I know that RR crews typically spend their life on a single sub - so here’s my question - take UP in Chicago. There’s the old CNW main line west, CNW New Line, CNW North Line, the old Alton line to St. Louise, and the C&EI line to St. Louis, not to mention branches like the lines to Rockford and Janesville, and trackage rights on other roads. Does a UP Chicago crew get trained how to do all these so that they are interchangeable or does each line have it’s own set of crews?
I think it would be more accurate to say that train crews tend to spend their career based in one terminal, but particularly when a seniority district covers more than one terminal even that is not necessarily true. Then sometimes a desperate crew shortage elsewhere leads to a call for volunteers to temporarily help out, quite popular if the home terminal is in a slow period.
Within a terminal there are often several pools, one for each subdivision radiating out. One might be tough territory where a typical 140 mile trip takes 9 hours. Another is fast track and often the 240 miles is covered in 6 hours, much better pay and less hours. Crews start on the spare board, and go whenever and wherever needed until they get enough seniority to bid on a pool position. That will likely be on the slow, low mileage route for the first years, until they have enough gray hairs to bid successfully into the premium pool. Once in the pool they are generally restricted to only working that route.
The whole structure is governed by the Unions’ contracts with the railroad. I am sure the railroads would be happy to have a lot more flexibility but it is often nearly impossible to get significant changes accepted by the unions and their membership.
John
Sawtooth 500:-### As applied to the U.P. operations in greater Chicagoland, there are basically five seniority districts for train crews.1. ### The Kenosha Subdivision, the New Line, the Harvard Subdivision, and Elk Grove belong to the old Wisconsin Division seniority district.
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The Geneva and Belvidere Subdivisions plus the line between Nelson, Ill. and South Pekin, Ill. belong to the old Illinois Division seniortiy district. I’m pretty certain this includes freight work on the McHenry Subdivision and one trainman’s position in the Metra trainmen’s pool.
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The C.& E.I. south to Villa Grove and perhaps beyond.
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The S.P.C.S.L. (old G.M.& O.), which I understand also includes the TOFC/COFC/Auto Racks pool between greater Chicagoland and Fort Madison, Iowa on The A.T.& S.F. Ry.
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C.& N.W. switchman at Proviso and maybe some yard-to-yard transfer runs.
Basically if a trainman hires out for the Wisconsin Sub. seniority district, he gets rules qualified and then makes student trips on the aforementioned territories. After making the required number of student trips, he then marks up on whatever job or board his seniority permits him to hold.### If the U.P. Chicago Hub labor agreement permits him to exercise seniority on the 2nd, 3rd, or 4th territories mentioned above, then he would have to make familiarization trips on the territory he chooses before he could mark up there.### There is also the question of “prior rights.” The concept of “prior rights” applies to any trainman who holds a seniority date prior to the establishment of the U.P. Chicago Hub. It works like this: Whereas each trainman may now hold seniority on the first four territories mentioned above, the rosters are “topped-and-bottomed.” What this means, for example, is that the senior C.&
So another question - is it common for a road crew to take a train only so far into Chicago, and then a local switch crew takes over? For example, I heard CN trains going north on the ex-Soo main switch crews from a road crew to a local crew at Schiller Park, is this accurate? Or do the road crews take it all the way to the final destination yard?
How far a road crew takes a train into Chicago could depend on a combination of things. Time left to work under hours of service, route qualification of the crew, and possible contract/work rule restrictions.
At Clinton I’ve heard the Illinois crews discussing if one or the other were qualified to some location. If the crew isn’t qualified, either a new crew or a pilot (for one or sometimes both engr and condr) will need to be called. Running out of time to work under the HOS speaks for itself.
Generally, I would expect a home road crew to take a train all the way to a home road yard unless they run out of time or have specific work rule restrictions.
Jeff
Because of its density and overlapping nature, Chicago is a world unto itself…
Out this away, crew districts are bases on seniority districts, ie where you hold seniority. For example, I hold trainman’s rights from Toledo, Ohio to Philadelphia, PA, west to east and Richmond, VA to North Bergen, NJ, south to north. In theory, I can work any job I’m qualified with that area. Practically, however, I am limited to jobs that work out of my hire terminal, Philadelphia.
With in my operating area, there are several different pools; Philadelphia Terminal, Philadelphia to Baltimore, Philadelphia to North Jersey, and Philadelphia to Richmond. Each pool has it’s own assigned trains, and crews. Because they are all within the same seniority district, I can move between them at will, as long as I am qualified to work the job.
If trains in your pool regularly operate into and out of a particular yard, you are expected to be qualified in that yard.
Prior Rights throw a curve ball into the mix…because I hired with Big Blue prior to 1 June 1999, I have CR prior rights. I have right over any B&O man, for a CR right job. Just like all B&O men have right over me for a B&O right job. Now this will get even more complicated early next year when the Mid-Atlantic Seniority District goes through, created one giant district encompassing the entire Northeast. Members of the current districts will have prior rights within those districts. So soon I’ll have CR Prior Rights, and B&O East Prior Rights.
Nick
So someone on the former CN&W territory you could not bump someone on the former C&EI or SPCSL territory due to prior rights as they would be “younger?” And finally do UP trains form Clinton stop at proviso to change crews or do they change crews again at proviso.