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 Division 333 Bulletin Board

 BLET DIVISION 333 NEXT MEETING

Tuesday, March 16th @ 7:00 pm
 Amtrak Depot 730 Transfer Rd St Paul, MN 55114 map

Meetings are held every third Tuesday of the month.

 Become a BLET Division 333 member

check Crew boards from your mobile device

You can now check Crew Boards when OFF DUTY from your mobile device.

Just click 'Crew Boards' on the Employees MOBILE site at http://employees.mobile.uprr.com/

Features implemented based on requests from the field:
- Thirty-six hour projection on train lineup
- Color-coded times (Red=Called, Orange=Prompted, Green=Tentative)
- Click TrainID for details (schedule and consist info)
- Bookmark YOUR board and YOUR lineup:
1. Enter your Circ-7 and Board
2. Use 'Add bookmark' feature on mobile device.

The next time you need to check your boards:
1. Select bookmark from list on your phone.
2. Enter TCS UserID and Password to login.
3. Results displayed - NO DATA ENTRY!

Refusing Calls

If you are working the DM004 XE50 BOARD DO NOT REFUSE CALLS to work Mankato jobs. If you are called to work Mankato, don't say hell no and hang up the phone......simply request a pilot. If you refuse the call you could stand a chance of being charged and maybe disciplined. This is being watched closely so protect yourself.

 Personal tax returns

If you are looking for a good tax preparer contact Peter Paszkiewicz. He has been preparing tax returns for many of us for 15 years that know of. He knows a lot about railroad deductions and he even comes to your house to prepare them. He is extremely busy this time of year so leave a voice message or e-mail him. He will send you a check list of the things he will need to prepare your taxes.

Peter J. Paszkiewicz, EA
1718 Clinton Ave Apt 3
Minneapolis, MN 55404-1856 Phone: 612-871-7228
Fax: 612-871-1556
peterpaske@msn.com

Unemployment benefits

Here's our local RRB Field Office, for everyone who is furloughed or thinks they may be furloughed soon... You don't have to wait to be furloughed to register.

You can register on line at http://www.rrb.gov/mep/ben_services.asp You will receive a pin and password. Then if you happen to be furloughed later you can apply for your benefits online.
 

District Office Information

Location 180 E 5th Street, Suite 195
St. Paul, MN 55101-1640
Hours 9:00 AM THRU 3:30 PM
Monday through Friday except Federal Holidays
Telephone (877) 772-5772
Fax (651) 290-3076

Here is your answers to most of the benefit questions

Unemployment Benefits for Railroad Employees

Sickness Benefits for Railroad Employees

 BLET Short-Term Disability Insurance

You are entitled to short-term disability benefits up to a maximum of 52 weeks if you are an eligible employee working on a railroad that participated in the Wage Rules portion of the National Agreement dated December 16, 2003. The plan pays $362 per week.

Effective October 1, 2007, weekly benefits were reduced from $402 per week to $362 per week. The reduction will not impact members with existing claims or those who have a disability date prior to October 1, 2007. They will continue to qualify for the $402 per week benefit. Only those claims with a date of October 1 or after will be adjusted to $362 per week.

The plan experience is monitored regularly and reviewed annually. A high number of claims forced the plan to pay more in benefits that it collected in premiums. This, in addition to the fact that we were unable to secure payment of a higher premium from the rail carriers, has forced the Trust Fund to adjust the benefits accordingly.

To initiate a claim for a sickness, accidental injury on or off duty, or pregnancy, you may call MetLife Insurance Company at (800) 858-6506. You must be absent for 14 calendar days before your claim can be processed. However, if your absence is scheduled, such as a hospital stay, you may call prior to your last day of work. If the illness or injury is unanticipated, you should call MetLife as soon as possible to ensure that your claim will be processed in a timely manner.

There are no claim forms to be completed. When you call, you will be asked to provide the following information to an intake person at the MetLife Claims Center:

Personal Information

Full name (Official name with railroad)
Address
Telephone number(s)
Social Security number
Date of birth
BLET General Committee
BLET Local Division
Job Information
Railroad on which employed
Date of hire on railroad
Date entered into engine service 		Sickness/Injury Information
Last day worked
Nature of illness/injury
Date of disability
Injury on or off duty
Craft working in at time of injury/onset of illness
Physician's Information for each treating physician
Name
Address
Telephone number
FAX number

Your railroad submits a list of employees who qualify for STD insurance to MetLife on a monthly basis. Based on that information, MetLife determines your eligibility to file a claim.

MetLife will mail an "Authorization to Disclose Information About Me" form to you immediately after you report your claim. It is important that you do the following:

Complete all applicable areas of the form
Sign the form
FAX or mail the form as soon as possible to expedite the claim (retain original for your records)
Provide your treating physician(s) with a signed copy
Your physician(s) may also ask you to sign a specific authorization form for their records. Please do so.
Frequently asked questions regarding the National STD insurance:  MetLifeQ&A.pdf

You may also access the Summary Plan Description:  Your Benefit Plan.pdf

Your BLET Short-term Disability Administrator can provide you assistance in working with MetLife, if needed. Contact information is as follows:

Jim Bradford
BLET Short-term Disability Administrator
(216) 241-2630 x205
Bradford@ble-t.org

Friend to Friend Network

 This charity has helped those that have suffered major tragedies including weather disasters, major health problems, fires and evacuations from the family home.

Here's a Powerpoint Presentation... Friend to Friend ppt.

If you would like to find out more or donate to this good cause you can visit the company link here.. Friend to Friend. Or you can contact Robert Resch to personally answer your questions by email at  RJRESCH@up.com or by calling him (402) 544 - 5197.

 ADOBE READER DOWNLOAD

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LEGAL DISCLAIMER:
This is only a informational website only. Information and statements contained on this web site has been provided for the benefit of BLET Division 333 Members. The Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen, Division 333 and this webmaster are not liable for discrepancies, omissions, opinions, whether     expressed, implied, false or misleading content. All content © 2008 Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen Division 333.