J Wrote:
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> The issue is not implementing one-man crews. Solo
> engineers can be found in a variety of operations
> including helpers, engine-exchange crews,
> "outside" hostlers, a few RCL jobs and, on some
> Class II and III railroads, in road service. Many
> passenger trains are operated with one person in
> the cab, although that is less of concern to labor
> as they are almost always accompanied by a
> trainman back in the coaches. Rather this was an
> effort to limit or eliminate them.

All of the crafts and positions you cite above are indeed already in effect and covered by existing collective bargaining agreements. If the UTU is trying to spin their application out as an RCL issue, it's just a smoke screen.

The application was clearly a knee-jerk reaction by the UTU (and to a lesser extent, the BLET) apparently coming to the realization that when, (not if), the carriers achieve the right to determine the staffing levels of through-freight trains, they stand to lose a lot of jobs, which translates into a loss of income from members' dues.

> The issue is
> also being debated elsewhere including pending
> rules for Conductor Certification and standards
> for Positive Train Control. In the latter, labor
> is arguing that display screens are required on
> what we used to call the fireman's side of the cab
> to handle mandatory directives. Of course
> handling a mandatory directive under a PTC system
> will be somewhat different than taking a track
> warrant today. Rather than writing critical
> information down on a prescribed form and reading
> it back to the dispatcher for confirmation, train
> movement in PTC will simply appear on the screen
> and the control system will intervene if the
> engineer is in danger of exceeding his authority
> or a speed limit. One might argue that such
> information could be received by a person at the
> controls of a moving train (which is not allowed
> today when copying / repeating a track warrant).

I believe they currently can receive it if it's just a visual message on a VDT that merely requires an acknowledgement in some way (such as pushing an "OK" button or something silimar).