JamesSwidergal - All Comments

re: Welcome and let's hear from all Carriers employees in Chicago

proud2brrer — Sat, 22 Aug 2009 05:14:50 GMT

Sorry for the delay in responding to your question. Sorry, not in IL, stuck back in New England.

re: The UP Healthy....haha!

RRManager — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 21:42:07 GMT

Mr. Swidergal,

I find your legal opinion that a publicly traded company cannot be defamed or libeled to say the least unique. In that case you should consider taking a full page add in a major newspaper to share with the world your unbiased opinion of the UP. After all, you are only speaking to a small audience of people here may or may not be "real" managers, vendors & employees.

By the way, "Do you understand" is a question and should be followed with a question mark, understand?

RRManager

re: The UP Healthy....haha!

FSAdams — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 18:03:58 GMT

Are we having fun yet?

re: The UP Healthy....haha!

locodr — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:51:14 GMT

I'm betting Mr. Swidergal will get a lot better as soon as the check arrives.

Until then...............................

re: The UP Healthy....haha!

Tom — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 18:12:43 GMT

This Blog is entertaining!

re: The UP Healthy....haha!

anmccaff — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 19:39:48 GMT

LK>"anmccaff once again is a voice of reason."

That's because I was talking about someone else's problem. I'm as unreasonable as the next guy about my own, enough of the time.

LK>" Finally, I'd be very surprised if anyone were to sue anyone else for libel, defamation, or slander."

Yeah, me, too, but the same words in another context could be different.

I don't personally know many people here, but my impression of Mr. S. was, and is, pretty positive. Except when he's talking UP. Since the rail world is such a small place, it doesn't make practical sense to annoy people who you might have to do business with over things they didn't do themselves.

re: The UP Healthy....haha!

Larry Kaufman — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 17:40:08 GMT

anmccaff once again is a voice of reason. As they say at the bridge table, let's review the bidding. James obviously has had a "bad" experience with UP. James fired off a blog comment that is unkind to UP, although it may or may not be accurate. LCWilson managed to obtain James' personnel information and published that as a comment here. Wilson presumably is a UP supervisory employee, else the personal personnel information probably would not have been available to him. James has admonished Wilson by threatening or suggesting that he potentially is subject to legal action. RRManager has sided with Wilson. Starnut hs chipped in that he is a UP employee and disagrees with James. Let's face it, folks, there are railroad supervisors who might be candidates for sainthood, who care for an about the people they supervise. There are others who bring discredit on themselves and their railroad. This is so in any industry. Finally, I'd be very surprised if anyone were to sue anyone else for libel, defamation, or slander. So let's try to avoid using inflammatory language, especially when some don't really know what the words mean. You demean only yourselves. And James, a friendly bit of advice: it's not a good idea to bring your personal angst to a blog site. You have no knowledge of the people who read and/or participate or who they may be. Discretion is the better part of valor, as someone else once said.

re: The UP Healthy....haha!

anmccaff — Fri, 03 Jul 2009 01:37:18 GMT

"My comments are hardly libelous, and as a matter a fact, non threatening when considered I was not attacking an individual, but a corporation that is publicly traded, (no infraction on my part legally or otherwise."

Corporations are "fictitious persons", they have pretty much the same rights to their "good name" as individuals do. Whether something is libelous has a lot to do with context (or how could we have celebrity roasts?), but I really ain't too sure this is the best place to vent. Some people who have had a happier time with the UP might take it personally, and all that.

I'd be willing to bet that there are managers even in the worst places to work that take their subordinate's needs seriously, and tarring them with the same brush isn't right.

" The violation comes when an individual who is third party offers inclusion without authorization of my personal work history, that is the violation, and you (if you are a real RR manager would or should have known that)."

Might not be libel, though. For all except a limited number of things dealing with "personal" (usually read "sexual") privacy, truth is a defense in libel and slander. Many privacy policies are company policy, not law. I suppose you could sue over it and find out for sure, but I think that's a pretty gray area.

