Re: (erielack) Re: Draconian Punishments & FRA

[WSmith5957_@_aol.com]

Dear Curtis & others on the list.  
   Perhaps I didn't make myself clear. I KNOW about running by signals, I 
hostled the 2 ASEAs down from Ivy City that went on the head end of the 
Colonial, so I'm well aware of the dangers of getting by signals, but I'm not 
talking about blowing by one & keeping going like Ricky Gates did. I meant 
the tests CSX & NS do with their little ribbons where u might break one & get 
yanked out of service. As far as the FRA goes.....talk about a toothless 
watchdog!!!! INreality, they don't do S--T.Howcome THEY don't decide about 
the pee tests instead of letting the Company decide who gets one???? Better 
yet, why doesn't the FRA DO the tests instead of letting some low-bid lab do 
them. Here's a good one for you. When I worked at TRI-RAIL, I lost track of 
how many times I was drug tested  at the age of 58 or 60 - of course, I had 
as my conductor the local chairman of the union. Do you think THAT might have 
had something to do with all the drugtests for one crew. Meanwhile an 
engineer who everybody (except myself evidently) knew was into cocaine 
bigtime NEVER got the pee test. In fact, I heard he was let go by the NS 
acct. of use of nose candy & that's how he wound up on TRI-RAIL. This was 
common knowledge, too. I naively asked the guy onetime what kind of diet he 
was on since he'd lost so much weight & said "because I need to lose 10 or 15 
pounds too". My AC who was 23 or so yrs. old and evidently more knowledgable 
than I about such matters said"Don't you know ANYTHING, Walt??? He's a 
cokehead!!!". I mentioned this to the "safety officer" and he lookd me in the 
eye & said "Drug tests are completely random and crews are selected by the 
office computer. You just THINK you're getting selected more often. " Yes, 
and there is a Santa-Claus, and a tooth fairy, and so on.
         To make a long story short, the engineer in question shortly 
disappeared from TRI-RAIL, but a conductor who lived in the Florida Keys told 
me he saw 'Itchybutt" on Key Largo looking like a hippy and dealing in what 
is referred to there as 'the Square Grouper' (pot).
      It's the same way airline safety used to be...all privatized to the 
lowest bidder and ther best part is - when the company KNOWS you're a druggy, 
they OWN you. They'll still tolerate it unless you do something bizarre then 
you night get fired or maybe not, but you WILL do EXACTLY what they say.
Regards,
Walter E. Smith

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