Carriers seek release in Teamster-led talks
The National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), which represents most major freight railroads, asked the National Mediation Board (NMB) Dec. 16 to release the so-called Teamster-led coalition of unions from mediation, citing “no discernible progress” toward voluntary agreements. These unions include the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET) and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes (BMWE).
If the three-member NMB grants the request, it is the first step toward creation of a Presidential Emergency Board that will be appointed by the White House to make non-binding recommendations for a settlement.
The NCCC said in a news release, “The railroads are continuing negotiations with the United Transportation Union under the auspices of the NMB and are not asking for release from mediation at this time. The NCCC is also in talks with four other rail unions.” Those other four unions include the Transportation Communications Union (TCU).
“Vast differences between the parties still persist on virtually every significant issue,” said Robert F. Allen, chairman of the NCCC, referring to the Teamster-led bargaining coalition, which includes the BLET, BMWE, the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, American Train Dispatchers Association, National Conference of Firemen and Oilers, International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, and the Sheet Metal Workers’ International Association.
Allen said, “there is no reasonable expectation that further mediation will produce a voluntary agreement with the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees, and the five other unions that belong to the Teamsters’ coalition.”
Railroads represented by the NCCC include BNSF, CSX, Kansas City Southern, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific.
Of course the railroads want out of meditation with the Teamsters confernece. The Teamsters made UPS give in and created more jobs. They are also against RCL’s and would like to convert them back to manned locos. They are afraid that they might have to actualy honor a contract instead of running ripshod over labor.
Of course Labor wants more jobs and less technology. Unfortunately, the world doesn’t work that way. Take a look at GM. I’m not saying Labor is the only problem there (FAR from it) but it is part of the equation that makes us less competitive and sends jobs offshore. As I’ve said many times before I’ve worked both sides of this street and they both have their plusses and minuses…
Actually, managements reasons for pushing a PEB now are much more pragmatic. There is a very management friendly president (Bush) who will be appointing the members of the PEB. There remains a majority Republican Congress that will enact any result. Given the falling popularity of the Republicans caused by the war and shoddy Hurricane and other disaster response what would you do if you were management?! Probably just what these guys are doing. Pushing for a quick PEB before the Republicans can lose Congress in the next election (2006) is probably their best hope of getting the one man crews that Wall Street wants as well as other items. With the merger rumors flying again managements will want to make whatever changes they can to build up their ready cash whether to fight off an unwanted suitor or to seek a partner in the last big RR game of musical chairs. With a number of young and powerful CEOs out there (relatively speaking) this could get interesting…
Look at it this way the avarage worker in America earns what 35-40 grand a year. The avarage CEO makes what 3-4 million a year in salary and then tack on
Look it up all publicly traded companies are required to list all compensation to their shareholders. Also name one class one railroad that is not a Fourtune 500 company. Look at what CSX paid Snow when he left talk about a Huge Golden Parachute. I am sorry CSX was falling apart and he got over 10 mil when he left the company.
I don’t doubt that there is greed in senior management and that the CEOs of very large corporations receive large amounts of compensation. The largest corporations represent only a tiny fraction of CEOs. For example there are over 600 short line and regional railroads with CEOs and I strongly doubt many of them make even $300,000. Some are even publicly traded, most are not.
Yes there is a serious greed issue in large corparations. But there is no one out there that deserves to make 10+ mil a year. I do not care if your name is Barry Bonds or Kobe Byrant. It is outrageous that in this country that some people can not afford to eat at the end of the month, and their are poeple in this country who complain when they are told sorry we are out of Crystal champange. When your company is struggling to keep its network fluid and you get paid 10 mil something is very wrong.
What alternatives do you have to offer?! Socialism and Communism in their various forms have proved far less successful than Capitalism. Rewarding competency and industry (of a personal sort) is what our system is about, unfortunately, a byproduct of the system is to separate people into various gradations of “Haves” and “Have Nots”. That is no justification for imposing a socialist system, that is not what our country is about now, nor what it has ever stood for…
I am not saying we need a socailist system. However the fact that a CEO can make over 10 million a year is sickening to me. I own stock in several companys and I do like the dividends I get. There is no way that anyone is worth10 mil in compensation a year. You are missing the point as usal limtedclear what I am saying is we need to reign in the compensation they recive. 10 mil is roughly 8 locomotives a year that could be used to move freight down the line. The fact is the Board of Directors of the large companies have forgotten the fact that the more they spend in management wages is more money that comes out of the bottom linre at the end of the year. Congress is the same way sooner or later this countyr is going to go broke if anyone ever called in our debt WE ALL WILL BE SLEEPING OVER A HEATING GRATE. I am disabled do to a medical conditon I devolped in 2000 and I am on SS try being in my shoes I got a 4% raise this year big F****** deal. some CEO’s recevied over a 10-15 % increase with the stock options the got. I reviced a 10 a week raise they are getting a million dollar raise who is the one beoing left behind!!
CEO, sports figures, and anyone else drawing a huge paycheck get that money because somebody thinks they are worth it.
What’s $10 million to a $10 billion a year company? Pocket change.
If you want a truer picture of the amount of excess that may be there, you need to look at the CEO’s salary in comparison to the income and worth of the company, and to the total payroll. Those $300,000 salaries others have mentioned may be further out of line than the $10 million, as a percentage.
As usual, management wants to minimize the cost of labor, and labor wants to maximize the return for providing it. There have been cases where the two sat down and determined what was best for all. Unfortunately, in too many cases, one or both parties are only interested in what is best for them.