Transfer of service tentative agreement
Metra Transition Meeting
Senior Vice-General Chairman Mike Moore will be present to answer questions on Friday, October 4, 2024 at 8:30 P.M.
Courtyard Marriott Hotel, 370 Illinois 83, Elmhurst, IL
Metra Attendance Policy
Metra Discipline Policy
Q & A
Metra responded to our questions (see below) and sent their attendance and discipline policies over (see attached). I proposed extra boards at Waukegan and Crystal Lake again, emphasizing their importance to our employees. They are talking with operating and are considering them this time. I’ll let you know as soon as they respond.
Copy of Metra’s current attendance policy.
Attached is the current policy. However, there is a new draft in process to be in effect as of January 1, 2025. Once that is ready for distribution, I will share it.
What is the process for approving Personal Leave days for employees who transfer to train service at Metra? This is currently performed on property, through a manager.
Approval of personal leave days is handled through Metra’s crew management. Crew management approves personal leave days based on manpower. Personal leave days will only be denied if the number of days already approved might create a service disruption if more days are approved.
Estimated number of employees that will be transferred from each Zone/District upon implementation.
These are approximate numbers. They may change based on service levels. It’s basically every position that was commuter as of end of July 2024.
Zone A: ~156
Zone B: ~62
Zone C: ~6
Will an employee’s discipline record (rule violations and/or attendance record) influence Metra’s decision to approve their application?
Metra will be reviewing rule violations and attendance records. At the time of review, if the rule violations surmount to “dismissal” violations at Metra, we may not approve an application. An example would be multiple fights with a passenger, or multiple violations of the remittance policy. If we do not approve someone’s application, we would give the union information as to why so we can discuss if necessary.
What if an employee is behind in remittance and is working with Union Pacific to correct the imbalance when their application is submitted to Metra? Does that impact Metra’s decision to approve their application?
While reviewing employee records, we will coordinate with UP to figure out who is behind in remittance. The employee should work with UP to close out the imbalance, otherwise we may have to continue a payment plan, since this is Metra’s revenue in the end. This hasn’t been brought up before, so I will need to coordinate with UP to find out what their process is.
Will an employee’s prior Rule G violation affect their application with Metra? If not, would it remain on their record with Metra?
If an employee has a prior, completed Rule G violation, the record will transfer over to show it was completed. If there is an active Rule G violation, it will not impact their application, as long as they are compliant. The current program will transfer to Metra and continue.
Does an employee’s discipline record or attendance record follow them to Metra, or do they begin at Metra with a clean record?
Metra will receive the records from UP and translate them into Metra’s discipline and attendance policy. Records will not be wiped clean.
If you receive any further questions that need clarification, let us know.
Fraternally,
Luke Edington
General Chairperson
SMART TD GO-953
Download and review from the link below the proposed transfer of service tentative agreement with regards to going from the UP to Metra.
Please reply to this forum with your questions and comments asap. Deadline is October 10th.
Trainman & Engineer Qualification
https://www.smarttd577.com//forum/general-discussions/transfer-of-service-tentative-agreement
Agreement
If you fulfilled the requirements and your name is not on the list for the METRA transfer, please let us know immediately.