Q. Can I take a free day when I’m first out?
A. No
An employee assigned to a guaranteed extra board established pursuant
to this Agreement and who is available for an entire pay period (or is reduced by the
Carrier prior to the completion of the pay period) shall be entitled to one (1) lay-off day
(24-hour period or portion thereof) during the pay period for which no deduction
will be made from the guarantee, PROVIDED:
(1). Must be other than first-out at time of layoff
(2). Lay-off must be taken at any time commencing 12:01 am
Monday and concluded by 11:59 pin Thursday.
(3). Lay-off must not exceed twenty four (24) hours.
(4). The agreement governing paid holidays is not affected or
modified in any manner by this agreement.
Q. How many miles are needed to qualify for vacation the following year?
A. 24,000
Q. Where will my vacation be scheduled next year?
A. The scheduling of an employee's vacation for the upcoming or current year shall be based on the location and class(es) of service where he/she was assigned for a preponderance of the time during the six (6)-month qualification measurement period. The qualification measurement period shall be April 1 through September 30.
Q. When do I qualify for my next week of vacation?
A. Each employee will be qualified for an annual vacation of one week with pay, or pay in lieu thereof, if during the preceding calendar year the employee renders service under schedule agreement held by the organizations. (24,000 miles)
Each employee having two or more years of continuous service with employing carrier will be qualified for an annual vacation of two weeks with pay, or pay in lieu thereof, if during the preceding calendar year the employee renders service under schedule agreements.
eight years of service=three weeks vacation
seventeen years of service=four weeks vacation
twenty five years of service=five weeks vacation
Q. When do I qualify for more Personal Leave Days?
A. Less than 5 years - 3 days
Five Years and less than 10 years - 5 days
Ten years and less than 15 years - 7 days
Fifteen years and less than 20 years - 9 days
Twenty years or more - 11 days
Q. The MYO at Hearne instructed me to take my train though Valley Jct. to Tatsie and tie it down, is this a violation?
A. No
D. The terminal limits of Hearne/Valley Jct. shall include switching limits as follows:
SUBDIVISION / LINE MILEPOST
Austin 102.0
Ft. Worth 103.5
Ennis 125.0
Hearne 87.0
Flatonia 8.0
Navasota 95.0
Bryan 115.0
G. Road crews may receive/leave their trains at any location within the
consolidated terminals and may perform work within the terminals pursuant to
the controlling collective bargaining agreement, including National
Agreement provisions.
Q. What is "first in, first out"?
A. "First in, first out" refers to article 12 of the T&P Agreement. There are many parts, most of which do not apply today. It simply means, they cant call the person behind you, ahead of you. In instances when crews are called at the same time, and a deadhead is involved, the crews standing last out will run the train.
Q. I'm generally a road conductor but I've been forced to a yard job. If I bust a week of vacation to single days and take one, how many will I have left?
A. You will have four days left in that week, even if the remainder are taken on the road. However, you will be paid at a 5 day rate.
Let's say you made $91,000 last year. Your weekly rate is $1750 making each of your 7 vacation days worth $250. By taking one of them in the yard, your daily rate is now $350, by you only get 5.
Q. I have 5 single vacation days left, can i move them 3 days either way as I can a full week?
A. Single vacation days must be taken by the end of the week that they are scheduled. For example, if they are scheduled for the week of 11/8, they must be completed by 11/14.
Q. If I join the BLET, as a conductor, can they represent me?
A. If you join the BLET, as a conductor, the only thing they can do is collect your dues. They can not represent you and your UTU job insurance policies are cancelled upon resignation from SMART.