Breaking News BNSF dispatchers on Strike

[edbenton]

Breaking news from Chicago the BNSF dispatchers that cover the former BN racetrack went on strike during teh evening rush. Talk about killing the Metra Line traffic as reported by ABC 7 all Metra trains on that line are Stranded where they are and everyone is supposed to find a different way home.

[CShaveRR]

Late update--trains are running, albeit delayed, as management steps in for the dispatchers who walked out at about 4:00 p.m.

My daughter decided to take UP instead tonight. Isn't it nice to have alternatives?

[Anonymous]

Sure! That's if you want to sit in a sideing for 6 to 12 hours.

[JoeKoh]

if the line is that busy big brother govt will probably step in soon.
stay safe
Joe

[klahm]

Trains ran approx. half hour late at mid-rush. Conductors on my express didn't punch tickets and expect BNSF to obtain a TRO (temporary restraining order) to force the dispatchers back to work by AM ru***omorrow.

[greyhounds]

Well, that's yet another great public relations move by a union. What did they think they were going to accomplish by delaying people on their way home?

Aggrevating the passenger isn't going to make them any friends.

[88gta350]

They don't want or need to make friends. They simply need to cause the railroad to lose money and/or riders so that management gives in to their demands. It's the same as any strike. Cause the company problems so that giving into the demands is the lesser of two evils. The pbulic doesn't have much say.

[conrailman]

Amtrak Southwest Chief depart Chicago tonight at 9:35 P.M. 6hours 25minutes late[:(]

[Anonymous]

GOOD!!!!!!!! This big companies treat the employees like such crap that the only way to get things done is to do something drastic. The power is with the big companies. They expect the employees to work nights weekends holidays, for nothing, and will fire you for nothing. I hope the dispatchers get what they deserve and more

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Rookie Rail

GOOD!!!!!!!! This big companies treat the employees like such crap that the only way to get things done is to do something drastic. The power is with the big companies. They expect the employees to work nights weekends holidays, for nothing, and will fire you for nothing. I hope the dispatchers get what they deserve and more

I stand behind your statement,you are very correct!

[Mookie]

Is this strictly passenger or is their some freight over this line?

[spbed]

H'mm wonder if the entire BNSF is a affected as no trains have been past the Ft. Madison cam in 45 minutes.

[spbed]

OK a BNSFer just passed the cam going WB.

[Anonymous]

The line is a mix of freight, commuter, and Amtrak, but during the morning and evening rush hours the traffic is almost all Metra commuter trains. Most Metra rush-hour riders use monthly or weekly passes, so I'm not sure what the financial impact is to either Metra or BNSF.

[eolafan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSF railfan.

QUOTE: Originally posted by Rookie Rail

GOOD!!!!!!!! This big companies treat the employees like such crap that the only way to get things done is to do something drastic. The power is with the big companies. They expect the employees to work nights weekends holidays, for nothing, and will fire you for nothing. I hope the dispatchers get what they deserve and more

I stand behind your statement,you are very correct!

Frankly folks I personally have no toleracne for what seems here to be a "WORK LESS, GET PAID MORE" attitude and that same attitude of the unions in general (oh, boy am I going to stir up a hornets nest here). The way I was raised by my parents (my Dad was a union member in a blue collar profession by the way), was that you got paid a fair wage for a fair days work and if you didn't like what you were getting paid, YOU WERE FREE TO QUITE YOUR JOB AND FIND A NEW ONE AT ANY TIME.

[kevarc]

eolafan - you got it right.

[eolafan]

QUOTE: Originally posted by Mookie

Is this strictly passenger or is their some freight over this line?

Mook, this is the triple track BNSF main from Chicago to Aurora and is passenger and freight mixed together (although during the commuter ru***imes they try and keep the freights out of the way as best they can). It is a very busy line with over 100 trains a day between freight, Metra and Amtrak. The strike impacted the entire country as the dispatchers work at the BNSF dispatch center in Ft. Worth and dispatch the entire nation. Example, the Seatle, WA commuter trains were impacted as well. The labor action only lasted about four hours and was quickly settled between BNSF and the union representing the dispatchers. Here in Chicago the Metra trains were delayed about an hour as management people stepped in to get the commuter trains moving (albiet late). Amtrak cancelled the Illinois Zephyr from Chicago to Quincy last night and the Chief ran about six hours late leaving Chicago. This mornings rush hours went off without a hitch as far as we can tell.

[greyhounds]

QUOTE: Originally posted by 88gta350

They don't want or need to make friends. They simply need to cause the railroad to lose money and/or riders so that management gives in to their demands. It's the same as any strike. Cause the company problems so that giving into the demands is the lesser of two evils. The pbulic doesn't have much say.

The union directed its action against about 10,000 working people who just wanted to go home. These people had children to pick up, children to take to after school functions, doctor's appointments, church meetings, etc.

The delayed commuters couldn't do a thing about the union's beef, but they were the target of its action. If you want respect, you've got to be respectful. And in this case the union was more than disrespectful of the passengers, it outright targeted them.

