Locals 1778 & 1923
North Vancouver to Ft. Nelson, BC, Canada
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~ Tired of Fatigue? ~ For evr’y hour we do not sleep, comes closer
the appointment we all must keep, What is Fatigue? Fatigue occurs when we do not have the opportunity to recuperate from various accumulated stresses placed on our bodies. Stresses may include acute and cumulative sleep loss, time of day, sleep disorders, nutrition, environment, worries or conflicts, illnesses and physical or mental effort. Recuperation usually takes place in the form of night time sleep, but breaks and pauses during the day also make their contributions. If the body does not have the opportunity to recuperate, the following symptoms may be experienced: weariness, sleepiness, sluggish thinking and forgetfulness, reduced alertness, slow perception and reaction time, low motivation, bad mood and decline in physical performance. If there are continuos instances of fatigue, then the condition may become chronic. People so fatigued can show symptoms such as increased psychic instability (quarrelsomeness), depression, general weakening of drive, and an increased likelihood of illness. The chronic condition can result in headaches, giddiness, loss of sleep, irregular heart, sudden sweating, loss of appetite and digestive trouble such as pain, diarrhea and constipation. (Shift workers are 4 to 5 times more likely to have stomach disorders and 5 to 15 times more likely to suffer depression). People who suffer from chronic sleep loss have a mortality rate 1.2 to 2.5 times higher than people with normal sleep patterns. Circadian Rhythms Left to itself, our body runs on a 25 hour cycle. This internal clock regulates timing of all body functions: when to be active, when to rest, when to eat, temperature, internal organ function, hormone secretion and blood pressure. Day work and night sleep closely follow our bodies natural rhythm. When we work nights and sleep days, our schedule is out of synch with our body rhythms. We work when the body has a natural tendency to sleep, and we eat when the body would rest our digestive system—which leads to poor digestion. When we try to sleep during the day, natural body cycles are preparing us for activity, raising temperature and increasing digestion and internal organ function, etc. So we feel tired, but our body is not prepared for sleep. (Low points in our cycle normally occur between 0100 and 0500, and between 1300 and 1500. High points occur between 0900 and 1100, and between 1700 and 1900) Sleep Debt Studies have shown that our bodies require between 8 and 8 ½ hours of sleep in each 24 hour period. Any less sleep results in a "sleep debt". One hour of sleep loss per day results in a 5 hour sleep debt in a normal work week. As the opportunity for sleep is lost, the level of fatigue rises. Research indicates that you need about 2 nights of normal sleep at your usual time to recover from sleep loss.
Sleep is a vital physical need necessary for human survival. The need for sleep is so powerful that it is possible to fall asleep in an uncontrolled, spontaneous way, regardless of motivation, training or experience. Even in a potentially lethal situation, your brain will shut down to attempt to get the sleep it needs. Memory, reaction time and reasoning are also degraded with sleepiness. The level of impairment of 22 hours without sleep is equivalent to a .08 blood alcohol level. It is estimated that fatigue is a factor in 30% of all fatal car accidents. Subjective Sleepiness Your sleep needs differ from how you feel. If you are in an exciting, stimulating environment you may not feel tired. If you are in an environment without external stimulation you can easily fall asleep. This knowledge can help develop strategies to assist us to stay awake and fall asleep. What Now? With awareness of the facts surrounding sleep, circadian rhythms and fatigue, individuals and organizations can adopt fatigue countermeasures. Railroads across North America are trying various methods, such as scheduling, employee education and workplace changes. In the next issue, we will explore these strategies and their impact on the workplace. For more fatigue information, visit our web site. OCTOBER, 1906. GRAND LODGE OF THE BROTHERHOOD OF RAILROAD TRAINMEN
Meeting Point is published four times yearly for the information and entertainment of the members of United Transportation Union Locals 1778 and 1923 (BC Rail). The Editors of Meeting Point support the concept of free speech and welcome any submissions that may be of interest to our members. Submissions may be made to any Union Officer, E-mail utu@telus.net or our Web page at http://www.ultranet.ca/
Submissions become the property of Meeting Point. We reserve the right to edit for brevity and clarity. The opinions contained herein are not necessarily those of the Editors or the United Transportation Union.
