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We are saddened to report the sudden passing engineman Tony Whitty. Tony was greatly respected as a mentor to many, and will be missed by all.

On a lighter note, Meeting Point has seen some improvements. We now have our own web domain (www.utubc.com), and we have joined the Canadian Association Of Labour Media. Junk Yard Dog has a new face, so to speak. His new logo is a reproduction of pirate Jack Rackham's flag. Apparently, the two crossed swords under the death's head indicated Jack's willingness to fight.

In this issue read about the proposed Moran Dam on page two, and the next time you look down from MB 181, think what might have been. On page three, discover what might be. Also, find out how shit happens, why Jerry Springer is interested in the railway, and what shit IS happening. Also, be prepared to confess your faith along with Father Telizyn. All this and much, much more!

MORAN CANYON--Where the Fraser River flows swiftly past steep slopes upstream from Lillooet, bald eagles are lifting off regularly from canyon walls to feed on the fall run of sockeye salmon returning to their spawning grounds.

It is a placid scene which, if developers had prevailed in the early 1950's and then later on in the early '70's, would have been replaced by a mountain of concrete and rebar.

In the aftermath of the disastrous Fraser River floods of 1948, damming the Fraser upstream was considered a solution to prevent further flooding.

Plans were afoot to build as many as 11 dams on the Fraser-Thompson system. The most ambitious was the Moran Dam, 30 kilometres north of Lillooet.

In 1952, for $500 million, American financiers proposed building the biggest dam in the world at Moran Canyon. The plan called for a 270-metre-high dam, backing the Fraser River up into a 260 kilometre lake, stretching upstream to Quesnel.

The developers and their supporters maintained the dam would hold back silt, allowing the Fraser to be navigable by deep-sea vessels to Chillwack, Flooding would no longer be a risk in the Lower Mainland.

Hydroelectric capacity would be equal to the Grand Coulee and two Hoover dams combined. An aluminum smelter and uranium processing plant were part of the equation.

"Damn the dam" screamed newspaper headlines in the '50's, as debate raged for years and the plan to build the ambitious dam polarized opinion. Such disparate organizations as the United Fishermen and Allied Workers Union, the United Church and the New Westminister City Council were vociferous in their combined opposition to the project.

Fishermen pointed out the dam would wipe out the salmon fishery. Promoters suggested a way of overcoming the problem presented in blocking the passage of spawning salmon and sea-bound fingerlings would be to lift the spawners over the dam in huge elevators and dump them on the other side. Ocean-bound salmon would simply be flushed downstream straight through the hydro turbines.

Fisheries' interests prevailed and the plan was shelved only to be reconsidered by the Social Credit government of Premier WAC Bennett who ordered the BC Energy Board to study the non-polluting power potential of the entire province. In October 1971 engineers were dispatched to Egypt to study the effect of the high Aswan Dam on the Nile River.

Federal Fisheries Minister Jack Davis came out sparring, claiming that such a "monstrosity" as the Moran Dam would "permanently alter the ecology of the Fraser Delta."

Citizens' groups pointed out the water in a lake formed from Lillooet to Quesnel would be saturated with waster from industries and sewage disposal along the river, making it unfit for recreation. Natural gas was often suggested as an alternative power source.

In the end Bennett aligned himself with the salmon, but he went on to authorize other dams elsewhere in BC. The Moran plan was finally shelved when the federal government indicated a necessary permit from the fisheries department would not be given.

Rails To Alaska ~ Steve Edgar ~

On January 20, 2000 I had the opportunity to attend a one day conference to develop a resolution for a unilateral US-Canada Cooperative Feasibilty Study On Extending The North American Rail System Through The Yukon Territory To Alaska.

The host and M.C. of the conference was Alaska State Representative Jeannette James.

The participants were from Alaska, Canada, Yukon and many of the lower 48 States. All 120 were from a strong cross-section of government, business, professional, and regional interests.

The conference was opened by Barbara Cotting, Chief of staff to Rep. James. Delegates were also welcomed by John Winters, B. C. Chamber of Commerce and Pam LaBolle, Alaska State Chamber Of Commerce.

