In a victory for labor unions, BNSF Railway has reversed course and put the brakes on a recently imposed rule that required railway workers company-wide to provide information pertaining to off-duty medical procedures and non-work-related medical issues.
In a written statement, BNSF spokeswoman Suann Lundsberg acknowledged the railroad had reviewed the situation and decided to withdraw the rule effective March 29, just six days after the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers & Trainmen and other labor unions filed complaints against the policy with the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
“BNSF continues to assess and consider the very real and serious safety concerns that gave rise to the rule but will be considering alternative ways to address those issues in a manner consistent with past practice and the practices already in effect on other railroads as well as the practices in other regulated transportation industries,” Lundsberg said in an email to the news media confirming the change.
The policy, which BNSF instituted Jan. 1, had required all employees to notify the carrier of medical conditions and/or events that occur or are diagnosed while they are away from work.
The BLET and other labor organizations, including the American Train Dispatchers Association, Brotherhood of Railroad Signalmen, Transportation-Communications International Union and United Transportation Union, however, had alleged that the new medical reporting policy violated the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008 and the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and possibly other federal statutes.
The unions said they feared the medical information could reveal a disability that’s neither job-related nor relevant to any carrier interest, would be likely to result in the carrier improperly obtaining genetic information and would be discriminatory against women affected by pregnancy and/or related medical conditions.
BNSF Railway, however, took the position that the policy changes were necessary because in the past, some employees had been found to have serious medical conditions that impacted their safety, the safety of co-workers and potentially that of the general public.
But as of late March, the policy has been scrapped, according to the railroad.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Port of Oakland Touts Economic Impact
The Port of Oakland helps sustain thousands of regional jobs as well as hundreds of thousands more jobs across the US, according to the results of a newly-released economic impact study.
The study’s key findings are central to a new jobs brochure, “Powering Jobs, Empowering Communities,” that the port unveiled April 5 to illustrate its positive economic impacts.
“The Port of Oakland is a jobs-creating powerhouse and we wanted to put a human face on the over 73,000 jobs in the region that are powered by the port,” port Board President Pamela Calloway said regarding the new brochure.
The study, which was conducted by Martin Associates and based on 2010 data and collected and analyzed in 2011, found that the port generated over $671 million in tax revenue in 2010 and $1.5 billion in wages for 37,116 direct job holders that year.
It also found that nearly one in five direct jobs created by the port is held by an Oakland resident and that more than half of port’s direct jobs belong to residents of Alameda County. Over 30,000 trade-related jobs in the California Central Valley are connected to the port as well, according to the study.
“Port business drives job creation – specifically more cargo, more passengers, more infrastructure projects, and more tenants,” Oakland’s Executive Director, Omar Benjamin, said. “That’s why the port is focused aggressively on its core businesses.”
The Port of Oakland includes the seaport, 20 miles of waterfront and Oakland International Airport. The Port of Oakland receives no local tax dollars, but instead, generates tax revenue from its three business lines: maritime, commercial real estate and aviation.
For every 1,000 containers imported or exported at the seaport, eight direct jobs are supported, according to the study, and the port’s commercial real estate powers nearly eight percent of the region’s 73,000-plus port-related jobs.
The port’s new jobs brochure and a PowerPoint presentation on the 2010 Economic Impact Report are available at www.portofoakland.com/poweringjobs.
The study’s key findings are central to a new jobs brochure, “Powering Jobs, Empowering Communities,” that the port unveiled April 5 to illustrate its positive economic impacts.
“The Port of Oakland is a jobs-creating powerhouse and we wanted to put a human face on the over 73,000 jobs in the region that are powered by the port,” port Board President Pamela Calloway said regarding the new brochure.
The study, which was conducted by Martin Associates and based on 2010 data and collected and analyzed in 2011, found that the port generated over $671 million in tax revenue in 2010 and $1.5 billion in wages for 37,116 direct job holders that year.
It also found that nearly one in five direct jobs created by the port is held by an Oakland resident and that more than half of port’s direct jobs belong to residents of Alameda County. Over 30,000 trade-related jobs in the California Central Valley are connected to the port as well, according to the study.
