good news from Jacksonville. On Monday, we met with Don Menefee when we flew in. Amongst all the miscellaneous stuff that was discussed, we asked about our seniority as it pertains to certain members running around us. Here is the scoop. We are not going to be run around. There is an agreement ( CSXT Labor Agreement 1-085-99) that says anybody who accepts Engineer Service at their home terminal the first time it is offered will be placed back ahead of anyone who was promoted out of turn. Prior hires have a different way of determining seniority, but that really does not pertain to many of us. Here is an example:

R. Fluker is a promoted Engineer.

He falls under T.Forson, W. Lyons, and C. Forson as a Conductor.

When Forson, Lyons, And Forson mark up as Engineers, they will be placed ahead of Fluker on the Engineers roster.

So basically, we will all be made whole and will follow along with the BCWC Master Conductors roster with few exceptions.

This is just a real quick overview of the good news. For those of us who have been run around by Conductors we have trained, this is the best news we can get to insure that we will not be loosing money in the next 20 years.

When I get back to Columbus I will post this Agreement and get a copy to all of you.

It has been brought to our attention that Terry Reed has taken a last ditch effort to try and punish our Conductors who feel better represented under the BLE&T. Don't worry! Your BLE&T officers are hard at work to counter this ridiculous attempt by the UTU. In fact, here is a copy of a letter from your Local Chairman sent to correct this matter BEFORE any action is taken against you. We, the BLE&T, don't believe in waiting for something to happen first. Preemptive measures will always be taken to secure our rights, and benefits, as union employees. After all, that's why you're here. Because you were tired of the misrepresentation of the UTU. With our link to the AFL-CIO, and now the Teamsters, the UTU can do nothing but watch their membership dwindle away, as we grow stronger. Rest assured that you will be taken care of as best as possible by the BLE&T. We have your best intrest at heart. Here is the letter from your Local Chairman;

To whom it may concern,

Within the last twenty four hour period, I was made aware, via a high ranking official in a local UTU division, that the general chairman for their organization (Terry Reed) was going to cease all claims for pay issues for conductor/trainmen that have "defected" to the BLE&T. While I understand the grief he must feel for mass defection due to numerous bad judgements as it pertains to "post 85" employees, I'm afraid I have no idea why he and his henchmen would "attack" the very members he wishes to reenlist. Mr. Reed wishes to hide behind Article VI of public law board 102-29, and UTU article 19, granting exclusivity as it pertains to matters concerning conductor/trainmen. He apparently believes that by using this shield he is impermeable to any scrutiny from outside enforcement. Under the Labor/Management Reporting and Disclosure Act (Landrum-Griffin), especially as it pertains to duty for fair representation, I emplore you to act now before this matter becomes one of a civil nature. I seek your assistance in making it crystal clear to this "rouge" union that issues of fair representation will be upheld and you will take no exception to violators of it. After all, it is the interest of the employees that we all care about, not the dwindling numbers of paid subscribers that allow people like Mr. Reed to act with reckless abandonment, while cashing a check paid for by the very members he wishes to attack. Thank you for any assistance you may be able to provide.

Jeff Scott

Local Chairman, BLE 34

Columbus, Ohio

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A follow up with the members from the Local Chairman

The rest of the story.....

    For those that are confused or have heard bits and pieces of information about this latest UTU tactic, let me fill you in as best I can. As you all are aware, Bill and I were in Huntington last Thursday and were approached by John Thompson, head of labor relations for the Huntington division, about a call from Terry Reed about apparent pay claim submission violations by yours truly and our committee of adjustments. As you know by now that was not the issue at all. It seems Mr Reed is feeling his impending demise and out of desperation he has summoned his warlords to punish our conductor/trainmen members. He sees you all as traitors and defectors. He wishes to act upon his anger and punish you financially in an attempt to sway you to turning back to the dark side. I guess he missed the class on human relations and figures that by scaring you into financial ruin that you will turn back to him for strength and guidance with your tail between your legs. If anything, I see this as a recruiting frenzy. He has single handedly offered us more members through his flagrant disregard for human dignity. Folks, I know this angers you as it does me. I ask you to feel pity for those that still find themselves under the rule of such a tyrant. This country just liberated another from such a dictator. Know that your elected officials will NEVER allow such a cowardly act to go unchecked. We have already submitted the letter on this site to the Department of Labor, National Labor Relations Board, National Mediation Board, International Brotherhood of Teamsters, BLE&T headquarters, and General Chairman Menefee. We have scheduled a meeting with John Wentz, the Railway Labor attorney for the Teamsters 284, to discuss civil litigation against ANY member of the UTU that would contribute to the effort of denying any member of ours equal representation so long as those rouge band of thieves continue to exercise exclusivity over conductor/trainmen. We have acquired the letter from Reed instructing his henchmen to implement this datardly plan and have turned it over to the BLE&T for elevation. Forgive me for stooping to Reed's level but the only way we will ever be free of this parasite is to run them out of business. We must stand firmly together in order to deflect all of these directed attempts of sabotage. We can do it, hell we are doing it! My hope is that his current members send a strong message to him by mounting an even stronger mass defection to our side and eventually A card his butt out of a job. I for one would love to have him on a train with me as a conductor to Walbridge. How many detectors are there between Columbus and Walbridge? If any of you have any concerns about this or anything else please don't hesitate to get in touch with us before it gets out of hand. Lastly, Bill and I will be in Washinton D.C. 18-24 January for the local chairman class and a meeting with Don Menefee. If any of you have any problems get with Jeff "Guido" Smith for assistance. He will be able to get in touch with us if he needs to. Take care and look forward to talking to you all soon.

