General Discussions

I am asking you to direct my vote. Simply post yes or no as a comment to this post. I will only accept comments until 10/09/24 as the ballot is due by the next day.

This is the final draft of the agreement, there will be no modification of the agreement that has been previously posted. At the end of the day, the federal court ruling stated that Union Pacific had no Common Carrier Obligation to provide this service on behalf of METRA. Simply stated, the Union Pacific can simply walk away. The Purchase of Service Agreement is what kept the work for our Trainmen. By accepting this agreement, you will have the option to work for METRA relinquishing your rights to Union Pacific except as spelled out in the Flow-Back Agreement.

I will express to you what I have learned through conversations with the General Chairman's office. If the Union Pacific flips the switch and decides to not provide the manpower, METRA will have to figure it out on their own. Our Trainmen will be returned to Freight service. Currently, we do not have enough work in our district to support this influx of Trainmen. Also, we have no assurances from Union Pacific that they will not furlough as a result.

I am sorry to be so blunt, but I want to be transparent.