African-American Railroader Month focuses on leadership

Norfolk Southern's annual African-American Railroader Month celebration in February focuses on leadership.

"We're focusing on leaders in our industry, our company and the communities we serve, and the roles African-Americans have played in making us stronger and more effective," said Linda Duncan, manager diversity. "We're also working to show how the company and industry have changed to become more inclusive."

A number of activities are planned to expand our knowledge, said Duncan, who chairs a team coordinating activities for the month. "Lunch and learn" sessions will be held at various locations throughout the NS system. Each session will feature a speaker, a video and lunch. Locations, times and dates are posted on the company's Web site at www.nscorp.com and at local facilities. Employees must reserve a space for "Lunch and Learn" sessions through the Employee Resource Center on the Web site.

NS employees who are role models for leadership are featured on the site. The contributions of some past employees and others whose influence is still felt in the industry also are highlighted. Hampton University, a historically black university, is featured also, with profiles of active NS employees who are Hampton graduates. A weekly fun quiz, profiles of those whose inventions and ideas made the industry safer and more efficient, and profiles of other African-American leaders add to the opportunities to celebrate the contributions of African-American railroaders. Information will be updated regularly.

"We want this to be interesting, educational and fun," Duncan said. "We have many employees who are leaders, and this is a good opportunity to talk about how their leadership brings greater success to our industry, our company and the communities we serve. It also is a good opportunity to show how a more inclusive workplace benefits everyone."

Perfect peak season, new record for NS and UPS

Good planning and a focus on performance brought a new record for flawless performance for Norfolk Southern and rewards to United Parcel Service customers. NS moved nearly 18 million packages without a service failure for UPS during UPS' peak season, Nov. 27 to Dec. 24, 2003. Solid planning, strong commitment and teamwork was the winning combination for NS.

"We met with people across the system, reviewed our plan and addressed any issues before peak time began," said Randy Survant, group manager intermodal marketing. "We made sure everyone was committed to our operating plan and to being as flexible as possible within that plan. That paid off in flawless performance."

NS' intermodal group worked with operating departments to keep UPS shipments moving. The company added locomotives when necessary, fueled at Chicago instead of Elkhart, Ind., provided extra end-of-train devices and made sure people were in place to respond quickly to any potential service failure.

Survant said NS provided superior service throughout 2003, not just during the traditional peak season, establishing a new record for NS.

"Our previous record was 91 consecutive days without a failure," he said. "We matched that record in the period from June to September 2003. Then we began our latest record-breaking effort on Oct. 4, 2003, which has surpassed 100 days. That says a lot about NS people and our commitment to providing the best service possible to our customers."

NS employees eligible for vehicle discounts

DaimlerChrysler, Ford, GM, Hyundai, Mazda, Mitsubishi, Nissan and Subaru are offering vehicle purchase and lease discounts to Norfolk Southern employees. Some exceptions apply, and dealer participation is voluntary.

For more information, contact the manufacturers as follows:

DaimlerChrysler: selected vehicles, employee and spouse. Log on to www.dc-rewards.com, enter supplier code S 70832 to obtain your control number, then follow instructions; or call 1-888-444-4321 to start the process.

Ford: Ford Supplier Partner Recognition vehicle purchase program (Ford, Land Rover, Lincoln, Mazda, Mercury and Volvo) - employees, retirees and spouses are eligible. For application: www.fordpartner.com, partner code B9ZYK or call 1-877-XPLAN-00

GM: GM Supplier Discount (GM, GMC and SAAB). For application: www.GMsupplierdiscount.com or call 1-800-960-3375

Hyundai: new vehicles, employees only. For application: www.hyundaiapp.com, enter CID# 918799 and follow instructions

Mazda: new vehicles only, employees and retirees. For application go to www.mazdausa.com/splan

Mitsubishi: new vehicles only, employee and spouse Log on to www.mitsubishipartners.com, enter your NS e-mail address and this password: mitsu424. Call 1-887-386-8754 for further information.

Nissan/Infiniti: Vehicle Purchase Program (new only), - employees only. www.insidenissan.com or call 1-800-299-4753

Subaru: VIP Program - Employees only. www.vip.subaru.com, use your NS e-mail address to obtain your key or call 1-800-VIP-0933

Safety milestones achieved

Two Midwestern terminals achieved significant milestones in their long-lasting safety records.

