ARTICLE 10

CREW CONSIST

  1. Crew Size Determination

Crew size is determined by job requirements under the terms and conditions of this Article. The ARRC has the right to assign additional crew members as it deems necessary.

B. Passenger Service Crews
  1. Crews operating passenger trains other than in A 2,3,4 below will consist of at least one (1) Conductor, one (1) Engineer, and one (1) Engineer working as Fireman. If no Conductor working as Brakeman has been added per A 1 a below, the ARRC may substitute a Conductor working as Brakeman for an Engineer working as Fireman on trains traveling less than 125 miles in one direction. Additional crew members are added in the following manner:

    1. If four (4) or more pieces of passenger equipment are used, excluding locomotives, power cars, baggage cars and diner cars, one (1) Conductor working as Brakeman shall be added.

    2. Between June 1 and September 1 the Anchorage to Seward passenger crew consist will include (1) Conductor, one (1) Engineer, one (1) Engineer working as Fireman, and one Conductor working as Brakeman.

      1. Crews operating self-propelled passenger cars will consist of one (1) Conductor and one (1) Engineer. Additional crew members are added in the following manner.

    1. If four (4) or more self-propelled passenger cars are coupled in multiple, without locomotive power, one (1) Conductor working as Brakeman shall be added.

    2. If a locomotive is added to self-propelled passenger car(s), one (1) Engineer working as Fireman shall be added.

    1. Passenger trains chartered by tour companies (e.g., Westours, Princess), are operated by one (1) Conductor, one (1) Engineer, and one (1) Engineer working as Fireman.

    2. Non-revenue passenger trains are operated by one (1) Conductor and one (1) Engineer.

        1. "Conductor working as Brakeman" positions are only bulletined as Brakeman when there are:

          1. insufficient Conductors to fill Conductor vacancies, and;

          2. the transfer of a Conductor assigned in engine service would leave insufficient promoted employees in engine service to fill promoted and "Engineer working as Fireman" positions, and;

          3. insufficient employees to fill non promoted engine service positions.

        1. "Engineer working as Fireman" positions are only bulletined as Fireman when:

          1. there are insufficient Engineers to fill Engineer vacancies, and;

          2. the transfer of an Engineer assigned in train service would leave insufficient promoted employees in train service to fill promoted positions.

        2. The following applies to positions that are re-bulletined per 5 and 6 above:

          1. Assigned employees will protect their position through the life of the bulletin and are then displaced.

          2. Positions are bulletined in inverse seniority order.

        3. Conductor working as Brakeman and Engineer working as Fireman positions may be re-bulletined as allowed above without creating a change in crew consist per Article 13 A 1 e.

        4. Conductor working as Brakeman and Engineer working as Fireman vacancies may be filled from the applicable Brakeman or Fireman extra board if there are insufficient promoted employees to fill promoted vacancies.

C. Freight Service Crews

  1. Crews operating freight trains will consist of at least one (1) Conductor and one (1) Engineer. The following limitations apply.

    1. Freight trains will not exceed five thousand two hundred eighty (5280) feet, exclusive of locomotives.

    2. Freight trains are limited to four (4) pick-ups or set-outs, (as defined in Article 20A) or a combination thereof, en route or at terminals other than Anchorage and Fairbanks. There shall be no more than two (2) pick-ups or set-outs in the Whittier terminal.

    3. If it is known prior to departure that the limitations of Paragraph "a" and "b" above will be exceeded, one (1) Brakeman will be added. If the limitations are exceeded, and a Brakeman is not added, each crew member will be paid four (4) straight time hours in addition to all other earnings for the trip or tour of duty. Prior to a crew’s exceeding the limitations of Paragraph "a" and "b" above, authorization must be obtained through the train dispatcher’s office.

    4. At Anchorage or Fairbanks terminals, two-person crews (one Conductor and one Engineer) may double their trains when the length of the train exceeds track capacity. Two-person crews may also be required to pick up and deliver their locomotives between the mechanical service area and their train.

    1. Yard Service Crews

Yard Service Crews consist of one (1) Conductor, one (1) Engineer and one (1) Brakeman.

E. Commercial Work Crews

Commercial Work Crews consist of one (1) Conductor, one (1) Engineer and one (1) Brakeman.

F. Company Work Crews

Company Work Crews consist of one (1) Conductor, one (1) Engineer and one (1) Brakeman.

