During October 14-16 General Chairman Hazlett and Senior Vice General Chairman Draskovich attended several meetings in Las Vegas.  Following are highlights of several of those meetings.

On October 14 a Union Pacific Railroad Employees Hospital Association meeting was held to discuss the ongoing financial shortfall being experienced by that organization.  Various options and issues were discussed and alternatives explored. 
            Due to the controversial nature of the recent lifetime cap imposed on U-65 members the General Chairmen in attendance proposed that medical payments be continued on anyone exceeding this cap until individual cases could be reviewed at the next Board of Trustees meeting in 2003.  This request was approved by the Board of Trustees. 

On October 15 Brothers Hazlett and Draskovich met with Labor Relations Director Tamisiea, Director of Timekeeping Kenny, CMS Directors Dein and Martinez, and BLE General Chairman Young regarding various issues including manpower shortages, proper vacancy procedures and other issues.

 Also on October 15 a meeting of all Union Pacific General Chairmen, including Senior Vice General Chairman Draskovich, was held to continue work on the proposed System-wide vacation agreement reported on this website last April.  Several new items were added to the agenda for this proposal including:

·         Counting time in non-operating crafts toward qualification for the various levels of weeks of vacation.

·         A new process to determine an individual’s vacation grouping based on the location of preponderance of service during the preceding six months rather than just where an individual happened to be working on November 15.

·         Expanded parameters on weekdays.

·         Three weeks of single days.

·         Ability to split each week of vacation to which entitled.

·         All runs, assignments and extra boards, except regular assigned yardmen, will receive seven single days for each week of vacation designated as single day weeks.

Further developments regarding a new vacation agreement will be reported as they occur.           

On October 16 United Transportation Union UP System General Chairmen, again including Brother Draskovich, along with UTU Vice Presidents Martin, Futhey, Marceau, Vahldick and Drennan met with Union Pacific Labor Relations General Director Olin, CMS Senior Director Brazytis and Timekeeping General Director Zabawa to discuss implementation of Trip Rates on Union Pacific under the provisions of the new UTU National Agreement.  It was agreed that this office will meet with Carrier officers beginning November 7 to establish Trip Rates for the Salina Hub as the pilot project.  Further scheduling of implementation of Trip Rates will be announced as they are set. 

On October 15-17 Senior Vice General Chairman Joslin conducted time claim conferences with his counterpart, Labor Relations Director Shaffer, by telephone.  This new process was implemented because the time claim appeal process had stalled due to the Carrier’s refusal to meet at any location other than Omaha.  Previously, the Organization and the Carrier had alternated hosting meetings, and each side had traveled to meet with the other on a reciprocal basis.
            Senior Vice General Chairman Taullie had begun a test telephone conference several weeks previously and is completing that conference this week.
            This is a tedious process by telephone, but will enable the UTU to save the expense and lost time of travel to Omaha and will permit the Organization to begin catching up with pending time claims.