Rail Management – Rail Labor

Context

• Railroads and rail unions are filled with people dedicated to safety and organizational success.
• Their relations are often fraught with misunderstandings and missed opportunities.

Goals

• Creating a collaborative and trusting environment will leverage the strengths and contributions of all railroaders and is essential for the industry to grow and prosper.

Core Question:

Current Conditions

1. What communication approaches to employees are counter-productive?
2. What working conditions for rail staff lead to diminished operating safety?
3. What management approaches to staff performance need improvement?
4. What working conditions for entry-level to mid-level management staff should be changed to improve the quality of professional and personal life?
5. What relations between the different rail labor unions can be improved for everyone’s benefit?

Charting a New Future

1. What innovations in organizational communication and collaboration would advance better relations and productivity between management and staff?
2. What innovations in communication between rail management and rail labor leaders can be instituted to improve collaboration?
3. How can furloughing of employees through business cycles be minimized or eliminated while protecting financial performance?
4. What improvements in management training should be made to better prepare staff for respectful relations with employees?
5. What improvements in staff training should be made to prepare workers better to succeed in railroading?
6. What experiences would enable labor leaders to better understand working conditions of their rank-and-file members?
7. How can technology and automation be advanced in a way that includes consideration of employee work quality-of-life, performance, and security?
8. What operational changes could improve the working quality of life for train labor?
9. What accommodations can be made by rail labor to support rail industry growth, while gaining overall jobs, compensation, quality of life, and job security, especially in the fiercely competitive short-haul market?
10. What union work rules should be reconceived to improve overall rail operations and productivity, without sacrificing safety, quality of life, compensation, or jobs?
11. What improvements can be made in how rail staff performance is measured and acknowledged?
12. How should company success and compensation be linked and shared among labor, management, and shareholders to fairly recognize and incentivize contribution?