It was about what happened to the Fireman, Feather Bedding, etc.

I failed to mention that the craft of Fireman went to the "UTU-E". The craft of Engineer went to the BLE.

The craft of fireman still had to be called for hostling-hostler helper on the Coast/Western Divisions of the SP. They were the last ones and held off any take over settlement. All the other terminals used switchmen to fill hostling jobs.

The term "Fireman" was still on the books into the 80s, I think. The SP still tried to get anybody in engine service to sign away any rights that they still carried on the list as a fireman. I remember "suits" showing up (not our local officers) at Dunsmuir, K Falls, Wat.Jct and San Luis Obispo in the middle of the night when we were called. They would ask if I had a second to sign this old paper that had not been taken care of years ago. All it did was .."remove my fireman's date from an old list from way back, just a book keeping error!"

Error my ass. If you signed it, they could have used you like a trainman, sending you all over the system. Not signing it, kept me right where I wanted, with my engineers date. If they wanted to send me somewhere, open up the cash drawer. It would cost them. Most of us were promoted by then but you never know. Well, I think it was in the 80s when it came back to haunt some guys but we we got it overturned and it was abolished.

We thought they learned from the (69 award? or other agreement #). That one allowed the carrier (they still controlled the Engineers lists in some terminals) to cut off a fireman and use him anywhere they wanted. Trouble was that isn't what the E & F read. If the carrier cut that fireman off, he could bump on any job he could hold and not leave that terminal. Again, another cash drawer opened and it took a month or so to close it. There were two fireman from Bakersfield that enjoyed it. (E & F refers to an agreement between the carrier and the Engineer and Fireman. Not a national one.

I had almost forgot the wringer they put us thru back then.


Nudge