Railway Track & Structures - August 2008 - (Page 16)

NRCChairman’s Column Railroad contractors and labor Manny Ramirez Chairman The National Railroad Construction & Maintenance Association, Inc. 500 New Jersey Ave., N. W. Suite 400 Washington D. C. 20009 Tel: 202-715-2920 Fax: 202-318-0867 www.nrcma.org info@nrcma.org As Labor Day 2008 approaches, I’d like to remind everybody of the railroad contracting and supplier industry’s proud tradition of providing tens of thousands of good-paying, hard-working jobs throughout this country. These are jobs that can not be outsourced and, in fact, have been growing dramatically during the ongoing Railroad Renaissance. We believe that the contracting and supplier industry is as close to a true meritocracy as you can find in American industry, and the NRC will continue to work diligently to ensure that stays the case. We should also thank our partner labor unions on the contracting side of the business for their support and cooperation over the years. Many NRC contractors are unionized companies, with unions spanning from the Carpenters Union to the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers. More than 30 NRC contractors are signatory to one national labor contract (the RTOA), with both the Laborers International Union of North America (LIUNA) and the International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE). The NRC helps facilitate the wage package and work rules for this labor agreement and we believe that the relationship that has been forged between management and labor is extraordinarily cooperative. This cooperation has proved to be very helpful over the years on issues ranging from health insurance to safety training to lobbying issues in Washington, D.C. Currently in Washington, Congress is in a mad dash to complete its work before the November elections and multiple pieces of rail legislation are in play. The NRC is actively involved in all of these issues, including railroad safety legislation, Amtrak and intercity passenger rail authorization (specifically, focusing on maintaining the ability of grant recipients to contract out work as they see fit), the Class 1 and shortline railroad investment tax credit bills and fighting railroad reregulation and anti-trust efforts. On a separate topic, it’s time to make your arrangements to attend the 2009 NRC Annual Conference & NRC/REMSA Exhibition. Every year, the exhibition, the golf tournament and the hotel room block all sell out and we’re in a particularly nice venue this time around, a sell-out is almost guaranteed – reserve your place now. Here’s the logistical info you need to attend: Conference/Exhibition begins Wednesday, January 7, at 4 p.m. and runs through the banquet on Satur- day night, January 10. Hotel and Conference Venue: The Sanibel Harbour Resort & Spa Fort Myers, Florida http://www.sanibel-resort.com/ To register for the conference and/or arrange an exhibit booth for your company and for more info, go to www.nrcma.org, contact Rob Burman in the NRC office at rburman@ nrcma.org or 202-715-2919. To book a room at the discounted group rate of $210/night, call the Sanibel Harbour Resort at 800-7677777. When making your reservations by phone, be sure to mention that you are with The National Railroad Construction and Maintenance Association (NRC) Conference. Airport options: Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW): 21 miles Tampa International Aiport (TPA): 154 miles Miami International Airport (MIA): 156 miles Orlando International Airport (MCO): 222 miles We are looking forward to seeing you all there in January. As always, I ask that you keep the men and women in uniform in your hearts and prayers. 16 Railway Track & Structures August 2008 www.rtands.com http://www.nrcma.org http://www.nrcma.org http://www.nrcma.org http://www.rtands.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Railway Track & Structures - August 2008

Railway Track & Structures - August 2008 Contents On Track Industry Today Supplier News AREMA News NRC News TTCI R&D Wish List: What Chief Engineers Really Want in M/W Machinery Keeping Ballast in Shape Amtrak Turns to Sophisticated System to Manage NEC Assets Supplier Profiles Products and Literature People Calendar Sales Representatives Website Directory Advertisers Index Professional Directory Classified Advertising Chicago Perspective

Railway Track & Structures - August 2008

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