Representative Jeannette James spoke on how the conference came to be and how Senator Frank Murkowski was a driving force behind the conference.

The first panel consisted of Hal Cooper, a consultant, Dan Lowell, Alaska Transportation Consultants, and Dave Broadbent, Canadian Arctic Railway (ex roadmaster BCR). There have been several surveys done over the years, one of the reasons was as an alternative to the Alaska Pipeline. Using the existing Dease Lake corridor, grades could be kept under 1%, and curvature under 4 degrees with minimal bridge and tunnel construction. Environmentalist Dr. Keese Grout emphasized the need to protect sensitive environmental areas. However, this is doable.

Bill Wolf, Transportation aide for Sen. Frank Murkowski stated there could be a bilateral commission introduced by this spring.

The afternoon panel consisted of, Milt Wise, Alaska Dept. of Natural Resources, Jessee Duke Mining facilitator Govt. of Yukon, and Dr. Paul Metz, University of Alaska. Mr. Wise, stated the rail corridor proposed is rich in gold, copper, lead, tin, zinc and platinum--all within 50 miles of the proposed corridor. Mr. Duke told the delegates the corridor through the Yukon is also rich in the same minerals, as well as forest products. However the existing costs are not feasible. Dr. Metz, spoke on the cost to get the products to market. The existing rail corridor through Alaska is subject to land slides and earthquakes as well as severe grade and curvature. The proposed rail link has a low threat of earthquake or land slide with minimal grade and curvatures.

Gil Carmichael, Intermodal Transport Institute, stated that our transportation systems were based on consumption of fuels, and the rail and highway systems were built in isolation of each other. Double stack container trains are nine times more efficient than truck alone, and one rail line has the equivalent to eight lanes of highway.

There many other speakers. One group from Michigan had already built a model of a railway tunnel under the Bering Strait into Russia which would connect the North American rail system to the Russian, European, Asia and Africa. This would connect the world with rail transportation. The US Defense Department wants to construct a defense mechanism that would protect the entire USA from this single location. There was even a group from Maple Ridge, the Whistle Poke Railway. This group owns a right of way along Pitt Lake, and is proposing building a railway to Function Junction ( Whistler ) for passenger tourist trains and possibly freight.

From my own perspective the prospect of an Alaska Canada rail link would only stand to benefit our industry and keep our craft alive through this century. I worked for BC Rail in 1976 as a surveyor when the Provincial Government decided to shut down the Dease Lake extension. We were literally putting in grade stakes in the morning and by noon were asked to start doing final surveys. I remember the buzz around the camp, there was only twelve miles of unfinished grade left to complete, the bridge over the Stikine river was just completed, the Tanzilla through-cut coming into Dease Lake, and the third coolie (third largest land fill at the time) were all completed. It all seemed such a waste. When we finished doing final surveys the railway moved us to a place called Anzac to start cutting line for a rail line into a coal field.

All indications point to BC Rail for the connection. One proposal showed the Fort Nelson line pushed through the Yukon and the Dease Lake line extended north, connecting somewhere north of Watson Lake and continuing on to Alaska through the interior corridor.

A resolution to progress this initiative was put forward at the conference. We’ll have to wait and see if the governments move to make this a reality. I will keep you posted

I Remain

Fraternally Yours,

Steven W. Edgar

Local Chairperson

Local 1778

THE PLAN

In the beginning was the Plan.

And then came the Assumptions.

And the Assumptions were without form.

And the Plan was without substance.

And darkness was upon the face of the Workers.

And they spoke among themselves, saying, "It is a crock of shit, and it stinketh."

And the Workers went unto their Supervisors and said, "It is a pail of dung, and none may abide the odor thereof."

And the Supervisors went unto their Managers, saying, "It is a container of excrement, and it is very strong, such that none may abide it."

And the Managers went unto their Directors, saying, "It is a vessel of fertilizer, and none may abide its strength."

And the Directors spoke amongst themselves, saying to one another, "It contains that which aids plant growth, and it is very strong."

