I am printing mileage checks and inquiries tonight and will forward to Mr. Leonard tomorrow morning.  Mr. Leonard's office is working closely with all of the Chairmen in the committee to resolve our furlough issues.

Chad Henton
Local Chairmain & Legislative Rep.
SMART-TD Local 506
Herington,KS 67449
785-366-1119

​This is my response to Brents letter for request for mileage report

Brent Leonard
General Chairman GO-953
July 27, 2016

Brent, 
     Here are the mileage reports you requested from Herington, I have included a monthly summary of the SW148 XK30 board, which covers the SW148 RT33, RT34, AT30 (LMS55, LMF40, and the LMF42) and also covers vacancies when needed at SW221 for the YS30( HU67 and HU69) and the extra local (LMS52) ran 3 days per week out of SW221, when the XK30 there is exhuasted.
     I have included a 14 day summary for both of my pools, which I generally have not had any issues adding or cutting based on the mileage, they  pretty much defer to me and my request on pool mileage.
     I have included the the mileage reports for the SW148 XE33, which covers the same exact pools and jobs at Herington and Hutchinson in the same manner as my XK30.
     I have included the sw221 XK30 and SW221 XE30 reports as well for your review.
If I can be of further assistance or if more information is needed of myself please dont hesitate to call, this is a serious matter faced by our membership and I hope we can get this resolved.

Fraternally ,
                            
​Chad Henton

Written by  William C. Vantuono, Editor-in-Chief, RailwayAge Magazine

"Revenue declines in six traffic groups were a key contributing factor in Union Pacific’s second-quarter financials, for which the railroad reported diluted earnings per share of $1.17, a 15% decline from the prior-year quarter; operating income of $1.66 billion, down 15%; and an operating ratio of 65.2%, up 1.1 points.
​
Operating revenue of $4.77 billion was down 12% in second-quarter 2016 compared to 2015. Business volumes, as measured by total revenue carloads, declined 11%. Volume declines in coal, intermodal, industrial products, chemicals, and automotive more than offset growth in agricultural products. Revenue per carload was down 2%, as a 4% decline in fuel surcharges more than offset a 2% core price increase.

Quarterly freight revenue decreased 13% compared to 2015, as volume declines and lower fuel surcharge revenue more than offset core pricing gains. Agricultural Products dipped 3%; chemicals dropped 5%; Automotive fell 13%; Industrial Products fell 14%; Intermodal dropped 16%; and Coal nosedived 27%.

On the cost side, UP’s $1.45 per gallon average quarterly diesel fuel price in second-quarter 2016 was 27% lower than second-quarter 2015. In addition, quarterly train speed, as reported to the Association of American Railroads, was 26.6 mph, 8% faster than 2015, though the velocity increase is almost entirely attributable to fewer trains in operation and, hence, more capacity and improved network fluidity. UP also repurchased 7 million shares in the quarter 2016 at an aggregate cost of $602 million.

“While the second quarter was again challenging from a volume perspective, we continued focusing on initiatives that are squarely in our control, such as being productive with our resources, providing our customers with excellent service, and improving our safety performance,” said UP Chairman, President and CEO Lance Fritz.

Looking ahead, Fritz said that “a soft global economy, the negative impact of the strong U.S. dollar on exports, and relatively weak demand for consumer goods will continue to pressure volumes through the second half of the year. However, we see potential bright spots in certain segments of our business if key economic drivers continue to strengthen as they have in recent weeks. Beyond the impact of the current macro environment, we are implementing a strategy that will make us a stronger company for the future. In the months and years ahead we will continue to create competitive advantages for our customers, enhanced safety and satisfaction for our employees, strength in our communities, and solid returns for our shareholders.”

Wall Street responded to UP’s financial report with a “mildly negative reaction to the results,” said Cowen and Company Managing Director and Railway Age Wall Street Contributing Editor Jason Seidl. “We view this as a unique buying opportunity, as it appears largely attributable to further moderation in price, which we believe will begin to improve in 2H16. Potential near-term drivers include agricultural products, coal, construction products, and domestic intermodal. Longer term, free cash flow should begin to increase as UP’s capex needs moderate.”

UP’s results were largely in line with Cowen and Wall Street consensus estimated. The 2Q16 EPS of $1.17 topped Cowen’s $1.15 expectation and met the consensus of $1.17. The 15% operating income decline was fairly close to Cowen’s and street expectations of $1.67 billion and $1.70 billion, respectively. UP’s 12% revenue drop, to $4.77 billion, was largely in line with Cowen’s and consensus estimates. The OR’s deterioration by 110 basis points year-over-year to 65.2% was 50 bps worse than Copen’s assumption and 80 bps worse than the implied consensus OR.

“UP’s 2% core pricing result represented a deterioration from 2.5% in 1Q16, which in turn was below the 3.5% achieved in 4Q15, which had a half percentage point of legacy business,” Seidl noted. “We believe the pricing pressure is attributable to three main factors: 1) Ample capacity across freight modes. 2) Ocean shippers taking advantage of low rates to take freight further on water, with more East Coast-bound freight going directly to Eastern ports. 3) Aggressive pricing by BNSF.

“We believe the price moderation was the key culprit behind the mildly negative reaction to the results. We view the stock weakness as a unique buying opportunity for long-term investors as we believe pricing will begin to rebound in 2H16. Indeed, UP noted recent tightening in freight capacity, which is consistent with the takeaways from our private trucking call, in which participants noted improved volumes in June and July and a rise in spot truckload rates.

