http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-metrolink9-2008oct09,0,5017595.story

Freight railroads pledge to install advanced safety measures by 2012
Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific, which share tracks with Metrolink, say the system's complexity may prevent a complete rollout by that date, however.
By Jennifer Oldham, Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
6:47 PM PDT, October 8, 2008
Two freight railroads that share track with Metrolink commuter trains pledged Wednesday to install advanced safety measures in Southern California three years sooner than a new federal law would require -- with several caveats.

Burlington Northern Santa Fe and Union Pacific executives, who called U.S. Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) earlier this week to inform her of their decision, said the system's complexity may prevent a complete rollout by 2012.

Feinstein announced the agreement in Van Nuys during a state Senate hearing on rail safety called after the Sept. 12 head-on collision of a Metrolink train and a Union Pacific freight train that killed 25 people and injured 135.

"If [the safety system known as] positive train control had been in place on Metrolink on Sept. 12, I believe 25 people would still be alive today," Feinstein said.

BRENT JANG - Globe and Mail Update, February 25, 2007

Striking CN Rail employees have started to return to their posts after their union reached a tentative one-year agreement with management on the weekend, but a bitter rift over unresolved disputes threatens to upset the fragile truce.

Negotiators for Canadian National Railway Co. and the United Transportation Union agreed to a 3-per-cent wage increase for this year, and a $1,000 signing bonus, as long as UTU members ratify the pact. The previous three-year deal expired at the end of 2006.

The two sides are still far apart on working conditions, agreeing to disagree on contentious issues. Bargaining talks are slated to reconvene this fall. The new pact is designed to ensure labour peace until the end of this year, but major sticking points remain.

The deal, reached late Saturday, will avert the need for the federal government's back-to-work legislation, introduced on Friday.

Read the entire article - here.

(Following are two letters. The first was written Feb. 20 to Canadian Vice Presidents John Armstrong and Robert Sharpe by UTU International President Paul Thompson; the second is a Feb. 19 letter to Canadian members by Canadian Legislative Director Tim Secord.)

Dear Sirs and Brothers:

This has reference to the document faxed to my office this date as a suggested return-to-work agreement between the United Transportation Union and the Canadian National Railway.

I offer my following comments regarding this document. First and foremost, we have received an overwhelming number of e-mails, faxes and telephone calls indicating that the membership desires and expects this strike to continue until a satisfactory resolution is achieved. In assigning both of you to this dispute in accordance to Article 85, I place my trust in both of your recommendations.

With that said, I would like to point out the following. It is my understanding that Mr. Beatty, Mr. Boechler, Mr. Lebel, Ms. LeBlanc and possibly others were in an adjacent room while you both were meeting with the director general. Those individuals have no constitutional rights or authority to be involved in these affairs. They were removed from our union for violating our constitution and their oath of office.

Editor's note - The opinions of the author do not necessarily agree with or endorse the views expressed on our site. We include the article as an example of class struggle among transport workers.

BRENT JANG - Globe and Mail Update

In his four years at the throttle, Hunter Harrison has revolutionized how CN Rail does business, driving productivity, boosting the stock price by 150 per cent and making $56-million in 2005 for himself in his pursuit of a “precision railroad.”

Two years ago, Mr. Harrison published the term in a glossy book titled How We Work and Why, intended to be a Bible for Canadian National Railway Co. employees to follow and the source of inspiration at his so-called Hunter Camps.

At the two-day, motivational retreats for groups of managers and union leaders, the CN chief executive officer often opens the event by stressing the need to challenge conventional wisdom and being on alert to become more efficient.

Mr. Harrison, 62, can speak at the Hunter Camps for two hours without any text, personally preaching the importance of doggedly seeking to be more competitive and constantly looking for improvements.

Editor's note - The opinions of the author do not necessarily agree with or endorse the views expressed on our site. We include the article as an example of class struggle among transport workers.

BRENT JANG - TRANSPORTATION REPORTER; With a file from Gloria Galloway

Ottawa issued a back-to-work notice yesterday for striking Canadian National Railway Co. staff while a soap opera unfolded that could lead to a single union representing the best-paid train employees.

Hours before Ottawa issued its notice, about 340 striking CN employees reported for work as the walkout began crumbling. The strike by 2,800 conductors and yard-service employees enters its 13th day today, with CN management and the United Transportation Union far apart on wages and working conditions.

An estimated 600 CN managers have been filling in for striking employees across Canada, but rail service has been severely disrupted.

Federal Labour Minister Jean-Pierre Blackburn said he plans to introduce back-to-work legislation tomorrow, clearing the way for the strike to end some time next week.

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By BRENT JANG - Globe and Mail Update

A strike at Canadian National Railway Co. is slowing down its train network, affecting everything from delivery of electronic imports from Asia to grain exports.

Amid efforts to secure a back-to-work order, Montreal-based CN said its system is running "at the 75-per-cent to 80-per-cent level," based on "traffic handled and network fluidity."

CN handles commodities worth $102-million daily on the Toronto-Montreal corridor alone, but no major delays were reported across its national system Monday.

The United Transportation Union, which began its strike on Saturday, countered that CN's performance is closer to 25 per cent of what would be considered smooth operations. CN declined to say how many managers are on the job, but the union estimates there are roughly 600 people filling in for 2,800 striking conductors and yard-service workers.

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