Brothers,

It has come to our attention that the Carrier has reduced the layoff allocation to zero at most locations. In many cases they have included the entire months of July and August. I suspect this is a reaction to the RSIA implementation. I can only reiterate that the only recourse available to our members is filing a time claim. The Agreement allows engineers to layoff for personal reasons when the exigencies of the business permit. This generally means that when there are an adequate number of employees available to protect the carriers projected needs, the employee’s request for personal time off should be granted. In order to process a claim for denied layoff, the employee must provide adequate documentation that a sufficient number of employees were available to cover the jobs.

Example: Claim basic day account the Carrier violated the Agreement by refusing to allow me to lay off for personal business on July 25, 2009. There were 5 engineers rested on the Extra Board (list engineers) and only 2 vacant positions (list jobs).


Alan Holdcraft
Vice General Chairman
BLET Santa Fe Committee
(817) 426-9003 Office
(817) 600-4639 Cell