In November, transportation employees at Kansas City, Mo., celebrated 1,000 days without a reportable injury. The terminal, with more than 100 people in the transportation department, also has gone more than a year without a rule violation derailment. Jeff Harris, terminal superintendent, attributes the records to the overall work ethic of the employees.

"Without their constant vigilance, none of this would have been possible," Harris said. "They are a very cohesive group, and they look out for each other."

The team is proud of its record, said Gary Miller, locomotive engineer and co-chairman of the Kansas City Terminal Safety Committee. "It's all in the attitudes of our people," he said. "Records are nice, but that's not why we do it. Everyone wants to be able to enjoy their life outside of work."

The transportation department in Des Moines, Iowa, celebrated five years without a reportable injury on Dec. 1. Charlie McGinness, operations manager, credits the long-standing record to the dedication of his team.

"They are dedicated, safety-minded and integrity-driven," McGinness said. "Their principle is that safety costs nothing, and the returns are immeasurable.

In recognition of both terminals' commitment to maintaining the safest work environment possible, each employee received a jacket with the NS logo.

"Their attitudes and achievement are nothing less than outstanding," Harris said.

Leadership: past, present and future

Asa Philip Randolph

April 15, 1889 - May 16, 1979

Norfolk Southern's African-American Railroader Month celebration focuses on past, present and future leadership in the transportation industry, the company and the community. Asa Philip Randolph paved the way for future success through his leadership in organized labor.

In his long career, he was the voice of the African-American working class in a rapidly changing America. The son of a minister, Randolph began to stand out from his peers early in life. He graduated in 1907 at the top of his class from the Cookman Institute in Jacksonville, Fla., now Bethune-Cookman College. His valedictory speech was on the importance of racial pride.

Randolph moved to Harlem in New York City in 1911. There, he found an abundance of job opportunities but realized he needed more education to prosper in New York's competitive atmosphere. While attending the City College of New York, Randolph met Chandler Owen, with whom he started an employment agency in his first effort to unite African-American workers. In 1917, the two created The Messenger, a monthly magazine that Randolph said would be "the first voice of radical, revolutionary, economic and political action among Negroes in America."

Randolph continued to set his sights on organizing African-American workers. In June 1925, Randolph founded the Brotherhood of Sleeping Car Porters, an independent union of porters and maids. His goal was to work with the Pullman Company to secure decent wages and working conditions for the group.

After a 12-year struggle with the Pullman Company, one of the most powerful businesses in the country, Randolph led the brotherhood to obtain a railroad contract in 1937. This was the first labor contract for an African-American union.

Randolph continued to fight for African-American rights until the late 1960s. In 1963, he was a key coordinator of the March on Washington, where Martin Luther King Jr. gave his famous "I Have a Dream" speech.

John Wesley Whitaker

Nov. 9, 1921 - Feb. 27, 2002

Leadership means dedication, courage and commitment. Railroad pioneer John W. Whitaker exemplified such leadership as he rose from shoveling coal in locomotives to managing train operations in Georgia. Whitaker, the Central of Georgia's first African-American locomotive engineer, spent much of his career seeking equal opportunities for African-American rail workers.

He did not wait long to begin transcending the race barrier. During World War II, Whitaker was a member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen, America's first African-American military pilots. After the war, he worked as a locomotive fireman for Norfolk Southern predecessor Central of Georgia. There, Whitaker and other African-American railroaders founded the International Brotherhood of Railroad Employees, a union that challenged workplace discrimination. Whitaker served as its second president. The union's efforts helped pave the way for the revolutionary 1954 decision in "Brown vs. Board of Education," which declared segregation unconstitutional.

In addition to being the Central of Georgia's first African-American locomotive engineer, Whitaker later was named Southern Railway's road foreman of engines, becoming the railway's first African-American transportation officer.

His unrelenting pursuit for equal opportunities in the railroad industry was honored in October 2001, when the NS intermodal facility in Austell, Ga., was named for him. "We knew we were doing the right thing," said Whitaker. "We had to keep moving forward. We were trying to help ourselves and our families and paving the way for others. Our faith in ourselves and our faith in the Lord kept us going."

NS employees talk about leadership

A number of current and retired Norfolk Southern employees are featured on the company's African-American Railroader Month Web page. They are leaders in the company and in the communities where they live. Here are some of their views about leadership and the people who inspired them to achieve. Read more about these present leaders at NS on the company's Web site at www.nscorp.com.