     Fraternally yours,

     Jeff

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From the Vice Local Chairman

Brothers and Sisters,

JD and I have just returned from the Local Chairman's meeting in Huntington. As usual, the topic was Safety followed by ways on how to save the Company money. However, while we were on a break, John Thompson (CMC liaison in Huntington) asked me about something that had been brought to his attention by a General Chairman for the other union.

It seems that Mr. Terry "The Jellyfish" Reed of the UTU (also know as the stewardess union) has received "a couple " of calls from "some people" stating that we, the BLE, are recruiting the conductors by telling you (and me too) that the BLE can represent you all the way to appeal and beyond. Now, from the get-go we have all told you that we can represent you in the Board of Inquiry; hell your granny from 2 towns over could represent you in a B of I. A pencil could, your neighbor could, your dog could, hell even Paul Campbell could. The point here is that ANYONE including yourself can represent you in a B of I.

So the only place that I can see that we have an issue here is IF we loose at a B of I, it has to be appealed by the Union that holds your contract. So we turn over your case to the UTU and, by Federal law, they must represent your appeal. No, ifs, and's or but's!! Terry Forson is doing a great job over there, and I know that IF the situation ever comes to fruition he will do hid best to help you in any way possible.

SO, as basic as this is..let's review something here. Many of you can disregard this paragraph as it is more of a help to the newer guy on the property with a question or two. Let's start with "What is a B of I?" That is the first step of a disciplinary hearing to find you at fault or not of an offense that the company has charged you with. As I stated before, ANYONE can represent you in a B of I. Now, if for some reason you are found guilty of the infraction at the B of I, you will want to appeal it to the General Committee. There are several grounds on which to appeal any decision rendered by a company official in favor of the company so we won't bore you with mumbojumbo. At this step in the process, you must be represented by the UTU as they carry your contract. So as you can see there is 2 steps in this process.

Well, now that I have bored you all to death with this flowery rant, I will remind you all to be vigilant about your safety this month. It was brought to our attention that there will be "Strike Teams" out of Huntington making unannounced visits to all the terminal and they will be rotating every 2 weeks so look out! If you have any questions, you know you can call me anytime. Thank you all, you've been great! Don't forget to tip your waitress...Goodnight!!

As always, I remain fraternally yours,

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As a Conductor, why should I join the BLE&T?

We are the BLE&Trainman!
Your current labor union has managed to cut the road and yard guarantee to 75% of that of a pre-1985 employee. Although you perform the same amount of work, and risk the same hazards, you are not entitled to the same pay. That alone is why I chose to leave the UTU. (how could ANY union agree to LOWER a members wages by 25%? It's preposterous!)
The BLE is a member of the AFL-CIO. A statement the UTU cannot make!

Who will represent me If I'm Under Investigation?

Any union member can represent you in an investigation. The contract holder does represent you in an appeal. If for ANY reason the UTU representative were to make ANY screw up's, or not fully represent you. You may refer to a copy of a letter from Mr. Reed, stating his "threat of representation by the UTU" for BLE conductors. This letter stated his "threat" to not represent members who went to the BLE. If you feel you have been misrepresented in any way, contact your BLE chairmen, and we will press FULL Civil Litigation on the UTU, and the individual representing you, for misrepresentation. The UTU has no choice but to represent you to the fullest means possible in the even of an appeal, and for any reason they do not, they are held personally liable, and are subject to civil suits. ........IN OTHER WORDS! Don't worry about it!!!

Click here to join the BLE today!!!