Vaco Board Update

As always - thanks for all of your support with recent events. I have heard some good feedback from members on this blog. I want ATU 757 brothers & sisters to feel at home here, and think of this site as a tool that we all can benefit from.

No Contest.

Resolution of the vacation board problem proved to be more than either side was willing to move on. While we could have conducted a Union run Re-bid, the District was unwilling to alter/ switch back the days off to the preferred, logical days off.

Unfortunately there is a past practice here in the sense that when vacation weeks have become vacant in the past - as in, when a operator terminates employment after bidding vacation but before bidding their work- that week and the days off that went with it has traditionally became property of the district. The week becomes an extra board slot on the VACO board and depending on what days off the District deems, it is what it is.

I'm not saying it is a fair thing. Its not. But past practice is what we live by and in this case die by. It goes without saying that when you bid work - any type of work, it can come with some unexpected pitfalls. However The District has been made aware that the way this info was communicated was unacceptable and we expect to see a better way to communicate these anomalies to the membership when they become known.


Momma always said "clean behind your ears".

There is another issue we have to discuss that doesn't effect all of you or even a fraction of you but it needs to be talked about. Ear buds. No --- not that gunk in your ear that gathers for weeks and is fun to play with (Sorry maybe that's just me). What I mean is: phone and radio accessories.

While we haven't had a problem with that as far as safety goes, no one has wrecked due to the use of these items, it has been rumored that some drivers still keep an ear bud, in while they drive or on occasion take a call. I don't know if any of this is true but if it is, whoever it is: Cease and desist. If you chose not to, well I will put it to you this way --- I am a victim of Drunk Driving, I was permanently injured 2 years ago by a highly intoxicated flatbed truck tow truck driver. I look at driving while using devices of this nature as the same, and research does too.

I am not trying to guilt trip anyone. We all have lives. Some of us have difficult situations going on with the home front. You still have to turn it off, figuratively and literally.

For the 0.1% that are rumored to partake in this type of activities warning: They are ramping it up due to nation wide attention on this matter. Do not be that guy or gal who ends up on you tube or the one they show on the evening news. And for the 99.9% of you drivers that don't thank you for being professional.



Rolling ON

The site is gathering momentum and we are tricking it out. There are many ways to be involved with this blog and get updated besides the normal ways of subscribing to posts via our RSS feed or by email --- such as following us on twitter, as well as friendfeed or our calender of events.

A page with our contract which has been broken down and posted by Department and by section, so you can download and have access to what sections you need - without downloading the whole contract. (There is no seniority list available for download, for privacy purposes.)

Always remember, as I am often on different work day to day, a good way to ask questions is right here on this site. Post away.

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