UTU News, July-August 2004

Volume 36 July/August 2004 Number 7/8 www.utuia.org www.utu.org The Official Publication of the United Transportation Union THE VOICE OF TRANSPORTATION LABOR “Not in my administration will we ever become a member of the Teamsters organization.” – UTU International President Paul C. Thompson NewsNews && NotesNotes UTU fires back in response Little, Boyd sentenced to unprovoked BLE&T raid HOUSTON, Texas – Past UTU presidents Charles L. Little and Byron A. Boyd Jr. were In nationwide mailing, Hahs, Hoffa urge BLE&T members to raid UTU each sentenced July 9 in federal court to 24 months imprisonment and a $10,000 fine by The UTU “will do everything necessary” to nal merger documents and try to address what Judge Sim Lake. protect itself and its members from “aggression concerns you had with those documents. You Both will face three years of supervised by the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers have responded that peace is impossible unless release following completion of their sentences. and Trainmen,” UTU International President the UTU joins you in an affiliation with the Both also were ordered to forfeit $100,000. Paul Thompson told BLE&T President Don Teamsters Union. Little and Boyd previously pled guilty to vio- Hahs in a letter dated July 14. “Now you have dropped a bomb on the lating the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act by soliciting and accepting The letter followed a plea by Hahs and UTU with a new raid on our members,” payments from certain former UTU designated Teamsters President James Hoffa to BLE&T Thompson said, adding: legal counsel. officers and members to engage in a •The BLE&T has turned to being Little and Boyd are both retired and neither nationwide raid on the UTU dominated by a non-railroad has any affiliation with the UTU or the UTU intended to destroy the UTU as union, having admitted its fail- Insurance Association (UTUIA). an organization. Railroad ure at effectively representing Also, former UTU/UTUIA employee Ralph employees “need to be part of its membership; Dennis was sentenced to three years probation the Teamsters Rail Confer- •The BLE&T claims its and a $2,000 fine. John Rookard, also a former ence,” Hahs and Hoffa said, affiliation with the Team- UTU/UTUIA employee, was sentenced to three telling BLE&T-represented sters provides a new-found years probation, including six months of home locomotive engineers that strength through the power of confinement. Both Dennis and Rookard had they are in “a unique position” one million Teamsters who sup- pled guilty to the same or similar charges as Lit- in the cab to recruit UTU mem- tle and Boyd. posedly will stand behind the bers into the Teamsters-dominated efforts of rail workers to obtain higher BLE&T. pay and more secure jobs; BLE “breached” duty Thompson responded to Hahs that “since •What the BLE&T fails to say is that the OTTAWA – The Canadian Federal Court of being elevated to International president of Teamsters’ National Master Freight Agree- Appeal has upheld a ruling of the Canada the UTU, I have reached out to you repeated- ment with trucking companies contains a no- Industrial Relations Board that the Brotherhood ly and done all I could to make peace with the of Locomotive Engineers “breached its statutory BLE&T. I even suggested we review the origi- Continued on page 10 duty of fair representation in negotiating three items of a collective agreement” with VIA Rail. What this means is that the BLE, now a division of the Teamsters Union, has been told by the Canadian government for a second time that Modernization Goodbye, BLE&T; it must pay as much as C$230,000 each to as many as 230 former UTU-represented former VIA Rail conductors – a potential liability in the aim of UTU panel Hello, UTU! tens of millions of dollars. Also, many of the adversely affected conductors and assistant con- A blue-ribbon committee to examine and BUFFALO, N.Y. – There’s a new UTU local ductors, who lost their jobs as a result of the make recommendations for ways to modernize in town, and at least 50 BLE&T members have BLE’s failure to represent them in a fair manner, the United Transportation Union has been already flocked to join it. could be allowed to train as locomotive engi- created by UTU International President Paul “We tested the waters over there (BLE&T),” neers and regain their full train-service seniority. Thompson. said Norfolk Southern (NS) engineer Mike The recommendations of the nine-person Seifert, “but there was nothing for us.” Soo Line members ratify committee will be considered at the UTU’s Seifert is among the former officers and next quadrennial convention in 2007. members of BLE&T Division 659 who made WOODBURY, Minn. – UTU-represented the new UTU Local 1566 for NS conductors trainmen have ratified a five-year contract on Members of the newly created blue-ribbon the Canadian Pacific Railway’s Soo Line Rail- committee