Would you kindly print Mrs. Johnson's note as a "Thank You to all concerned" to the thousands of members who were prepared to go to war all across the country, including Soo. It should be their tribute, not mine.

Mark Wimmer, General Chairman
CMSTP&P System Federation

Thank you for our new benefit -- eye exam and frames and lenses for dependents. What a huge benefit for us -- as all four of us have glasses.

Thank you again! Our kids both have braces and we really appreciate the $750 ortho benefit and I see it has been raised to $1,000, which won't help us but I think it's great for those people in the future. Braces cost so much -- about $8,400 for our two kids. Thank you.

Mrs. Duwayne C. Johnson

I am the stepdaughter of one of your union members who works for CSX Transportation; he is a machine operator. The railroad gang that he is on is required to travel over a thousand miles round trip in order to work sometimes. This month (July) they were forced to travel to Camden, Tennessee on July 19 (Sunday) and work five 8-hour days. Instead of being able to come home as usual, my dad had to travel on Saturday July 25 to Indiana which was approximately 226 miles from Camden. He is now an estimated 911 miles away from his home in Thomasville, Georgia.

On Sunday July 26 he worked overtime with the following Monday as a regular work day. The employees were told that they would work through Wednesday. My family thought that my dad would finally be able to come home after not seeing him for about a week and a half. Unfortunately, my mom and I received a disappointing phone call from my dad telling us that he would have to work on Thursday also. This news means that he probably will not be home until late Friday afternoon or evening. In order to be back to do work on Sunday, he will have to leave early Saturday morning. He will not have time to do anything but sleep for a few hours before making a 16-hour drive back to work.

My family and a number of employees think CSX is taking advantage of their employees by requiring that they work these outrageous hours. They are too far away to drive home and back to work within 48 hours.

In the past few weeks, the employees were told they could not work four 10-hour days because of the train schedule. Instead they had to work five 8-hour days. The trains did not run until well into the evening; they would have had plenty of time to finish working for the day and clear the tracks. As if these hours were not bad enough, the company wants them to work five 10-hour days while they are in Indiana. Originally, they were supposed to be in Vincennes, Indiana for one week only. Now they have to work at least two or three weeks there.

While the company sends out its orders and takes care of all its tasks, the employees have responsibilities other than their jobs that are being neglected: church, families, homes, bills, etc. The stress from the job is hard enough without the thought of having very important and often urgent matters at home that are being placed on the "back burner." When employees have to deal with unresolved issues at home that keep piling up week after week, they may take their frustration out on someone at work and thus decrease the effective production level.

It was much more convenient when my dad was working closer to home and he could come home on Thursday nights and go back Sunday evening. He was able to spend quality time with us and share the load of taking care of the family which includes an elderly father-in-law with a serious medical condition. The stress that comes from my dad's job affects not only him but the whole family. The time spent at home on the weekend is usually rushed because we try to get so much done before my dad has to go back to work, especially if he has to go a long distance.

All the work and traveling will soon take its toll on the employees' bodies. The company will be the one who will lose in the end. CSX always claims "Safety First" but they do not obey their own rule. They put a number of lives in danger by having them drive hundreds and hundreds of miles to and from work. There are already too many sleep-deprived drivers on the roads. The employees try to make it home to spend what little time they have with their families and take care of other necessary tasks before having to go back to work If something happens to one of the employees en route to his home, CSX may face a lawsuit from the family because the employee had to drive too far without enough sleep.

In the May/June 1998 issue of CSX TODAY, there was an article about a 31-year old CSXT assistant superintendent who talked about young people having jobs that will allow them to "enjoy their children, have hobbies and invest in their communities." These qualifications for a job are not just for young workers; older employees should have the same courtesy. They have older children and grandchildren, hobbies, and interest in their communities as well.

The CSX employee went on to describe how he felt as a child when his father had to spend a lot of time away from home working for the railroad. As an employee he realized the sacrifices his father made to spend time with him. One of the things he sacrificed was sleep.

I am afraid to think what could happen if CSX is allowed to continue such behavior. Some kind of action is needed soon. I would appreciate your cooperation and prompt action in this matter.

