2022 SPECIAL ELECTION FOR LOCAL PRESIDENT, VICE PRESIDENT AND SECRETARY/TREASURER *UPDATED 03/16/2022*
Nominations for SMART-TD Local 239 President, Vice President and Secretary/Treasurer. Nominations are currently being accepted until April 1st, 2022 via voice/text or by email at wyattej2000@yahoo.com or in person at the meeting on April 1st 2022, nominations will be accepted until 10:20 am. After nominations close, all members in attendance will have the opportunity to vote for the nominee’s via secret ballot.
PROPER TIE UP PROCEDURE *UPDATED 05/08/15*
As I'm sure you've all heard, in one way shape or form, YOU MUST COMPLETE YOUR TIE UP AT A TERMINAL. Calling your tie up in is no longer an accepted practice unless you have expired on the Hours of Service, the computer is down or there is no terminal available. The carrier is pointing at Superintendent Bulletin #25 and has begun threatening discipline if the practice doesn't stop. A level 3 will be issued and if you aren't over your derail you will be terminated.
THE NEW MEETING DAY IS:*UPDATED 08/14/13*
Meetings have been changed to the first FRIDAY of the month unless it's a holiday, then it's pushed back to the second FRIDAY. Meeting time is still 10:00 am.
LODGING ISSUE'S!!! *UPDATED 11/02/10*
The Carrier has conducted an audit and determined that a number of employee's have been utilizing company provided lodging at locations that do not qualify for lodging under current agreements. It is the Carrier's stand that this is a violation on GCOR rule 1.6 Conduct, a level 5 infraction. It is our understanding that the Carrier is sending notification to all employee's identified during their audit, requiring repayment of lodging expenses in lieu of discipline.
The exact agreement language can be found in the RED BOOK Article 27 Sec. B3
In a nutshell, RV381 is the only location lodging can be utilized, from PX949.
DREADED 60 day rule!!! *UPDATED 11/14*
UP continues to hire more employee's and continues to promote people into Engine Service with no where for them to work once their training is complete. When these new Train Service employee's mark up they have no choice but to go directly to a Furlough Board and start looking for a part-time job to support their families. The cut-back Firemen/Engineers, are now rolling back to their previous crafts and displacing Trainmen and Switchmen because UP will not honor the agreements requiring them to put on Reserve Boards for cut-back Engineers.
In the last few month's there have been a lot of moves from the Yard/Road and Road/Yard. We all need to be reminded of the Agreements from time to time, this is one of those times. Below you will find 2 links to important information regarding this topic.
There seems to be some confusion with the terminology ROAD/YARD.
ROAD= Conductor/Brakeman
YARD= Foreman/Switchman
For example, if you are working in the Warmsprings Yard, you are actually working a Local/Road job not a yard job. The only yard jobs are bulletined in Oakland and Ozol.
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call and ask.
Roseville Hub Transfer Memorandum of Agreement.PDF
FURLOUGHED INFO UPDATED 12/20/08*
Health care may continue after furlough but there are some things you can do, beyond applying to the Railroad Retirement Board for unemployment benefits, to ease the financial strain. The following applies if you are covered under the NRC/UTU Health & Welfare Plan or the Railroad Employees' National Health & Welfare Plan: * If you are furloughed, your employee and dependent health-care coverage will continue for four months following the furlough. * Generally, the plan provides continued coverage through the fourth month following the month in which you last provided compensated service, or received vacation pay (provided the vacation pay was received prior to the date of your furlough). Thus, if you are furloughed in January, coverage would continue through May. * Also, if you are not covered by the NRC/UTU Health & Welfare Plan, or the Railroad Employees' National Health& Welfare Plan, or are not sure if you are, you should also contact your local and/or general chairperson for more information. More information may be found in the Summary Plan Description (SPD) books for these plans under the heading, "Eligibility and Coverage." If you do not have a copy of the SPD, you may obtain one by calling the insurance company that administers your benefits (Aetna, Highmark BCBS or United HealthCare) at the toll-free phone number on your health-care ID card. Also provided in that section on "Eligibility and Coverage" is information on extended coverage (beyond four months) under the so-called COBRA option. This law permits you to purchase the same group coverage for the individuals in your family desiring such additional coverage. The payment rates are determined on a per-person basis (adult/children) and are subject to increase March 1, 2009.