include UTU past presidents Al and engineers a reality. road subsidiary that includes “wage and health Chesser and Tom DuBose; retired assistant With the help of NS General Chairperson and welfare provisions mirroring those in the general secretary and treasurer Dan Collins; Delbert Strunk Jr., New York State Legislative national agreement,” said General Chairperson retired member Robert McHenry; retired for- Director Sam Nasca, Regional Organizer Bob Dennis E. Baker (GO-261). mer general chairperson Dale Hogan; retired Hagen, GO-687 Secretary Richard Ross and The pact, which became effective June 1, Canadian vice president Larry Olson; Bus Local President Anna Kauffman of Local 421 in 2004, provides for a general wage increase, Department General Chairperson James Conneaut, Ohio, NS employees elected officers brings work-rule modifications, an enhanced Williams; retired International Vice President and took control of their own destiny on July 1. 401(k) defined contribution plan and includes Don Carver; and Local 811 officer Steve Daw- Besides Seifert, a former BLE&T vice local benefit-plan cost containment and benefit design changes. Continued on page 10 Continued on page 10 Around the UTU News from around the U.S. and Canada Local 23, Santa Cruz, Calif. had been a railroader for 31 years and served Members of Local 23 are employees of as local chairperson for NS engineers for either the Santa Cruz Metropolitan Transit more than 20 years. District (SCMTD) or Community Bridges, Local 1175, Duluth, Minn. which manages ParaCruz, Metro’s paratransit Members of this BNSF and Minnesota, service. In July, van operators approved a Dakota & Western local are especially proud contract that brings ParaCruz under the of conductor and yardmaster Douglas S. direct control of SCMTD, said General McLellan, a specialist at Bagram Air Force Chairperson Bonnie Morr. The pact brings Base in Afghanistan, said Legislative Repre- improved medical, dental and vision plans sentative Richard A. Olson. McLellan’s and a better pension plan. friends at Local 1177 in Willmar, Minn., his Local 48, Norfolk, Va. Los Angeles Metro Red Line operator Tu Phan of Local former local, join in praying for his safe In a recent special election, Local Chairper- 1565 took first-place honors at the Ninth Annual Metro return to family, friends and coworkers. son and Delegate T. R. Adams was elected Raildeo in May. (Photo by Local 1565’s Ramon Peniche.) Local 1594, Upper Darby, Pa. vice general chairperson for Norfolk South- Congratulations go to SEPTA employees ern GO-679 (former N&W-P), according to Rail rodeos prove George O’Donnell and Stan Savchuck, who General Chairperson J. A. Houk. members winners placed seventh in the operators’ event and Local 117, Vancouver, Wash. second in the maintainers’ event of the Regardless of results announced in June by the American Public Transportation Association Amtrak conductor Paula Dennis, who has APTA International Rail Rodeo Committee, (APTA) International Rail Rodeo held in worked on The Empire Builder since 1987, Los Angeles Metro Red Line operators Tu Phan, Miami, Fla., in June, said General Chairper- met with U.S. Sen. Patty Murray (D- Jesus Valdez and Manjit Singh remain winners. son Ron Koran. Those who had also compet- Wash.) during the celebration of the 75th Members of Local 1565 in West Hollywood, ed in the events at SEPTA include Jim Sams, anniversary of the train in June, said Local Calif., the three placed first, second and third, Fred Washington, Bob Tracey and Mel Sad- Vice President Mark P. Flanigan. The respectively, at the Ninth Annual Metro dic. Later in the month, members enjoyed Empire Builder offers many of the amenities Raildeo earlier this year, said the local’s Legisla- perfect weather at the annual picnic at Dor- it did when it rolled for the first time on the tive Representative Kevin Devlin. Nineteen ney Park. As this issue went to press, members Great Northern Railway in June 1929. operators from all four Metro Rail lines partici- also were participating in the American Can- Local 168, Chicago, Ill. pated in the event. cer Society’s Bike-A-Thon. Amtrak employees presented a brass lantern Their accomplishments qualified Brothers Local 1741, San Francisco, Calif. to Roger Ross, who marked his 60th year of Phan and Valdez to compete in the American Members of this bus operators’ local volun- service on June 21, 2004, said Local Chair- Public Transportation Association’s (APTA) teered to shuttle demonstrators on June 19 to person Doug Silkowski. Brother Ross, who international event on June 5 at Miami-Dade participate in SEIU’s March for Healthcare, currently works between Chicago, Ill., and Transit’s William Lehman Center in Miami, said Local Secretary James Charas and Vice Pontiac, Mich., hired out in 1944 on the Fla., with Brother Singh serving as the team’s Chairpersons Brock C.

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