Deadline for submissions: 15 th of Mar, June, Sept., Dec
Little Bones By Junk Yard Dog Lat 49° - 18’- 72" N Lon.123° -05’-14" W Ahoy! Ahoy! Ye scum swillin', barnacle suckin', shark bait. How is yer eyeball? Harrr, 'ave another shot a rum ye landlover, fer it's summertime. I was gonna stand down off the soapbox again this issue, but I can't help meself. I'm flabbergasted that the company is goin' te force-feed us more technological change. Even though it has been proven that Belt-packs are not efficient, an productivity will sink, open wide an' cram it down the hatch! There's a good little doggy, don't choke on the blame when the profits plummet. Like ol' what's 'is name used te say, "The floggin's will continue 'til morale improves". I wish ye the best summer o' the century, an' remember, never surrender.
DAYSLEEPER from the R.E.M. album "UP" receiving dept., 3 a.m. staff cuts have socked up the overage directives are posted. no callbacks, complaints. everywhere is calm. Hong Kong is present Taipei awakes all talk of circadian rhythm I see today with a newsprint fray my night is colored headache grey daysleeper the bull and the bear are marking their territories they're leading the blind with their international glories I'm the screen, the blinding light I'm the screen, I work at night. I see today with a newsprint fray my night is colored headache grey don't wake me with so much daysleeper. I cried the other night I can't even say why fluorescent flat caffeine light sits furious balancing I'm the screen, the blinding light I'm the screen, I work at night I see today... don't wake me with so much. The ocean machine is set to 9 I'll squeeze into heaven and valentine my bed is pulling me. gravity
daysleeper. daysleeper.daysleeper. daysleeper. daysleeper.
Kekuli Holes and Water Ouzels ~ John Holliday, Local Historian ~
One of the first trip I worked on the Lillooet Sub. Was with an old Hog-head (now retired) named Ralph Odendahl. He asked me if I had ever seen a kekuli hole, or a water ouzel. I had no idea what he was talking about. Well, it turns out that a kekuli hole (kekuli is derived from an old Chinook trading jargon word meaning "beneath" or "below") is the remains of an ancient native Indian (Interior Salish) pit house. These were winter shelters, dug into the ground, an excavation about 25 feet in diameter, and then a roof of small trees was made, in the shape of a teepee. Covered with cedar bark, ground and sod, with a hole in the center for a chimney, and two entrances. These shelters would house two or three families very comfortably. You can observe these same kekuli hole today, around Lillooet and around the province. Water Ouzels or Dippers, are little dark grey birds about 5" tall. They jump off boulders in the middle of steams, and walk along the bottom feeding on aquatic insects. Incredibly sure-footed under water, Ouzels inhabit mountain streams and small rivers from the Aleutian Islands, Alaska, the Yukon, through the mountainous areas of B.C, the western states, and Central America. Wherever you find clean white-water, chances are that you can see a little Dipper. These are some the things that makes our specialized occupation unique. ~ John Holliday, Local Historian ~ Clyde's Retiring After over 40 years of dedication to the trade union movement, Clyde Mulhall is pulling the pin this September. To honor the end of an era, we will have a dinner and roast for
him, Friday, September 17th at the Capilano Room in the Memorial
Rec. Center, Tickets price includes dinner and dancing. Tickets are $30 each, in advance. Ticket supplies are limited, get yours soon! Tickets are available from: John Holliday 984-7337 Brian Gleason 612-2774 Roy Liden 924-1917 Greg Couch 926-2071 Kevin Anderson 256-7208 See you there!