To obtain information on the payment rates, contact United HealthCare at (888) 445-4379. Questions may also be directed to the Membership Services Department at the UTU International, (216) 228-9400.
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WORK ORDER REPORTING!!! *UPDATED 03/06/18*
Use of the Mobile Work Order Devices is mandatory. These devices have been in use for over a year at this point and the application is constantly being updated, the latest update included the order you plan on servicing the customers. Remember to report your activities as close to real time as possible to save yourself the hassles of having to explain why you didn't later.
If you have issues with your device during your tour of duty, keep track of the spot and pulls times and be sure to contact the Work Order Help Desk and get a ticket number for your device issues.
WHAT TO DO IF YOU ALLEGEDLY MAKE A MISTAKE. *UPDATED 08/14*
1. There's no point in arguing, you may try explaining to the manager what actually happened versus what they thought they saw, but most times they won't let the facts get in the way of charging you. Try to keep it to a minimum, they could use it against you.
2. Follow their instructions regarding what they need you to do, I.E. fill out an incident report, take a drug/breathalyzer test etc., just short of signing for the "alleged" offense. If they request a written statement be vague, don't speculate, only write what you saw. Don't "guess" what someone else was doing or what caused the incident. If you were on the other end of the the yard, train or county say exactly that.
3. Make notes to yourself about the situation, where you were, were they were, line of sight, time of day etc., even the most minute detail could be useful in the investigation.
4. Let your Local Chairman know about it all. At a reasonable hour would be preferred but in some cases you may feel the need to let them know immediately.
5. JUST WAIT!!!! There are time limits for these things to take place. WAIT for your charge letter, don't start calling managers asking for it. Give them time to do their jobs. If you can't wait, call your LC, he will probably get it before you anyway. Sometimes cooler heads prevail after a couple of days and things get re-thought.
6. DO NOT BE PRESSURED BY THE MANAGERS TO SIGN FOR ANYTHING REGARDING THE ALLEGED INCIDENT. Notify your LC that managers have been in contact with you about the charges and are asking/demanding that you sign by a date they have given you. This is not proper procedure and they know it. Any deal they have to offer should be checked out by your LC.
SITUATION: You and your crew are diligently working, following the rules, all is well, your track lists are correct, the industries haven't changed their spotting requests, timekeeping paid your claims etc., as you come to a stop and start to step off the car your riding, the slack rolls out as your foot touches the ground and you just got off moving equipment. Suddenly you hear the screeching of tires and see the cloud of dust as the UP short bus tears through a rip in the space time continuum and the hockey equipment clad passengers bail out and come running up to you, more excited than school girls on prom night. "We've been watching you for three days and finally got you...eeerrrrr, we just happened by and noticed that you got off moving equipment. You know our hands are tied and we have to give you a 4C and pull you out of service" At this point you and the rest of your crew are loaded into the short bus and taken to your on-duty location/nearest precinct for the obligatory body cavity search etc.
What happens next is you are hauled into a room with the heater turned up to nuclear, and a locomotive battery with jumper cables attached to it sitting on the table and your chair sitting in a kiddie pool filled with water... Well, that might be a bit of an exaggeration. JUST BE PATIENT!!! (This is just my little attempt at humor but you probably figured that out when I said "timekeeping paid your claims")
Any similarity to actual people, places or events is strictly coincidental
FURLOUGH INFORMATION
It is important that furloughed employees know what rights they have and how they get back to work or recalled.