And the Directors went unto the Vice Presidents, saying unto them, "It promotes growth, and it is very powerful."

And the Vice Presidents went unto the President, saying unto him, "This new plan will actively promote the growth and vigor of the company, with powerful effects."

And the President looked upon the Plan, and saw that it was good.

And the Plan became Policy.

This is how Shit Happens.... just in case you were wondering.

Little Bones

Lat 49 - 18’- 72" N

Lon.123 -05’-14" W

"Ahrrr’ there ye rum-soaked, second cousin of a son of a sea-gull." " I ‘aven’t seen ye since the MUTINY an', an', what's that ye say, Seawolf ?" "That wasn’t no mutiny? That we was stranded? High and dry, and at Christmas time te boot ye say?" "That’s right JYD." "We was stranded, an fer no good reason!" He growled. An' I don’t blame 'im. There has been a lot of growling an' talk of the company bein' put up on blocks, fer sale te the highest bidder. Politics is sinkin' this outfit fast. An' te pirate another quote, "Nothing should be prized more highly than the value of each day."

Race ye te the galley. J.Y.D.

Last November, Bro. Kelly Burke--keen to serve Local 1778 in any way he could--accepted the nomination, and was acclaimed to, the position of Vice President.

Bro. Burke also accepted the nomination, and was acclaimed to, his incumbent position as trustee.

No one thought anything more about it, until an astute member pointed out that our Constitution does not allow a person to hold more than one executive position.

Upon realizing this constitutional faux pas, Bro. Burke stepped down as Vice President. Subsequently, Bro. Terry Sawchuk was nominated, and was acclaimed to the position.

Bro. Sawchuk has always been a keen and active member. This is his first experience as an local officer.

Join us in congratulating Terry, and in thanking him for his service to the local.

It's true! Other UTU locals are doing a fine job entertaining and informing their members, and irritating their employers.

Snakebites, is published by Local 492, Roseville, Ca. More accurately, according to editor Daryl Stinchfield, "Snakebites is published as a public nuisance by the Roseville Switchmen. Anyone taking this stuff too seriously should seek professional help. Subscriptions are free, but it'll cost you $100 to get your name off our list."

This issue of Snakebites features a "Quote of the Month" borrowed from another rail union's newsletter, the TCU's Local 512 Train of Thought

"If I were a factory employee, a working man on the railroads, or a wage earner of any sort, I would undoubtedly join the Union of my trade. If I disapproved of its policy, I would join in order to fight the policy. If the Union leaders were dishonest, I would join in order to put them out. I believe in the Union and I believe that all men who are benefited by the Union are morally bound to be held to the extent of their powers in the common interest advanced by the Union." - Theodore Roosevelt

Snakebites (coming soon)
www.snakebites.com

www.htc.net/~stonersl/tcu/tot/index.htm

~ Dennis Byron, Local Chairperson, Local 1923 ~

Brothers and Sisters:

The Trade Union movement in general in under attack. The only way we can mitigate the damage is to work to our Collective Agreement. New days and breaking rest are only two examples of the problems we face. These types of activities only serve to weaken and undermine the provisions of a Collective Agreement that were hard fought to attain. Every time a member makes a "deal" the company takes great pleasure in throwing it in our faces. Just recently I had a discussion with the Chief Crew Supervisor who said "Hey, in many cases it's your member who asks for the new day so the issue isn’t about fatigue, it's about money!"

How do I argue that statement? We all know what Article 122 says. Some of us are just a little less willing to make a little less money and the company relies on the greed factor to get these trains over the road. It has even gotten to the point on some occasions where the Conductor and Trainman get in to an argument over tying up! Since when does anyone have the right to restrict the rights of anyone else? I bring your attention to Art. 122(f) third paragraph which states "The MAXIMUM number of hours on duty for all subdivisions, except trainmen or train crews working in auxiliary service, under exceptions (a)(i), (a)(ii) or working between Ft. St. John and Ft. Nelson per the Memorandum of Agreement dated June 7th, 1984, shall not exceed 12 hours (11 hours if the crew is operating reduced pursuant to (k) below)". I have made and won the argument during the grievance procedure that the company is as responsible as we are for having us off the train and off duty in 11 hours which by no means lessens the company’s responsibility under Art. 122(k).

