April 6,2006

To: UTU Members

From: James Brunkenhoefer, National Legislative Director

If you haven't seen it already, please go to http://raillaborfacts.com/ to see a letter from the National Carriers Conference Committee. It is my understanding that you can soon expect to be addressed by a member of management concerning their view of national negotiations.

Your local management officials hope that you will trust them more than you trust your own union. They will take time from their busy schedule of telling people they cannot lay off. They will set aside their injury prevention program, or what you and I understand it to be, if you are unfortunate enough to get injured and you report it, they will discipline you. They may be a bit tired from being up all night long hiding in the weeds conducting efficiency tests. Obviously, they want you to believe mat they are taking time merely to address your best interests. They want to present themselves ajs a trust figure, kind of like Karl Rove. They want you to put pressure on your union to accept management's proposals at the bargaining table. They want you to believe that they know what is best for you better than you do. They want to pitch the possibility of pay raises, reserve boards and buyouts, if you will only agree to give up your job.

They don't seem to understand that while you are stuck in that awful away from home terminal that you have become very informed watching CNN etc. They want to act like railroads will be different when they are peddling their package of goods. They want you to believe that railroads will not treat you like the automobile companies have treated their employees playing a game of take away. You see, they promised big benefits, early retirement and medical packages if they would just give up their jobs and just as soon as the plant gates slammed behind them they played a horrible game of take away. This is the same in the airline industry.

You see they made a promise - it is called a moratorium. They made the promise to you through the union that they would never bring up crew consist until the last protected employee had retired. Well, as we know now, they just lied about it. They literally lied all the way to the court house. Because they were not successful with their lie during negotiations, with the media and at the courthouse, they hope that you won't catch them lying this time. They want you to believe that this time (hey are telling the truth and they care about you and your family, your mortgage and your health care.

When the local official sets you down to lecture you like an uneducated child please be nice. Don't interrupt and listen to what they have to say. If you don't, they just might fire you because they care so much about you.