Shortline Wages

[DGNO]

Looking for union contract agreements on shortline railroad? Trying to find out what other shortline railroad wages ?

 

[DGNO]

DGNO railroad is a member of United Transportation Union and going through negotions in it's contract. Wages for a engineer is $20.88 an hour the conductor is $1.00 less. With overtime after 40 hrs and payed holidays. Alot of the employees making around $50,000 which in these day as a railroader is not enough. Most of the employees work both crafts. DGNO is a switching railroad a interchanging cars between Class 1 railroads around the DFW north Texas area.

 

[setxrailfan]

Us Timber Rock (TIBR) guys used to belong to the UTU. We voted the UTU out and went with our on "in house" union that pays no dues money to anyone. Our contract is similar to the UTU contract we had previously but with better wage increases. We are guaranteed a 3-5% wage increase annualy. The UTU was only able to get us .50 cents every other year with a $200 bonus the other years.

Employees at other Watco owned shortlines who transfer to TIBR must work at the bottom of the seniority board for 3 years before their seniority allow's them to bump any of us. So in turn they would be forced to the worst jobs that are up for bid.

Looking at the numbers. The TIBR employees appear to make more than what you guys make at the DGNO.

 

[Ed Sand]

RA used to have a pretty good bonus/profit sharing plan. Is that gone?

 

[DGNO]

No bonus but I hear the boss gets a good one. We have a 401 (K) they match a % and a quarterly incentive payment. 3 % of the employee's gross wages remaing FRA reportable injury free and human failure incident free. 2 % og the employee gross wages for the quarter based on the employee's RAILROAD remaining FRA injury free and human failure incident free. 1 % of the employee's gross wages for the quarter base on an improvement of the Railroad's free cash flow.

 

[Midsouth fan]

The LNW is UTU represented also. We get OT after 8 hrs/day. 6 personal leave days and the following vacation schedule: 1 week after 1 yr of employment, 2 weeks after 2 yrs, 3 weeks after 9 yrs, 4 weeks after 18 yrs, and 5 weeks after 25 yrs.

Wages (all rates before our Feb. wage increase):

Brakeman: $20.18
Conductor: $20.81
Engineer 1 (running 1 or 2 engs in a consist): $22.29
Engineer 2 (running 3 or more engs/consist): $22.42

We are paid for the following holidays and are MANDATORY days off: New Years, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day.

If we have to work a holiday (we did this past Christmas Eve because it was a Friday and we are off weekends), we are paid double time and a half for 8 hrs minimum. Same applies if we are called off of our vacation back to work.

Our contract still calls for a 4-man consist. If we run with a 2 or 3 man consist, we get a certain percentage of the missing man's wage for the 8-hr day (right now it's $30 and change).

 

[DGNO]

@ Midsouth Fan your contract sounds great. We are a two man crew consist. Trying to get OT after 8 hrs this next contract. From the Railamerica Inc. employee handbook: Vacation 1-5 yrs (10 days), 6 to 10 yrs (15 days), 11 to 15 yrs (17days) 16 + yrs (20 days). We get 8 holidays same as you with addition of Memorial Day and friday folling Thanksgiving Day. We also get our Birthday paid. We accure personal leave days half day each month up to 12 day balance. This past yr our health ins. went up and have a $500.00 deductable per yr. Month ago started Mcrew from verizon a wireles computer you have to carry around to log in set outs pick ups and train updates. Midsouth thanks for info.

 

[Midsouth fan]

I hope it will help y'all get what you want. Btw, I hope this isn't goin too far off topic, but how is the new FRA 220 rules involving electronic devices goin to affect your use of Mcrew?

 

[DGNO]

The Mcrew is a distraction other Railamerica railroad are using it. It takes some time to log in , update the files before even using it. I understand it's to cut back on the calls by company business cellphone to customer service and get quicker updates and possible cut back clerk jobs. Have not had a chance to talk to a FRA official or the Texas Railroad Commisson.

 

[Midsouth fan]

It's supposed to go into effect March 28, replacing EO 26.

Back to contracts...do you have guaranteed extra board on the DGNO?

 

[Ed Sand]

m-crew, and other handheld work order systems like BNSF's Renegade (formerly Hammerhead) was okayed by the FRA and were specifically extempted in EO 26. I haven't actually read FRA 220, but it isn't supposed to differ from the EO. Not much different than a radio, really.

Basically m-crew/Renegade/etc. is just an electronic version of filling out your wheel report. The engineer shouldn't be doing it, and certainly never when running, and the conductor obviously shouldn't when doing any switching.

The main point is to get events reported close to real time so that crews and CSCs aren't always on the radio/phone. "Are you there yet?"

 

[DGNO]

yes we have a guarantee extra board 40 hrs a week they also get mileage paid going away from home terminal (Richardson,Texas). Out of town travel to Denison, Texarkana and Mockingbird yard.

 

[DGNO]

Guaranteed 40 hrs a week for the extra board

 

[Midsouth fan]

Have you completed your negotiations yet DGNO?

 

[DGNO]

Still working on the contract putting it together. Negotiations have not started. wishing for a big pay raise we are lossing some good employees to the Union Pacific and the TRE "Trinity Rail Express". We are working around 12 a day trying to keep up and running in all different areas trying to keep up.