Off my news feed today.
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A BNSF Railway crew member reboards his locomotive after providing protection at a pedestrian crossing during a maintenance-of-way project in Hinsdale, Ill., on Nov. 6, 2021. David Lassen
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Class I railroads and the union representing maintenance of way employees today agreed to extend their cooling off period through at least Dec. 4, eliminating the prospect of a national strike or lockout this month.
The prior cooling off period between the National Carriers Conference Committee and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters (BMWED) was set to expire on Nov. 19.
The extension puts the BMWED in alignment with the other four unions that have yet to ratify their tentative agreements with the Class I railroads, including the unions representing engineers and conductors.
The agreement is subject to further extension if necessary, the NCCC said. The two largest unions — the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers and Trainmen and the SMART-TD union that represents conductors — on Nov. 21 are set to release the results of the rank-and-file vote on their contracts.
Members of the BMWED rejected their tentative deal with the railroads last month, as did the Brotherhood of Railway Signalmen. The other seven unions that are part of national negotiations have approved their agreements, which were largely based on the recommendations of the Presidential Emergency Board that was convened this summer after the railroads and unions could not reach a deal after nearly three years of negotiations.
“With this extension, BLET and SMART-TD will have the opportunity to finish their ratification procedures for any tentative national agreements without disruption,” the BMWED
said in a statement. “If these Unions do not ratify, then we will have the opportunity to bring all of Rail Labor together, under a single deadline, to finish national negotiations. This is most appropriate given that we entered into the PEB together and we should continue through the final stages of this process together.”
BMWED also said the extension will allow the unions to educate members of Congress about working conditions and rail labor’s efforts to negotiate additional paid time off.
“Joining with the BRS and possibly the operating crafts will also improve our chances of not having Congress intervene on the railroads behalf and instead allow us to strike if necessary. This ultimately strengthens our chances to get paid sick leave,” the BMWED said.
The railroads have rejected union requests for additional paid time off, saying employees already have paid sick time benefits. “The structure of these benefits is a function of decades of bargaining where unions, including BMWED, have repeatedly agreed that short-term absences would be unpaid in favor of higher compensation for days worked and more generous sickness benefits for longer absences,” the NCCC has said.
The Association of American Railroads said the extension provides greater certainty for the economy, shippers, and passengers in advance of the Thanksgiving holiday.
“This agreement to extend the cooling off period affords all unionized employees the opportunity to vote on their agreements free of a looming strike threat,” AAR CEO Ian Jefferies said in a statement.. “Our goal remains the same — successfully completing this round of bargaining — and we stand ready to reach an agreement with BMWED based upon the Presidential Emergency Board’s recommendations.”
The tentative agreements reached provide employees a 14.1% wage increase effective immediately and a 24% wage increase by 2024, the largest increase in five decades.
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