Mobile vs. Headquartered Employees – The Ongoing Issue
This remains one of the most significant issues we are dealing with. As you can see from internal documents, they cut mobile to save money. We are trying to track when they send you away from home. BNSF argued in their own submission in the Rule 26 case, the Carrier describes headquartered employees as follows:
They are assigned to a fixed location (tool house, shop, depot)
They generally work near that location and return home daily
Travel away from headquarters occurs only on an “ad-hoc” basis
Such travel is tied to specific events (derailments, weather, temporary needs)
Assignments are short-term, after which the employee returns to headquarters
This description is important, because it defines the standard they are claiming to follow.
