(The following story by Lois Caliri appeared on The Roanoke Times website on January 12.)
ROANOKE, Va. — Eighteen railroad workers heard rumors that their shop would close in Roanoke. But they’ve heard rumors for years.
This time, the rumors became a reality. Friday morning, the men who repair railroad signal equipment showed up to work only to learn they were going home. They’d get five days’ pay.
Norfolk Southern decided to contract the work out, union officials said. NS said that’s not the case. It said it is not sending its equipment to an outside vendor for rebuilding; instead it will buy the equipment from outside vendors.
The Roanoke signal shop is the last of the railroad’s signal shops. Although the workers said they can get other jobs in the NS system, it may mean they’d have to move to another city. “It’s really aggravating and disturbing to have something like this happen, but it’s nothing compared to how the employees will be affected,” said Floyd Mason, vice president of the eastern region of the Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen. The shop employed men that live in and have families in the Roanoke area.
The shop’s closing means employees here could displace workers in Ohio, West Virginia, North Carolina, Maryland and other parts of Virginia. “The economic consequences involved in the uprooting of families, the loss of second incomes, the transfer of school children to schools out of the district or possibly out of state are incalculable,” Mason said. For some workers, it means a second or third move. Some moved to Roanoke a few years ago. The Roanoke employees have seniority, some with 25 years’ experience, so they can “bump” those with less experience. This means the workers with the least seniority would be out of a job. Instead of repairing equipment in a shop, the workers would install and maintain the equipment along the railroad’s system. Signalmen install, repair and maintain the signal systems, which railroads use to direct train movements. Automatic signals and switches installed and maintained by signalmen allow railroads to move large numbers of freight and passenger trains at higher speeds and with greater safety. Signalmen also install and maintain the warning systems used at railroad-highway crossings.
Union officials said they will file a lawsuit in federal court in Roanoke to reverse NS’ action, arguing that closing the shop violates the law under the terms of the Railway Labor Act. The act states that every effort has to be made to maintain agreements and settle disputes. NS has already filed a suit, asking the court to block any possible attempts by the signalmen to strike to protest the shop closure. Until now, NS has bought only newly manufactured signal devices from outside suppliers and has produced rebuilt devices at the Roanoke shop. Signal devices were either repaired by the union workers, sold for scrap or sent to the shop for evaluation, according to court records. NS wants to buy more new and rebuilt devices. It argues it can buy the equipment without violating a union agreement. Mason said union officials have been negotiating with NS — in some cases, almost weekly — and the railroad’s desire to contract out work was a key issue. Mason said railroad management has repeatedly tried to find ways to subcontract work since the 1970s.
“We finally came to an agreement in November of last year that puts limits on the railroad’s right to subcontract work in exchange for changes in work rules,” Mason said. The agreement covered close to 1,250 signalmen who work for NS.
As part of the agreement, the railroad would hire 40 additional people to help an undermanned staff. A conference call was scheduled for Friday morning between labor and management to discuss how they would implement the new agreement.
Before the ink was dry, Mason said he got a call Thursday morning from NS and was told the railroad was going to close the repair signal shop in Roanoke.