The deadline for The Meeting Point Summer Issue is fast approaching so I'm going to take this opportunity to talk about the Beltpack issue. By the time you receive this issue the members of the General Committee of Adjustment will have been to your terminal, or will be coming there soon, to conduct meetings and take a ratification vote on Beltpack and Maintenance of Basic Rate (MBR). We hope that by the end of this trip we will have answered all of your questions regarding Beltpack and MBR. The Beltpack issue started on BC Rail in 1997 as part of a 1997 Corporate Action Plan. In April of 1997 BC Rail had Wayne Casemore of CANAC perform a cost benefit analysis and feasibility study for Beltpack on BC Rail. Both UTU and CUTE 1 were offered the opportunity to accompany the CANAC representative on this trip, which was accepted. As a result of the information received from CANAC, the Railway made the decision to introduce Beltpack technology. Material change notice was served on both UTU and CUTE 1 on August 12, 1997. Throughout the rest of 1997 and all of 1998 the Railway continued to advise UTU and CUTE 1 of their desire to implement Beltpack on BC Rail. Both UTU and CUTE 1 continued to inform BC Rail that they were claiming jurisdiction for the operation of Beltpack technology. In early 1999 the Railway again stated their intention to implement Beltpack, and based on available jurisprudence in Canada and United States, would assign the operation of Beltpack technology to the UTU. In April 1999 the UTU entered into negotiations for an agreement on Beltpack and reached an agreement in principle on June 1, 1999. The issue of MBR was done at this time as there were direct connections between the two issues. We are now in the process of ratifying both Beltpack and MBR. CUTE 1 is pursuing their rights to Beltpack through the Jurisdictional Umpire process and we will be in formal hearings with Arbitrator Allan Hope on June 28, 29, 30 and July 1 and 2, 1999. If the arbitrator should rule in any manner other than all Beltpack work belonging to the UTU, the agreement between BC Rail and UTU becomes null and void and we would have to start negotiations over based on the arbitrator's award. I must emphasize this is not a fight between UTU and CUTE 1 but simply a case of both unions doing what have to do to protect their membership as a result of the introduction of new technology. The General Committee of Adjustment had a very tough job in negotiating a deal in which we knew that the end result would be the loss of a position to the traditional yard consist of an Engineman, Yard Foreman and Yard Helper. We also knew that you, the UTU membership, elected us to protect your jobs, benefits and working conditions and that is exactly what we are doing. The UTU is all too well aware of what happens to our membership through the introduction of technological change. We certainly haven't forgotten about Reduced Crews, Cabooseless Conductor Only (CCO) or the loss of Conductor Pilots, all a result of technological change. You the members will have the final say on the issues of Beltpack and MBR when you cast your vote during ratification of the Letters of Understanding. I hope all of you and your families have a safe and enjoyable summer. If you have any suggestions for issues you would like me to address in the September Meeting Point, please contact with me. ~ Bob Sharpe ~ Legislative Rep's Column THE PENCIL SELLING CLAUSE Many of the membership are under the impression that as long as you are disabled from performing your own job, you are entitled to long term disability benefits, that is not the case. The pencil selling clause comes into play. The insurance company sends forth a lackey to decide what work you are able to do. Lime sludge mixer or bingo hall caller, I could go on and on. The kicker is that there could be five thousand lime sludge mixers out of work and no hope of you getting a job and your benefits are still terminated. Its time that improvements to be made to the LTD that would allow for a worker to continue collecting benefits for as long as they are disabled from their own job. CUTE IS AS CUTE DOES Over the years the UTU has tried to promote alternative methods of dealing with operating accidents and near misses. The goal being that the cause of an accident be determined jointly by union and management, in a fair and impartial manner, and such action taken as is necessary to prevent a recurrence. A crucial component of attaining this goal is a discipline bypass. Picture yourself now as a member of a crew that has had a technical head on and/or as a union member or representative. The railway offers to do all of the above ( in my view a very progressive step). Instead CUTE chooses to subject their member, and as a consequence the UTU member, to substantial discipline and a costly grievance procedure, that could have been avoided. In addition, as a result of CUTE’s decision, the aforementioned goals have not been achieved. CLYDE MULHALL SET TO RETIRE My good friend and brother Clyde Mulhall will be retired by the time our next issue is out. We are planning to have a farewell bash in Clyde’s honor. Clyde was general Chairman for at least fourteen years and has always been a strong union activist. We expect that the tickets will go quickly, so you had better get them early. SAFETY TIP OF THE MONTH
Local 1778 Entertainment Committee presents the annual Summer Picnic! SAT. JULY 24, 1100-1700 HEYWOOD PARK, N. Van. (McKay + Marine Dr.) Dogs, Burgers, Snacks and Pop! GAMES and PRIZES FOR THE KIDDIES! Tug-o-war, BOCCI, etc. FUN, FUN, FUN! Family and close friends welcome. Bring your own blankets and lawn chairs Don’t miss the event of the summer! |
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January 9, 2002 |
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BENEFICIARY
ASSESSMENT NOTICE No.328.