“Port business drives job creation – specifically more cargo, more passengers, more infrastructure projects, and more tenants,” Oakland’s Executive Director, Omar Benjamin, said. “That’s why the port is focused aggressively on its core businesses.”
The Port of Oakland includes the seaport, 20 miles of waterfront and Oakland International Airport. The Port of Oakland receives no local tax dollars, but instead, generates tax revenue from its three business lines: maritime, commercial real estate and aviation.
For every 1,000 containers imported or exported at the seaport, eight direct jobs are supported, according to the study, and the port’s commercial real estate powers nearly eight percent of the region’s 73,000-plus port-related jobs.
The port’s new jobs brochure and a PowerPoint presentation on the 2010 Economic Impact Report are available at www.portofoakland.com/poweringjobs.
Port of Long Beach Seeks Interim HQ
After reaching dead ends in previous potential paths toward a new administration building, the Port of Long Beach is now exploring yet another avenue of approach.
The port has begun requesting information from office building owners and their representatives as part of its search for an interim headquarters.
The port says it could either lease or purchase its new facility, and has asked office building owners and their representatives to submit information by 3 p.m., Fri., April 20, 2012.
The complete Request for Information (RFI) document is available for download at http://www.polb.com/economics/contractors/rfq_rfp/information.asp.
The port’s current seven-story building is located on the outskirts of the port’s confines, near downtown Long Beach. It was built in 1959 and no longer meets the port’s needs, according to officials, nor does it meet modern earthquake codes.
The port had originally planned to internally fund and build a $220 million state-of-the-art headquarters within the harbor; however the idea was eventually shot down by Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster as too expensive. Since then, the port’s been looking to lease or purchase a nearby office building to house the port’s 400-member staff.
Last fall, the five-member harbor commission twice deadlocked on a 2-2 vote whether to purchase the Long Beach World Trade Center. Commissioners Thomas Fields and Nick Sramek voted for the extension and commissioners Rich Dines and Doug Drummond against. The fifth member, Susan Wise recused herself from the issue because she and her husband both have office space in the building.
The port has begun requesting information from office building owners and their representatives as part of its search for an interim headquarters.
The port says it could either lease or purchase its new facility, and has asked office building owners and their representatives to submit information by 3 p.m., Fri., April 20, 2012.
The complete Request for Information (RFI) document is available for download at http://www.polb.com/economics/contractors/rfq_rfp/information.asp.
The port’s current seven-story building is located on the outskirts of the port’s confines, near downtown Long Beach. It was built in 1959 and no longer meets the port’s needs, according to officials, nor does it meet modern earthquake codes.
The port had originally planned to internally fund and build a $220 million state-of-the-art headquarters within the harbor; however the idea was eventually shot down by Long Beach Mayor Bob Foster as too expensive. Since then, the port’s been looking to lease or purchase a nearby office building to house the port’s 400-member staff.
Last fall, the five-member harbor commission twice deadlocked on a 2-2 vote whether to purchase the Long Beach World Trade Center. Commissioners Thomas Fields and Nick Sramek voted for the extension and commissioners Rich Dines and Doug Drummond against. The fifth member, Susan Wise recused herself from the issue because she and her husband both have office space in the building.
Registration Open for Bay Planning Conference
The Bay Planning Coalition, a group dedicated to maritime issues in the San Francisco Bay area, has opened registration for its annual Decisionmakers Conference, a daylong event scheduled for Thurs., April 26 in Oakland.
The annual conference brings together BPC-member business leaders and local, state and federal environmental regulatory agency representatives and others to focus on developing and implementing collaborative strategies for maintaining and improving the Bay’s economic and environmental health.
The 2012 conference’s theme is “The Maritime Bay: Its Economic Importance to the Northern California Economy.”
This year’s planned keynote speaker is Jock O’Connell, an international trade adviser to Beacon Economics, a consulting firm with offices in Los Angeles and in the San Francisco Bay Area. In his remarks, O’Connell is expected to address California’s economic forecast related to maritime activity and its importance in generating taxes to fund essential governmental operations.
