GALESBURG � A BNSF Railway union met Wednesday to discuss a new contract that would remove the conductor from the cab of a freight train in an effort to cut costs.

The Galesburg committee of Adjustment GO-001 and other SMART-Transportation Division union members gathered to discuss and debate the union-drafted contract that would affect that largest skill group at BNSF. Conductors and ground service workers make up 60 percent of the work force.

General Chairman Randall Knutson introduced the proposal to a hostile crowd, which was amped to verbally bash the plan several times during the discussion.

Knutson responded to the opposition by explaining that engineers already can run a train by themselves, and soon BNSF will remove conductors from trains anyway. He said this way the union can at least protect the workers if they agree to a contract now.

�Engineer-only operated contracts are coming, whether you vote for this one or wait for the next one,� Knutson said.

According to Knutson, with new technology the position of conductor is starting to become irrelevant, just like technology bested the traditional caboose.

But in a room full of conductors that message didn�t go over well.

�There�s way too many variables to make an educated decision regarding safety and the well-being of the towns we drive through,� member Bill Redfern said.

The engineer operates the train, working with the mechanics of the locomotive, while the conductor makes sure the train knows where to go, while also managing the cargo and keeping an eye on the surroundings, especially near roads and urban areas. The conductor is also in charge of the safety of the train.

Most members in attendance were most worried about that part of their job description.

�How many people are in the cockpit of an airplane? Two. They say that because the technology fails,� one member said.

Under the new proposal, Knutson said there will be a �master conductor� who will overlook three to four trains at a time from a central location, instead of physically being in the train.

He said in cases of emergencies the workers will get to work in company vehicles, driving out to sites where they are needed instead of being on stand-by on the train as they traditionally do. One member called the new job �glorified van drivers.�

Another member said the two-man train is essential for safety purposes not just for the city�s they drive through, but the members on the train.

�One guy had a heart-attack on the train and an engineer saved his life,� he said.

The members are also concerned they will be out of a job with the new plan, since there is a limited number of employees who will be retained as a master conductor.

�Is this going to replace the entire pool? Probably not,� Knutson said. �But if you�re not working out there you�re going to be on the reserve board making 100 percent of your pay. Sooner or later it will transition, and I�m not surprised if it does within a year or two.�

Knutson said the workers that don�t get master conductor or ground service job will be put on a retention board, where they he said they will get 100 percent of their pay. Workers on retention will stay on it until there is demand for more workers or if a worker on retention is deemed unfit to work, they will be removed.

The agreement said the workers get an �equivalent daily rate,� but members said the rates paid on the retention board are just about the poverty line for someone raising a family.

The equivalent daily rate doesn�t take overtime into the equation nor does it allow for raises if a person stays on the retention board through a raise cycle.

However, Knutson did say those on retention will still receive health benefits.

Knutson also said the changes are still a long way out. He said if the union does nothing, within five years they would be at the mercy of BNSF, which would be in the position of taking the conductor out of the cab anyway.

For Knutson this is a way to stay ahead of that curve, and propose a lesser of two evils, even if one is immediate and the other is a long way out.

�As I see it, we�re the ones entrusted to tell you what we see coming down the road,� he said. �We�re trying to be proactive here, we�re trying to get ahead of this. Getting ahead of it as far as we did, we feel we have the leverage at the table.�

Meanwhile, Knutson and his board aren�t just facing opposition from the union members.

The Federal Railroad Administration spokesman Kevin Thompson told BNSF that his agency believes in the two-man system.

�FRA continues to believe that the highest level of safety is ensured with the use of multiple-person crews,� Thompson said in a company article obtained by The Register-Mail. �We look forward to learning more about the BNSF/SMART proposal and how it supports the intent of our rule-making � protecting the public.�

No final action was completed in Wednesday�s meeting. The union still has to vote on the contract proposal and it still has to go through BNSF. The voting is set to start in the coming weeks.

Even so, Knutson said the process could take months and even years to finalize.

Marty Hobe: (309) 343-7181, ext. 214; mhobe@register-mail.com; @mhobe55