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B&O/B&P General Committee of Adjustment Officers and Staff
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Posted by jel on Tuesday, March 09 Eastern Standard Time (6 reads)
A list of Railroad Retirement Board Informational Conferences conducted by Labor Member V. M. Speakman, Jr.'s office can be accessed here.
Railroad Retirement Board Labor Member Speakman's monthly publication for March 2010 with important benefit information can be accessed here.
A list of Railroad Job Vacancies published by Mr. Speakman's office dated March 2, 2010 (which may be of interstest to some of our furloughed members) can be accessed here.
Posted by jel on Tuesday, January 26 Eastern Standard Time (56 reads)
The General Committee is constantly conscious of our furloughed/cut-off brothers and sisters and the obstacles they face. Consequently we are constantly striving to find ways to ease that burden.
Mindful of the above, and also knowing CSXT will soon be hiring a number of Signal Department employees to meet RSIA requirements mandating implementation of Positive Train Control by December 31, 2015, General Chairperson Lesniewski and the B&O General Committee entered into discussions with the Carrier directed towards allowing our furloughed members to apply for this impending Signal Department work.
Attached here you will find a January 21, 2010 letter of understanding General Chairperson J. E. Lesniewski reached with CSXT Director Labor Relations R. D. Hiel which illustrates the fruit of the aforementioned discussions. Therein you will note that all furloughed brothers and sisters (at locations to be determined) will be given an opportunity to apply for positions in the Signal Department. Those making application, however, must be aware that upon successfully completing their hiring, training and probationary periods in the C&S Department, they will be required to relinquish any and all Operating Craft seniority they possess. Each applicant will be made aware of this requirement upon making application.
Quite obviously the Carrier was not willing to spend their time/money hiring and qualifying a former trainman in the Signal Department only to have them return to the Operating Craft once they were recalled. Nevertheless the UTU has many brothers and sisters in “deep furlough” that may be anxious to find good paying employment under the terms and conditions described; or perhaps even some in “shallow furlough” who are interested in going in another direction at CSXT despite the fact they may soon be recalled. Who knows?
In any event, the General Committee is anxious to help our furloughed/cut-off members get a paycheck in any way we can… even if that means leaving the Operating Craft and the UTU in order to do so. After all the UTU is about the members, and what benefits the members will ultimately benefit the UTU as well!
Posted by jel on Thursday, January 07 Eastern Standard Time (104 reads)
(What follows is a reprint from the UTU International website of an important article for furloughed members)
COBRA, which stands for the Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act, has long enabled many people who lose their job to keep their insurance, generally for 18 months, at 102 percent of the full cost, meaning the portions paid by both the employer and employee, reports The Los Angeles Times.
But such coverage is expensive, and many people can't afford it. With so many Americans unemployed at once, the subsidy was deemed necessary to prevent the percentage of uninsured Americans from growing dramatically.
The subsidy was launched in March 2009 and paid 65 percent of the health insurance premium cost for nine months for workers laid off between Sept. 1, 2008, and Dec. 31, 2009 -- saving families an average of $722 per month on average health insurance premiums of $1,111.
Posted by jel on Thursday, December 03 Eastern Standard Time (396 reads)
By virtue of a notice dated December 2, 2009, received December 3, 2009, CSXT has served a notice upon General Chairperson Lesniewski of their intent to “… consolidate and coordinate train operations, employees, and related facilities in the territory covered by the Northern District (former Conrail), and the territory covered by the Eastern District and certain contiguous parts of the Western District (former B&O), to create a larger territory for train operations, to be known as the Northern Mid-Atlantic District” pursuant to Article I, Section 4 of the New York Dock conditions imposed in Finance Docket No. 33388. A copy of the December 2nd notice can be viewed here.
Posted by jel on Monday, November 30 Eastern Standard Time (138 reads)
I am pleased to report the B&O Productivity Fund (6603) for crew consist protected employees retaining their fund will be valued at $43.59 per share this year. This amount represents an increase of $13.99 per share (+ 47.27%) over last year’s sub-par value of $29.60 per share despite the fact that trains starts in productivity year 2008-2009 dropped approximately 15.8% due to the lagging economy.
