(The Associated Press circulated the following story on March 2.)
CHICAGO — About 100 train dispatchers for Burlington Northern Santa Fe Corp. walked off their jobs for more than two hours Wednesday, disrupting rush-hour commuter service in Chicago and other cities.
The dispatchers are represented by the American Train Dispatchers Association. The walkout occurred at the railway’s Fort Worth operations center. Union representatives did not return phone calls seeking comment.
BNSF spokesman Joe Faust said the dispute was over the personal leave time dispatchers can take. He said the company was working to resume regular operations.
BNSF managers filled in during the walkout, which ended around 6:20 p.m. CST, said Gus Melonas, another company spokesman. BNSF said the safety of rail operations wasn’t affected.
In Chicago, hundreds of evening commuters were stranded at the downtown Union Station as the walkout delayed service for up to an hour on the Metra commuter train route between Chicago and Aurora, Ill.
Metra spokeswoman Judy Pardonnet said Burlington Northern operates 12 tracks at Union Station, and about 30,000 people ride the affected line during the evening rush hour.
“It’s a mess. It’s so disorganized,” said Cathy Parinella, 49, who was trying to catch a train to the Chicago suburb of Naperville.
In the Northwest, about half of rail traffic was affected by the strike, Melonas said.
The walkout delayed the evening Sounder commuter train service between Seattle and Tacoma, Wash. Buses were provided for commuters, Sound Transit spokesman Lee Somerstein said.
The union and Fort Worth-based Burlington Northern ratified a new contract in September, according to the company’s Web site.
Burlington Northern’s rail subsidiary operates 32,000 miles of track in 28 states and two Canadian provinces.