Other scheduled speakers include Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, who will give the opening address; and San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission chair R. Zachary Wasserman, who will be the event’s luncheon speaker.
For more information or to register, visit the Bay Planning Coalition’s website at www.bayplanningcoalition.org.
The annual conference brings together BPC-member business leaders and local, state and federal environmental regulatory agency representatives and others to focus on developing and implementing collaborative strategies for maintaining and improving the Bay’s economic and environmental health.
The 2012 conference’s theme is “The Maritime Bay: Its Economic Importance to the Northern California Economy.”
This year’s planned keynote speaker is Jock O’Connell, an international trade adviser to Beacon Economics, a consulting firm with offices in Los Angeles and in the San Francisco Bay Area. In his remarks, O’Connell is expected to address California’s economic forecast related to maritime activity and its importance in generating taxes to fund essential governmental operations.
Other scheduled speakers include Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, who will give the opening address; and San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission chair R. Zachary Wasserman, who will be the event’s luncheon speaker.
For more information or to register, visit the Bay Planning Coalition’s website at www.bayplanningcoalition.org.
Friday, April 6, 2012
Port of Bellingham Director Resigns
Port of Bellingham director Charlie Sheldon announced April 3 that he was stepping down from the job effective at the end of the month. His resignation comes six months after a port commissioner had called for his ouster.
Sheldon, who had only been on the job 18 months, had been asked to resign last October in a motion by port commissioner Scott Walker, who was upset that Sheldon had authorized the port’s aviation director to take a trip to a conference in the Caribbean without informing the board first. Although the board voted 2-1 against Walker’s motion at the time, the damage had been done, and Walker and Sheldon’s professional relationship deteriorated in subsequent months.
After submitting his resignation, two of the three port commissioners – Walker and Jim Jorgensen -- voted to accept it and a separation agreement that includes five months’ severance pay.
Before the vote, numerous port stakeholders, including commercial fishermen, labor activists, former Mayor Dan Pike and the CEO of Bellingham Cold Storage, Doug Thomas, all voiced their support for Sheldon and urged the board not to accept the resignation, saying that Sheldon had done a fine job and deserved a second chance.
Thomas, in particular said that in his 14 years running his cold storage business, his working relationship with port staff reached a peak during Sheldon’s 18-month tenure.
In the end however, port commissioner Mike McAuley was the lone vote against accepting the resignation.
During the meeting, the commission also appointed Chief Financial Officer Rob Fix to the position of interim executive director, which he will hold while a search for a permanent director is ongoing.
Sheldon, who had only been on the job 18 months, had been asked to resign last October in a motion by port commissioner Scott Walker, who was upset that Sheldon had authorized the port’s aviation director to take a trip to a conference in the Caribbean without informing the board first. Although the board voted 2-1 against Walker’s motion at the time, the damage had been done, and Walker and Sheldon’s professional relationship deteriorated in subsequent months.
After submitting his resignation, two of the three port commissioners – Walker and Jim Jorgensen -- voted to accept it and a separation agreement that includes five months’ severance pay.
Before the vote, numerous port stakeholders, including commercial fishermen, labor activists, former Mayor Dan Pike and the CEO of Bellingham Cold Storage, Doug Thomas, all voiced their support for Sheldon and urged the board not to accept the resignation, saying that Sheldon had done a fine job and deserved a second chance.
Thomas, in particular said that in his 14 years running his cold storage business, his working relationship with port staff reached a peak during Sheldon’s 18-month tenure.
In the end however, port commissioner Mike McAuley was the lone vote against accepting the resignation.
During the meeting, the commission also appointed Chief Financial Officer Rob Fix to the position of interim executive director, which he will hold while a search for a permanent director is ongoing.
Amway Buys Port of Quincy Acreage
Direct selling company Amway has bought 12 acres of a newly-developed industrial park at the Port of Quincy, Washington on which the company says it plans to build a 48,000-square-foot nutritional products extraction and concentration facility.
Amway also has an option with the port to buy another 15 acres of property at the same industrial park. Amway says it plans to begin development of a $31.8 million facility at the port later this year, which would create about 30 permanent jobs and about 100 temporary construction jobs.
