BLET to Conduct Two S-T Workshops in 2006 in Dallas and Jacksonville

CLEVELAND, December 22 -- The BLET's Education and Training Department will conduct two three-day Secretary-Treasurer Compliance Workshops next year to assist STs prior to the major federal tax reporting deadline. These two workshops will be the only opportunity for STs to attend a workshop prior to the March 31 deadline for filing Department of Labor reports. One workshop will be in Dallas and the other in Jacksonville, Fla. During the three-day sessions, members will learn proper record keeping techniques, computer applications, and minute-taking. They will also learn methods for filing various Department of Labor and Railroad Retirement reports, as well as Federal tax returns. A representative from the Department of Labor will be on hand to answer Secretary-Treasurer questions and have tips regarding the preparation of LM reports. Course planners have added a new section to the workshop regarding the 2006 division elections. Next year is an election year for all of Divisions and the new segment — titled “Election Requirements” — was added to help ST's run their division election properly. As most STs already know, there are many changes to the filing of the reports each year, and all these changes will be addressed in these classes. A major change came when the BLET National Division implemented a new dues reporting and collection internet-based system on January 1, 2005. There will be an online demonstration on this new system to help everyone in class become familiar with it. Presenters will include Bill Walpert, BLET National Secretary-Treasurer; Bob Broka, Director of Records; Dr. Elaine Reese, Director of Compliance; Walt Schmidt, Webmaster; and Ken Kroeger, BLET Special Rep & Coordinator of the Education & Training Department. The BLET National Division pays the costs of books, equipment, and tuition, while Secretary-Treasurers who attend are responsible for their transportation costs as well as their room and board. Upon successful completion of the course, attendees will qualify for a $91 per day stipend from the North American Railway Foundation. The stipends will be paid directly to the Secretary-Treasurer of the respective divisions. Secretary-Treasurers will register for the 2006 workshops online through the BLE website at: http://www.ble.org/st. The workshops will take place January 30-February 2 at the Hotel Adams Mark in Dallas, and March 6–9 at the Hilton Jacksonville Riverfront Hotel. Members are responsible for making their reservations at the meetings in Dallas and Jacksonville and will be given the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen group rate code when they register for the workshop. Registration for the 2006 workshops is on a first come, first served basis with class size limited to the first 25 who register through the BLET website. For more information, please contact Ken Kroeger of the BLE Education & Training Dept. at (216) 272-0986 or kroeger@ble-t.org. Thursday, December 22, 2005 bentley@ble.org http://www.ble.org/pr/news/newsflash.asp?id=4237 © 2005 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen http://www.ble.org

UnitedHealthcare to send confirmation letters to employees who opt-out of benefits

(UnitedHealthcare issued the following on December 19.) Each year employees have the opportunity to change benefits during the Open Enrollment period. This is held each October for next year’s benefits. As a general rule your benefits will not change from one year to the next unless you return the enrollment form making a change. This is NOT the case if you wish to opt-out of benefits. Your election to opt-out of benefits must be made each year. If you elected to opt-out of benefits in 2005 and do not return the enrollment form to make that election again for 2006, your coverage will be reinstated on January 1st. In an effort to minimize any confusion, UnitedHealthcare will mail confirmation statements to all employees shown in their records as electing to opt-out of benefits for 2006. These statements will be mailed in mid December. If you receive a confirmation statement that you elected to opt-out and that is not your choice or, if you want to opt-out for 2006 but do not receive a confirmation letter by the end of December, you should call UnitedHealthcare at 1-800-842-9905 to make a correction You must call before February 1, 2006; changes will not be allowed after this date. Monday, December 19, 2005 bentley@ble.org http://www.ble.org

