Metra to take over UP Crews on their Trains 12/1/2024
Author: Mr. Bob Guy, The Union Rep
Date: 10-14-2024 - 18:34
An agreement was ratified last month, September 2024, between SMART, BLE, UP and Metra in Chicago, to take over the UP Engineers, Conductors and Swing Collectors crewing Metra Trains operating on all 4 UP Subdivisions (Geneva,Harvard, Kenosha, & McHenry) effective on our about December 1, 2024. This time period, will give crews that don't want to go work for Metra a chance to bid in UP Freight jobs and then UP Crews currently on Freight jobs a chance to bid over to crew Metra trains if they want to. This agreement is similar to the same one that was made between SMART, BLE, SP, Santa Fe, UP and Amtrak on January 1, 1986 in Los Angeles in that it is a 2 year deal. So any UP crews crewing Metra on that date will become Metra Employees. Just like any SP, Santa Fe and UP crews crewing Amtrak out of Los Angeles on January 1, 1986 became Amtrak Employees. However, the only difference is, when you went with Amtrak on 1/1/1986, you had to stay two years and if you wanted to go back to your home road, you had to wait until 1/1/1988 to do it. Under this Agreement, You have the option anytime from 12/1/2024 to 12/1/2026 to return to UP and never go back to Metra. If you are working for Metra on 12/1/2026, you can not return to UP (unless you quit and hire back on with UP as a new hire). In particular, when I saw UP crews in LA go over to Amtrak for 2 years in 1986, I never thought I would see a repeat of this, 38 years later, never mind that this is Metra, not Amtrak.
Remember, Freedom is scary, deal with it!