Angela Keys

Editor's Note:

We were unable to contact Ms. Keys as we had no return address on her excellent letter. We would appreciate it if she or anyone who knows her or her stepfather would kindly contact the Communications Department at Grand Lodge.

The main concerns of the older employees in the Maintenance of Way Dept. are not wages, seniority or extra gangs or system gangs that work all over the United States. We as Union-paying members would like to retire with our health and have a few good years left after retirement.

If we could get back our 60 + 30 years retirement program, without any loss of income and insurance for those two years (60-62), it would be of great help to us right now.

A system could be worked out between the railroads, unions and federal government, to work together to figure out what the savings and benefits would be to the railroads for replacing an old employee, age 60, with a new employee. A new employee can be trained to new railroad standards and modern technology, work at 10% less wages than old employees, plus less benefits and less vacation pay after the first year.

An employee at age 60 in the Maintenance of Way Dept. between 30 or 40 years of service is at greater risk for injury. The strength, quickness and flexibility he enjoyed at a younger age are gone. The employee's interests is looking forward to retirement, not be retrained. The only reason an employee stays working between the ages of 60-62 is because he doesn't want to lose 20% of his tier II, which amounts roughly to around $225-$250 a month, plus his insurance benefits the first year at age 60. At age 61 his insurance would be paid, but he loses 20% of his tier II benefits. The employee actually stays working for less than $3.00 an hour, just so he can retire at age 62 with full benefits.

This program should be presented as a savings and safety program to the railroads. Savings and safety would be a benefit to the railroads, plus let their employees in the Maintenance of Way Dept. retire with dignity, good health and a good attitude towards the railroads. It would not be costly, and give a little hope for us old employees.

We lost two years from full retirement at age 60 + 30 years to 62 with full benefits because of federal laws during the Reagan administration. Let us work to get this part of our retirement back, NOW!!

Next, we need to get on with the 55 + 30, or 30 years of service for full retirement program which will take years to incorporate. The older employees who are working now will have anywhere from 38-42 years on the railroad at age 62. For a MofW worker, this amounts to a lot of hot summers and cold winters being exposed to many different elements as cancer causing creosol and melanoma (skin cancer). These hot summers and cold winters get more difficult as we grow older. This program is for the MofW employees working out in the field.

Many of our fellow brothers never receive a retirement check because of early death, or do not enjoy retirement because of sickness and injuries. Statistics show how much of this is true for MofW employees.

Try to keep our jobs close to home instead of running us all over the United States. For over 130 years, district gangs and section gangs worked close to home, let's keep it working like this for another 100 years.

Respectfully yours,

Eugene B. Zywiec
Section man, UPRC Gang 4772
Columbus, NE

TO MY FELLOW BMWE MEMBERS:

My name is Donald Aspery. I have been a member of BMWE since 1966. I am writing to you because I need some help with the problem I have. I have noticed in the past that the BMWE has aided brothers in need and I hoped you would run my story in the BMWE Journal. I would also ask my brothers and sisters to take time to read my story and if you are able to offer any assistance, please do so.

My son, Tommy Aspery, was assaulted in Cleveland, Ohio. He was 26 years old. He was robbed and struck in the head with a blunt instrument. As a result of his injuries he went into a coma and never regained consciousness. Tommy was hospitalized for eight months. He had no life insurance. We were told that a group that supports the victims of violent crime would pay for his funeral expenses but in fact they only pay a small part of the actual cost, and to date we have received no money from them. We are in need of $12,000. If there is anything you, as a fellow brother or sister of the BMWE, can do to help us out in our time of great need, it would be much appreciated.

Also, I am currently ill and have come down with Bell's Palsy as a result of all the stress I went through. Subsequently, I have been on sick leave since July of 1998. Tommy passed away on April 18, 1998, my mother-in-law passed away six weeks later. It has been a very stressful and difficult time for myself and my entire family. I am also recovering from surgery on my right arm and approximately in four months I will have to undergo surgery on my other arm

Any brother or sister who is able to extend a helping hand to another Union brother and wishes to do so, may send donations to:

Memory of Thomas Aspery
P.O. Box 38291
Olmsted Falls, OH 44138

Thanking you in advance for your consideration and generosity.

Donald C. Aspery and family