TTD in the news

Reported by Lori Ann LaRocco for CNBC.

The drop in Shanghai’s port productivity, which is driven by to the lack of people working due to Covid lockdowns, can be seen in the container wait time at the port, according to CNBC’s new Supply Chain Heat Map.

“In Shanghai, ocean terminals, warehouses, and trucking services are operating as normal but with lower efficiency due to staff shortages and lack of drivers,” said Brian Bourke, Chief Growth Officer of SEKO Logistics.

CNBC’s Supply Chain Heat Map is a new data tool CNBC created along with 10 of the world’s top maritime and logistics data providers. it shows the scores of challenges facing the global supply chain in real time, so investors can understand the inventory problems facing companies.

America’s Workforce Union Podcast.

AFL-CIO Transportation Trades Department President Greg Regan joined the America’s Work Force Union Podcast and discussed an oppressive attendance policy implemented by BNSF Railway and its impact on workers and the supply chain crisis.

Called Hi-Viz, the policy is point-based and docks workers for absences, including family emergencies and sickness. Due to this strict policy, many workers fear they will be laid off in the next eight months, which could further disrupt the supply chain.

Reported by Dan Zukowski for SmartCitiesDive.

Even with advanced automated driving technology, transit vehicles including public transit buses and vans are “highly likely” to require the presence of a qualified human operator, according to a report issued Thursday by Traffic21, a transportation research institute at Carnegie Mellon University.

Human operators will likely be required in part because transit buses operate in a complex, ever-changing urban environment alongside pedestrians, bicyclists and other road users, the report says. Transit operators also interact with passengers and are responsible for their safety on board the vehicle.

While advanced driver assistance systems such as lane-centering and pedestrian warnings can improve safety, higher levels of automation can create their own safety issues, the report said.

Reported by Joanna Marsh for Freightwaves.

Two unions are still critical of BNSF’s controversial attendance policy, saying recent adjustments aren’t enough to overcome its shortcomings.

“BNSF’s proposed changes to its HiViz attendance policy are unimpressive. These changes do nothing to address the policy’s fundamental flaws,” said Greg Regan, president of the Transportation Trades Department, which is affiliated with the AFL-CIO. 

BNSF implemented the “HiViz” policy, which stands for high visibility, on Feb. 1. The railroad has said the policy aims to provide more transparency on absences as well as more predictability for crews around when they will go to work. But union members contend that the policy shortchanges rest time and penalizes employees for time off.

Reported by Justin Franz for Montana Free Press.

Montana’s largest railroad company is making changes to a controversial new employee attendance policy after receiving pushback from railroaders and unions. But even with the changes, labor officials remain unimpressed and said BNSF Railway’s new policies could lead to unsafe working conditions on the railroad.

Railroaders already lead chaotic work lives — one day they might go to work at 9 a.m. and the next at 5 p.m. — but BNSF employees alleged that the company’s new “Hi-Viz” attendance policy made it even worse by penalizing them for taking time off for a family emergency, illness or fatigue. Union officials say more than 700 railroaders have quit since the policy was implemented in February. Among those who walked was Brady Wassam, a Columbia Falls man who came from a family of railroaders and worked for BNSF for eight years.

Reported by Marybeth Luczak for Railway Age.

BNSF now plans changes to Hi-Viz. In a recent video on the BNSF YouTube channel, VP Transportation Matt Garland discussed them. He first thanked employees by saying, “I know we’ve had a tough start to the year, and I know we’re all feeling that. We all have a lot on our minds, and I appreciate all that you’re working through, and so do our customers.” He explained that over the past three months, “many employees raised concerns” about Hi-Viz details. “We heard you,” Garland said. “We’ve especially heard your concerns about the initial conjunction penalty associated with vacation and personal days. We’ve also heard a lot of thoughtful suggestions about ‘good performers’ having the ability to earn bonus points and the possibility of being able to bank more than 30 points.

America’s Workforce Union Podcast.

TTD Secretary Treasurer Shari Semelsberger discussed the new wave of worker empowerment during the pandemic and the path forward for working people in America.

Reported by Eleanor Mueller for Politico.

In the scramble to bring prices back down, one obstacle is slowly garnering more attention: a decimated railroad workforce, which agency officials say is impeding efforts to transport goods and, in doing so, further hobbling an already-delicate supply chain.

Over the last six years, Class I freight railroads — which include BNSF Railway, CSX Transportation, Kansas City Southern Railway, Norfolk Southern and Union Pacific — have hemorrhaged a combined 45,000 workers, according to the Surface Transportation Board. That’s nearly 29 percent of their workforce.

Reported by Justin Franz for Railfan and Railroad Magazine.

BNSF Railway will make adjustments to its new attendance policy that has been heavily criticized by union officials and railroaders alike.

Under the “Hi-Viz” attendance policy that went into effect on February 1, railroaders had a bank of 30 points. If they missed a call or couldn’t work, they lost points. If they lost all their points they could be punished or terminated. The policy has been called “draconian” by labor officials and the railroad’s unions almost went on strike over the policy until a judge blocked such action.

Reported by Bill Stephens for Trains.

BNSF Railway has modified its controversial Hi-Viz train crew attendance policy in response to employee feedback, but officials at two unions say the changes fall far short of what is needed.

The changes, which take effect June 1, were announced in a video released on Friday.

BNSF launched the policy in February, saying it would help improve crew availability, enable the railroad to remain competitive, and give employees greater visibility into their schedules. But union leaders have been highly critical of the program and threatened to strike over the matter.