The safe operation of Port Terminal Railroad operations is always a primary goal. All PTRA officers and employees are responsible for compliance with all applicable rules and regulations related to the safety of our employees, our customers and the communities we serve. All operating officers and employees are expected to regularly assess PTRA’s safety rules, practices and operations and should report to the appropriate supervisor any perceived problems or areas for improvement.

 

The Association is committed to complying with all applicable laws regarding the collection, protection and dissemination of personal identification information collected from employees.  The Association will limit the personal information it requires employees to provide to that which is required for the Association to carry out its business and provide access to such personal information only to those persons and entities that need the information for the Association to carry out its business.

Employee use of Association Electronic Mail, or Internet or use of any other Association asset is not private. The Association has the right to access and review usage and contents of any computer system or message going across the Association’s network or on any Association computing device.

 

The Association, through its policy and practice, provides equal opportunity to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, gender, national origin, age, disability, religion, veteran status, sexual orientation, or any other ground prohibited by law. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including hiring, placement, promotion, demotion, termination, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

 

The Association is committed to ensuring work environments free from all forms of discrimination, including harassment/sexual harassment. All employees should be treated with dignity and respect. The Association is committed to providing a work environment free from offensive behavior or statements directed at a person’s race, gender or any other protected status. In addition, the Association requires its employees to refrain from threats of harm and violent behavior directed against other employees and those outside the Association with whom they have dealings.

 

Violence in the workplace (both verbal and physical) will not be tolerated.

 

Employees are responsible for the appropriate use of time that should be allocated to the Association and the Association’s resources. Limited personal use of Internet, Electronic Mail, and phones (as discussed previously in Section II), is permitted. Employees may not use other Association assets, or labor or information for personal use, unless prior appropriate management approval is given for other limited purposes (such as charitable contributions and activities).

 

There will be no unlawful retaliation against any employee for making a good faith report of alleged violations of our policies against discrimination, harassment or offensive behavior; opposing any practice believed in good faith to be unlawfully discriminatory; or participating in an internal or government investigation of possible discrimination.

 

 

1. Confidentiality

 

Employees are expected to maintain the confidentiality of information entrusted to them by the Association and any other confidential, proprietary (i.e. trade secrets) or other nonpublic information that comes to them, from whatever source, in the course of their work for the Association, except when disclosure is authorized or legally mandated. Confidential information includes:

Employees may not use confidential information for the benefit of anyone other than the Association.

Reasonable prudence and care should be exercised in dealing with confidential information in order to avoid inadvertent inappropriate disclosure.

 

 

The General Manager is the spokesperson for the Port Terminal Railroad Association, and as such will answer all media inquiries. The General Manager may appoint one of his direct reports to handle this as necessary. All inquiries for information, comments, or interviews from any media source must be directed to the General Manager.  Employees are prohibited from giving information, statements, or interviews that involve the PTRA.

Accurate and reliable preparation and maintenance of all Association records is of critical importance to proper management decisions and fulfillment of the Association's financial, legal and reporting obligations. Diligence in accurately preparing and maintaining the Association's financial records allows the Association to fulfill its financial reporting obligations and to provide shareholders with information that is complete, accurate and understandable. All transactions must be properly documented and accounted for on the books and records of the Association. No off-book funds or transactions are allowed. All reports, vouchers, bills, invoices, payroll and service records, business measurement and performance records, and other essential data are to be prepared and maintained with care and honesty. Such data must not be falsified or altered to conceal or distort assets, liabilities, revenues, expenses or performance measures. Employees are responsible for safeguarding Association assets and properties under their control and for providing an auditable record of transactions relating to the use or disposition of such assets and properties.

 

The Association is committed to efficient and economical management of its business records to comply with all legal and business requirements.  Business records are retained in accordance with the guidelines listed in Exhibit 1 and should be retained for the designated times listed.  Records relevant or related to an ongoing or anticipated legal proceeding, government investigation or tax audit should not be destroyed, even if scheduled for destruction, until the GM or CFO advises such destruction is permissible.  Department heads are responsible for seeing that record retention and maintenance is handled according to this policy. 

 

All business information the Association acquires and produces, in any form, constitutes a corporate asset.  The ownership, usage, dissemination, storage, or formulation of information, as well as all physical corporate systems used to process, transmit, or store this data, belong exclusively to the Association. It is the responsibility of every user to guard against unauthorized use or disclosure of these assets.   Every user of the Association’s computer systems is responsible for reasonable protection of the Corporation’s data and the systems used to produce the data and information.

 

Software is generally the property of the software vendor and duplication of copyrighted software, except for backup purposes, is a violation of the federal copyright law. Under this law, software that is loaded on your hard disk or a file server may not be duplicated for use on any other computer and the making or distributing of copyrighted material without authorization (except for backup purposes) is illegal. In addition, employees shall not load any software, including software owned by employees, onto the Association’s computers without prior appropriate management approval.

 

Any employee found to be engaging in or attempting theft of Association property, facilities or physical resources including documents, equipment, intellectual property, personal property of other employees, cash or any other items of value will be subject to dismissal and possible criminal prosecution. All employees have an obligation to report any theft or attempted theft to the Association.

An employee may not divert to his or her personal benefit any invention, know-how, technology or computer program which the employee has developed or learned of in the course of his or her employment and which the employee has reason to know may be useful to the Association in its ongoing business.

 

Employees should use the Association’s Internet, Electronic Mail and phone services primarily for business-related purposes. Limited personal use of these services is authorized. Employees should be careful that the use of Internet, Electronic Mail and phone services does not violate local, state or federal laws, adversely affect Association operations, violate Association policies, promote personal financial gain, or otherwise detract from productivity or work responsibilities.  The viewing or distribution of pornographic images, jokes, photographs, or any similar materials can and will be considered to be in violation of ethical standards and EEOC policies.  These images can also be violations of state and federal laws.  The PTRA will not tolerate violation of this policy.

Employees should not have the expectation of privacy in relation to Internet or Electronic Mail services. Usage and contents of all computer systems and messages going across the Association’s network and computing devices are audited for compliance. Phone usage is also audited for compliance.

 

Specific examples of unauthorized use include: committing a crime, gambling, viewing pornographic material, defamation of any person or entity, activities and transactions for profit unrelated to the Association, dissemination of the Association’s confidential, proprietary or non-public information, excessive use of social networking and other similar activities such as “tweeting” etc., or use that detracts from employee productivity.

 

Specific examples of authorized use include: communication with personal service providers (e.g. doctors, teachers, day care, bank), purchase of goods and services (e.g. mail order prescriptions), use of Electronic Mail and Internet while traveling on Association business as tools to assist with work/life balance.