In April of this year, railroad employees took a stand by being the first in the history of the Surface Transportation Board (STB) to submit their own, candid statements regarding working conditions, deteriorating customer service, delayed shipments, maintenance neglect, and many other pressing misdeeds by the Class One carriers during the EP 770 STB hearings.
It's time for us to make history again!
A new round of federal hearings has been scheduled for December 13 & 14 specifically regarding the excessive and abusive practice whereby the Class One railroads issue embargoes against customers for traffic congestion caused mostly by the railroads themselves. This time, Union Pacific Railroad was specifically summoned to come before the board to answer for themselves. Four top executives, including CEO Lance Fritz, were specifically directed to appear in person this time. The Board has also welcomed statements from customers and stakeholders to give insight into the causes and impacts of these embargoes. As employees, you are some of the largest stakeholders, devoting your lives to the service of an industry that needs to grow, thrive, and prosper, reliably serving its customers to ensure a secure, well-paying career into the future, and a prosperous US economy for your families. It is the employees that now must expose the extent of the damage to our economy caused by PSR and its side effects!
To be clear, these hearings are specifically about embargoes, allegedly caused by “congestion” according to the carriers. In 2017 prior to PSR, Union Pacific issued a grand total of just 27 Embargoes against customers. The numbers have grown exponentially, and in 2022 Union Pacific has issued a staggering 886 embargoes, with alleged “congestion” being the documented reasoning given for 98% of cases. They are going to try to blame the workforce. They are going to try to blame you. It's time to expose them. Let us bombard the STB with letters 10-fold greater than the railroad executives present, and again make railroad history by taking ownership in the companies that accused us of being non-contributors to their ability to make a profit.
During the course of your work this past year, have you ever:
-Observed delays caused in terminals and along the main line by trains longer than the sidings themselves?
-Observed delays caused by an unusually high number of breakdowns as maintenance employees and facilities were cut?
-Observed delays caused by excessive switching moves in terminals in order to build monster trains?
-Sat on trains for hours waiting outside of terminals, delaying your customer's shipments while massive trains were being built ahead of you?
-Observed crossings being blocked for hours in complete disregard of the public because there was no place to fit these giant trains between crossings?
-Watched as local industry jobs were cut from 5 days per week to 3 to cut costs at the customer's expense?
-Been ordered to report excessive demurrage charges against customers for delays that were clearly caused by the railroad itself?
-Watched powerlessly as EMS ran your train hopelessly slow across your territory, delaying the customer's shipments under the threat of discipline for not using the system?
-Watched powerlessly as your train chugged along well below posted speeds due to threats of discipline for not isolating locomotives?
The STB wants to hear about all of this and more! Any evidence you have that shows the true causes of the “congestion” used to justify embargoes, the STB wants to know about it. If we don't speak up, Lance Fritz and his henchman will gladly throw us under the bus, blaming COVID and workers themselves for all of the problems that the lust for the operating ratio, share buybacks, and PSR has brought to our industry.
