BLE-T St. Louis Hub

DENNY D’S DID YOU KNOW

ALTON & SOUTHERN TIMETABLE #6

Did You Know that the A&S recently issued a new timetable. Did You Know that if you cannot find a paper copy, that you can print one for yourself or download it to your electronic device through the MYUP portal. The A&S general orders and bulletins are also available for print or download as well. When operating on foreign railroads we are required to have these reference materials. The majority of the new timetable content that was already put out in previous general orders. With more people working north out the A&S than before a review of the old and new material will be beneficial to us all.

Operating On Foreign Railroads 

Did You Know that when operating on foreign railroads there is a rule that tells us which company’s rules to follow.

GCOR 1.14 tells us that we are governed by the following

Railroad Working For: Safety Rules, Air Brake and Train Handling, Hazmat.

Railroad Operating On: Operating Rules, Special Instructions, and Timetable.

For example, if you were in a yard of a railroad that allows getting on and off of moving equipment, you still could not because our safety rules do not allow it. Another example would be while operating on the BNSF to get to the New Madrid Sub, a red number plated signal is a Stop and Proceed at Restricted Speed indication because it is in their special instructions.

A&S Timetable Highlights 

Radio Display (Station Page)

MP 4.2 - 6.5  089-089

MP 6.5 - 21.0  044-044

St. Louis Horn and East SSWL Horn (SI-15 Gateway Yard)

Use minimum throttle while entire train is in horn, increase/decrease throttle one notch at a time with minimum of 20 seconds between notches.

St. Claire Crossovers MP 6.47 (SI-08 Rules Items)

Hand operated. No normal position, approach prepared to stop.

HN Cabin (Gateway Sub Supt. Bulletin 8)

IB Dispatcher is on 064-064 Tone 7#

Switch Point Indicator (Item 4A - 8.10)

Yellow: Normal

Lunar: Reverse

Red or Dark: Stop. Get permission to hand operate. Inspect. Operate toggle or hand operate even if lined for your movement. Report condition to Yardmaster.

Emergency Application (Item 4A - 6.23)

Same as UP. If there is an adjacent main track or controlled siding, announce emergency over radio and tone 911.

Releasing DTC Blocks (Item 4A - 16.7)

As with non-signal TWC, you must verify that your train is complete prior to reporting clear. If you do not have a reading on your EOT, someone must visually see your marker. If departing the property, you could have the Lenox operator let you know when they see your EOT.

Roadway Signs (Item 9)

If you look at Item 9, you will notice that they also have switch flags in their list of roadway signs.

Curve at Bunkhum Road (SI-14 Misc. Instr. Gateway Sub)

The curve underneath interstate 64 has a signal at each end. I have heard people call these curve indicators. While this is a good way to think of it, because they only govern the area between the opposing signals of the curve. The area between these opposing signals, Milepost 7.9 to 8.4, is Yard Limits/ABS. If the signal is Green it is a Clear. If it is Red it is a Stop and Proceed at Restricted Speed. It is critical to keep in mind, that the signal only governs the block between the opposing signals of the curve.  Once you go past the opposing signal you are back in non-signal yard limits which puts you back at restricted speed. A scenario to think about could be while operating south the Crest Yardmaster tells the train ahead of you at the power plant to come to Missouri Avenue and tells you come to the power plant. As you approach Bunkhum Road you see a clear signal. This indicates that the curve is clear. As you round the curve you could possibly the rear end of the train ahead or a red flag just beyond the the opposing northbound signal. That clear clear signal only told you that the curve was clear, it does not tell you what is beyond the northbound signal. 

A review of these A&S Timetable Instructions should help to keep all of us compliant and safe.

To access the material, go to MYUP - Open the Menu on the left - Reference - Rule Books - Books - Miscellaneous Books - Select a Book. From this drop down menu, you can access the A&S General Orders, Timetable, and Bulletins.

Missouri Secretary of State Johm Ashcroft has stated that enough signatures were collected to put RTW on the ballot in 2018.  The referendum needed 140,267 valid signatures to be placed on the ballot and 250,327 were collected.  Now the work begins to educate the voters so that we win this fight in 2018.  RTW supporters have already been campaigning to keep Missouri RTW.

Jefferson City, Mo. — Secretary of State Jay Ashcroft today issued a certificate of sufficiency certifying the referendum petition 2018-R002. The referendum petition will be placed on the November 6, 2018 ballot unless a different date is designated by the General Assembly.

The referendum petition was certified with a total of 250,327 valid signatures. Following is the breakdown of those signatures by Congressional District: 

Congressional District 1: Sufficient
Signatures Needed: 15,983
Total Signatures Submitted: 45,570
Valid Signatures: 32,098

Congressional District 2: Sufficient
Signatures Needed: 21,144
Total Signatures Submitted: 43,847
Valid Signatures: 37,218

Congressional District 3: Sufficient
Signatures Needed: 18,997
Total Signatures Submitted: 50,017
Valid Signatures: 46,219

Congressional District 4: Sufficient
Signatures Needed: 16,940
Total Signatures Submitted: 34,296
Valid Signatures: 26,781

Congressional District 5: Sufficient
Signatures Needed: 16,348
Total Signatures Submitted: 50,173
Valid Signatures: 26,628

Congressional District 6: Sufficient
Signatures Needed: 17,879
Total Signatures Submitted: 33,359
Valid Signatures: 29,148

Congressional District 7: Sufficient
Signatures Needed: 17,159
Total Signatures Submitted: 33,141
Valid Signatures: 25,008

Congressional District 8: Sufficient
Signatures Needed: 15,817
Total Signatures Submitted: 31,064
Valid Signatures: 27,227

The official language of the referendum is as follows:

Do the people of the state of Missouri want to adopt Senate Bill 19 ("Right-to-Work") as passed by the general assembly in 2017, which prohibits as a condition of employment the forced membership in a labor organization (union) or forced payments of dues in full or pro-rata (fair-share); make any activity which violates employees' rights illegal and ineffective; allow legal remedies for anyone injured as a result of another person violating or threatening to violate employees' rights; and which shall not apply to union agreements entered into before the effective date of Senate Bill 19?