[SALfan]

The striking dispatchers should be locked into a large room with the commuters they delayed. No future dispatchers would repeat that nonsense, because none of the strikers would survive.

[Anonymous]

QUOTE: Originally posted by JOdom

The striking dispatchers should be locked into a large room with the commuters they delayed. No future dispatchers would repeat that nonsense, because none of the strikers would survive.

So railroad workers should be killed for delaying a commute? Life is cheap in the MidWest.

[BaltACD]

QUOTE: Originally posted by JOdom

The striking dispatchers should be locked into a large room with the commuters they delayed. No future dispatchers would repeat that nonsense, because none of the strikers would survive.

I suspect that would be a picnic and a walk in the park compared to the daily dealings with BNSF managment that incited the action.

[eolafan]

I can' t help but wonder if these dispatchers were getting off of work and had to be at a family outing, pick their kids up from school, etc. and found that the sand truck/snow plow drivers had gone on strike that afternoon and there was a big ice storm (yes, they do get such storms in the DFW area), and the dispatchers could not get home, wonder what they would think and say...THEY NEED TO WALK IN THE OTHER GUYS SHOES FOR A WHILE.

[Anonymous]

Money is "POWER".

[BaltACD]

QUOTE: Originally posted by BNSF railfan.

Money is "POWER".

POWER takes money!

[coborn35]

QUOTE: Originally posted by JOdom

The striking dispatchers should be locked into a large room with the commuters they delayed. No future dispatchers would repeat that nonsense, because none of the strikers would survive.

Hey, buddy, their just fighting for their rights and trying to get a decent salary and good hours, come on. That was really harsh. I take it you are a commuter and dont work on a freight railroad. I can tell because you obviously have a crappy attitude about people who work on freight railroads and want fair pay and fair working hours. Not trying to p.o. any body but those are my feelings.

[eolafan]

I've said it before and I will say it yet again...NOBODY FORCED THEM TO TAKE THEIR JOBS AND THEIR SALARIES, AND IF THEY WANT TO QUIT AND GO ON TO A "BETTER" JOB SOMEWHERE ELSE...GO FOR IT! I have gotten tired of former jobs that I did not feel were paying a fair wage, and I quit and moved on, but I did not strike and screw things up for my (former) employer, I SIMPLY QUIT, and these folks have that right as well...I DON'T KNOW WHY THEY WON'T EXERCISE THAT RIGHT...perhaps it's because they really like their jobs????

[Anonymous]

Simply quit and move on? To where in today's economy? Unrealistic!! I wish I could just find another job, frankly, a mortgage and child support and everything else in life that "aren't free" stops me. If you're not a railroader, then, you wouldn't and couldn't begin to understand! How about 5 years without a raise and being held in limbo because a fair agreement cannot be negoitiated, and, 4 years without a raise before that! No more retro-active pay either after being held out all of these years. It's just reaching that retirement age is all that keeps me where I'm at. It's a trap. I like what I do, no doubt, but there are many, many labor issues and rules that the typical rail fan doesn't see or hear about. You have to live it.

[coborn35]

QUOTE: Originally posted by amtrak-tom

Simply quit and move on? To where in today's economy? Unrealistic!! I wish I could just find another job, frankly, a mortgage and child support and everything else in life that "aren't free" stops me. If you're not a railroader, then, you wouldn't and couldn't begin to understand! How about 5 years without a raise and being held in limbo because a fair agreement cannot be negoitiated, and, 4 years without a raise before that! No more retro-active pay either after being held out all of these years. It's just reaching that retirement age is all that keeps me where I'm at. It's a trap. I like what I do, no doubt, but there are many, many labor issues and rules that the typical rail fan doesn't see or hear about. You have to live it.

I could not agree more.

[bobwilcox]

QUOTE: Originally posted by amtrak-tom

Simply quit and move on? To where in today's economy? Unrealistic!! I wish I could just find another job, frankly, a mortgage and child support and everything else in life that "aren't free" stops me. If you're not a railroader, then, you wouldn't and couldn't begin to understand! How about 5 years without a raise and being held in limbo because a fair agreement cannot be negoitiated, and, 4 years without a raise before that! No more retro-active pay either after being held out all of these years. It's just reaching that retirement age is all that keeps me where I'm at. It's a trap. I like what I do, no doubt, but there are many, many labor issues and rules that the typical rail fan doesn't see or hear about. You have to live it.

I lived the life of a railroader from June 1966 to July 2003. When I did not like the job I moved on to another job on the railroad where I was or to a new railroad. I did that about seven times.

[klahm]

There are thousands of miles of Big New Santa Fe that don't carry commuters and could have been the targets of a selective wildcat walkout, which would not have offended the Chicagoland and Puget Sound commuters but gotten the point across to management. Any more of these wildcat actions and it will start seeming French!

The conductor on my train deserves significant recognition for exceptional effort at keeping passengers continuously informed of departure status. This guy could never work for an airline, where delay information is seldom prompt and routinely inaccurate, seemingly as a matter of policy.