“Other potential bright spots include agricultural products, coal, construction products, and domestic intermodal. On the Ag front, a combination of high levels of grain in storage, a strong expected crop in the U.S. this season, and weak crops in South America could drive the shipment of domestic and export grain. On the coal front, we are modeling for a material sequential rise in traffic, as coal burn in June was outsized vs. May, and much of the coal produced in UP-served regions is now in the money at current natural gas prices. Construction products, according to our channel checks, remain strong and should continue to drive demand for the shipment of lumber and aggregates. Finally, domestic intermodal should benefit from what appears to be a gradual recovery in truckload rates.”

​We've had some cases lately of short turns being called and then also used to dogcatch. You can not refuse, as it does not fall under crew consist because you DO have a brakeman now. Here are some examples given me by Cliff Johnson on how these will be paid.

Chad Henton
Local Chairmain & Legislative Rep.
SMART-TD Local 506
Herington,KS 67449
785-366-1119

As always, I would like the members to keep me informed of anything that you turn into Coleman. Things that are said to him seem to just disappear and don't always get addressed so it is very important that I, as the local chairman, receive this information as well. I hear a lot of guys talk but no one ever will put anything in writing and turn it in.  This is imperative to resolve our situation. The State legislative director has also been very involved with Coleman in trying to resolve our issues.

Chad Henton
Local Chairmain & Legislative Rep.
SMART-TD Local 506
Herington,KS 67449
785-366-1119

Guys and girls,
​
I will be traveling to Chicago early Sunday morning to attend the regional meeting.

I have been put on assignment by Kansas State Legislative Director Ty Dragoo to attend in his absence. He will be traveling to Washington DC as he is a Kansas delegate to the Democratic Convention to be held there next week.

As always I will be able to attend numerous training sessions for local chairman as well as the legislative Department items that Mr Dragoo has requested.

I should still be available to field your phone calls for any concerns we have here at Herington while I'm gone. There may be an instance where I will need to return your calls, leave me a message or shoot me a text.


Chad Henton
Local Chairmain & Legislative Rep.
SMART-TD Local 506
Herington,KS 67449

​Earlier today, I testified at a public FRA hearing in favor of a strong federal regulation mandating the use of two-person crews on all freight trains in the United States. I was joined by a wide array of safety advocates supporting two-person crews, including North Dakota Senator Heidi Heitkamp, several Mayors from across the country, the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, the Transportation Trades Department of the AFL-CIO and one of our own members, Mike Rankin, who shared his story about how he and his engineer worked together to save the life of a teenager struck at a grade crossing.

By issuing the proposed rule, the FRA has acknowledged the critical safety importance of two-person crews, and it is my hope that in the coming months the agency will take our comments into consideration and issue the strongest possible final rule. 

My testimony is attached to this email and a full account of Mike's story can be found here.
 
In Solidarity,
John Risch
National Legislative Director
SMART Transportation Division

This is for your information on Governor Mike Pence, R-IN who now is slated to be the GOP VP candidate. He served in Congress as a Member of the House from 2001 to 2012 representing the 6th District of Indiana.
During his tenure he was Chairman of the House GOP Conference and the House GOP Study Group. He ran for House Speaker and lost to Rep. John Boehner, R-OH.

In the 107th Congress on December 11, 2001 on the floor of the House the agenda was The Railroad Retirement Survivors' Improvement Act of 2001. This is the law that granted 30-60 and established the National Railroad Retirement Investment Trust.

​Roll Call #485 - HR 10 December 11, 2001 - Final Passage
369 Ayes
33 Nays
31 Not Voting
Congressman Mike Pence voted Nay

-- 
Ty Dragoo
United Transportation Union - SMART
Kansas Legislative Director
523 SW VanBuren Suite 100
Topeka, Kansas 66603
Phone  785.286.7527
Fax       785.286.7521
Email    ty@smartks.org

SMART Transportation Division has partnered with MetLife to bring our Rail and Bus members the most comprehensive and cost-effective Voluntary Long-Term Disability plans.

VLTD insurance helps you protect your income if you suddenly have to stop working due to an accident or illness. VLTD helps ensure that you can continue paying your bills and provide for your family if you are unable to work due to an accident or illness.

Open enrollment for the Voluntary Long-Term Disability (VLTD) Plan will be available for active dues-paying SMART Transportation Division Rail and Bus members beginning August 1, 2016, through October 31, 2016, with no medical history information required.

• 60% Option – Allows rail members to purchase coverage after a 238-day elimination period, and offers a monthly benefit of 60 percent of salary (up to a maximum benefit of $7,000). Cost for Part “B”: $73.88 per month.
• 50% Option – Allows rail members to purchase coverage after a 238-day elimination period, and offers a monthly benefit of 50 percent of salary (up to a maximum benefit of $7,000). Cost for Part “A”: $51.63 per month.

Need help deciding how much is right for you?

A good rule of thumb is to buy enough VLTD to cover your essential monthly expenses (e.g., mortgage, food, utilities and car payments). For most people, that is 60-80 percent of their income. To determine your specific needs, use the calculator tool.

Enroll TodayIn the month of July active members will receive an enrollment package from MetLife, containing plan FAQ’s and an enrollment form.
If for some reason you do not receive an enrollment packet in the mail, call your regional field supervisor or click on the enrollment form below.