Checks will be dated and received December 4, 2009, with employees who have direct deposit credited on that day also.
Posted by jel on Monday, November 30 Eastern Standard Time (143 reads)
On November 25, 2009, the General Committee was able to attain full and final settlement of all outstanding locker claims under the jurisdiction of the B&O C&T Schedule Agreement. The self-explanatory understanding also sets forth a procedure that must be followed for a member to secure a locker in the future, as well as illustrating a process to ensure future compliance with our agreement and compensation for a violation of our November 25, 2009 locker understanding with CSXT Director Labor Relations R. D. Hiel. A copy of that November 25th understanding is available here.
Please note that under the terms of the November 25, 2009 document future locker requests must be made in writing (email accepted) and followed up in accordance with the terms described therein. Therefore members should be forwarned locker claims from this date forward that are not accompanied by the required documentation of a written request and appropriate follow up will not be progressed by the General Committee office. If the procedures are followed however, and a locker is not provided within 30 days (or later if an agreed upon action plan is documented and in place), a penalty payment of two (2) hours will be applicable. So, please, be sure to retain your written and dated documentation of a locker request.
The November 25th understanding regarding lockers becomes effective on Monday, December 14, 2009. For that reason the General Committee needed to get this information out to our members as soon as possible. We are well into the process of cross-checking and verifying with CSXT Labor Relations all outstanding locker claims that will stand to qualify for the $20.00 settlement payment under the terms of our November 25, 2009 understanding. According to our estimates, these claims will generate over $230,000.00 for our membership; but we beg the patience of our members just a bit longer as we sort through the claims and generate payment. The affected Local Chairpersons and members will be notified of their impending payment as we get closer to the actual pay disbursement.
Posted by jel on Tuesday, November 24 Eastern Standard Time (136 reads)
In a previous Article the General Committee advised that on October 30, 2009 the UTU International announced on its website a national group voluntary short-term disability (VSTD) plan for all rail members they have secured from Anthem Life Insurance Company. Therein we also advised the specifics of the plan will be mailed out to each individual member before the end of the year.
In a nutshell the Anthem VSTD plan pays up to $346 per week (approximately $1500 per month) for up to 52 weeks, and provides 24/7 coverage for accidents and illness; all for the price of $31 per month. In order to guarantee initial coverage regardless of health conditions UTU members (including UTU engineers) will automatically be enrolled in this disability insurance coverage effective February 1, 2010 (for CSX members) unless they waive coverage by returning the “opt out” postcard included with their mailing to the International. These “opt out” elections can be made at any time, but will only become effective when received by the International. Consequently UTU Engineer members wishing to waive coverage at the outset of the plan should return their “opt out” postcard as soon as possible, but in no event beyond December 11, 2009, in order to avoid ever incurring the $31 per month premium assessment for disability insurance. It should also be noted that once a member opts out of coverage, he/she will be required to pass a full underwriting inspection (at their own expense) to re-apply for these group benefits should they change their mind in the future.
UTU Engineers must be especially careful when making a decision to retain the Anthem VSTD plan, because they are also covered by the BLET’s Short-Term Disability Insurance Plan A benefits (non-occupational disabilities), and may be covered by the Plan B benefits (occupational disabilities) when they are working in the craft of engineer. H&W eligibility is earned when an employee performs the “requisite amount of service” (7) days in a month for coverage in the following month. If at least one (1) of those days was worked in engine service, the engineer (even while working in train service) is automatically covered by Part A of the BLET’s Short Term Disability Plan, for non-occupational disabilities, for the following month. If a UTU engineer opted for Plan B of the BLET’s Short Term Disability Plan by making a $276 payment annually to the BLET trust fund, they are also covered by that plan for occupational disabilities the following month. The purpose of this article is to warn UTU engineer members they need to take these BLET Short Term Disability payments into consideration when making their decision whether to retain the Anthem VSTD policy because BLET Short Term Disability benefits flowing from this other group policy are considered a “deductible source of income” and the monetary benefits therein will offset against the net benefit our UTU engineers will enjoy from their $31 per month investment in the Anthem policy. As a result, UTU engineers that retain the Anthem policy by failing to return their “opt out” card to the International will receive only the $50 per week Minimum Weekly Benefit for their premiums while they are still collecting Railroad Retirement Sickness Benefits and BLET Short Term Disability Plan A or Plan B benefits.
Posted by jel on Friday, November 06 Eastern Standard Time (147 reads)
The UTU International issued an important announcement yesterday, November 5, 2009, regarding a cost free vaccine for the H1N1 virus (a.k.a. "swine flu"). Finding this to be an important announcement a link to that article is being reproduced by the General Committee here.
Posted by jel on Wednesday, November 04 Eastern Standard Time (161 reads)
On October 30, 2009 the UTU International announced on its website a national group voluntary short-term disability (VSTD) plan for all rail members they have secured from Anthem Life Insurance Company. Specifics of the plan will be mailed out to each individual member before the end of the year. In a nutshell the plan pays up to $346 per week (approximately $1500 per month) for up to 52 weeks, and provides 24/7 coverage for accidents and illness; all for the price of $31 per month. In order to guarantee initial coverage regardless of health conditions UTU members will automatically be enrolled in this disability insurance coverage effective February 1, 2010 (for CSX members) unless they waive coverage by returning the “opt out” postcard included with their mailing to the International. These “opt out” elections can be made at any time, but will only become effective when received by the International. Consequently members wishing to waive coverage at the outset of the plan should return their “opt out” postcard as soon as possible, but in no event beyond December 11, 2009, in order to avoid ever incurring the $31 per month premium assessment for disability insurance. It should also be noted that once a member opts out of coverage, he/she will be required to pass a full underwriting inspection (at their own expense) to re-apply for these group benefits should they change their mind in the future.
The purpose of this article is to notify UTU members working under the B&O Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) they have other, Carrier paid, supplemental sickness benefits they need to take into consideration when making their decision whether to retain the Anthem VSTD policy because these Carrier provided benefits will decrease the net benefit our members will enjoy from their $31 per month investment in the Anthem policy. Some will find the Anthem policy is a benefit anyway and will retain it, while others will decide the return is not sufficient to justify the $31 monthly payment. That is a matter of personal preference. This information is not provided to encourage a member to opt out of the Anthem VSTD policy, nor is it intended to encourage members to retain the plan. The information is merely being provided as a service for our members to help them make an informed and intelligent decision as to whether the Anthem Voluntary Short Term Disability (VSTD) policy makes sense for them.
Rule 40.2 of the current Schedule Agreement between the Buffalo and Pittsburgh Railroad, Inc. and the United Transportation Union states as follows:
“40.2 The parties signatory hereto shall not serve nor progress prior to January 1, 2010 (not to become effective prior to July 1, 2010) any notice or proposal for changing any provisions contained herein.”
Between now and January 1, 2010, the General Committee office will be constructing our Section 6 Notice under the Railway Labor Act to be served upon the B&P Carrier proposing changes in the B&P Collective Bargaining Agreement. While the General Committee will be conducting our own extensive search for more favorable, yet attainable, agreement provisions to be sought in the next round of negotiations, we also value input and suggestions from the membership. Consequently, in a letter dated September 23, 2009 addressed to each member, General Chairperson Lesniewski requested that Local 377 (B&P) members forward any suggestions they may have for items to be included in the upcoming Section 6 Notice to Local Chairperson H. R. Mahaffey on or before November 15, 2009. Local Chairperson Mahaffey will, in turn, consolidate and coordinate those suggestions and work with General Chairperson Lesniewski’s office to perfect our Section 6 Notice to be served upon the Buffalo and Pittsburgh RR Carrier.
