Moving Csx Train Dispatchers

[Anonymous]

by Timothy J. Gibbons

CSX Corp. is eliminating about 10 percent of its dispatcher jobs in
Jacksonville,FL and moving the positions to other locations, the company
told the dispatchers' union Monday.

Although several employees have said they fear the moves are the
beginning of widespread cuts in the ranks of the 340 dispatchers who
work here, CSX officials have said there are no plans to further scale
back the workforce.

The announcement of job cuts comes on the heels of union members telling
the company they are considering going on strike because of concerns
about new dispatching software that has proven difficult to use,
according to two union members who asked not to be named because of
concerns about their jobs.

The first round of cuts will come toward the end of January: 20
dispatchers positions in Jacksonville, FL will be cut, with 15 of those
jobs moving to CSX's dispatch operation center in Chicago, IL. The other
five workers will be absorbed into other jobs in the company. According
to the union and the company, CSX then plans on cutting another 15 jobs
here in order to move them to Indianapolis, IN.

The positions being eliminated here handled trains traveling near
Chicago, IL and the Great Lakes region.

CSX has four dispatch centers responsible for routing trains along its
21,000 miles of track. The vast majority of dispatchers have been
concentrated in Jacksonville, FL since 1988, when the company
established a centralized operating facility that oversees the entire
network.

Twenty-five dispatchers now work in Chicago, IL, as well as 340 in
Jacksonville, FL, 80 in Albany, NY, and 65 in Indianapolis, IN.

Moving jobs from Jacksonville, FL to the other centers is necessary
because of operational need s, said CSX spokesman Gary Sease.

Despite employee fears, Sease said, "We are committed to our centralized
dispatching center here in Jacksonville, FL. Any adjustments in staffing
would not involve a large number of people."

Dispatchers are also concerned about CSX's Next Generation Dispatching
system, a new computer system some dispatchers have been complaining
about for more than a year, saying it makes their job more difficult and
leads to safety problems.

"The union views it as a serious issue that is putting our job in
jeopardy," said one of the union members. "It's not working like it's
supposed to."

Six dispatchers have been fired in the past month, in part because they
have not been able to work efficiently with the new system, the union
official said, and partly because of other issues with management. The
company refused to comment on the issue, citing its policy about not
commenting on labor negotiations.

Representatives from the local chapter of the American Train Dispatchers
Association have been in talks with the national office about the
possibility of a strike, one union member said.

"It could have some further consequences," the member said. "I don't
want it to get out that we're going to walk out or anything, but it's
getting along that line."

[BaltACD]

Historically the carriers always want work rules that they don't currently have, and then when they obtain those work rule changes demonstrate that the don't have a clue in properly utilizing the changed work rules.

The saga continues.

[JoeKoh]

csx trying to fix what it broke.and why would you want your main dispatch center in a hurricane zone????
stay safe
joe