We are in the process of shooting ourselves in the foot. You all know the company wants increased hours in both the road and yard so why would you give them evidence to use at arbitration that the only thing restricting us is money?

Fraternally

D.G. Byron

Local Chairman

Local 1923

During the recent labour dispute, Local 1778 offered daily e-mail updates on emerging lockout news.

Many members have expressed their appreciation for the service, and we want to continue to keep our members informed. We will continue to offer the service, and will expand it to include issues of electronic versions of the UTU News from Cleveland, news releases, and items from other members of the list. The e-mail service is open to any UTU member on BC Rail. If you didn't receive an e-mail from Local 1778 recently, you're probably not on the list. To join, send an e-mail to utu@telus.net

Locals 1778 and 1923 have a new website! In an effort to improve our service, we now have our own domain (www.utubc.com). The new site will further distinguish our web presence, offer opportunities to build and improve our site, and will give officers their own custom e-mail addresses. Look for more improvement coming soon!

With the sudden departure of the Return To Work Facilitator, the future of the joint modified return to work program has become unclear.

On the face of it, there does not seem to be any cunning plan to torpedo the program--they just pulled the plug, now they're stumbling around in the dark!

Existing cases are being monitored, and new cases do seem to be getting dealt with as resources allow. However, there does not seem to be any firm intake procedure.

The onus now is on the union reps. to bring their members' needs to the attention of either David Moorhouse, Council Safety Advisor (984-5636 collect) or Janet O'Connor, Manager of Benefits (984-5050), who will ensure that our disabled members are returned to the workplace as appropriate.

The same goes for our Employee and Family Assistance Program. Since the departure of John McCann, EFAP Advisory Committee Co-chair, Bob Gledson (CAW, Prince George) has been looking after the administrative aspect of the program on a temporary basis.

Assistance is still available. But now, members must rely more on the Peer Referral Agent (PRA) in each terminal. The PRA volunteers are still active and involved. Most come from the union ranks. Look for the list of PRA's in your home terminal or find them on the EFAP website http://www.bcrail.com/efap/

Bob provides support, advice and resources to the PRA's. Contact Bob at 250-960-0796 (pager) for more information about the PRA in your area.

The Council and BC Rail have planned to meet in mid-April to discuss the future of our joint programs.

Jerry Springer

It had to happen sooner or later. Jerry has finally run out of sleazy topics for his show. There are only so many naked, mud-wrestling tree huggers to interview, and scandalous confessions or sexy secrets to unveil.

We have it on good authority that the Jerry's people are looking toward the railways as a new source of sleaze. Let's face it, railways have always been on the seedy side of town and the employees on the wrong side of the tracks.

Our sources tell us to look for these shows coming soon to your local station.

	Bizarre One-night Turns
	Invasion Of The Ex-employees
	Chippencar Strippers
	Stand By Your Trainman
	I Lost The Company Car To A Strange Woman From Burnaby
	I Was Caught Having Sex In The Parking Garage!
	The Mile Long Club--Sexual Flings On The Dinner Train
	Baby, I'm Diverting Your Car!
	Darling, The Japanese Don't Love You Anymore
	Cushioned Boxcar Trysts

Call 1-800-BC-Jerry to get on the show!

- Concept by Adrian Telizyn

Confessions of Faith

~ Led by Father A. Telizyn ~

The North Van Creed (Apologies to Emperor Constantine)

We believe in one Scooter

The Boss, the Almighty CEO

maker of the modern railway and all its profits

of all that is, seen and unseen

We believe in one boss, Scooter

The only son of the Premier

eternally begotten of the Board

Boss from Boss, Profit from Profit,

True Scooter from true Scooter

appointed, not made,

of one being with the balance sheet

Through him all things are run

For us and for our railway's salvation

he came down from Montreal:

By the power of the Social Credit

he became president from Premier Zalm

and was made a CEO

For our sake he sacrificed many for the operating ratio

he suffered numerous cuts and writeoffs

In the third quarter, the railway rose again

in accordance with the great Plan;

He will ascend into cabinet

to be seated at the right hand of our Lord, Ujjal.

