(The following story by Norm Heikens appeared on the Indianapolis Star website on December 6.)
INDIANAPOLIS — Federal District Judge Larry McKinney on Friday ordered striking Amtrak employees back to work and to begin expedited arbitration in their dispute over outside contract workers.
About 600 employees at the Beech Grove maintenance facility stayed away from work beginning Wednesday after the Transport Workers Union and Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employes complained that the railroad violated their bargaining agreement by hiring contractors without first notifying them or meeting to discuss the matter.
The contractors were to repair track and cars.
The 11 other unions at the site refused to cross the picket lines.
Both striking unions contended Amtrak should have drawn from the roughly 70 furloughed workers before hiring contractors.
However, Amtrak contended hiring the contractors did not result in additional workers being furloughed and the unions didn’t follow proper internal procedure to settle the protest.
Union officials could not be reached for comment.
Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari said, “The judge ruled that there was no legal reason for the employees to strike, which has been precisely Amtrak’s position from the beginning.”
Magliari added that employees will not be paid for their three days on strike unless they had scheduled vacation or personal leave time for the three days.
However, the strike period will not be counted as absenteeism, he said.
Amtrak said the dispute has not disrupted train traffic.