G. Extra Boards
    1. Extra Boards established at Seward, Moose Pass, Whittier, Anchorage, and Fairbanks will consist of at least one (1) Conductor, one (1) Engineer, and one (1) Brakeman.
    2. Extra boards established at Healy will consist of at least one (1) Conductor, one (1) Engineer. One (1) Brakeman will be added as required in Paragraph N below.

            1. Crews Loading and Unloading Rail Barges

              2. Crews Loading and Unloading Rail Barges consist of one (1) Conductor, one (1) Engineer and one (1) Brakeman.

            2. Crews Making Planned Doubles

              3. Crews Making Planned Doubles shall consist of one (1) Conductor, one (1) Engineer and one (1) Brakeman.

            3. Crews Loading and/or Unloading Bulk Commodities

              4. Crews Loading and/or Unloading Bulk Commodities shall consist of one (1) Conductor, one (1) Engineer and one (1) Brakeman.

              Exception: Crews performing coal loading may consist of one (1) Conductor and one (1) Engineer.

            4. Relieving Crews

Crews being relieved due to the Hours of Service Act will be relieved by a like crew.

L. New Business

New business and other Crew Consists may be agreed upon by the Superintendent of Transportation and the UTU General Chairman.

M. Dividing Crews

Crews beginning a shift or tour of duty together will complete their shift or tour of duty together. However;

    1. Crews may be divided to double hills, or in cases of emergency

    2. Crew members may be held over to fill a vacancy when no other employee is available

    3. Deadheading a crew member to a home terminal is allowed.

    1. Trainmen Protections and Attrition

  1. Trainmen with a seniority date prior to April 15, 1980, are the first group of protected employees. Prior to a member of this group of protected employees being laid off or furloughed, the Superintendent of Transportation will determine which three (3) person assignment(s) will have a second Brakeman position. Only members of this group may bid on the second Brakeman assignment. It is the intent of this Paragraph that no member of this group is laid off prior to all three (3) person assignments having a second Brakeman position.

  2. Trainmen with a seniority date prior to January 1, 2001, are a second and different group of protected employees. Prior to a protected employee from this group being laid off or furloughed, the Superintendent of Transportation will determine which two (2) person assignment(s) will have a Brakeman position. It is the intent of this Paragraph that no protected employee is laid off prior to all two (2) person assignments having a Brakeman position.

  3. Commencing on the effective date of this agreement coal trains between Healy and Fairbanks, or Fairbanks and Healy are two person crews.
  4. Each year, between April 1 and May 1sta gradual reduction in Freight Brakeman positions will occur as commercial and company work assignments are added. Two Brakeman positions will be reduced, in seniority order from existing freight assignments for each commercial or company work assignment added. Between May 1st and September 30th, crew consist is determined solely as described in Paragraphs B thru J of this Article.
  5. Each year on October 1st freight assignments will have a Brakeman added subject to the following:

a. Brakeman positions eliminated through attrition in 5 below will not be added.

          1. For each bulletined trainman position on commercial and company work assignments one freight Brakeman position will not be added.
          2. Each Year between October 1st and October 31st one (1) freight Brakeman position will be added for each trainman assignment eliminated in commercial or company work service.
          3. Each year after October 31st all two person freight assignments will have the Brakeman position added, to the extent those positions have not been permanently eliminated as a result of Paragraph five (5) below.
          4. When the number of positions specified in the attrition language are eliminated, freight brakeman positions will not be bulletined except as provided in 1 and 2 above.
          5. One (1) Healy extra board Brakeman position will be considered a freight Brakeman assignment for the purpose of this Paragraph.

  1. Freight Brakeman Positions are subject to attrition as follows:

                1. The reduction of trainmen positions will be accomplished through attrition. Attrition is a permanent departure from the bargaining unit. Employees with a seniority date prior to May 22, 1989, who have worked the majority of their career as a Trainman, shall constitute the population from which attrition will occur.

                2. Attrition will occur at a rate of one and one half (1.5) to one (1). That is, for every three (3) employees that are removed from this population of employees two (2) Brakeman positions will be immediately and permanently eliminated, and for every two (2) employees that are removed from this population of employees one (1) Brakeman position will be immediately and permanently eliminated. The total number of brakeman positions protected in this manner will not exceed fifteen (15).

                3. When fifteen (15) Brakeman positions are eliminated through the attrition process described in this Paragraph, crew consist is determined as described in Paragraphs B thru J.