He will come again in glory to audit the profits and the losses

and his railway will have no end.

We believe in the Holy Scooter, the Boss, the giver of Jobs,

who proceeds from North Van to Fort Nelson

With the profits and the tonnage he is worshipped and glorified.

He has spoken through the annual reports.

We believe in one holy BCR conglomerate Group.

We acknowledge the competitive threats, and forgive them for their sins

We look for the resurrection of greater profits,

and the hiring of more trainmen to come.

Amen.

Hail Scooter
(apologies to St. Peter)

Hail Scooter, full of profits

The tonnage is with thee

Blessed art thou among CEO's

And blessed is the fruit of thy labours, BC Rail

Holy Scooter, father of all

pray for us trainmen now, and in the hour of our derailments,

Amen

J Definitions

Adult: a person who has stopped growing at both ends and is now growing in the middle.

Skeleton: a bunch of bones with the person scraped off.

Cannibal: someone who is fed up with people.

Chickens: the only animals you eat before they are born and after they are dead.

Dust: mud with the juice squeezed out.

Egotist: someone who is usually me-deep in conversation.

We're CALM

Meeting Point has now joined the Canadian Association of Labour Media. CALM provides resources and support to labour news editors, and further binds us to other trade unions.

Look for new graphics and features provided by CALM in future issues.

Bye Bye Blues

After nine years together, The Bad Ass Blues (formerly known as "O.K For Monday") will be hanging up their cleats for good. Due to retirements, hold outs and rising salaries the management felt for the best of the team it was time to pull the pin. Sponsorship from the Fishhead bar might have helped, but a deal couldn't be worked out.

We started the team in memory of our friend and brother Richard Ladd who was killed in a car accident on his way to work. From trophy's floating in D.J. Watts pool, to broken legs, to being disciplined for booking off to play in the B.C. Railway tournament, the team has seen it all.

At this time I would like to thank all the people that played with us through the years. You might not be the best team, but it was by far the best team to play with! Thank you.

And here they are. I hope I haven't forgot anybody: Brad Anderson, Tony Brbot, Mark and Jen Barham, Rod Coleman, Gary and Trish Buckley, Rusty Clarke, Mike Evans, Glen Evans, Steve Edgar, Brian Gleason , John Holliday, Pat Holt, Erik Lonne, The Lehtimaki's: Floyd, Cindy, Rob and Steve, Dave Mcrae, Dave Leamon, Dave and Val Moorhouse, Brent and Collen Mylrea, Ron Restrick, Ralph and Kelly Lopez, Larry Preuss, Chris Saarinen, Jen Evanoff, Cara Thayer, The Skorbergs: Gunner (batman), Willy, Harold and Chris, Jim and Freia Watts, Randy Weiberg, and all the kids (too many to name). And a special thanks to the people who helped keep score, or with the beer fund, or many of the bbq's and pool parties we had: Jan Watts, Jackie Edgar, Leanne Anderson, Ken Hutchinson, Chris Saarinen, Willy Skorberg and Brent's mom, and especially Cindy and Colleen!!!!

Thank you,

Kelly Burke (Coach)

To raise money for a party this year, the following items will be on sale to the public

Floyd Lehtimaki game worn jersey $100.00

Jen Evanoff autographed game ball $25.00

Willy Skorberg batting glove $10.00

Rusty Clarke rookie card -priceless

Easton bat autographed by Tony (Daddy) Brbot-$5.00

Railway Atlas on CD-Rom

The first CD-ROM edition of the Canadian Railway Atlas has been produced by The Railway Association of Canada. It is based on information provided by the railways and reflects developments in the industry up to the Fall of 1999.

The Main Menu has six sections: station index, railway index, city index, map of Canada, map of North America and legend. There are two search engines: one for railway stations (5,071 listed) and the other, for searching by railway (135).

