UTU Local 426 Archived News.
12/29/04
Thanks to you people who attended the union meeting on the 28th, there were some good questions from the younger members. Communication is the key to a organization working, this web site is a great example of your union dollar at work, again thanks to Brad Love, great job, make sure to stop and thank him. There is information on agreements on the website, read this information, keep a copy, and if you do not understand the information call a Local Chairman.
About to start a New Year, this year is going out with a ton of investigations, hopefully next year will be better.
Alternative handling is a option you have with regards to discipline, however it is not a get out of jail free card, it is very important to remember you are signing a guilty plea in exchange for a reduced sentence. Make sure that when the investigation notice reaches you CONTACT A LOCAL CHAIRMAN AT ONCE!!!
Read the PEPA policy it is General Notice #341, pay close attention on how if you are not guilty of a infraction and you choose alternative handling the points, used to be called brownie points, pile up, for example a couple of missed calls or attendance violations can possibly get you dismissed with a serious violation later.
Keep good records of layoffs, times, dates, keep accurate delay reports, keep them for 60 days for late cut claims, you need these to give to your Local Chairman for the claim. Your written records protect YOU.
So much for the bad stuff, enjoy the rest of the holidays and may you and your family, have a safe and prosperous New Year.
Jim Larkin
When and if you get an investigation notice, you have 24 hrs to request alternative handling if you choose. Only you can chose, not your local chairmen. It is up to you to notify your respective local chairmen if you want him to handle the investigation process. I will assume that you want someone else to handle your investigation if you don't call. Be careful people, for we have had some close calls out here with this problem. Don't assume that your local chairmen is automatically taking care of this. This local chairmen does not do that. Remember that I have lots of people that I represent. It is your responsibility to notify your local chairmen if you get a notification. We are experiencing an extremely large amount of investigations. Attendance guide lines, missed calls, lay off on call, incidents of what ever and injury's. Please be careful out there.
FYI news.
12/18/04
Read all About it! Washington Rail Workers Vs. Idaho & Montana Income Tax Dispute over Multi State Withholdings
I will be on vacation starting Saturday December 18 through December 26.
Justices could decide by Friday if they'll intervene.
Tuesday, December 7, 2004
By CHRIS MCGANN
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER CAPITOL CORRESPONDENT
OLYMPIA -- The state Supreme Court could decide as early as Friday whether it will intervene in the second recount of the governor's race, ordered yesterday by Secretary of State Sam Reed. Legal historians believe such a move could be the first time in Washington history that the high court involved itself in deciding a statewide election.
On Friday, state Democrats filed a lawsuit insisting that Reed must instruct county election officials to review all ballots previously deemed invalid. The same day, Democrats made a $730,000 down payment for a hand recount of the more than 2.8 million votes cast in this year's gubernatorial election. They hope to overcome Gov.-elect Dino Rossi's 42-vote victory in the first recount, which would give Democrat Christine Gregoire the keys to the governor's mansion. Democrats contend that election boards have no consistent standard for disqualifying ballots. The varying standard essentially disenfranchised some voters based on the particular county they cast their ballot in, Democrats say. For example, some counties vigorously checked the authenticity of voter signatures on absentee ballots while other counties did no signature check whatsoever, they said. "What we are looking for is a standard that will hold statewide, so every legal vote is counted," said Kirstin Brost, spokeswoman for the state Democrats. In King County, 2,478 absentee and provisional ballots were not counted because they were not signed or the signature didn't match the voter's registration file, according to King County Elections spokeswoman Bobbie Egan.
