E=MC2 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Not to start a pissing match, but didn't the
> Brotherhoods agree to all this?

You raise an excellent point. How our labor agreements work is not always understood by those outside the railroad, and the carriers like to make sure of that.

New or renewed contracts typically reflect what the carriers want, not labor. Protracted negotiations can drag on and on, with the end result being the product of a Presidential Emergency Board or Congress, and it's the carriers who have the Big Bucks to influence those who make those decisions. Why do you think UP loves to run their steam engines and shiny yellow passenger trains for GOP events? Ever wonder why they painted the UP4141 all fancy-like?

But to answer your specific question, after the SP/UP "merger," UP negotiated with the UTU and BLET for a Roseville Hub Agreement, since UP's really big on this "hub" concept. The one for the Roseville Service Unit is based on the for SP Western Lines UTU and BLET agreements, with all the modifications the UP wanted added in. It's either a good thing or a bad thing, depending on one's personal opinion. (As an aisde, I encouraged people to vote against it, as I thought we could do better through negotiations.) It passed the vote, although the vote was far from unanimous. The ex-WP people for the most part really got screwed by it, the ex-SP people not so bad. And as time's progressed, with less and less former SP and WP people remaining and being replaced by new hires, the agreement has become less of an issue.

I should point out that later, when UP approached the UTU and BLET members on the Los Angeles Service Unit with an initial proprosal for an LA Hub Agreement, it was voted down more than once until the employees were able to get a much better deal than what UP initially offered.

And as BLE692 mentioned in his reply, UP is well-versed in "playing" their Collective Bargaining Agreements to suit their needs. But after 41 years and 7 months, I'm still convinced that it's far better to work for a company that has a Collective Bargaining Agreement than not.