Western Railroad Discussion > Furloughs

Can anybody tell how man trainmen are furloughed systemwide on UP and BNSF?

Thanks for yoour help.

Randy Lundgren
Elgin, TX

Ballpark BNSF figure for TY&E is pushing 5,000. This includes hostlers, yardmen, brakemen, conductors, RCO, & certified engineers. BNSF has on duty terminals in some 26 states. I'd be willing to bet 90% of those terminals have workers on a furlough board. The other 10% just never even opened their furlough board to begin with, so those unable to hold have been forced to chase their seniority. 

System wide, larger terminals are demanding anywhere from 6-9 years seniority just to stay marked up on the low paying extra boards, smaller terminals may be even tougher to hold. And much of the workforce reduction is corporate induced, not just economic. BNSF brass is really pushing for the "lean-mean (covid) fighting machine" mentality right now, even if it ends up starving them just to stay in the black year over year.

100 furloughed BNSF TY&E just out of Los Angeles at the moment, more in San Bernardino, Barstow, Bakersfield, San Diego, Needles, you name it!

Mr. MRL - 14+ years and its getting tight even for me!

MrMRL,

Good luck and thanks for the reply!

Randy Lundgren

MrMRL Wrote:


-------------------------------------------------------
> Ballpark BNSF figure for TY&E is pushing 5,000.
> This includes hostlers, yardmen, brakemen,
> conductors, RCO, & certified engineers. BNSF has
> on duty terminals in some 26 states. I'd be
> willing to bet 90% of those terminals have workers
> on a furlough board. The other 10% just never even
> opened their furlough board to begin with, so
> those unable to hold have been forced to chase
> their seniority. 
>
> System wide, larger terminals are demanding
> anywhere from 6-9 years seniority just to stay
> marked up on the low paying extra boards, smaller
> terminals may be even tougher to hold. And much of
> the workforce reduction is corporate induced, not
> just economic. BNSF brass is really pushing for
> the "lean-mean (covid) fighting machine" mentality
> right now, even if it ends up starving them just
> to stay in the black year over year.
>
> 100 furloughed BNSF TY&E just out of Los Angeles
> at the moment, more in San Bernardino, Barstow,
> Bakersfield, San Diego, Needles, you name it!
>
> Mr. MRL - 14+ years and its getting tight even for
> me!

Last count I got from our General Commitee was over 5,600 on BNSF. 

As of May 16, 5800 for BNSF with 300 on the bump board. That would be roughly 6000+ as of today. Monday will increase that number more.

Posted from Android

UP numbers of TE&Y furloughed and those on auxiliary boards exceed 5000 as well. Will try and get better numbers later today.

In my area all 2015 and later TE&Y employees are furloughed, plus some from 2014. Looking at other locations I see much worse. For example if you don't have a date before October 2004 in El Paso you are out of work currently.

BNSF was at 6027 as of this Monday the 18th.

No retention or auxiliary boards offered.

Posted from iPhone

Do you lose your health insurance and pension credits while on furlough?

Posted from Android

Lackawanna484 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Do you lose your health insurance and pension
> credits while on furlough?
>
> Posted from Android

When I was furloughed from the FEC in 2009, yes I lost my health insurance. I would imagine the Class 1's are similar. I consider myself very fortunate to be with a railroad who currently has nobody on furlough. In fact we have a new class of conductors training right now. Let's hope it stays that way.

You keep full benefits for the remainder of your last month worked then another 4 months after that on my class 1.
If you manage to work one single paid trip during the time you are furloughed and still have benefits you get another 4 month period of benefit coverage.
If your 4 months lapse you have to work jump through hoops to get coverage again, I don’t remember exactly what but I seem to remember having to work 12 trips and then your coverage would start at the beginning of the next month.

Posted from iPhone



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 05/23/20 12:48 by swingnose.

Just count the locomotives sold or in storage and multiply it times four!

I heard Bean SF was asking trainmen who hired in the last couple years--who've been furloughed the longest--to turn in their switch keys and radios. 

Get out, hope you come back, sheesh!

Out 

How about retention of seniority?  Used to be something in the agreements that stipulated you lost your seniority if you were furloughed over 365 days.  I would expect in any event quite a few of these furloughed thousands won't come back.  So the cycle begins again.  Suddenly the Class 1's find themselves out of crews.  This time if the hard core one man crew advocates have their way 90 day wonders working by themselves?   Sphogger

Thanks for all the info.

If you work for one of the class 1 lines, are the rules on furloughs and loss of benefits consistent for everyone?  Or, do BNSF people on old Santa Fe lines have different rules on keeping benefits and loss of seniority than an old Northern Pacific hire (who would be about a hundred years old...)?  Or is there a single BNSF, UP, etc policy?

 

Hookdragkick Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I heard Bean SF was asking trainmen who hired in
> the last couple years--who've been furloughed the
> longest--to turn in their switch keys and
> radios. 

Radios and iPads. No official word yet though. Only rumours through the union. They can have that crap if they want it. Their assets. I don't like being held responsible for them while I'm furloughed anyway. As long as they make it simple and at no cost to me to return the stuff, I DGAF. But if they complicate it, or make me go to a terminal (I had to move to find work so the closest one is now 209 miles away), they can kiss my arse.

Those are the worst stories, the people with seni who had to move to keep a job then got cut anyway.

Out 

You now keep your seniority indefinitely while furloughed unless you fail to return within 30 days when called upon

Posted from iPhone

UP has 4813 TE&Y furloughed as of 5/24/20. They also have 292 TE&Y on auxiliary boards that work 2 days per week to basically keep their benefits going. Don't have any numbers of other crafts that are out of work, but it is a substantial number.