 State and local government entities expect no costs or savings.

Full text of the announcement here: https://www.sos.mo.gov/default.aspx?PageId=9284

http://www.ble-t.org/pr/news/newsflash.asp?id=6024

On November 7, 2017, the BLET National Division hosted a Town Hall Meeting regarding the Tentative National Agreement. More than 100 members and officers were in attendance, including representatives from BLET, SMART TD, and the American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA). To help all BLET members make an informed decision about the agreement, a video of BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce’s presentation at the Town Hall is being made available here: 

https://youtu.be/tUxI30CWwT8

President Pierce’s presentation provides background information about how the unions got to the point of reaching the tentative agreement. He also explains: the steps of the Railway Labor Act and how it governs negotiations; the current political environment and how it impacts your vote; and also key items that are NOT in the agreement that should be considered when casting your vote. 

“It is imperative that all voting members look past the misrepresentations being circulated by those who have not been given a vote, and instead take the time to know exactly what is in, and not in, the Tentative Agreement. Those interfering in BLET’s democratic process do not face the same risks that you do, nor do they care if you are harmed by their efforts in the end,” President Pierce said. 

A copy of slide show that President Pierce references during his presentation is available here as a PDF: 
www.ble-t.org/agreement/Tentative-Agreement-Slides.pdf

More information about the contract can be found here:
www.ble-t.org/agreement/

BLET mails ballots for Tentative National Agreement

Balloting has begun for the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen’s (BLET) tentative national agreement with the National Carriers’ Conference Committee, which governs rates of pay, benefits and work rules for over 25,000 locomotive engineers and trainmen.

On November 9, 2017, ballots, instructions, and a synopsis of the agreement were mailed to locomotive engineer members working for the following railroads:

• Belt Railway Company of Chicago;
• BNSF Railway Company;
• Consolidated Rail Corporation;
• CSX Transportation, Inc.;
• Indiana Harbor Belt Railroad Company;
• Kansas City Southern Railway Company (including Kansas City Southern Railway, Louisiana and Arkansas Railway, MidSouth Rail Corporation, Gateway Western Railway, SouthRail Corporation, and Texas Mexican Railway Company);
• Longview Switching Company;
• Norfolk Southern Railway Company;
• Portland Terminal Railroad Company;
• Soo Line Railroad Company;
• Union Railroad Company;
• Union Pacific Railroad Company; and
• Winston Salem Southbound Railway Company.

Ballots, instructions, and a synopsis of the agreement also were mailed to conductor and trainmen members working for the Texas Mexican Railway Company.

Voting will conclude on Thursday, November 30. Members who have not received a ballot by Wednesday, November 15, should request a replacement by calling the BLET National Division at (216) 241-2630, ext. 222. When connected with the extension, please leave the following information:

• your name, address and phone number;
• the division to which you belong;
• the railroad for which you work; 
• the date you were promoted to locomotive engineer;
• your date of birth; and
• the last four digits of your Social Security number.

Members also have the option of leaving their e-mail address if they wish their ballot, instructions and synopsis e-mailed to them instead of receiving it via first-class mail. However, e-mail requests for ballots will not be accepted because personal information is required to verify eligibility before a ballot can be issued.

BLET National President Dennis R. Pierce encouraged all eligible members to closely review the ratification packet and other materials being made available online. “This has been a particularly difficult bargaining round and your Advisory Board recommends that you vote YES on the proposal before you,” President Pierce said. “Voting on your union contract and deciding your own future is one of the benefits of belonging to a Union. I encourage all eligible members to become educated on the issues and to participate in this most important process of union democracy.”

The BLET reached the Tentative National Agreement as part of a coalition with five other unions. The Coordinated Bargaining Group (CBG) is comprised of: the American Train Dispatchers Association; the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (a Division of the Rail Conference of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters); the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen; the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers, and Helpers; the National Conference of Firemen and Oilers / SEIU; and the Transportation Division of the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation Workers. Collectively, the CBG unions represent more than 85,000 railroad workers covered by the various organizations’ national agreements, and comprise over 58% of the workforce that will be impacted by the outcome of the current bargaining round.

Brothers and Sisters,

The ballots for the proposed National Agreement will be mailed soon.  As most of you know our General Committee supports this proposal along with all the other BLET General Committees across the country.  

I have seen some negative comments along with complete misinformation on this proposal on social media.  I feel it is my responsibility to inform you with the correct information before you vote.  I had previously posted my thoughts on the proposal on this our website and that post is still available to view.  

If you have any questions please ask your BLET Local Chairman and we will get you an answer.

Thanks

Ronnie Rhodes

This fixes the errors in the new TRRA Timetable. 

Did You Know that there is a new A&S Timetable available, effective November 1. If you would like an electronic version you can access it using your MYUP. 

On the left side menu click REFERENCE then RULE BOOKS.

On the next screen click on BOOKS at the top and then MISCELLANEOUS BOOK on the drop down. 

On the next screen click where it says SELECT A BOOK. From this menu you can access the A&S TIMETABLE, GENERAL ORDERS, and BULLETINS.

I have not gone over any of the content to see what changes have been made. I will post some highlights when I do. As a reminder, we are required to have a copy of foreign railroad timetables and general orders.