Western Railroad Discussion > UP Dispatchers: A-Cards & the ATDA

I heard the month long vote was to end Friday & wondered if the UP dispatchers voted in the ATDA or told them "no thanks." Anyone heard any results?

NS1

Lacked 40 votes to unionize.

SOB

Who did the counting?

Spatcher Wrote:
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> Who did the counting?


Most likely the NMB (National Mediation Board) set up a phone line & secure voter numbers & pin numbers & they tabulated the results. The BLE&T told us that's how it would work if they proceeded with the A-Cards on NS for the conductors last year.

NS1

Spatcher Wrote:
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> Who did the counting?

A special team was flown in from West palm Beach, FL.

SW1200

ns1 Wrote:
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> I heard the month long vote was to end Friday &
> wondered if the UP dispatchers voted in the ATDA
> or told them "no thanks." Anyone heard any
> results?

I'm told it ended Wednesday, and they were about 44 votes shy of ATDA affiliation, so they'll stay "exempt" (i.e., management) employees.

I've also heard (but really can't confirm) that there's been an appeal based on UP allowing 15 Directors to vote even though they were ineligible (account not being dispatchers, but managers), plus some questions about improprieties at Spring.

topper Wrote:
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> I've also heard (but really can't confirm) that
> there's been an appeal based on UP allowing 15
> Directors to vote even though they were ineligible
> (account not being dispatchers, but managers),
> plus some questions about improprieties at Spring.

That is something I wouldn't put past the UP, given their track record of putting it to people.

V

SLOCONDR

SLOCONDR Wrote:
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> topper Wrote:
> --------------------------------------------------
> -----
> > I've also heard (but really can't confirm) that
> > there's been an appeal based on UP allowing 15
> > Directors to vote even though they were
> ineligible
> > (account not being dispatchers, but managers),
> > plus some questions about improprieties at
> Spring.
>
> That is something I wouldn't put past the UP,
> given their track record of putting it to people.

Here's the unedited message, as it was sent to me:

"yep we heard there is an appeal in because the company told NLMB that MOTD's were dispatchers. thus giving 15 more votes to anti union managers and some snaky stuff at spring. but we arent allowed to talk about it at work"

Dispatchers seem to drift back and forth between union and exempt. What would be the advantage to going union on the Union Pacific at this time? More money, better benefits, or?

OliveHeights Wrote:
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> Dispatchers seem to drift back and forth between
> union and exempt. What would be the advantage to
> going union on the Union Pacific at this time?
> More money, better benefits, or?

I'm not one for paying attention to what I'm being told, so I don't really remember all that led to this A Card drive. I do know that many dispatchers are unhappy about being forced to work holidays without corresponding time off.

At any rate, here are some general comments:

The SP dispatchers were unionized; UP's are not. So after the merger when the SP jobs were integrated into UP's, there was some friction. For example, I remember being told that SP dispatchers were paid a higher rate than UP's, and of course SP's had a Collective Bargaining Agreement while UP's were management employees and were basically subject to whatever management dictates.

Many railroad employees feel that having a Collective Bargaining Agreement in place is vastly superior to not having one, as it tends to produce higher wages and better working conditions, along with providing some recourse when the railroad violates the Agreement (which UP does religiously) or an employee faces discipline.

But, to each his own...