Orders for the CD can be placed with the Railway Association of Canada at rac@railcan.ca for $25 Canadian, or $20 U.S., which includes taxes and shipping charges. It complements last year's publication of the RAC's railway atlas and wall map. The association now has 51 member railways, representing virtually all freight and passenger rail operations in Canada.

For more information contact Roger Cameron, Railway Association of Canada, (514) 879-5846

In 1972 the Pacific Great Eastern Railway was renamed the British Columbia Railway.

The P.G.E.( Prince George Eventually ) was founded on Feb. 27, 1912 when acquired from the Howe Sound and Northern.

Taken over by the provincial government in 1918, the line reached Lone Butte in April 1919, and Williams Lake in Sept. 1919. Construction continued until 1921, resulting in a passenger line from the foot of Lonsdale in North Vancouver, to Whytecliffe in West Vancouver and a main line that ran from Squamish to Quesnel. This popular passenger service ended in 1928.

Since the line reached Quesnel in July 1921, construction has been intermittent and sporadic. The line did not reach Prince George until 1952. Track between Squamish and North Vancouver was finished in 1956.

The Royal Hudson steam train service began in 1974.

Passenger service brakeman uniforms, and caps, (silver colored buttons, bars and stripes) were phased out in 1995, ( at the suggestion of an employee), coincidentally at the same time as the advent of cabooseless-conductor only (CCO) freights and permanently reduced crew yards.

Uniforms and caps with the traditional gold bars, buttons, and stripes for conductors were altered slightly to be worn by both brakemen and conductors.

A uniform today, including taxes, and a cap, costs $484.00.

Tailor made at Claymore Clothes ( 1278 E. Hastings St. Vancouver) for the last fifteen years, and previously by Gordon Campbell on 78 2nd St. Vancouver since 1923.

At one time, a fellow would go to get measured up at a ‘Mackenzie Grocery and Drygoods’ store, in Squamish, Williams Lake, Pr. George, or Wells.

One bar for every five years of service, sewn on to the left sleeve of the uniform is a tradition which, like many things on the railway, has its roots in the military.

Today, buttons and bars are made by William Scully, in St. Leven Montreal since 1877.

The collective agreement allows trainmen manning passenger trains to be supplied a uniform by the railway at no cost to the trainman. Also, the railway will reimburse the trainman for one cleaning every two weeks.

One more point of interest is that construction of the railway reached Alta Lake in the late summer of 1914, Pemberton 1915, Clinton 1917.

Also, the first passenger train from North Vancouver to Whytecliffe, went on the ground before it made it to Ambleside.

~ John Holliday ~

Local 1778 Historian

The UTU has taken a position opposed to the CN/BNSF merger. During the week of January 24th, 2000, Canadian Legislative Director Tim Secord, The provincial Chairpersons from Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia and Myself met at the US National Legislative office in Washington DC to discuss this merger with the National Legislative Director. During the course of the week, we met with the Chairperson of the Surface Transportation (STB) Board Linda Morgan. Prior to a merger taking place, it would have to be approved by the STB. This process will likely take at least a year. We met with lobbyist from various other Railways that are concerned with this merger. We also met with staff of the Transportation and Infrastructure committee and traveled to New York to attend the Wall Street Analyst meeting for CN’s fourth quarter announcement by President & CEO Paul Tellier. We also spent time with our American counterparts developing a strategy to oppose this merger.

So why are we opposed to this merger? One thing for sure is that the railways are not considering the best interest of their workers, of course this would be the last thing on their minds. Large portions of track in Canada would become redundant as more and more traffic went south of the border instead of the northern route. Communities will experience reductions in service as well as reductions in their tax base. Competition will be reduced as shippers become captive. A reduction in the railway infrastructure results in a higher increase of the highway infrastructure and further deterioration of that system and the associated cost. Ports that will be negatively impacted include Montreal, Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Churchill and Thunder Bay. Downstream job loss will adversely effect port communities. Furthermore, this merger will spark a new round of mergers which will certainly require the CPR to also merge with a large American carrier. Canada will effectively lose its right to self determination of its rail infrastructure. Standards and regulations concerning equipment and training are different between both countries, it can be reasonably expected that these will be harmonized down to the lowest common denominator.