NCCC REQUESTS RELEASE FROM NBM ON NATIONAL CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS

Rail carriers cut-off negotiations WASHINGTON, D.C. -- On December 14, the National Carriers' Conference Committee (NCCC) refused to set new dates for bargaining with the Rail Labor Bargaining Coalition (RLBC). The RLBC represents seven rail labor unions whose contracts cover nearly 85,000 rail workers or 65 percent of the carriers' employees. The NCCC represents the Class One carriers (Union Pacific, Burlington Northern Santa Fe, Norfolk Southern, CSX, etc.) that transport most the rail freight in the country. "The NCCC's refusal is mystifying," said Freddie Simpson, President of the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED), "It is premature to refuse to bargain over the serious items both sides have placed on the table. What this round of negotiations needs is patience, hard work and willingness on both sides to listen and respond meaningfully to the other's issues. We have scarcely begun this process when suddenly the carriers up and walk away from the table." "The seven member unions of the RLBC are united in their desire to reach an agreement voluntarily," said Dan Pickett, President of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS). "We are willing to sit at the table and talk to the carriers for as long as it takes to get an agreement done. You must fulfill the intent of the process-proposing your own substantive proposals and responding to theirs." "The carriers are attempting to distort the bargaining process by manipulating and misconstruing the procedure under the Railway Labor Act to obtain a government imposed resolution," said Don Hahs, President of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET). "The Act is designed to resolve remaining disputes when good faith bargaining has reached impasse. We are far from reaching that point because the carriers have not yet begun to negotiate in good faith to resolve any of the parties' issues." "What is shocking about the NCCC's refusal to continue negotiations is that it comes at a time of record profits for the rail carriers," said John Murphy, Director or the Rail Conference and Teamsters International Vice President. "Yet their intractable, non-negotiable demands would change the nature of all railroad crafts through an ill-conceived consolidation and elimination of jobs. One would think the carriers' level of profits would provide them with some flexibility -- at least the flexibility to stay at the table." The seven unions of the Rail Labor Bargaining Coalition (RLBC) are: · Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen (BLET), a division of the Teamsters Rail Conference; · Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes Division (BMWED), a division of the Teamsters Rail Conference; · American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA); · National Conference of Firemen and Oilers (SEIU); · International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Iron Ship Builders, Blacksmiths, Forgers and Helpers (IBB); · Sheet Metal Workers International Association (SMWIA); and · Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen (BRS). Thursday, December 15, 2005 bentley@ble.org http://www.ble.org/pr/news/newsflash.asp?id=4234 © 2005 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen http://www.ble.org

Engineers Receive Cost of Living Adjustment Jan. 1, 2006

Engineers to receive a cost of living adjustment on January 1 CLEVELAND, December 16 -- Locomotive Engineers covered by the December 16, 2003 National Agreement will notice an increase in their pay checks on January 1. Under the terms of the national agreement, engineers will be allowed a cost of living adjustment of 31 cents per hour or $2.48 per basic day. The adjustment, called Harris COLA, is set out in the agreement as 50 percent of the cost of living adjustment in Article III of the agreement. Also effective January 1, the monthly contribution that engineers covered by the National Agreement make toward the cost of health and welfare benefits will be increased by $25.85 to $127.64. Under the terms of the National Agreement, the increase in monthly contributions is equal to the lesser of half of the increase in the railroads' cost or half of the COLA. Engineers on the following railroads are covered by the National Agreement: · The Belt Railway Company of Chicago · BNSF · Consolidated Rail Corporation · CSX (Baltimore & Ohio Chicago Terminal Railway Company; Gainesville Midland Railroad Co.; Richmond, Fredericksburg & Potomac Railway Co.) · DM&IR · Elgin, Joliet & Eastern · KCS · Longview Switching Co. · Northeast Illinois Regional Commuter Railroad Corp. (Metra) · Portland Terminal Railroad Co. · UP · Utah Railway Co. · Winston Salem Southbound Railway Co. The new rates are available in the Members Only area of the BLET website at the following location: http://www.ble-t.org/members/rate/0106 The next cost of living adjustment is scheduled for July, unless a new national agreement is reached before then.

NMB KNOWLEDGE DATABASE AVAILABLE ONLILNE TO SEARCH ARBITRATION AWARDS

The National Mediation Board has established an online knowledge database that will allow you to search awards by number or text within the award. If you would like to try this feature click HERE to go to the NMB Knowledge Database Website.

http://kas.cuadra.com/starweb1/nmbks/servlet.starweb1?path=nmbks/nmb.web