Division Update for March 2024
11-4 Scheduled work is coming to Houston soon. All Houston BLET Local Chairman from Avondale to Brownsville recently met online with Southern Region General Chairman James Logan to discuss what Houston will look like once 11-4 starts. Very, very preliminary discussioins were had pertaining to the different pools and extraboards around Houston. GC Logan will take this information back to CMS and begin the process of negotiating the 11-4 Implementing Agreement for Houston. Hopefully we're looking at a late April or early May implementation time for pools and extraboards that primarily protect a pool. Negotiations for non pool extrabaords will begin this summer. For 11-4 information including bid sheets and calanders, visit 11-4.org
Documentation requests for paid sick (PS) days have beeen sent out by the Carrier to some of your portal messages and some of you have apperently missed that request which has resulted in several charge letters going out for failure to comply with instructions. By the PS Agreement, the Carrier has the right to request documentation for PS days. Please watch your messages for such requests and if you need help, please contact your local chairman. Teladoc is available to us through our medical insurance and the copay is only ten dollars. I highly recommend using Teladoc if you run close to the wire on attendance points and when using PS days. Visit https://member.teladoc.com/railroad for more information and to sign up for this service.
Brazos Yard Operations have ramped up over the last several weeks. As of 03/12/2024 all road crews should report to Brazos when coming on duty. There should be two hotel shuttles running to accomodate the additional drive times involved but please leave yourself extra times to get to Brazos.
Away from home terminal parking is behind, or to the west of the Brazos yard office. All vehicles must be moved from the Hearne Depot as soon as possible.
The afht tie-up circ7 has been changed from AX171 to BV095. You will need to update your side by side board profiles to reflect this change. However, as of right now, the train lineup still shows under AX171.
There are currently two, twelve hour shifts working at Brazos. Each shift has one RCO bowl job, one engineer TSE, and two utility jobs. You must contact the RCO job prior to entering zones on the north end of the yard. Tracks 103, 104, and 105 can all be activated as RCO zones. Jobs that go into a bowl track will also need sub zones. There are no remote zone signs indicating active or inactive, you must contact the RCO job on duty.
Houston crews can expect work on the northbound MSPFW which will set out in the 40 series bowl tracks. I'm told the setout on the MHOBO will disappear. Southbound we can expect a MBZBT and either a MBZHO or LI.
Please see this page https://www.blet139.com/downloads for additional Brazos information including zone locations, track maps, radio channels, etc.