March 13, 2004

Here is something worth bring to your attention, it is a message from Nevada State Legislative Board Chairman Joe Carter!

Brothers and Sisters:

have been asked to inform you about a new poficy on the Union Pacific Railroad. The railroad intends to charge engineers with Rule 1.6 Careless of Safety for rules violations by other members of your crew. For example it is your responsibility to ensure that the conductor ties the required amount of handbrakes. We have always been responsible to turn our brothers in if they fail to perform their duties. The new policy basically boils down to charging us with 1.6 for failure to ensure that the conductors perform their jobs and the fact that we didn’t inform management of that fact if and when they fail to do their job. It is also the conductors responsibility to turn you in if you fail to do your job. It has been reported to me that there was a train separation on the mountain and management had the signal department and the maintenance department check to see if the conductor tied the sections down correctly. The carrier is serious about wles compliance and is looking for ways to make everyone do a managers job. They are not going to hire more MTO’S arid MOP’S when they can force us all to rat on each other.

1.6 Careless of Safety is a Level 5 violation that means you are fired until you get to the labor board and then maybe you will get put back to work. That is if you asked the conductor if he did the particular task that you and he are charged with failing to do and he had replied in the affirmative to you. Then your only out is reliance on crew. Chances are very good that the case will go to the board before you get put back to work but at least you have some type of a defense. There is a very simple defense to
this intimidation WORK BY THE RULES 100% OF THE TIME. Our employer pays us to be professional and they pay us to work by the rules. We make ourselves and the people we work with victims of management when we do not work by the rules. This is really very simple, management has the prerogative to require us to do our jobs and to work by the rules. Let’s not start a war with the conductors by starting to turn them in. Instead both crafts should give the carrier exactly what they want 100% rules compliance.

Joe Carter
Chairman, NSLB