Just before Labor Day weekend, two additional railroad unions struck tentative labor deals with US freight railroads.
The International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) and the American Train Dispatchers Association (ATDA) both stated that the labor agreements are based on recommendations from the Presidential Emergency Board (PEB), a three-person independent committee appointed by President Joe Biden to find ways for unions and railroads to reach an agreement.
According to the National Carriers’ Conference Committee (NCCC), the group representing Class I railroads in contract negotiations, the two unions represent around 6,000 freight rail employees.
According to the NCCC, five of the twelve railroad unions have achieved provisional agreements, representing a total of more than 21,000 people. The mechanical unions SMART and the Brotherhood of Maintenance of Way Employees Division (BMWED) are bargainings as a partnership. The International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail, and Transportation Workers is abbreviated as SMART.
The Transportation Communications Union/IAM (International Association of Machinists), the Brotherhood of Railway Carmen, and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers announced tentative agreements on Monday.
Overall, the unions that have secured agreements represent around 15% of the more than 140,000 employees who are bargaining.
The IBEW’s tentative deal asks for the largest salary increases in 47 years: a 24% general compounded wage rise over the next five years, commencing July 1, 2020, and an annual $1,000 service-recognition incentive.
“I want to applaud the IBEW’s rail bargaining team members for their hard work and patience in reaching this agreement,” IBEW International President Lonnie Stephenson stated late Thursday in a press release. “I’d also like to thank President Biden and the PEB members for their work in bringing management and labor together to negotiate a fair contract.” It’s been a long and difficult process, but we’ve now secured an agreement that meets more than 70% of our demands, including unprecedented salary increases for our railroad members.
“The freight rail business is critical to our economy, and the men and women who keep it running ought to be fairly compensated.” We didn’t get everything we wanted, but this deal is a step in the right direction, and we strongly advise [union] members to accept it.”
ATDA, an AFL-CIO branch that represents train dispatchers, stated that its members would get their ratification budgets in the mail.
“Our members are experiencing one of the most inflationary periods our country has ever seen, and this deal provides for fair salaries,” ATDA President F. Leo McCann said in a news release on Friday.
The NCCC stated in a news release that it “would like to thank the unions’ leadership teams for their professionalism and efforts during the negotiation process.”
The remaining unions would be able to legally stage a work stoppage or strike when a cooling-off period ends on September 16, according to the Railway Labor Act.
PEB’s recommendations are intended to serve as a starting point for developing a final contract, thus the eventual result may differ depending on what all parties negotiate.
A new labor agreement has been in the works since January 2020, but negotiations have stalled. A government mediation board took over the proceedings, but the parties dropped out earlier this summer. In July and August, the PEB became involved in the process and held hearings.
BLET and SMART-TD weigh in on the deadlock in discussions.
The provisional five agreements come as two of the largest unions, SMART-Transportation Division and the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers (BLET), weigh in on the negotiations progress.
In response to rumors regarding Congress’ probable engagement in contract negotiations if the deadlock persists, SMART-TD President Jeremy Ferguson and BLET President Dennis Pierce issued a joint statement.
According to the statement, “we recognize there are radically varied viewpoints amongst our collective memberships on what should happen next, and the democratic principles that drive our unions provide each member the right to their own opinion.” “Although current ideas differ, there are some things that apply to all of us equally.” It has been evident in our post-PEB negotiations with the train carriers that they are banking on the federal government to come to their help if we are unable to reach a provisional deal, which we have yet to do. We urge Congress to keep out of our disagreement, and if you do, we are convinced that the train carriers will abandon their existing positions and reach an agreement with their employees that can be confirmed.”
“We should not condemn the unions that have decided to provide their members the freedom to decide their own fate through a ratification vote,” they continued. As we near the conclusion of the Railway Labor Act bargaining process, all of our contracts will be resolved, one way or another. Instead, we will continue to focus our efforts on getting tentative agreements that are worthy of our members’ attention.”
If you’re interested in learning more about shipping with Get Loaded and Rolling, now is the best time to get started. Sign up with Get Loaded and Rolling today.
