(The following story by Ron Fields appeared on The Hawk Eye website on February 26.)
BURLINGTON, Iowa — A trip to Topeka, Kan., may not be as inevitable as most local Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway shops workers thought, according to a union representative.
Dell Babcock, general chairman of the Chicago–based International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, said Tuesday that railroad and union leaders have reached a tentative agreement that could lead to a drive to Galesburg, Ill., rather than a move to Kansas.
The agreement, which has yet to be finalized, would open positions at BNSF facilities in Galesburg and would provide a slate of benefits for those who choose to follow their job to Topeka.
Jobs in Galesburg and Topeka will be guaranteed for six years; the jobs staying in Burlington have no such protection.
BNSF announced in December that its locomotive repair shops would be consolidated in Topeka, leaving only 44 workers in Burlington. The announcement of the transfer of 93 jobs — 89 of them union positions — followed the January 2003 layoff of nearly 260 workers.
Since December, BNSF and leaders of six union crafts with workers at the Burlington shops have been negotiating the agreement that would spell out the work transfer.
Of the 61 machinists Babcock represented during the negotiations, “no one will be required to go to Topeka.”
“The carrier has agreed to create sufficient jobs at Galesburg so that no machinists will be required to relocate,” Babcock said, noting that he planned to present the tentative agreement to his membership Tuesday afternoon.
It was unclear how the other crafts would be affected.
“It varies from craft to craft,” Babcock said.
BNSF spokesman Steve Forsberg said Tuesday that the railroad wouldn’t comment on the specifics of the agreement until it is finalized.
“We’ve learned over time that sometimes membership doesn’t always necessarily agree with what leadership has done,” he said.
The timeline of the transfer has yet to be decided, although Babcock said the talks likely pushed the original March 5 transfer date back about a month.
He said that date could be announced by the end of the week.
The 44 workers who will remain at the Burlington shops, which will be converted into a parts–repair facility, will be decided on a seniority basis, Babcock added, and seniority accrued at the Burlington shops will be recognized by the Topeka bargaining unit.
Steve Thompson of the local machinists union said he is unsure how many of the Burlington workers will opt for Galesburg positions.
“Nobody really knows how long (those jobs would last),” Thompson said. “If they have five years or less (before retirement), they may stay and ride it out.
“Guys with 10, 11, 12 years left are searching their souls. They may be feeling that the safe bet for them would be maybe for them to go to Topeka.”
Thompson said if there are fewer Burlington workers than jobs in Kansas, the jobs will be posted for furloughed Topeka workers. If openings remain after that, the jobs will be posted for Burlington workers laid off in January 2003.
Those who choose to move to Topeka will be given additional benefits, including retraining or job–search assistance for their spouse and a BNSF guarantee that their Burlington–area home will not be sold at a loss.
Help with moving expenses also is among the “enhanced benefits” workers moving to Topeka can receive.
Babcock said he was pleased an agreement was reached. If the sides were unable to reach a consensus, binding arbitration would have been necessary. Under such circumstances, enhanced benefits would have been lost to workers.
“It gives those people that follow the work to Topeka additional benefits that they wouldn’t get otherwise,” he said. “From where we started from, I’m very pleased with where we’ve ended up.
“All in all, it worked out as best that it could under the circumstances.”