Egan and Reed have said votes in King County were counted as consistent with state law and past practices. Republican party leaders and some legal historians contend that such an order would obliterate the elections process because determinations and results issued by local elections boards would be forever left open to challenge. Elections would never truly be over, they say. In addition, Republicans say that changing the criteria for determining which votes are valid is tantamount to changing the rules in the middle of a game. The secretary of state, not the court, administers election law, the say. "Now that the counties are going ahead with a statewide hand recount, we're asking that it be done by the rules," said Rossi's spokeswoman Mary Lane. "Christine Gregoire has filed a lawsuit to try to change the recount rules midway through the process ... Dino doesn't oppose a statewide hand recount, as long as it is done fairly and legitimately." Brost said "Republicans would rather keep it broken for their benefit than fix it to preserve the integrity of the process. "They want us to continue with a broken system to keep
their guy ahead." State Supreme Court Chief Justice Gerry Alexander said he knew of no other incident exactly like this. "It's unprecedented," Alexander said. He would not tip his hand as whether the court should insert itself into the election. "Courts don't go out looking for legal issues to rule on," he said. But if the case merits a new interpretation of the state constitution or election law, "We want to do our duty," Alexander said. The parties must have all filings in by this afternoon, and oral arguments will be scheduled as soon as possible, he said. And although most high court opinions are not issued for months, Alexander said that in this case the ruling would be expedited. Alexander would not comment about whether the decision should be deferred to Reed, the state's chief election officer. Seattle lawyer Jeffrey Grant, who is also an instructor at the University of Washington Law School, said the court has been reluctant to get involved in purely political controversies, especially those that would decide the outcome of a specific election. "But the legal landscape is changing," Grant said. "Bush v Gore is perhaps the most famous turning point. I'm not sure that it's so much the courts that changed -- but elections of the recent past have become more partisan and close -- it's those factors
that have brought parties to the courts." But Grant said the Republican contention that Reed should be the point person for elections is "a great argument." He said the court most likely would make a broad-brush statement. "What they don't want to do, is be down there counting the votes themselves," Grant said. "It's just not their job. They're likely to say, 'With all due respect, don't bother me with those kinds of details.' " Washington's high court will probably want to avoid what happened in Florida -- where there was the
feeling that the U.S. Supreme Count wanted to decide the election, he said. "They are going to want to avoid the impression they bent over backwards to pick the winner," Grant said. The current case does not challenge the laws themselves, Grant said. "What's being challenged is the way the standards are being applied. The current litigation is limited in
some ways to the details of this election," he said. As it stands, each county has some discretion about how the statues are applied. "The law has flexibility, but it creates a certain amount of ambiguity," Grant said. "Usually it doesn't really matter but when it comes down to a Metro-bus sized pool of people ... it does."
THE HAND RECOUNT
How Washington's statewide hand recount for governor will work:
THE COUNTERS: Three-person teams will do the work, with two people counting the ballots and one recording the votes. Many counties will use temporary workers
recommended by the Republican and Democratic parties. Each team will have two people checking each ballot, with the third person acting as the teller.
THE PUBLIC: is open to observers and members of the public, just as the original vote counting and the first recount were.
THE TIMELINE: The recount should be finished by Dec. 23rd
THE CONTROVERSY: The big question is whether the recount will include "new" votes -- ballots that were not counted the first two times, for various reasons. The state Democratic Party is asking the state Supreme Court for the broader vote tally.
IS IT EVER FINAL? This is the final recount allowed by state law, although court action could complicate things and a challenged election -- or a tie -- could wind up in the Legislature. Inauguration is scheduled for Jan. 12th
-- The Associated Press
12/10/04
In the past month we have had three fellow workers pulled from service and UA'd. I will answer questions personally but will not put in print any details. Thanksgiving day the Local Chairman from Whitefish was pulled from service and UA'd for probable cause, refusing to take a locomotive without a Conductors desk, he was quickly reinstated, this incident was at Hauser fueling facility. A Spokane engineer was also held from service and Rich Mize can fill you in with details. A Spokane Brakeman was injured on the job this week and the investigation papers are already in my hand.
Union meeting is the 28th this month, I urge anyone who can make it to be there as this website is open to anybody who wants to read our information.
Jim Larkin L/C
Our switchmen's extra board days off are up and running. And I think that it is very much a success. I have heard of no complaints with it. But there has been some questions arise from this which will be answered in the FAQ. This committee is hard at work trying to keep our General Chairmen on the General Contract Negotiating Committee. He has been on the last two negotiating wage contracts and has done well for the craft of Switchmen.
12/08/04
The computer system is letting members mark to temporaries that will only be open for a day or two. We need to police ourselves on this issue. The temporary mark agreement is for Vacation vacancies that will be open for 7 days or more.
R. J. Johnston