Crew-size flexibility Talking Points and Q&As

 

Talking Points

·        Safety-enhancing technology, such as the Electronic Train Management System, enables flexibility in crew sizes as well as greater safety.

·        Flexibility in crew sizes will allow BNSF and other railroads to cope with unprecedented demand for our service.

·        More and more transportation employees are nearing retirement age and replacing them will be challenging.

·        The issue will not go away.

·        Discussion will allow railroads and unions to reach agreement on the issue, rather than having a solution imposed by the government.

·        BNSF is ready and willing to do right by current transportation employees in a voluntarily reached agreement.

 

Questions and Answers

 

How many employees will lose their jobs if we go to one-person crews?

None. We are prepared to work with union leaders to reach a voluntary agreement that would address their concerns and provide extraordinary levels of job protection, higher earnings opportunities, and generous early retirement/voluntary resignation benefits.

 

How can you say crew size is constraining our ability to meet our customers’ expectations, when we don’t have enough locomotives or track capacity?

We keep adding locomotives and track capacity – at least 200 locomotives and more than 90 miles of second and third main track this year. We expect to hire about 1,400 conductor trainees this year. Our business is continuing to grow rapidly. The key to meeting our customers’ expectations is for us to increase productivity more quickly than our customers increase demand. Crew-size flexibility can help Transportation employees be even more productive in meeting customers’ expectations.

 

In discussing this issue with Transportation employees, aren’t we negotiating directly with employees, and aren’t such negotiations against the law?

No, we are not negotiating, but simply stating our position on the issue.

 

Why do we have to address the crew-size issue now?

New technology promises a safer as well as more efficient railroad industry, better positioned to handle the big transportation challenges facing us today. This technology, combined with a workforce that includes more and more people ready to retire, underscore the importance of making this change now!

 

Isn't there a "moratorium" agreement preventing the company from forcing negotiations on one-person crews or other crew size standards? 

NO.  BLET has no moratorium, and while UTU does, it only bars formal Railway Labor Act "Section 6 notices" to change existing rules covering side issues like reserve board arrangements, "lonesome" pay and the "productivity fund."  Crew size itself is completely fair game for a Section 6 notice, and BNSF is not asking UTU or BLET to give up anything in the area of reserve boards, lonesome pay or the productivity fund. Anyway what moratorium provisions there are also specifically say the parties can reach new agreements on any subject mutually.

 

What if an employee asks a question I can’t answer?

Contact your Labor Relations representative. Don’t try to answer questions that are not covered by the statement or by this Q&A.