Amtrak Unions Strike at Beech Grove

[Amfleet]

Amtrak unions strike at Beech Grove
Staff report

December 3, 2003

Two unions upset by the use of outside contractors went on strike this morning at Amtrak's Beech Grove maintenance shops.

Union leaders claimed all 540 workers at the shops were honoring the picket lines that went up at 6 a.m.

Full article can be found here.

 

[tp49]

Hopefully more facts will come out on this over the next few days so until then I will reserve any opinion on this. Labor strife is always fun *extreme sacraasm*

 

[jccollins]

Any way you break it THIS SUCKS! We need Beech Grove workers more than ever right now. Hopefully this is some kind of misunderstanding and the workers will be back at it in a few days pumping out more coaches and sleepers to put into service.

Not to get off topic, but does anyone know (maybe tp49?) where all the extra California cars on the Thanksgiving San Joaquins came from? There were an extra two coaches on all the San Joaquin trains. They were NOT Superliners - all California cars. Yet I thought California had a shortage of California cars...

<_<

 

[battalion51]

They were probably pulled from the "reserve fleet." Amtrak always budgets for a few cars to be in maintenence when it purchases its fleet. Well they underestimated that on California cars obviously. So during holiday periods Amtrak pulls every car that's roadworthy out of PM that it can so they can make larger trains.

 

[jccollins]

They were probably pulled from the "reserve fleet." Amtrak always budgets for a few cars to be in maintenence when it purchases its fleet. Well they underestimated that on California cars obviously. So during holiday periods Amtrak pulls every car that's roadworthy out of PM that it can so they can make larger trains.

Ahh, got it. Makes complete sense now. Thanks batallion!

 

[tp49]

Thats what I would have said I figured it was whatever was roadworthy sitting in the Oakland coach yard they usually have a set or two over there so they probbaly just put them into service.

 

[AlanB]

Federal District Judge Larry McKinney on Friday ordered striking Amtrak employees back to work and to begin expedited arbitration in their dispute over outside contract workers.
About 600 employees at the Beech Grove maintenance facility stayed away from work beginning Wednesday after the Transport Workers Union and Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes complained that the railroad violated their bargaining agreement by hiring contractors without first notifying them or meeting to discuss the matter.

The full story from the Indy Star.