LETTER OF UNDERSTANDNG
Between
BNSF Railway Company
And
Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen
In response to immediate service needs in the Vancouver, Washington area, the following provisions are agreed to concerning the establishment and operation of through freight Shuttle Service headquartered at Vancouver:
- The jobs created by this Letter of Understanding will operate under former Northern Pacific rules and agreements.
- The limits of this service are as follows:
- Seattle Subdivision — MP 76.7 near Vadar
- Fallbridge Subdivision — MP 30 near Washougal
- Crews called under this agreement may shuttle trains operating into and out of Vancouver within the limits in Section 2 without penalty. The term “frain” in this agreement represents a solid block of cars, with or without power, designated for road service. These shuttle crews may also hostle power within the Vancouver switching limits.
Shuttle crews will be allowed to advance solid over the road frains within the limits of the consolidated terminal for staging purposes (including staging and delivery of interchange trains and delivery of unit frains to all present and future facilities).
Crews called under this agreement may relieve hours-of-service trains that are within the Vancouver switching limits. In connection with this, these crews are allowed only to yard the train (including doubling of tracks if necessary) and take the power to the roundhouse or other tie-up track.
NOTE: It is understood that legitimate HOSR contemplates that train and engine consist remain undisturbed and that the train has been at the location within switching limits for less than 36 hours.
Shuttle crews will not be required nor allowed to perform work normally performed by yard assignments (switching, industry spotting/pulling, delivery/pull of interchange to foreign can-iers); or yard transfer service within the consolidated terminal.
- These crews will have no mileage limitation and will be paid on an hourly basis at the daily rate of pay of $272.59 for an engineer. These engineers will be allowed a daily trip rate of $444.25, which includes 8 hours straight time, 2 hours overtime
and Code NE in lieu of meal. Crews will be expected to carry a lunch and the Carrier will not be obligated to provide a real meal; however, the Code NE will be payable whether the crews are instructed to take a meal or not.
All other rules and agreements not specifically addressed in this Understanding remain undisturbed and are still payable under the appropriate CA code, including certification pay. Crews in this service on duty more than 10 hours will be paid overtime accordingly. Examples: 1) crew on duty 8 hours will be paid a trip rate, which includes 2 hours overtime; 2) crew on duty 12 hours will be paid a trip rate, which includes the 2 hours overtime included in the rate of pay, plus 2 additional hours of overtime.
- These assignments will work five days per week and will have an established on duty show-up time. Vacancies and extra jobs will be filled from Vancouver Engineer Extra Board 30. Extra jobs in this service can be called at any time. It is understood that BNSF will bulletin and assign a regular assignment if extra jobs are worked with an on duty time within a four hour window for four consecutive days. It is understood that a relief assignment could only be established based on rest days of the regular assignments. If an assigned engineer is not rested for his next assignment due to overtime worked on his own job, the assigned engineer will be expected to show up for work on his rest unless instructed that the assignment is annulled.
- Crews in this service will not be required to perform yard switching but can perform pennissible moves under PEB 219. These crews may spot head-end and DP power for fueling. Because these crews may handle more than one set of cars, the permissible moves set forth herein are calculated based on the following. If the crew handles cars out of the terminal, that move is considered the crew’s initial terminal for those cars and the engineer can perform three moves in connection with that train in accordance with PEB 219 and AA 458. If the crew handles cars into the terminal, that move is considered the engineer’s final terminal for that train and the engineer can perform three moves in connection with those cars in accordance with PEB 219 and AA 458. If the engineer handles the same cars into and out of the terminal, Vancouver will be considered as an intermediate location for that train, and the movements permissible are limited to one pick-up and/or one set-out within the Vancouver switching limits with those cars.
As part of discussions this date, it was understood that Shuttle Service covered by this Understanding would be considered assignments qualifying under the Holiday Pay Agreement but would be allowed to take Personal Leave Days. However, no crew covered by this Understanding shall receive more than eleven personal leave days and paid holidays in any calendar year.
Engineer Personal Leave Day and Holiday Pay – $272.59 (8 Hour Daily Rate)
Overtime for working a Holiday will only be applicable to the first 8 hours of the
day, calculated on the 8 Hour Daily Rate of $272.59. Overtime when working a Holiday will not be applicable to the other components in the Shuttle Service Trip Rate.
Engineer Annulment $418.63 (10 Hour Daily Rate minus meal)
- Provisions contained in this Understanding are agreed to on a strictly nonreferable basis and will only be applicable to these outlined assignments. It was understood that this Understanding would not establish a precedent applicable to future assignments.
This Letter of Understanding will be effective on the date signed and will remain in effect unless cancelled by either party with a 20-day written notice.
Signed at Fort Worth, Texas this 8th day of February , 2016.
For BLET: For the BNSF Railway: