Руководство CSX провело встречу с работниками локомотивного цеха в Хантингтоне

Thoughts on events of the past week or so: CSX: Three executives of CSX Corp. visited the Huntington Locomotive Shop on Friday, Aug. 21, to talk with workers there. That’s about all we know. There was no media notice or availability. But CSX did post a short video to social media sites so the public could see their message to employees: “Huntington’s very unique. It’s the largest locomotive repair facility on the railroad. The locomotives and components that leave this shop touch almost every part of CSX. And thousands of railroaders depend on the quality of the work that’s performed right here. And that’s something that you should be extremely proud of.” — Mike Cory, executive vice president and chief operating officer. “Whether you’re running trains, or whether you’re fixing locomotives, or you’re working on the track structure, you are all the ultimate purveyor of our product and what we sell, and that’s service.” — Ryan Higgins, vice president of sales and marketing — industrial products and short lines. “We need to run the railroad safely, efficiently, reliably, profitably, and with the highest degree of integrity. That’s our central task. If we can do that, we will be the best-performing railroad.” — Steve Angel, president and chief executive officer. It would have been nice to hear what questions the Huntington workers asked. There must have been some concern about the future of the Huntington shop in a time when two of the remaining six Class I railroads operating in the United States — four domestic and two Canadian — want to combine into a large operation that would control about 40% of rail traffic. If the Surface Transportation Board allows that merger to occur, CSX could be caught in a hard place. Wall Street investors have wanted it to find a merger partner of its own. CSX would likely be the junior partner in such a transaction, so the future of its Huntington operation could be affected. FLOCK: The word “Flock” is easier to say than “automated license plate readers” or “ALPR.” The name “Flock” also lends itself to puns, some of which are not appropriate for polite conversation but are useful for protest signs. Flock Safety, the company that makes Flock cameras, is about to lose control of its name, if it hasn’t already. “Flock” has become a generic term for ALPR systems, just as “Xerox” became a verb synonymous with “photocopy” and “Dumpster” is now a common term for large trash containers. Flock Safety has at least two major competitors — Axon and Motorola Solutions. Their names are seldom mentioned because “Flock” has become a verb and is a lot easier to say. To a large number of people, “Flock” has become a bad word. Specific, detailed stories about the good Flock ALPRs have done would help Flock Safety. Law enforcement says Flock cameras have helped solve crimes, but details are scarce. There are more viral stories and videos about people who have inconvenienced or arrested because of Flock system errors than there are about good outcomes. When these bad stories surface, people assume Flock is involved. Because “Flock” is a verb. DOLLY: Is it OK to admit that in high school I had an eight-track tape of duets of Dolly Parton and Porter Wagoner? They made some good music together, but Dolly’s talent was just too big to be attached to Porter’s forever. If only I’d had a good eight-track player to take with me to college. While my dorm neighbors were blasting The Beatles and the Allman Brothers Band from their expensive stereos, I could have introduced them to real music.