How is this going to impact us at BC Rail? By now, most of us realize that it is not a matter of "If" BC Rail will be sold, but to whom and under what conditions. Ask one of our CN Sisters or Brothers how badly working conditions or safety has deteriorated since they merged with the Illinois central (IC). Throughout North America railway workers lives were put into upheaval because of these mergers and the effects that these mergers had on shippers and the communities that we railroaders live in. The negative impact and changes that will eventually affect us as workers at BC Rail, as a result of the downstream effects of this merger, is crucial to our standard of living and future working careers.

One of the things that struck me. In light of these large multinational mergers that are taking place, and the fact that most of our traffic is North-South. We are fortunate to belong to an international union, that represents the interest of trade union railway workers. As opposed to a large generic union , whose interest may lie in ensuring the movement of car parts. I have always believed that we are stronger as a Trade Union, that represents the interests of railway workers.

~ Brian Gleason ~

Local 1778

ARE YOU CLAIMING WHAT YOU ARE ENTITLED TO UNDER YOUR BLUE CROSS EXTENDED HEALTH CARE PLAN?

According to BC Rail, it would appear many of our members are not claiming much of the Extended Health Benefits to which they are entitled!

At a recent meeting between the Council of Trade Unions (CTU) and BC Rail we raised the issue of prescription cards. A prescription card can be taken to a pharmacy for prescriptions and the holder of the card pays 20% of the cost - this applies up to $1000, and for the rest of the year prescriptions are fully covered.

The Council thought this might not be too big an issue considering we already have an Extended Health Care Plan that pays for 80% of the first $1000 for prescriptions and covers prescriptions fully for the remainder of that year. So....it pays the same amount as the prescription card, except full payment up front is necessary (and can be a burden), and then having to fill out forms and send in receipts for reimbursement is necessary with the current Extended Health Plan.

To most people, this would look like a no-brainer with respect to cost, but let's not jump to conclusions. The Railway says this would cost them a very substantial amount of money each year. How is that you ask? Well, it goes this way. It would appear there are a large number of us who don't claim the benefits to which we are entitled, so the Railway reaps a large savings as a result. We all know how easy it is to put that prescription on top of the fridge meaning to claim it later and then forgetting about it....or forgetting to pick up the right forms at work. The bottom line is, Sisters and Brothers, our not taking the time to claim what is rightfully ours is saving the Railway thousands of dollars every year. This must be the case as the Railway continues to vigorously resist the prescription card...they have told us this would have to be negotiated! In other words, give them something to offset the higher cost for prescription cards.

Brothers and Sisters, I have a much better idea. I ask every unionized employee on BC Rail to take the time to ask for the forms for claiming your Pacific Blue Cross (was MSA) Extended Health Care benefits and keep them at home on file for when you might need them. Then every time you get a prescription or two for yourself or your family, fill out the form and send it in with receipts. Don't ever think only $5.00 or $10.00 is not worth the trouble.

I know that everyone of us looks carefully at our pay cheques and if we get short paid, no matter how little, we are on the phone getting it straightened out right away. Well, this is no different - this is something negotiated as part of your collective agreement. It's your money - I encourage all of you to ensure you collect it.

If we can get everyone to collect what the Railway owes us there should be no argument about an increased cost when we ask again for the more convenient prescription cards for you, the members. Please pitch in and help us eliminate any reason for the Railway to claim a financial benefit at our expense, and at the same time receive benefits to which you are entitled.

I have included a copy of the form you need to file for benefits. Pick them up and use them. We need your support. Please post this column in places where members of other unions will see it, and hopefully we will get every unionized employee claiming the benefits to which they are entitled.

The referendum ballots for microwave ovens on engines have been mailed out. I encourage each and every member to mark your ballot and get it in the mail ASAP. The deadline is March 31, 2000. The ballots will be counted on that date.

~ Bob Sharpe ~