Big layoff by Canadian National at North Fond du Lac

Trains Magazine General Discussion
1

Posted July 25, 2004

Canadian National not confirming numbers

By Aubrey Fleischer
the reporter afleisch@fdlreporter.com

The total number of employees at the North Fond du Lac Canadian National train yard could not be confirmed by company officials as of Friday afternoon.

A human resources employee at the North Fond du Lac location would not estimate a total, and calls and e-mails to the Canadian National corporate office were not returned to The Reporter as of late Friday.

In November 2002, the North Fond du Lac train yard employed about 600 people before 84 employees were laid off from that location and from the Stevens Point location combined.

Raymond Grygel, general chairman of the Transportation-Communications Union, Carmen Division, said the union represents about 100 employees at the North Fond du Lac train yard.

Grygel said the union only represents employees who perform repair and mechanical work, so he could not provide an estimate on the total number of employees. Other employees at the train yard, such as engineers and employees who maintain tracks, belong to different unions, he said.

CN announced Monday that the jobs of 18 local worker would be terminated as of Friday, July 23. Seventeen carmen positions and one in management were eliminated. The company eliminated the second shift at the local train yard because “there wasn’t sufficient work to warrant these positions,” said CN spokesperson Karen Phillips on Thursday.

Grygel said he believes “quite a bit more” layoffs are coming but did not have further details.

He said Thursday that the union would move forward to protect the displaced workers as more information is made available.

[:(]

2

A shame, but not surprising. CN is consolidating it’s gains in the WC acquisition. I’d expect to see more of this now that the three steel lines have also been acquired.

LC

3

If the workers are trully not needed than maybe they should be retrained into doing something else that is needed like track maintainace.

4

That is unlikely, and even if it did happen they’d be forced to start seniority from scratch in that new craft. Better to bump to another yard if they have the seniority to do it.

LC

5

That HH sure loves to fire, he sure gives donald trump a run for his money.

6

HH is not a people guy. Since he isn’t one himself. But what is he then?
Signal Mechanic. Signal Department. Canadian National railways.[}:)][:o)][xx(]

7

I know one of the guys layed off in this round of budget cutting. Been working for WC/CN for about 7 years, just bought a new truck 4 months ago. Got a mortgage, kids, etc…doesn’t know what he’ll do now…[:(!]

8

Canadian National eliminates 18 jobs

Company claims workload doesn’t support positions

By Patty Brandl
the reporter pbrandl@fdlreporter.com

The last thing that second-shift railroad workers Curtis Hanson and Chuck Immel expected when they reported to work this week at the North Fond du Lac train yards was news that they no longer had jobs.

But a bulletin that Canadian National (CN) posted Monday abruptly changed the lives of 18 local workers who learned they would be unemployed after today. The two Fond du Lac men said no severance or benefit package has been offered, and rumors are circulating throughout the other shifts that more job cuts could follow.

The atmosphere at the yards is one of fear, Hanson said.

“It’s real bad — they’re scared stiff out there,” he said. “It’s hard to keep a level head and work safe.”

CN spokesperson Karen Phillips on Thursday confirmed the termination of 17 carmen positions and one in management.

“It has to do with the amount of work that’s being done there. There’s not sufficient work to warrant these positions,” she said. “We have not announced any other changes.”

Phillips said the company has made reductions in other yards throughout its system. While she is unaware of additional terminations that might affect the rest of the North Fond du Lac employees, she said the railroad company is constantly evaluating all of its positions for efficiency.

On July 20, CN reported second-quarter income of $326 million, a 34 percent increase, on strong revenue growth.

“I walk in Monday expecting to do my daily job,” said Hanson, a seven-year railroad employee. “Then they posted it on the board. Nobody knew — it was like walking into a brick wall.”

Married with two children, Hanson said he had been planning to buy a new house.

“Now I don’t even know if I can keep the one I got,” he said.

A lot of the second-s

9

Good thing for the other railroads, CN makes it easy for them to find qualified railroaders. CN isn’t finished cutting yet, I’m waiting for my turn.
Randy

10

If and when that day comes drop me a note I have a name or two (and numbers) that might be useful. Good luck

LC

11

THX LC coooooool
Randy

12

I would have thought the the WC ran a pretty tight ship when it came to jobs. I suppose I could be wrong, or has the CN adopted the “standrd procedure for making money railroading?”

  1. Cut jobs to reduce cost and increase profits.

  2. Loose business because service failures.

  3. Repeat.

13

If I was CN management, I would bring the two unions together and hammer out a deal to have the proposed layed-off workers to be givin the option of retraining for track maintainance or something else that the railroad need extra hand at. Their seniority will likely get effected but at least they would still have a job. With the amount of derailments CN has, in theory they should have a decent amount of job security. If only that was practice-E Hunter Harrison the Sauron of railroading. “one railroad to rule them all” the board of directors are his railroad wraiths.

14

CN=UP=CN=UP=CN=UP and so on and so on and so on…
[:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!][:(!]

15

Announced today: 47 more car shop jobs gone by september
Randy

16

Gee, remember when the WC became the railroad that all others should have modeled themselves after? The WC took a defunct railroad with few customers and turned it into a wonderful welded-rail high-speed track that had gathered so much business it could barely keep up. Now it has become another victim of the (according to trains magazine) the BEST railroad in the world.

Actually, the CN could probably care less about the local business; they just wanted the track between Duluth and Chicago.

17

The WC was a classic example of a business that got too succesful to survive. Once a railroad to be respected, it disappeared into CN and now look at what happens. No wonder its hard to get people to have pride in their companies. I’m sure they did when it was WC.

18

The latest news is that the remaining employees are required to work mandatory 10 hour days. There is a big ru***o get a bunch of grain hoppers ready for fall. After the hoppers are completed I’m certain more layoffs will transpire.
Randy

19

So in other words they are using you and after they are done with you they throw you to the curb. Sounds like a great way to treat employees.[V]

20

“using you and after they are done with you they throw you to the curb”

Standard operating procedure here at CN. [:(] [V] Signal Mechanic. Signal Department. Canadian National Railways.