Eight U.S. freight railroads have filed a lawsuit against a railroad
union, saying the union is refusing to come to the bargaining table to
hash out issues involving train crew size.
The railroads say the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers – Transportation Division
(SMART-TD) is refusing to engage on the issue of train crew size as
both sides prepare for an upcoming round of collective bargaining that
is slated to start after November 1.
“SMART-TD has consistently refused to bargain over crew consist [the
complement of a train crew], asserting, among other things, that any
proposals on this subject are barred by ‘moratorium’ provisions in
existing agreements. The railroads disagree with that interpretation,
and maintain that any disagreement over the meaning of the moratoriums
is a ‘minor dispute’ subject to binding arbitration,” the railroads said
in their October 3 court filing to the U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of Texas in Fort Worth. The lawsuit defines the
moratorium provisions as protections offered to employees in exchange
for reductions in crew consist. The railroads say these moratoriums
don’t prohibit the railroads from making new proposals on other
subjects, including the number, function or assignment of ground service
personnel on trains.
The railroads also say SMART-TD is obliged to participate in
collective bargaining over train crew size per the Railway Labor Act.
Their potential discussions would affect labor arrangements
system-wide.
The railroads involved in the lawsuit include BNSF (NYSE: BRK), CSX (NYSE: CSX), Kansas City Southern (NYSE: KSU), Norfolk Southern (NYSE: NSC), Union Pacific (NYSE: UNP), the Belt Railway Company of Chicago, and two Canadian National (NYSE: CNI)
subsidiaries, the Grand Trunk Western Railroad, which operates in
Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio and the Illinois Central Railroad,
which operates in Illinois and Iowa, with routes connecting to Mobile,
Alabama and New Orleans, Louisiana.
The issue of train crew size has come increasingly under debate after the Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) said in a May determination
that it was no longer pursuing a proposed rule on whether it should
require train crew sizes of at least two crew members. The rail industry
has said that establishing the size of a train crew is a discussion
more appropriate for the bargaining table and that technologies such as positive train control
will enable rail operations to be even safer. Meanwhile, union leaders
have said that a minimal train crew size of at least two people enables
safer operations, especially as trains become longer.
Although FRA’s May determination says that state laws requiring minimum train crew sizes were voided as a result, state legislative activity mandating a minimum train crew size has continued, while some members of Congress have introduced bills addressing the issue. The train crew size issue is also being debated in the courts.
SMART-TD said the lawsuit is an “attempt to undermine our collective bargaining agreements” and the bargaining process.
“This is not the first time that the rail carriers have attempted an attack on crew consist. SMART Transportation Division President Jeremy Ferguson, noting the carriers’ history of unsuccessful attacks on crew consist, stated, ‘this latest attempt is nothing new, and it will once again be met with a vigorous defense.’”
article by Joanna Marsh for freightwaves.com