https://www.courthousenews.com/federal-court-gives-union-pacific-green-light-to-cut-its-services-on-three-busy-chicago-commuter-rail-lines/
charlie hebdo https://www.courthousenews.com/federal-court-gives-union-pacific-green-light-to-cut-its-services-on-three-busy-chicago-commuter-rail-lines/
I am amazed that in the 21st Century that UP is providing on train Personnel.
VRE when it started contracted with Amtrak to provide operating personnel; later they decided to move on Keolis providing operating personnel.
MARC used B&O/CSX personnel until CSX told MARC to get their own operating organization. MARC contracted with Bombardier for the service in 2012.
Never too old to have a happy childhood!
True. Metra will just have to start running its UP trains.
The court decision is subject to appeal (to the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals). I'm pretty familiar with the law in this area, and I think it pretty unlikely that an appeal would be successful. But Metra may take an appeal, if only to buy time.
I expect that BNSF will seek a similar arrangement when its purchase of service agreement with Metra expires.
This comes down to one thing money. I live in Illinois and Metra is a government funded agency whose employees that are directly hired by Metra get the Illinois state pension plan. You think railroad retirement is good you haven't seen what a retired Illinois state worker gets. The current hires get 50 percent of their highest ever salary or wage with a compounding COLA that's either 3 percent or the rate of inflation whichever is more each year after just 20 years of service. They stay for 30 they get 60 percent. They also get free healthcare for life also up to 18 weeks of paid time off and personal days each year. Plus every state and federal holiday off with pay. If they have to work more than 37.5 hours a week then they are getting overtime and holiday pay is double time if they work on a holiday. So if Metra is forced to hire their own employees to run the trains Lord help the taxpayers of Illinois that actually pay for this service.
Yes, heaven forbid people get a decent wage/retirement for doing a job for 30 years.
Even the race to the bottom has cheerleaders.
Unreal.
The opinions expressed here represent my own and not those of my employer, any other railroad, company, or person.
zugmannYes, heaven forbid people get a decent wage/retirement for doing a job for 30 years. Even the race to the bottom has cheerleaders. Unreal.
The Emancipation Proclamation only chaged the manner of slavery from unpaid to paid. Don't let the 'slaves' earn enough so that they can actually LIVE.
Once again the truck woman mixes fact with fiction.
There is no reason why METRA cannoy contract Amtak, Veola, Stagecoach, or whatever, to run the service for them, paying transit-industry competitive wages. Even the CTA, one of METRA's own organizations. Paying Amtrak to do the job would bring huge economies of scale and include settlkement of the "Who owns Union Station" problem, one way or another or joint ownership.
As I pointed out earlier, what applies to the UP does not necessarily apply to BNSF. Historucally, the Burlington always regarded its Chicago suburban service as a showpiece for good service in general, with freight shippers among the commuters. BNSF is not as concerned with immediate favor at Wall Street, and may still retasin much of that attitude with regard to the service.
But doesn't METRA already rn the ex-Rock Island and the Metra-Electric services? Do they have the State-of-Illinois labor-cost problems on those two operations?
The BNSF and UP lines are the only lines not directly operated by Metra through its railroad subsidiary (NIRC). Those employees are covered by RRB.
The reason why those lines are not under the State Pension plan is for 2 reasons. First of is that on the old Rock Island Metra is being used via trackage rights by both the CSX and Iowa Interstate railroads to have access to and from Joliet to Chicago to their freight lines west of there on the old Rock Island. It was setup that way by the bankruptcy courts that handled the Rock Island collapse. The NIRC was created to own and operate the former Rock Island lines. They also were expanded to take over the former Milwaukee lines. However the State Legislature has banned them from expanding further than this. The board of Metra is well known in Illinois for being nothing but patronage hires of the big shots in Illinois politics. The Illinois Democratic party will not let future parties that operate Metra routes under contract not be protected under state union worker contracts. If push comes to shove this will be a requirement in any contract signed by a contractor.
In response to Dave Klepper's note of 9/26, I doubt that BNSF would consider the "showpiece" factor to be much of a consideration today. For many years now, the commuter service on BNSF has been branded and marketed as a Metra service, not a BNSF service. Most people using it today probably don't even remember the days when it was marketed as a BNSF service.
Well, we will learn more when BNSF's contract comes up fior renewal.
The possibility does exist that BNSF has costs under adequate control to avoid loosing money on their work for METRA. I doubt that any outsiders know the facts on this.
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