"And as far as my loyalty to the Railroad whether the UPRR or any other non human entity is is within my LEGAL parameters to discuss, and or complain because there is no conciousness involved when discussing an entity, where WILSON does not have legal authority to disclose what does not belong to him in this case my personnal record and or work history."

No. Seriously. No. Companies have just about the same rights against slander and libel that "natural persons" like me and thee do. You attack their "good name", they can respond. They wouldn't and shouldn't here, probably, but that's a different story.

re: The UP Healthy....haha!

James Swidergal — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 22:16:39 GMT

Dear RRManager,

My comments are hardly libelous, and as a matter a fact, non threatening when considered I was not attacking an individual, but a corporation that is publicly traded, (no infraction on my part legally or otherwise.

The violation comes when an individual who is third party offers inclusion without authorization of my personal work history, that is the violation, and you (if you are a real RR manager would or should have known that).

And as far as my loyalty to the Railroad whether the UPRR or any other non human entity is is within my LEGAL parameters to discuss, and or complain because there is no conciousness involved when discussing an entity, where WILSON does not have legal authority to disclose what does not belong to him in this case my personnal record and or work history.

So To You RRMANAGER DO YOU UNDERSTAND!

re: The UP Healthy....haha!

Larry Kaufman — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 18:18:08 GMT

Before this thread goes much farther, let's consider a few things, shall we? First, the bottom line is what corporations and their managements are supposed to worry about. If they don't worry about it and ensure the greatest return on investment, they will not remain in business, as those who worked for the Penn Central, Rock Island, Milwaukee, Reading, Lehigh Valley, CNJ and a few others can attest.

Well managed companies - railroads, too - usually achieve superior results by doing what they can to have a reasonably satisfied work force. That's considered good business. As NS points out in explaining its zeal for safety, the accident you con't have doesn't clutter up your railroad or affect service to customers. In my years around this industry, I've found that those who are most antagonistic toward management frequently don't know what they are talking about and if they do, they intentionally are fabricating angst such as we've seen here. The vast majority of railroad employees do the jobs they are assigned, are reasonably satisfied with the paychecks they get and the conditions under which they work. Is it perfect out there? Of course not. Nor are managements of today's Class 1s as heartless and cruel as some like to suggest.

re: The UP Healthy....haha!

RRManager — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 15:20:34 GMT

Mr. Swidergal,

Your initial post was full of what some would consider libelous remarks about the UP, yet when someone else makes statements regarding you it becomes a violation of your personal liberties? Isn't entitlement wonderful! Try to remember that people in glass houses shoudn't throw stones. Do you understand???

re: The UP Healthy....haha!

Starnut68 — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 23:45:31 GMT

I am a current UP employee in the locomotive mechanical department.

Support for a healthy lifestyle? Most definitely. My gym membership is paid for by the company. There are smoking cessation and weight loss programs available, as well as peer support and mental health support available. Not to mention alcohol and substance abuse programs.

I was also injured at work several years ago and my experience was very very different from what Mr. Swidergal seems to be talking about. There was no pressure on me, or my doctor, to "expedite" my treatment and return to work; nor was there ever the suggestion that I be fired because of what happened.

re: The UP Healthy....haha!

James Swidergal — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 22:44:59 GMT

Dear Mr. LCWILSON,

Unless you are an employer, and or my legal rep. if I were you I'd be careful as to what you post on this site or else where, without receiving my written authorization as to disclosing my employment status and or any and all charges and or violations that I may be involved in.

In other words you have no right to disclose what is not public information, and you have no rights here or elsewhere to litigate or cause for speculation as to my litigation in these matters, any and all further discussion of my infraction involving 49cfr219 is not for discourse in this a public forum, and should you not heed this warning then be prepared to do legal battle in a court of law...DO YOU UNDERSTAND!!!!!!

re: The UP Healthy....haha!

LCWilson — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 01:07:45 GMT

Former, out for a 49CFR219 violation for at least 4 years now. How's the mushroom farm with Hilko working out?

re: The UP Healthy....haha!

Rsteveb — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 17:57:03 GMT

Mr Swidergal is a current or former UP employee. He may knoweth of what he speaks but as Lao Tze said, "Those who know do not speak, those who speak do not know."