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| BNSF - Reduced 2024 Hiring Plan |
As many of you have heard, BNSF did not meet its financial expectations in 2023. It is truly hard to imagine how 5 billion dollars in operating profit can result in talks of reducing staffing levels, but that is exactly the scenario at BNSF. Hundreds of mechanical department employees were furloughed recently, and other departments are hearing downsizing is a possibility for them as well.
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| BNSF Meal Per Diem - Gym Usage Fees |
As commonly occurs with new agreements, our meal per diem agreement led to a dispute in the early days of its rollout. No sooner than the ink had dried, the BNSF decided that it would no longer cover daily gym fees for members who opted into the daily meal per diem. All the while, gym fees were still being reimbursed for those under the actual and necessary expense rule.
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| BNSF Rule 36 Return From Leave |
In recent months, we have seen a higher-than-normal prevalence of members who do not return from medical leave upon the expiration date. As a result, we would like to bring awareness to the contractual requirements, as well as update members on the current handling on the BNSF.
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| CP/KC Sick Leave Rally |
On Saturday, March 16th, approximately 70 Union members, officers and spouses representing 9 Rail Labor Unions gathered outside the newly opened CPKC soccer stadium in Kansas City, MO. This was opening day for the KC Current women’s soccer team in their new 117-million-dollar stadium, for which the CPKC railroad purchased exclusive naming rights.
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| MRL - Minimum Force Dispute |
The 2023 Implementing Agreement between the BRS and BNSF gave MRL signalmen exclusive rights to all future scope covered work. This was not something we previously had on the MRL as the Carrier had the right to use contractors n many cases and did so frequently.
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| MRL - Protect our Scope Work |
Recent reports to the committee have revealed a potential concern regarding our scope work being done by other crafts on the MRL. It goes without saying that scope rights are of the utmost importance to all Union members. On the former MRL, the scope rule was not as strong as we wanted it to be.
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| FRA Cites BNSF & CP/KC for Pended Tickets |
Over the last couple of years, we have implored members everywhere to provide us with details needed to curtail the railroads’ dangerous practices of deferring trouble tickets until normal business hours to save money on overtime. Such reckless policies jeopardize the traveling public, as well as our fellow Union members in other departments.
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| Discipline on the Rise |
It is with great concern that we inform you of a disturbing trend we are seeing in 2024 for discipline. The troubling aspect is not so much related to the magnitude of discipline assessed. Rather, it is the sheer volume of members who are being served with investigation notices that we find most disturbing.
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| Filing For Sickness Benefits |
Most members are fully aware of the benefits they can receive from the RRB and The Hartford when they are physically injured or sick. However, not everyone realizes that those same benefits are often applicable to members who miss work while participating in an EAP program, such as drug or alcohol treatment.
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| 2024 General Committee Meeting |
The BNSF General Committee will hold its regular quadrennial meeting from Monday October 7th through Wednesday October 9th, 2024, at the Drury Plaza Hotel in Nashville, TN. Election of Officers will be held along with any other items that may properly come before the Committee.
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| Dues Not Used For Politics |
It is election season once again. Just like every election year, you have no doubt heard many political endorsements being made by various organizations, including Labor Unions. For this reason, it is understandable that many often question if their dues are being used to fund political candidacies.
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BRS Efforts to Obtain Emergency Sick LeaveDue to the COVID-19 pandemic, coupled with the lack of sick leave afforded our members, the Organization attempted to get out in front of the impending certainty coming our way – infections and/or exposure quarantines of our members.
GCA Letter to Carl Ice Re COVID-19 (3-16-2020) (1).pdf