Operations are expected to begin in 2014, according to Michigan-based Amway.
Amway’s locating a processing facility at the port is the culmination of several months of efforts by a coalition of partners, according to Port of Quincy chair and president Curt Morris, including the Washington State Department of Commerce, Grant County Public Utility District, Grant County Economic Development Council, the City of Quincy and other local entities.
The Amway deal follows several other major additions the Port of Quincy has made in the past few years, the largest of which came in early 2010, when the port upgraded its freight transportation connections and began a partnership with Cold Train, via BNSF Railway, to provide door-to-door refrigerated intermodal service between the Pacific Northwest and Chicago/Indianapolis/Ohio Valley area markets.
The Cold Train intermodal container rail and distribution service has turned the Quincy Intermodal Terminal into a key distribution hub for central and eastern Washington.
Amway also has an option with the port to buy another 15 acres of property at the same industrial park. Amway says it plans to begin development of a $31.8 million facility at the port later this year, which would create about 30 permanent jobs and about 100 temporary construction jobs.
Operations are expected to begin in 2014, according to Michigan-based Amway.
Amway’s locating a processing facility at the port is the culmination of several months of efforts by a coalition of partners, according to Port of Quincy chair and president Curt Morris, including the Washington State Department of Commerce, Grant County Public Utility District, Grant County Economic Development Council, the City of Quincy and other local entities.
The Amway deal follows several other major additions the Port of Quincy has made in the past few years, the largest of which came in early 2010, when the port upgraded its freight transportation connections and began a partnership with Cold Train, via BNSF Railway, to provide door-to-door refrigerated intermodal service between the Pacific Northwest and Chicago/Indianapolis/Ohio Valley area markets.
The Cold Train intermodal container rail and distribution service has turned the Quincy Intermodal Terminal into a key distribution hub for central and eastern Washington.
Stolen Luxury Vehicles Seized at LA/Long Beach Port Complex
Twenty stolen luxury vehicles valued at about $1.5 million were found and seized by US Customs and Border Protection at the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex, officials said April 3.
The vehicles, which included a Ferrari 453 Italia and Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus brand vehicles were in containers marked as containing used fitness equipment, that were bound for Hong Kong and Vietnam.
According to Customs official Carlos Mantel, CBP officials were tipped off in February by a dealership that rented the Ferrari to someone who’s ID turned out to be fake. This resulted in an anti-theft device being activated on the vehicle, and the car being found at an unidentified terminal at the seaport complex.
A subsequent investigation turned up eight cargo containers filled with the remaining vehicles, which included cars, SUVs and pickup trucks, which were manufactured from 2009 to 2012, Martel said. Four of the vehicles reached Vietnam, but authorities managed to seize them for CBP.
The thieves are believed to have operated by renting or buying luxury cars under false identities, thereby defrauding rental agencies, banks and insurance companies. No arrests have been made yet in the case, but the investigation is still ongoing.
The vehicles will be turned over to the California Highway Patrol, which will then give them back to the companies that reported them missing, according to Customs.
The vehicles, which included a Ferrari 453 Italia and Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz and Lexus brand vehicles were in containers marked as containing used fitness equipment, that were bound for Hong Kong and Vietnam.
According to Customs official Carlos Mantel, CBP officials were tipped off in February by a dealership that rented the Ferrari to someone who’s ID turned out to be fake. This resulted in an anti-theft device being activated on the vehicle, and the car being found at an unidentified terminal at the seaport complex.
A subsequent investigation turned up eight cargo containers filled with the remaining vehicles, which included cars, SUVs and pickup trucks, which were manufactured from 2009 to 2012, Martel said. Four of the vehicles reached Vietnam, but authorities managed to seize them for CBP.
The thieves are believed to have operated by renting or buying luxury cars under false identities, thereby defrauding rental agencies, banks and insurance companies. No arrests have been made yet in the case, but the investigation is still ongoing.
The vehicles will be turned over to the California Highway Patrol, which will then give them back to the companies that reported them missing, according to Customs.