Michael A. Brown

material storehouse clerk
Norfolk

Leadership is not a spectator sport for Mike Brown. He fills a need in his community in a very real way through his favorite pastime, baseball. A Portsmouth, Va., native, he graduated from Craddock High School in 1970, where he played baseball and was involved in band. In 1976, he received a bachelor's degree in communication from Norfolk State University. His son is a certified firefighter and emergency medical technician, and his daughter works for Norfolk Southern as a claims agent in Birmingham, Ala. As a respected and experienced baseball umpire, Mike calls leadership as he sees it.

Who, present or past, do you consider a great leader?

I am a sports-minded person. Jackie Robinson was a great African-American leader. He had to lead by example. There were many times that, because of the magnitude of racism during that era, he could have lost his composure. However, he knew he was breaking ground. He endured great hardships and personal humiliations so that he could open the door for others to walk through.

What makes someone a good leader?

A good leader is not always the one who wants to be in charge, but someone who can motivate people and bring out the best in them. To lead by example is the greatest leadership of all.

Jesse E. Thomas

Former assistant vice president, IT

Jesse E. Thomas, formerly Norfolk Southern assistant vice president IT, did not let difficult or challenging tasks stand in the way of his desire to achieve his goals as a leader, both at work and at home. An Atlanta native, Thomas graduated from the historical Booker T. Washington High School and went on to study mathematics at Morehouse College. His son currently works for NS in the Accounting department. Below, Thomas shares some of his thoughts on leadership.

Who, past or present, do you consider a great African-American leader?

There have been so many great African-American leaders. I consider Martin Luther King Jr. to be the greatest. If I have achieved anything in the workplace or in life, the Rev. King paved the foundation. He was a leader by example, and he gave his life so many of the opportunities I experienced in the workplace could become a reality. From my perspective, if he could lay the foundation, I could certainly play on the playing field.

How important is it to you to be a leader?

In my opinion, if one leads by example and respect, the chances of completing a difficult task increases multi-fold over some other form of strict delegation. That principle has served me well in many supervisory situations. I led in the workplace by example and would characterize my leadership style as participatory, and hands on.

Walter L. Williams Jr.

engineer
Columbus, Ga.

A native of Birmingham, Ala., Walter L. "Willie" Williams sees leadership not as an act, but as a way of life. He has served as chairman of the Columbus District Safety Committee for nearly a decade and is serious about his commitment to promote safety in the workplace.

Williams graduated from Western-Olin High School in 1966 and went on to serve his country in the armed forces. He is also an active member in his church. His dedication to "leading by example" has earned him the respect of his peers and justifies his standing as one of Norfolk Southern's "leaders of the present."

How important are your leadership roles to you?

They are very important to me. I strive to be a role model to the point that I can have a positive effect on the actions of those around me. I see and then try to meet needs to make my community and my workplace a better and safer place.

Who has had the most profound effect on your life, specifically encouraging you to lead?

It would definitely be my mother, Olivia. She encouraged me to be the best at whatever I do. I remember her saying, "Be the task great or small, do it well or not at all."

NS salutes minority-owned Wabash Solutions

As part of Norfolk Southern's celebration of African-American Railroader Month, NS recognizes Atlanta-based minority-owned vendor Wabash Solutions. The company is an information technology services company that offers supplemental staffing, system integration and multimedia services. Its business with NS has grown greatly since 1999. Since that time, NS' business with Wabash Solutions has doubled, reaching more than $4.6 million in 2003.

Steve White, president, values the new business he has gained since developing ties with NS.

"From the track record I was able to establish with NS, I've been able to create relationships with quite a few FORTUNE 500 companies, including IBM, Cox Communications, Sprint, Brown and Williamson Tobacco Corp. and Coca Cola," he said. "At the front end of a starting business, cash flow is always an issue. NS helped me avoid any cash flow issues and helped me build up reserves. They gave us the opportunity to demonstrate our capabilities."

Wabash provides NS contractors for programming in the IT department. Eric Dunn, manager IT, said, "It is a strong partnership. They provide us with high quality professionals."

Newsbreak changes set

Beginning next month, Newsbreak will be mailed to Norfolk Southern employees only. Retirees and others who have been receiving Newsbreak still can access it on NS' Web site at www.nscorp.com.