I just read that Brightline employees in Florida on board service were looking to join the Transport Workers Union (TWU). Good to see this development
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crescent-zephyr
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Why is that good? Not saying it isn't - not sure what that means.
Working people have been taking a beating for decades and transport is one of the last strongholds of labor unions to keep a floor on wages, benefits, and working conditions. I don't like seeing Brightline have non-union operations that can cut into unionized Amtrak.
Even if Brightline is matching their competition, and that sometimes happens with non-union companies, they are likely not leading the way but matching and no more.
crescent-zephyr
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Are we talking about the OBS staff that pushes the snack car down the aisle?
I think so. Here is what I know. https://www.twu.org/brightline-flor...ion-starting-the-path-for-a-voice-on-the-job/
Since TWU is filing with NMB and not NLRB it seems the employees fall under RLA and not NLRA. In that case right to work for less would not apply as it only applies to NLRA from all I have read.
crescent-zephyr
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I can't imagine the operating crew isn't. That would be extremely odd.
I have had the same problem.
Yeah…one source claims they are, and another says Brightline itself is not a “railroad”, but an intrastate carrier exempt from RRB participation.
Looks like Brightline is not part of RRB but they are being organized under the RLA law and NMB agency. I assume TWU could make that part of negotiations.
Link downloads a PDF file of all employers in RRB as of 2024 July 1. Brightline is NOT on the list. I assume the list is updated every 6 months given this was dated 1 July.
https://rrb.gov/sites/default/files/2024-07/Covered_Employer_Under_the_RRA.pdf
Link downloads a PDF file of all employers in RRB as of 2024 July 1. Brightline is NOT on the list. I assume the list is updated every 6 months given this was dated 1 July.
https://rrb.gov/sites/default/files/2024-07/Covered_Employer_Under_the_RRA.pdf
crescent-zephyr
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Would Brightline fall under Florida East Coast for operating employees?
I thought they might as well. Does Brightline use FEC operating crews or are the conductor and engineer direct employees of Brightline. Sounds like the staff on the trains that are not conductors and engineers are Brightline clearly, hence the TWU drive.
Employees of unions are also covered by RRB, which makes some sense since many/most of those employees likely started on the railroads, but it is not just conductors and engineers that are covered by RRB but all rail road employees from my understanding. It would seem the other employees would still be RRB enrolled.
jis
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Brightline T&E crew are Brightlne employees. They have nothing to do with FECR.
Dispatching is done by the Florida Dispatching Company which is jointly and equally owned by FECR and Brightline, and has its own employees who do the dispatching
Dispatching is done by the Florida Dispatching Company which is jointly and equally owned by FECR and Brightline, and has its own employees who do the dispatching
Someone once explained that FEC employees come under RRB because FEC interchanges cars with interstate (CSX and NS) railroads, while Brightline in as yet, doesn’t….
Interesting list that still includes some, but not all defunct railroads…
I assume the company stays there until the last employee drawing benefits passes away.
crescent-zephyr
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Of interest and puzzlement to me with regard to the list of union-covered companies is the only listing for Amtrak is "Amtrak Maintenance of Way Settlement Fund". Seems like a weird name for Amtrak. Explanations?
Being under Railroad Retirement and being under the Railway Labor Act are two different things. For instance, union airline employees (I am retired from an airline) are under the Railway Labor Act but airline employees are not under Railroad Retirement. I have no idea how being an intrastate carrier impacts any of that.
Commuter and light rail do not fall under RLA or RRB from my understanding and I think maybe Brightline used that to get out of the more expensive RRB stuff. I think Brightline was arguing they are more like an interurban than a traditional railroad.
jis
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Brightline Florida employees are not under RRB. Currently they also do not fall under any Union, but the OBS are in the process of joining a Union under TWU
Brightline West employees are under RRB because they are interstate. They are also unionized - all employees that are non management in T&E, OBS and construction.
Incidentally FECR is unionized under SMART.
Sunrail employees except the dispatchers are also not under RRB. Dispatchers are because they handle inter-state traffic of CSX and Amtrak.
TriRail T&E employees are under RRB because of historical reasons. TriRail as such did not have to be under RRB but they, for convenience, chose to voluntarily join.
Florida DispatchCo's (the folks that dispatch FECR and Brightline routes) are under RRB because they dispatch interstate traffic. My impression is that they are unionized under SMART but I can't find a definitive statement to that effect so far.
All this is as far as I can tell and sort of verify. There could be some errors. I will be at the FECRS Annual Convention later this week and will try to verify everything here and perhaps get some additional info too.
Correct on all of that from what I know as well. FEC is SMART and was UTU before the merger of UTU and Sheetmetal Workers Union. I am sure many are aware of the FEC and organized labor history. It was contentious to say the least. I want to say UTU reorganized FEC in 1996 after a few decades of the unions being gone from that company. Operating, dispatching, yardmasters are UTU. Signals I assume are BRS and MOW is BMWED-Teamsters. I know signals and maintenance are union departments on FEC but not 100% sure of the unions. Maybe signals and MOW are in the same union.
In the unlikely event that Brightline ever interlines with Amtrak, as far as train operation over Brightline territory, or maybe just sells each other's tickets, I wonder if that might make Brightline an "interstate carrier", and subject to RRB? 
That issue was the reason that some interurbans did not participate in interline ticketing. You may see that note in some Official Guide or Bus Guide listings.In the unlikely event that Brightline ever interlines with Amtrak, as far as train operation over Brightline territory, or maybe just sells each other's tickets, I wonder if that might make Brightline an "interstate carrier", and subject to RRB?
Bus (and truck) line employees, even for the bus lines that were owned by railroads, were never covered under Railroad Retirement Interstate bus lines were governed by the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC), as well as some state RR or Public Utility Commission's. I do recall footnotes in the Bus Guide stating: "Not an interstate carrier", or that no interline tickets, baggage, or express accepted. Some did it because they did not wish to join the National Bus Traffic Association, and deal with ticket reclaims for their revenues For others, imagine it might have been a way to be excepted from ICC regulation, not sure. Back then, the ICC regulated in two separate areas...commerce and safety. After deregulation, and the end of the ICC, the Bureau of Motor Carrier Safety became part of the DOT's Federal Highway Administration.
The only bus driver's that were probably covered under RRB were perhaps the railroad maintenance of way employees that drove the school type buses used to move MOW gangs from site to site,
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