We're getting ready for the 1999 work season with safety and other training classes and have been told to forget about receiving any travel time pay, mileage expense, meal allowance or lodging for these classes. Absolutely no mileage expense whether furloughed or traveling from another worksite, in some instances more than 200 miles away. No travel time pay, which for many was a six to seven-hour trip.

Their reasoning being: training class is not work and therefore, no expenses. Let me ask you CP: I'm working for you; you tell me I have to go to safety training or I can't work for you, and you're trying to tell me training class is not a worksite? When I'm forced to go or you'll fire me? What kind of insane policy are you trying to push on us.

And no meal allowance unless you qualified for lodging which is suddenly changed to 100+ miles away from home or you pay for your own room or go home with no mileage reimbursement. Many paid for a room--I went home. After getting up at 4:00 a.m. I nearly crashed, falling asleep at the wheel, going to a "safety class?" Please don't call this a safety class--it nearly killed me!

And what about point #7 on your daily safety commitment where it says: "People on the job must be mentally prepared, rested and physically fit for the job that day. You can take that #7 and sink it in the ocean because it don't mean squat to us. It's an insult. And while you're at it, see if you can drudge up any worker morale, because we're sinking fast.

We are also being told that the Canadian Pacific Police (CPP), which kind of rhymes with KGB, will be snooping around our campsites during the work season, making sure we're in our campers. And one week it's 50 miles, another week it's 100 miles--where in our contract does it say anything about miles?

And the way they organized these classes. One person was within 50 miles, the rest were 80 to 200+ miles away. But the following week another class was scheduled in a town where 2/3 of our class was from.

Where's the logic?

We're not asking for CEO-type bonuses. All we're asking for is reasonable expenses incurred.

Is this what we have to look forward to? Constantly changing expense rules and tons of paperwork? It's almost like they want us to give up and forget about expenses. Well we're not giving up, so forget it CP, we have our rights and will fight for them.

Local Lodge 1488 Member

Editor's Note: The following letter is reprinted from the April 1989 BMWE Journal and is as relevant today as it was 10 years ago.

I have been a loyal member of the BMWE for 10½ years, and I have been proud to be a part of the union movement.

The union has enabled me to earn a good living and helped me maintain a standard of living which my family and I have enjoyed through the years.

To me, the union is not only an organization of blue-collar workers bonded together for the common good of all its members, but also a feeling of security and protection against tyranny brought forth by big business against the blue-collar worker.

We have problems within our union, some of which have been started by big business to break the unions, but others we have caused ourselves. There are avenues that can be taken to find solutions to our internal problems.

Remember, we the members, are the union, and we must find the solutions to these problems so we can stand united against big business, and fight for our rights before big business takes them all from us.

Unions are as important to "American History" as history itself. As we look back in history, our brothers before us made a great many sacrifices, and some even gave up their lives so that we can enjoy the benefits we have today.

It would be very sad to think, if we were to give up and be disunited, that our brothers before us fought so hard and sacrificed so much in vain.

Surely this will happen if we do not unite once more, and fight to keep the benefits we have. I ask that whatever differences we have, we find a solution for them, and once again be united.

Remember: United we stand for a better workplace. Divided we will surely perish under the tyranny of big business.

Jeffrey T. Finch
Gretna, Louisiana