ALL LOCAL UNIONS
SYSTEM COUNCIL NO. 2

Dear Sisters and Brothers:

First of all, I hope that everyone had a great Thanksgiving. On behalf of myself and the staff of System Council Two, we wish all our brothers and sisters a most joyous holiday season and best wishes for a healthy and prosperous new year.

On the dates of November 6 & 7, 2007, VGC Perry, AGC Tortorice, AGC Shell and I met with UPRR Labor Relations in order to address and conference outstanding claims, grievances and other matters which affect the membership of System Council 2. Those local unions who have claims pending will be notified accordingly if a settlement was reached.

On the date of November 7, 2007, myself and staff attended a follow up meeting with Union Pacific concerning their recent proposal for an “alternative compensation program.  As previously pointed out, Carrier’s proposal is based on unidentified executive performance goals approved by the UPRR Board of Directors which would be used to determine the level of bonus opportunity, if any, for the 2008 and 2009 performance years. During such period, the employees would relinquish their 2008 (4%) and 2009 (4.5%) general wage increases. Also, the performance goals would not be identified until a later time within the performance year and may be changed from year to year. The Carrier also advised that any participation in the program would apply to all IBEW represented employees and must be agreed upon by December 3, 2007. Therefore, I recently notified the Carrier that this office cannot accept the current proposal or present it for ratification without knowing in advance the complete details and risk factors. I also advised that any performance goals must be identified and understood well in advance and directly relative to the working group involved. Moreover, participation in the program should be on an individual basis rather than all or none.

On the date of November 8, 2007, VGC Perry, AGC Tortorice, AGC Starkjohann and myself had a follow up meeting with UPRR Labor Relations and Telecom Director Neal Spencer concerning the Carrier’s recent proposals concerning work classifications, assignments and territorial issues to name a few. The System Council staff is currently reviewing those issues and has been in touch with many of our Telecom members prior to our next meeting, which most likely will be after the first of the year.

On the date of November 15, 2007, AGC Shell and I went to Union Pacific’s Fort Worth locomotive facility to examine the “ARC” equipment which is being applied to the Carrier’s locomotive fleet. Our investigation into this matter was conducted in order to determine the level of maintenance and repairs required to maintain and service the equipment in the future. I would like to thank Local Chairman James Putty and Electrician David Riza for their help and assistance with this matter.

Following our initial meeting on October 24, 2007, AGC Tortorice and I continue with contract negotiations with Progress Rail Services. During our many discussions throughout the month, each party exchanged its various proposals and dialog in an effort to resolve our differences. The biggest issue at this point is the rising cost of Health and Welfare and the Company’s desire for its employees to share in such increases. However, recently some progress has been made and hopefully we can reach a tentative agreement in the near future. In the event a tentative agreement is reached, it will then go to the membership of Local Union 800 for ratification.

Throughout the month of November, the System Council continued to process claims and grievances and attends to other issues as they arise. AGC Shell is currently processing several cases for arbitration before the Second Division Railroad Adjustment Board concerning the Kansas City Southern Railway. We are also finalizing submissions for arbitration tentatively set for January 22 & 23, 2008 with Union Pacific Railroad (Public Law Board 7001). Arbitration and the funding set by the National Mediation Board (NMB) have been limited for the fourth quarter of 2007. We are expecting that such funding will be available after the first of the year and will notify you accordingly.

Please find hereto attached the following which can be disseminated and/or posted: 

1. RRB Labor Member Speakman’s newsletter for November 2007; here
2. RRB Scheduled Informational Conferences; here
3. RRB Job Vacancies list for November 2007; here
4. Working Family Issues – VOTE 2008 here

With best wishes, I remain
 

Fraternally yours,

Jim Wisniski

General Chairman, SC#2