Last week Hunter Harrison, president and CEO of CSX, issued a letter to its customers apologizing for the recent disruptions in service. The letter seemed to lay the majority of the blame on the employees. As a result, the employees and the unions representing them are not happy with Mr. Harrison.
The portion of the letter that was perhaps the most upsetting reads “While most people at the company have embraced the new plan, unfortunately, a few have pushed back and continue to do so. This resistance to change has resulted in some service disruptions … As we move forward, we will continue to address these internal personnel matters and our teams have recommitted themselves to reaching out to those affected to work through any service issues and resolve them as quickly as possible.”
One of the union groups representing CSX employees, The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation (SMART), released a letter of their own making it clear that they are unhappy that CSX has refused to accept responsibility for its customers’ service disruptions. In part, the letter read “Our members, the ballast line employees, rightfully take your comments as a personal attack on their professionalism. They have worked through numerous operations challenges and changes to their work routines. Despite harsh treatment, furloughs and repeated violations of their collective bargaining agreements, it has not deterred the employees from fulfilling their duties. If anything, our members are pushing forward even though management is providing limited guidance and resources.”
At this time, none of the other 12 unions have released statements of their own. However, Clark Ballew, the spokesman for the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees – Divsion of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, said “SMART was spot on with its assessment. Morale is low and not just in the track department but throughout the system. (Harrison) is reaping what he’s sowed. Workers are disgruntled and tired.”
